Today we visited Floreana Island, which is located in the southern region of the Galápagos archipelago. It is one of the four inhabited islands in Galapagos, with a small human settlement of around 120 to 150 people. Its geology, its wildlife and its human history are very interesting. It is dotted with volcanoes, some small and some large, however all these volcanos are old and there is no more volcanic activity in this region.
In the early morning before breakfast, we visited Punta Cormorant for a short walk. As we landed, we spotted several types of birds, including whimbrels, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds and many others. At Punta Cormorant there is a large brackish lagoon among saltbushes, mangroves and carpet weeds. This lagoon is the habitat for different types of birds, some of which are migrant, while others are resident or endemic to the islands—the highlight here is the greater flamingo.
After breakfast in the mid-morning, we boarded our fleet of Zodiacs to explore a small islet called Champion, also located to the north of Floreana. This place is also a beautiful snorkeling site, where a superb variety of fish can be seen.
Late in the afternoon, we landed at Post Office Bay to pay a visit to the legendary post office barrel. This post office barrel became an important method of communication for whalers who used to frequent this side of the Pacific Ocean. People would leave their letters in the barrel, hoping that other sailors passing through would recognize the address and would hand deliver the letter. Guests to the Galapagos look forward to visiting this site, and today our guests had the opportunity to take part in this tradition. At the end of the day, we explored the shore of Floreana in search of more wildlife. It was an amazing afternoon among the sea lions colony and Pacific green sea turtles.
