Today we were going to visit Floreana Island, also known as the island of mysteries. In the 1930s, extraordinary events led to tragedy for the inhabitants, the details still unclear.
An early wake up allowed us to start the day by enjoying a beautiful sunrise, followed by a moderately paced walk on an easy trail that brought us right through a brackish water lagoon, which is home to several different kinds of birds. We continued our way to the other side of a tuff cone, to another white sand beach where sea turtles are known to nest. Several hundreds of sting rays live here permanently, and can be seen underneath the breakers along the beach. We had some amazing encounters with sea turtles, some of which were mating in the shallow water, and another that was still laying eggs up on the beach. We returned to the ship for a full breakfast before continuing with the day’s program this beautiful island.
Around mid-morning and after a short navigation, we reached the island of Champion for a Zodiac ride to look for wildlife, such as sea lions, boobies, shearwaters, red bill tropic birds, and others. One that perhaps deserved a little more attention was a species of mockingbirds that became extinct on the main island due to predators, and only a few survived here on this island. We were fortunate to see several of these mockingbirds up close, and we were happy to know that they are still with us.
Our next outing was a snorkeling excursion in one of the most beautiful locations, due to the presence of multiple species of fish and other creatures. One of them is the playful Galapagos sea lion that was available to give us the best moments of the session. Large schools of attractive fish of many kinds also make this place very unique.
Some departed for kayaking around small islands usually teaming with wildlife, while others just disembarked on the beach at Post Office Bay for photography and relaxation. Later in the day, all of our guests came together to go visit the old mail barrel, which was supposedly erected by English whalers back in late 1790s to facilitate communication with home. This tradition is still running, as it has become very well-known among the visitors of the Galapagos, who are happy to participate in this fun tradition.
All you do is read through the addresses on the letters in the barrel, to see if any are located near your home, so that you can hand deliver it, just like in the old days. No stamps are needed. The last activity of the day was a Zodiac ride around the rocky islands, looking for interesting wildlife, as the sun set on another exciting day in the Galapagos.
