We are in the Galapagos Islands, embarking on the trip of a life time aboard the National Geographic Endeavour. Today we visited the very popular Floreana Island. This island was occupied by whalers centuries ago when the industrial revolution in Europe and North America had just begun. Hundreds of vessels used Floreana as a supplies’ stop, and used its waters for whaling. This was also the first island to be inhabited by Ecuadorians, and soon it became the capital of the Galapagos.
We started the day very early with a hike at the visitor site called Punta Cormorant. This place has a beautiful salt water lagoon where, from time to time, flamingos come to nest and feed on the rich in carotenoids algae. This is also the middle of the sea turtle nesting season, so we visited a nearby beach to see them. We found some very fresh tracks of the females that has nested the previous night, and some others that were made by females who were trying to avoid being mounted by males.
After seeing so much on our early morning excursion, we returned to the ship for a delicious breakfast while we repositioned to our next destination. Soon after breakfast, we headed back out for more exploration, starting with Zodiac rides around Champion Islet. This small island is located offshore, so it is a mandatory stop for some species of fish, birds and other marine creatures, and sure enough, we spotted sea lions, tropical birds, and blue-footed boobies all along the coastline. Afterward, we offered outings on our glass-bottom boat, as well as deep water snorkeling. The ocean conditions were fantastic, and our guests were delighted with sightings of sea turtles, sharks and many tropical fish.
In the afternoon we moved to Post Office Bay, the most famous visitor site on Floreana due to the tradition of hand delivering post cards. Our kayakers had the opportunity to explore the coastline, while others took the Zodiacs in pursuit of baby sharks, sea turtles and rays. Later on, we all met at the popular barrel to pick up and leave post cards to hand deliver when we returned home, taking part in a long-standing tradition that always brings good memories of the unique experiences in Galapagos.
