Floreana Island
The island of Floreana is a real mystery island. Tales of disappearances, murder and famous visitors can be told; this island has seen it all! Today we started with a short stroll towards the post barrel at the bay, which is named the same. A whaling captain came up with the idea of leaving mail for future visitors who deliver it around the globe. No stamps are involved, and this cheap postal system is sometimes faster than the normal mail. We sorted through the many envelopes and postcards and some of us picked up items for delivery. This short but historical interesting visit was followed by a spectacular panga ride along the small islands of the “Loberia.”
While we had breakfast, we sailed on towards Champion Island. Here we enjoyed really good snorkeling and had the opportunity to play with the graceful and friendly sea lions. From the pangas we spotted one of the rarest birds in the world, the Floreana mockingbird. This mocker is extinct on the main island but survives in very low numbers on this offshore islet.
In the afternoon we visited one of the best known marine sites of the Galápagos, Devil’s Crown. This is an old submerged crater and is a great place to snorkel. We found hundreds of fish of dozens of species, rays and sharks and sea turtles.
Our afternoon walk was at Punta Cormorant. We landed on a greenish brown beach with sand that is rich in olivine. Several flamingos, feeding and resting in one of the larger lagoons in the archipelago, offered great photo opportunities. A cindery trail took us to a lovely white beach, which is a favorite nesting area for sea turtles and a very peaceful site.
This visit to Punta Cormorant has been described as a must for anyone who is interested in botany. The naturalists pointed out several species of plants that are found only here in the entire world. Like the mocking birds that Darwin noticed, and the finches that were later studied in such detail, these plants have adapted to the local and specific conditions found on the islands. At the end of the day we said farewell to one of the most scenic islands of the Galápagos.
The island of Floreana is a real mystery island. Tales of disappearances, murder and famous visitors can be told; this island has seen it all! Today we started with a short stroll towards the post barrel at the bay, which is named the same. A whaling captain came up with the idea of leaving mail for future visitors who deliver it around the globe. No stamps are involved, and this cheap postal system is sometimes faster than the normal mail. We sorted through the many envelopes and postcards and some of us picked up items for delivery. This short but historical interesting visit was followed by a spectacular panga ride along the small islands of the “Loberia.”
While we had breakfast, we sailed on towards Champion Island. Here we enjoyed really good snorkeling and had the opportunity to play with the graceful and friendly sea lions. From the pangas we spotted one of the rarest birds in the world, the Floreana mockingbird. This mocker is extinct on the main island but survives in very low numbers on this offshore islet.
In the afternoon we visited one of the best known marine sites of the Galápagos, Devil’s Crown. This is an old submerged crater and is a great place to snorkel. We found hundreds of fish of dozens of species, rays and sharks and sea turtles.
Our afternoon walk was at Punta Cormorant. We landed on a greenish brown beach with sand that is rich in olivine. Several flamingos, feeding and resting in one of the larger lagoons in the archipelago, offered great photo opportunities. A cindery trail took us to a lovely white beach, which is a favorite nesting area for sea turtles and a very peaceful site.
This visit to Punta Cormorant has been described as a must for anyone who is interested in botany. The naturalists pointed out several species of plants that are found only here in the entire world. Like the mocking birds that Darwin noticed, and the finches that were later studied in such detail, these plants have adapted to the local and specific conditions found on the islands. At the end of the day we said farewell to one of the most scenic islands of the Galápagos.
