Today we started early. At 6:00 a.m. we had our wake up call, and while we were enjoying our delicious coffee we could see the sunrise through the windows. The landscape was beautiful as the light came through the hills of Floreana Island.
We disembarked at 6:30 a.m. on Punta Cormorant. Some of our guests went for a hike through a Palo Santo Forest. The trail took us to the other side of the point to a beautiful white sandy beach where rays and sea turtles rest.
The vegetation in Floreana is unique. We encountered some species of endemic plants, such as lecocarpus and scalesia, both species found just on this island. The other option offered was for our photographers - a shorter walk to a lagoon, from where we could observe flamingos in the distance. We practiced our macro photography with the sand and flowers and then we had the great chance to witness a couple of blue-footed boobies doing their mating dance just a couple of feet away from us.
After all that, we headed back to the ship for breakfast. Yes, all of this was just the first part of the morning!
Floreana has the richest human history of the Galapagos Islands. It was the first inhabited island, it was a whaler’s strategic gathering point, and it is still today the location of the world-famous Post Office Barrel. Many interesting stories took place here on Floreana Island, but unfortunately the effects of introduced species occurred here as well. Some of the affected species were for example the giant tortoises, which became extinct, and mockingbirds, which survived in two small islets but no longer on Floreana itself. This morning we went to look for that unique species of mockingbird with a Zodiac ride around Champion Islet. Then we got ready for our snorkeling which was amazing! We were in deep waters with hundreds of colorful fish and young sea lions playing with us, and had a marvelous time.
In the afternoon we had kayakers exploring the shores and then all together we visited the historical Post Office Barrel. We became part of the tradition by making the promise to hand-deliver the postcards of visitors that had come before us, and leaving our own for future visitors to take home with them in the future.
That is Floreana - a mixture of history, fauna, beautiful landscapes, and contrasts. The Mystery Island was on its best behavior for us today.
