We woke up at Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island. It is located in the northern part of the island. Floreana has a little town of around 130 people. It is dry and rocky, especially around the shore. In the highlands it is green and fertile for farming and cattle ranching. Most of this island is national park and there is interesting wildlife on all of the landing sites.
In the morning we landed at Punta Cormorant. We explored the holly stick forest. These trees and most of the vegetation are leafless at this time of the year, as we are reaching the end of the drought in the Galapagos. There is a brackish water pond on the side of the trail surrounded with mangroves. This place is the right type of habitat for herons, many migrant birds and flamingos.
Since the early morning we´ve had many amazing sightings! There were different types of sea birds perching on the rocks right before landing. We had some blue footed boobies, herons, Nazca boobies, etc. Moments after we started the walk we reached a gorgeous beach that happened to be a nesting ground for the Pacific green sea turtles. Our first sighting here was a pair of Pacific green sea turtles mating!
Later in the morning we set our course to Champion Islet and we explored it from the Zodiacs. This small volcano is like a magnet for marine life! During the Zodiac ride we had the opportunity to spot many types of sea birds such as: blue footed boobies, Nazca boobies, brown pelicans, tropicbirds. We had a great time watching the young sea lions playing close to the zodiacs.
Before lunch we explored the same place, but in a different way. We went snorkeling and this time we were mingling with the marine life. Snorkeling in these waters is stunning due to the numbers of fish and the varieties that make up this complex ecosystem.
In the afternoon we paid a visit to the legendary Post Office Bay of Floreana Island. This barrel became the most important mechanism of communication on this side of the Pacific Ocean. The users of this system were mainly the English whale hunters. Later on we had an opportunity to go kayaking and Zodiac riding among sea lions!
