Floreana Island

After witnessing the beginning of a volcanic explosion last night on Cerro Azul volcano, Isabela Island, we continued with our expedition on the Galápagos Islands.

The early morning found us off the shores of Champion, an isolated volcanic island near the coast of a larger island known as Floreana.

This particular area in the Galápagos is no longer volcanically active, since time has eroded the volcanoes of all the islands located at the eastern side of the archipelago.   Even though geology is present everywhere, it was not our main objective this morning. Instead, the abundant marine life that surrounds Champion was what brought us here this morning. As soon as we entered the water, large schools of fish and invertebrates were observed along the shores. But it does not matter how many fish species we find, the sea lions would always steal the show. These incredible creatures have become one of the Galápagos major attractions, as one cannot resist taking as many pictures for as many sea lions we encounter along the way. Their irresistible cute faces (especially the baby sea lions) can only be rivaled by their ability to twist and contort their bodies underwater.  We did not have to go find them, as they seem to have an special fondness for humans and managed to accompany us during both snorkeling and Zodiac cruises.

Our afternoon was full of activities: kayaking along the coastline of Cormorant point; beach time on a green sand beach; walking on the path of the island searching for flamingoes and sea turtles' nests; and to top it all, the visit to the post office barrel, one of the oldest mailing systems in South America. What else can we wish for?