Floreana Island
Today I went to an old post office and saw pirates! After we saw the post office we went snorkeling and saw many fish. The post office barrel on Floreana Island was the first mailing system in South America, since 1793. The barrel was erected there by Captain James Colnett of the British Royal Navy, and officially marked the beginning of the whaling era. Very near in the bay, a Humpback whale was spotted. It turned out to actually be three whales, and we had the opportunity of being very close to them.
After that special early morning we had breakfast and we went to snorkel around Champion; the highlight was the marine life: parrotfish, wrasses, king angelfishes, yellowtail surgeonfish, Mexican hogfish, Panama sergeant majors, giant damselfish. And of course, sea lions and blue-footed boobies diving and catching black striped salemas. It was so much fun!
After our snorkeling outing we took the Zodiacs and went on a boat ride around this island. Soon a bird came to the scene, the Floreana Mockingbird, a species unique to two satellite islets in front of Floreana. Less than 30 pairs are left, and today we spotted four individuals, so it was very special.
We all delighted ourselves with a delicious lunch; we did not take any break because at 2:00 pm kayaks were placed in the water, and off we went.
Later on we set off again to explore Punta Cormorant and landed on a beach formed by semiprecious crystals which give the sand a gorgeous green coloration. We looked for Darwin finches and shore birds at the brackish lagoon. This is home for the pinkest flamingos in the world. Everything matches here, such a perfect harmony: the exuberant vegetation of the island, the volcanic cones, and the trail so easy to be walked. We took this way to get to the other side of the island to arrive to a flour-like beach, the sand so fine and so white that some how it is hard to believe that it is real. I guess by the end of the day nature could not have been more generous with us.
Today I went to an old post office and saw pirates! After we saw the post office we went snorkeling and saw many fish. The post office barrel on Floreana Island was the first mailing system in South America, since 1793. The barrel was erected there by Captain James Colnett of the British Royal Navy, and officially marked the beginning of the whaling era. Very near in the bay, a Humpback whale was spotted. It turned out to actually be three whales, and we had the opportunity of being very close to them.
After that special early morning we had breakfast and we went to snorkel around Champion; the highlight was the marine life: parrotfish, wrasses, king angelfishes, yellowtail surgeonfish, Mexican hogfish, Panama sergeant majors, giant damselfish. And of course, sea lions and blue-footed boobies diving and catching black striped salemas. It was so much fun!
After our snorkeling outing we took the Zodiacs and went on a boat ride around this island. Soon a bird came to the scene, the Floreana Mockingbird, a species unique to two satellite islets in front of Floreana. Less than 30 pairs are left, and today we spotted four individuals, so it was very special.
We all delighted ourselves with a delicious lunch; we did not take any break because at 2:00 pm kayaks were placed in the water, and off we went.
Later on we set off again to explore Punta Cormorant and landed on a beach formed by semiprecious crystals which give the sand a gorgeous green coloration. We looked for Darwin finches and shore birds at the brackish lagoon. This is home for the pinkest flamingos in the world. Everything matches here, such a perfect harmony: the exuberant vegetation of the island, the volcanic cones, and the trail so easy to be walked. We took this way to get to the other side of the island to arrive to a flour-like beach, the sand so fine and so white that some how it is hard to believe that it is real. I guess by the end of the day nature could not have been more generous with us.
