Floreana & Isabela Islands
Today we started our day very early in the morning heading to the legendary Post Office Bay at Floreana Island. In 1793, an English whaling expedition erected a barrel on a small white coral beach visited frequently by buccaneers and whalers. The main idea was that sailors would drop their letters addressed to their families back in their hometowns and, those who were heading back to such places would carry the letters back to be delivered to their families. The tradition still continues nowadays with a small difference: the carriers are tour ships and the mail is nothing more than postcards!
Later in the morning we headed to Champion Islet. This rather small island near the coast of Floreana offered a magnificent opportunity to immerse ourselves into what the underwater world of the Galápagos has to offer. As soon as we jumped in the water, we encountered the “ever friendly and smiley” white tipped reef shark swimming back and forth along the cliffs, ignoring our presence, as usual. The water temperature felt great, and it seemed that fish felt it too. Thousands of different types of fish surrounded us, and as we kept moving along the cliff, the sea lions joined us in an amazing display of water ballet!
After an invigorating snorkeling outing, we started our navigation to Isabela Island. Shortly after our departure, a large group of bottlenose dolphins appeared and joined us for part of the navigation. A couple of Bryde’s whales showed up too and, with the same gracefulness as they appeared, vanished again in the distance.
We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the town of Pto, Villamil. This small and rather charming town is located at the southern-most side of Isabela Island. The beauty of the town was breathtaking. Here, we visited the giant tortoise rearing center, and learned about the recent success of restoring giant tortoise populations back to the wild. As the sun was setting in the horizon, we left the town behind. It was once again a day that we would never forget…
Today we started our day very early in the morning heading to the legendary Post Office Bay at Floreana Island. In 1793, an English whaling expedition erected a barrel on a small white coral beach visited frequently by buccaneers and whalers. The main idea was that sailors would drop their letters addressed to their families back in their hometowns and, those who were heading back to such places would carry the letters back to be delivered to their families. The tradition still continues nowadays with a small difference: the carriers are tour ships and the mail is nothing more than postcards!
Later in the morning we headed to Champion Islet. This rather small island near the coast of Floreana offered a magnificent opportunity to immerse ourselves into what the underwater world of the Galápagos has to offer. As soon as we jumped in the water, we encountered the “ever friendly and smiley” white tipped reef shark swimming back and forth along the cliffs, ignoring our presence, as usual. The water temperature felt great, and it seemed that fish felt it too. Thousands of different types of fish surrounded us, and as we kept moving along the cliff, the sea lions joined us in an amazing display of water ballet!
After an invigorating snorkeling outing, we started our navigation to Isabela Island. Shortly after our departure, a large group of bottlenose dolphins appeared and joined us for part of the navigation. A couple of Bryde’s whales showed up too and, with the same gracefulness as they appeared, vanished again in the distance.
We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the town of Pto, Villamil. This small and rather charming town is located at the southern-most side of Isabela Island. The beauty of the town was breathtaking. Here, we visited the giant tortoise rearing center, and learned about the recent success of restoring giant tortoise populations back to the wild. As the sun was setting in the horizon, we left the town behind. It was once again a day that we would never forget…
