Floreana Island
We started this unique day in the Galápagos Islands, Friday the 21 th of August, with a trip to the famous Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. Our Naturalists told us the fantastic stories about the early buccaneers and whalers who sailed around these waters in earlier times. They set up a barrel in 1793 to have their own mail system. We keep this tradition alive after three hundred years and it still works, often faster than the Ecuadorian postal system.
Following breakfast, we went snorkelling around Champion Islet; this was definitely one of the best snorkel sessions of the whole week. The marine life here is exceptionally rich, the combination of cool upwelling waters in some parts and warm tropical water in others. We saw big schools of white and black striped salema, Goldrim surgeonfish, white-tipped reef shark, Galápagos barnacle blenny, sunset wrasse and many others.
Our third outing of the morning was for bird watching around this same small islet. We found some of the elusive Floreana mockingbird which, because of heavy predation by feral animals, is now found only on two small satellite islets off the larger island of Floreana.
After a well deserved siesta, we had our two rounds of kayaking. We enjoyed the view of the orange soft coral, as we paddled along the shores of Punta Cormorant. At four o’clock we began an easy walk on a cindery trail that took us to the edge of a beautiful lagoon where we observed forty very pink flamingos courting.
The endemic Galápagos sunflower, Lecocarpus pinnatifidus, shows clear signs of recuperation after the eradication of the goats from the island. The trail descended to a fine, brilliant white sand beach where the semiprecious olivine stone, Peridote, caught our attention. This beach is often used by the Green sea turtle when they nest. The kids and the adults among us enjoyed a moment to wander and relax in the peacefulness of the late afternoon.
This fabulous day was sealed with a gorgeous sunset. We can’t believe tomorrow is our last day in the islands. We will, on the other hand, enjoy it to the fullest.
