Floreana Island

Without a doubt, Floreana Island is rich in human history that dates back to the whalers in the mid-1700s. In 1835 Floreana was witness to the most famous naturalist of all time, Charles Darwin. At the beginning of the 19th century, some European families from Germany came to Floreana, but it ended tragically as one by one they disappeared. To this day no one knows what really happened. There are many books worth reading based on Floreana Island.

After a quick visit to Post Office Bay, and learning about the traditions there, some of our guests took postcards from the barrel with the hope of making new friends. We went back on board to continue our adventure. We took our Zodiacs to explore a small island, known as Champion Islet, which is located off the coast of the main island. We went with a mission in mind, to look for the Floreana mocking bird. As soon as we got close to the shore we saw two of them, as if posing for a picture. This was very unusual since there are less than a hundred left in this tiny islet.

Our final morning activity was in the same islet, but this time in the water. This area is one of the best for fish identification, and it really was, because we saw almost 40 different species of fish in the water and sea stars everywhere. To make our snorkeling even more enjoyable, a few Galápagos sea lion pups came to play with us. We also saw many white tip reef sharks.

Our final activity was on the main island of Floreana. This time the attraction was flamingos in a pink brackish lagoon. On our way back we passed this lagoon for a second time. A minute of silence was asked for, to enjoy the sounds of many different species that share their habitat with Galápagos flamingos.

Sweet dreams and till tomorrow dear folks.