Floreana Island
Our day began with an optional wake-up call to visit Punta Cormorant at the northern end of Floreana Island. We landed on the green beach; its color is due to the high concentration of olivine, a green, glassy mineral that our guests found along the beach. At the foot of a nearby hill, many Sally Lightfoot crabs fed on small crustaceans and algae, while on the shore a great blue heron tried to catch one of them.
We arrived at the small lagoon behind the beach where our guests observed white-cheeked pintails, flamingos and black-necked stilts. Waders usually come here to feed on small crustaceans using their long bills and long legs to walk along the shallows. We talked about the first settlers long ago, such us the baroness, Dr. Ritter, and of course the famous Charles Darwin, who visited this place only three years after Ecuador took possession of the Galápagos Archipelago.
We arrived at the organic white sand beach on the other side of the hill. Its composition is mainly coral and shells in contrast with the green beach, whose composition is inorganic. Walking on the beach we observed many fresh sea turtles tracks; they came to nest last night, laying their eggs on the dry dunes far from the ocean. In the air, frigatebirds flew in circles looking for the hatchlings that sometimes abandon their nest during the day.
After breakfast, we headed to Champion Islet to observe the elusive Floreana mockingbird, whose small population is concentrated on islets around the main island; here they found their last refuge after depredation caused by introduced animals such as rats and cats on Floreana. We found many of them close to us, and others fluttering among the cactus trees or on the rocks. Along the vertical walls we observed red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, blue-footed and Nazca boobies and many colorful crabs.
After the Zodiac ride, we came back to Champion Islet for snorkeling. The incredible underwater world showed us many different species of tropical fish, white-tipped reef sharks and playful sea lions.
In the afternoon we repositioned the National Geographic Endeavour to the enigmatic Post Office Bay, where an old barrel erected only a few feet from the beach has been mute witness to many different historical events since the late 1700s. Whalers, pirates and buccaneers deposited their letters into the barrel with the hopes that they would be delivered to their relatives when others went back home; of course it took many years for these letters to reach their final destinations. Our guests, imitating ancient practices, deposited their postcards to be sent to their friends or relatives overseas.
It was just before sunset when we headed our Zodiacs back to the National Geographic Endeavour, keeping our remembrances of this magical place.
