Floreana Island
The National Geographic Polaris anchored today in the very same bay where pirates, whalers, and Charles Darwin himself had a wet landing! Our optional early morning wake up call to visit Post Office Bay in Floreana was very popular – in fact almost everybody showed up. We disembarked at around 6:30 a.m. to the early morning sounds of finches and warblers. We followed the whaling tradition of dropping letters and postcards in the barrel in the hopes that they will be hand delivered. Even though the original barrel has been replaced many times since the tradition started centuries ago, it still keeps the same traditional flavor.
After an incredible snorkeling in Champion, with Galápagos sea lions and hundreds of tropical fish we had a great lunch. The afternoon was dedicated to the beautiful colors of Floreana. We had a walk that allowed us to see the greater pink flamingoes of the Galápagos in a paradisiacal brackish lagoon. Two very distinct beaches, one olive green and one white known as flour beach contrasted in a beautiful way with the predominant arid zone of the area. In this zone the most common of the trees is the palo santo or “torch wood”. This fragrant tree species grows on the slopes of cinder cones and provide shelter to a vast number of creatures. A gorgeous sunset told us that it was time to come back onboard. Once on the ship we had the chance to share our memories and experiences with our fellow travelers.
The National Geographic Polaris anchored today in the very same bay where pirates, whalers, and Charles Darwin himself had a wet landing! Our optional early morning wake up call to visit Post Office Bay in Floreana was very popular – in fact almost everybody showed up. We disembarked at around 6:30 a.m. to the early morning sounds of finches and warblers. We followed the whaling tradition of dropping letters and postcards in the barrel in the hopes that they will be hand delivered. Even though the original barrel has been replaced many times since the tradition started centuries ago, it still keeps the same traditional flavor.
After an incredible snorkeling in Champion, with Galápagos sea lions and hundreds of tropical fish we had a great lunch. The afternoon was dedicated to the beautiful colors of Floreana. We had a walk that allowed us to see the greater pink flamingoes of the Galápagos in a paradisiacal brackish lagoon. Two very distinct beaches, one olive green and one white known as flour beach contrasted in a beautiful way with the predominant arid zone of the area. In this zone the most common of the trees is the palo santo or “torch wood”. This fragrant tree species grows on the slopes of cinder cones and provide shelter to a vast number of creatures. A gorgeous sunset told us that it was time to come back onboard. Once on the ship we had the chance to share our memories and experiences with our fellow travelers.
