Floreana
An early morning wake up by the melodious voice of our expedition leader took us directly to a hike at Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island. This pre-breakfast experience was scheduled to avoid the scorching heat of the day. All of us got to see a number of flamingos feeding on small crustaceans living in a brackish water lagoon found on the coast line of this visitor site. We then headed to the other side of the landing spot and encountered a shining white sand beach, where some green sea turtles were mating and nesting. The nesting one was a few feet from the trail.
After breakfast, with mango juice, we went for a Zodiac ride along Champion islet, where we were fortunate to see the very rare and almost extinct Floreana mockingbird. Also many sea birds were spotted nesting on the cliffs, as well as some sea lions resting on the black lava rocks. After the Zodiac ride, we went to explore the ocean life of the Galápagos. The waters were so calm that everybody went deep-water snorkeling. It was a great opportunity to see white-tip reef sharks, many tropical species of fish, as well as an octopus and lobsters. The most fascinating part of the outing was the chance to play with sea lion pups. As we swam among them, it really seemed like they had as much fun as we did.
After a great lunch, our afternoon was dedicated to visiting the famous Floreana Post Office. For centuries, the island’s inhabitants have used it as a communication system with the rest of the world. We followed the same tradition and found some postcards to hand deliver on our way back home. Then, we went for a Zodiac ride along the coast of Floreana Island to see sea lions, blue-footed boobies and some herons looking for dinner. The day ended on the upper deck of our ship with guacamole and a gorgeous sunset. That was another day in paradise….
