Floreana Island

Describing a day in Galápagos is like describing one of the best days of your life; being away from civilization and in contact with nature is like being reborn in a new world full of happiness and peace. That’s the magic of this isolated wonderful place.

Floreana, or Charles Island, is a place that offers many activities for our guests: hikes, snorkeling, kayaking, and beach activity. This island was one of the first to be colonized by people, and that is the main reason why so much of its flora and fauna were destroyed by introduced species a century ago. Once the Galápagos National Park was established—and with the help of our visitors— we undertook a very difficult mission, but not impossible; the most important thing is to restore Floreana and hopefully in the near future we will see all its native and endemic flora and fauna once again.

Champion is a satellite island of Floreana Island and probably one of the best for water activities in Galápagos. Here you can see lots of different fish from cold and warm waters, because Galápagos is located right at the confluence of three main currents: Panama, Humboldt and Cromwell. This tiny island also provides one of the best experiences while in the water: the Galápagos sea lions are without doubt great entertainers and very naïve on land and in the water.

Before the sun set we went for a lovely and easy walk from a volcanic-material beach to an organic beach. One is made of pure volcanic material and the second one from organic material such as coral, shells and many other components. We also learned how important it is to protect beaches because they are the nesting sites for the Pacific green sea turtle. This time of year they are hatching.

This is just a bit about our wonderful day at the mysterious Floreana Island.