Floreana Island
Today we are visiting the first colonized island in the Galápagos. This island is located in the central part of the archipelago and has a human population of around 120 people. It is hilly, dry and rocky around the shore. In the highlands it is green and fertile and good for farming. This central island is mostly national park and its wildlife is superb!
In the early morning we landed at Punta Cormorant. Here, we went for a walk to explore the forest and gorgeous beach that happens to be a nesting ground for the Pacific green sea turtles. As soon as we landed we headed into the forest determined to reach the turtle’s nesting ground. Once at the beach we had the opportunity to admire these magnificent reptiles resting on the sand and one of them who was still covering its eggs. It just finished laying them!
Later in the morning we weighed anchor and set our course to Champion Islet. Here, we explored the area from the Zodiacs. This small islet is like a magnet for marine life! During the Zodiac ride we spotted sea birds of different species, such as blue footed boobies, Nazca boobies, brown pelicans and tropic birds just to mention a few!
Later on we explored the same place but in a different way. It was with snorkeling gear and this time we were part of the marine realm. Snorkeling is very rewarding due to the numbers of tropical fish and the number of varieties that make up this complex ecosystem.
In the afternoon we visited the legendary post office barrel of Floreana. This barrel became the most important mechanism of communication on this side of the Pacific Ocean. The users of this system were the English whalers. Later on we enjoyed kayaking and Zodiac riding among sea lions and of course we celebrated the great experiences of the day with a drink at sunset.
