Floreana Island
One of my favorite Islands. Beautiful volcanic landscapes and an incredible human history make the little Island of Floreana one of the most interesting.
After the discovery of the islands by the Spanish Bishop Fray Tomas de Berlanga, the islands were used by the pirates. From the late 1500’s to the early 1700’s pirates used the islands as a refuge and base for their raids on the Spanish colonial ports. Later on, whalers and sealers made presence on the islands, killing thousands of whales and fur seals, and also land tortoises as they found them to be a great source of food. Around the 1970’s, Captain James Colnett was responsible for erecting the first post office barrel on Floreana. It was originally set up to facilitate the delivery of mail to England and to the United States. Letters left in the barrel would be picked up by homebound ships and eventually delivered to their destination.
The tradition still goes on, and every week we land at Post Office Bay very early in the morning to honor this tradition. We had fun checking all letters from many different countries. Some guests pick a few to hand deliver, and almost all left their own letters or postcards in the hope that some day and somehow they will reach their destination!
After our mail stop, we came back on board for a delicious breakfast. Soon after, we went for our next outing in the search of the unique Charles mockingbird on one the satellite islands of Floreana. Not only did we spot a couple of these elusive birds, but also many Red-billed tropic birds nesting, with their beautiful tails hanging off the rocky cliffs. We also saw swallow-tailed gulls, Galápagos shearwaters, Brown noddy terns, and blue-footed and Nazca boobies.
The afternoon brought us the opportunity to experience kayaking in the clear waters of Punta Cormorant. Beginners and experienced kayakers had a great time. Then, we land at the green beach of Punta Cormorant and set out for a beautiful walk to encounter at least 60 flamingos on a brackish lagoon.
The Galápagos flycatcher, some Darwin finches and several species of endemic and native plants were seen. At some point with the beautiful background of the volcanic landscape, we learned about the strange group of people that, during the 1930’s, became famous for being the only inhabitants of Floreana. The Ritters, the Wittmer’s and the strange self-called “Baroness of Floreana” were part of a Galápagos murder mystery…
Leaving Floreana surrounded by a foggy garua, we understood why the islands are so called the “Enchanted Islands”.
