Today we decided to go on land before breakfast. As we began our walk we encountered a brackish water lagoon with some pink flamingos standing out in the foggy morning. We observed Greater flamingoes in the brackish water lagoon as well as white-cheeked pintail ducks, and several finches flying around looking for food.
Soon we arrived at a white sandy beach which is a dense green sea turtle nesting ground. Several nests were seen but no turtles were spotted. We did, however, see a few Galapagos sharks patrolling the shallow waters in search for any hatchlings.
We repositioned the National Geographic Islander after breakfast. As soon as we anchored we departed on a Zodiac ride along the coast of Champion. There we saw Galapagos sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls and the always elusive Floreana mockingbird. Later on in the morning we returned here to snorkel from the Zodiacs in deep waters. We had an incredible time during the snorkeling. Our highlight was interacting with the playful sea lions.
After lunch we navigated to another visitor site on Floreana, Post Office Bay. At this location we learned about whaler’s traditions and the human history of the Galapagos. We searched inside a wooden barrel where other travelers left mail to be taken and hand delivered by travelers on their way back home. After following this tradition we got to explore the coast of this bay and some nearby islets where Galapagos sea lions live most of the year and green sea turtles come to rest. Some of us chose to kayak along the coast of Post Office bay, enjoying the colorful afternoon.
It was an interesting day full of nature and human history.
