Floreana Island
The island of Floreana is in the southern part of the Galápagos Islands. It has the smallest human settlement, of about 100 people – people who know each other very well. This was the first populated place since 1832, when the whole archipelago became Ecuadorian. We visited Post Office Bay on the north side of Floreana. We saw the post office barrel that was placed here back in 1793 by an English captain in order to facilitate the communications among other captains. We used this system to mail our letters (no stamp needed) and immediately returned to have some food.
The National Geographic Islander later anchored at Champion Islet for a bird-watching ride. The wildlife of the place is incredible: there are not only birds, but sea lions, and an amazing variety of life on the shores.
Champion Islet has one of the best snorkeling sites of the Galápagos Islands. We saw just about everything under the water. We snorkeled for about one hour surrounded by thousands of colorful fish, sea lions, and a white-tip reef shark.
The afternoon was dedicated to kayaking and hiking along green sand beaches and turtle nesting sites. Punta Cormorant had a lot to offer: solitude, beauty and peace. It was a lovely way to finish our afternoon.
