Floreana and Isabela Island
It was early in the morning, and the new sun was rising, brightening up the beautiful hills of Floreana. Our first activity would be a visit to the Post Office barrel. This is a historical place, as it is the oldest unofficial Post Office on this side of the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of visitors have come here in the past two centuries, since the original barrel was established. Back at the landing beach, the Zodiacs awaited to take us on a ride to the “loberia,” a small group of islets and rocks nearby. A small colony of sea lions lives there, and we found many of them still lying asleep between the beautiful prickly pear trees of the islets. Here, humans are not allowed to step on land, leaving these rocks under the complete domain of the sea lions.
Shortly afterwards, the Polaris weighed anchor and we sailed east, away from Post Office Bay to our next destination. This was Champion Island, home of the remaining population of the endemic Floreana mockingbird. Most of us managed to get a glimpse of this elusive and rare species. It was time to go snorkelling, however, and today most of us joined the various Zodiacs departing for the islet in the hopes of swimming with the playful young sea lions that inhabit these waters. And we succeeded! It was truly an amazing experience, and an unforgettable one for our younger travellers!
We had to say good bye to our new marine friends as a very rewarding and interesting navigation awaited us: the transit between Floreana and Isabela Islands. And what a treat it was! We encountered a large pod of common dolphins, several young ones amongst them. But the best surprise was the sight of a Bryde’s whale and approximately four blue whales, with their colossal size and tall spouts! These are one of the largest animals ever in the history of Earth, with a length of about 80 feet or more, and not many reports of these incredible animals have been made here in the Galápagos. They moved fast, but we were able to see them several times, until it was time to continue our navigation to our next destination.
The view of the pretty town of Puerto Villamil was charming, with its palm trees and blue bay. Here, we made our way to the Tortoise Breeding Center. Hundreds of tortoise hatchlings have been produced here in captivity, their populations being endangered by various reasons, like predation or volcanism. A loud grunting noise attracted our attention, and we discovered that a couple of adult tortoises were dutifully producing more offspring for the centre! We continued along the trail, and we observed many tortoise hatchlings and several adults. It was food time, and they were enjoying their ‘happy hour.’ The walk through town was very refreshing, and sunset told us it was time to go back on board, and prepare for the next day’s adventures.
It was early in the morning, and the new sun was rising, brightening up the beautiful hills of Floreana. Our first activity would be a visit to the Post Office barrel. This is a historical place, as it is the oldest unofficial Post Office on this side of the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of visitors have come here in the past two centuries, since the original barrel was established. Back at the landing beach, the Zodiacs awaited to take us on a ride to the “loberia,” a small group of islets and rocks nearby. A small colony of sea lions lives there, and we found many of them still lying asleep between the beautiful prickly pear trees of the islets. Here, humans are not allowed to step on land, leaving these rocks under the complete domain of the sea lions.
Shortly afterwards, the Polaris weighed anchor and we sailed east, away from Post Office Bay to our next destination. This was Champion Island, home of the remaining population of the endemic Floreana mockingbird. Most of us managed to get a glimpse of this elusive and rare species. It was time to go snorkelling, however, and today most of us joined the various Zodiacs departing for the islet in the hopes of swimming with the playful young sea lions that inhabit these waters. And we succeeded! It was truly an amazing experience, and an unforgettable one for our younger travellers!
We had to say good bye to our new marine friends as a very rewarding and interesting navigation awaited us: the transit between Floreana and Isabela Islands. And what a treat it was! We encountered a large pod of common dolphins, several young ones amongst them. But the best surprise was the sight of a Bryde’s whale and approximately four blue whales, with their colossal size and tall spouts! These are one of the largest animals ever in the history of Earth, with a length of about 80 feet or more, and not many reports of these incredible animals have been made here in the Galápagos. They moved fast, but we were able to see them several times, until it was time to continue our navigation to our next destination.
The view of the pretty town of Puerto Villamil was charming, with its palm trees and blue bay. Here, we made our way to the Tortoise Breeding Center. Hundreds of tortoise hatchlings have been produced here in captivity, their populations being endangered by various reasons, like predation or volcanism. A loud grunting noise attracted our attention, and we discovered that a couple of adult tortoises were dutifully producing more offspring for the centre! We continued along the trail, and we observed many tortoise hatchlings and several adults. It was food time, and they were enjoying their ‘happy hour.’ The walk through town was very refreshing, and sunset told us it was time to go back on board, and prepare for the next day’s adventures.
