Rábida

photos above by Ivan Vasquez

Rábida Island is a small, arid island with red rock cliffs and a maroon sand beach. It is one of the most volcanically varied islands in the archipelago. Several small volcanic craters and the high amount of iron in the lava give the island its distinctive red color and overall appearance.

Several options were offered this morning - a nature hike, kayaking along the cliffs and snorkeling; either deep water or from the beach. The Silver Galapagos has eight double kayaks so you have to sign up the night before. Park rules are stringent and they can only offer kayaking at certain sites, so we signed up for the first departure at 8 AM and spent about an hour and a half of exploring the shoreline. After the guides wrangled the kayaks we went back to the ship and Brad went on a deep water snorkel excursion and I took a zodiac ashore to spend time on the red beach photographing sea lions and iguanas. 

And, some photos from the ship's photographer taken during the nature hike.