Floreana Island
Floreana received its name in honor of Juan Jose Flores, the first president of my country. It was in 1932, during his presidency that Ecuador took position of the Galápagos Islands, and only three years later they were visited by the famous Charles Darwin on board of the Beagle. Floreana is the island with the richest human history and one of the most beautiful of the archipelago.
Early in the morning we headed to Punta Cormorant with the mission of observing the enigmatic flamingos and other waders that inhabit the brackish lagoon just behind the beach. Certainly we were fortunate; just in front of us a group of pink flamingos fed with their head upside down, moving their curved beaks filtering small crustaceans. Our guests took great photos while enjoying the sounds of silence.
After breakfast we continued our adventure with a second outing on the Zodiacs. This time we were trying to find the elusive Floreana mockingbird along Champion Islet, its last refuge due to its extinction at Floreana Island caused by introduced animals. Along the islet, we observed many sea lions, swallow tailed gulls, boobies and finally singing on the top of trees, that beautiful mockingbird delighted our guests for many minutes.
After the Zodiac ride, we came returned to the islet, this time to observe the secrets hidden underwater. The snorkeling was amazing. We saw sea turtles, tropical fish and many invertebrates coloring the rocks with bright pinks, oranges and yellows, but probably the best for our guests were the curious and playful sea lions that, as if inviting us to imitate their movements, swam with us while snorkeling.
In the afternoon, our Captain Pablo Garces dropped anchor in front of Post Office Bay. Here there is an old and rusty barrel; used by ancient sailors, buccaneers and pirates during the whaling era more than two-hundred years ago, this barrel was erected to be the first hand-delivered mailing service in the south Pacific. Our guests had the opportunity to employ the same procedure, sending their postcards with the hope they’ll be hand delivered as the whalers did years ago.
The last outing consisted of kayaking along Floreana; we observed the shallows where mangrove trees grow supporting the fury of the sea and forming incredible ecosystems with birds, fish, crabs and many other creatures. In front of the shallows, black rocks and small white beaches are home to many sea lions, boobies and the incredible Galápagos penguin.
I went back to National Geographic Islander enjoying the sunset and recalling the days here during my childhood.
