Floreana Island
Our day started very early on Floreana. Before breakfast we prepared for our outing to visit the famous Post Office barrel, the oldest postal system in the Pacific Ocean still in use by visitors. Following the drop-off of cards in the barrel, we continued the visit with a Zodiac ride to the area known as “La Loberia” (a sea lion nursery); here we saw many, many playful sea lions, basking marine iguanas, cruising white tipped reef sharks,
Back on board the Polaris, the ship undertook a short navigation to Champion Islet, off the eastern coast of Floreana. It was during the snorkeling that we saw different kinds of tropical fish, swam with the white tipped reef sharks, and even sea turtles. Of course, the stars of the day were the sea lions.
In the afternoon we walked the trails on the main island of Floreana. It’s amazing to see the island so green. The dry season has passed, and the rainy season has begun, with the rains frequently coming at night (lucky for us). The vegetation looks healthy and lush right now. Though there are only two main seasons here, each of them has a dramatic effect on the vegetation. Although the overall climate of the Galapagos Islands is considered unusually dry for the tropics, it was hard to imagine that today while looking at hillsides covered by leafy trees, sprouting bushes and many flowering plants. From January to June, air temperatures are warm and the skies are usually clear with the occasional heavy rain shower. From June to December, the air is cooler, the skies are often lightly overcast, and there is virtually no precipitation in the lowlands, while the highlands are almost continually wet.
Our day started very early on Floreana. Before breakfast we prepared for our outing to visit the famous Post Office barrel, the oldest postal system in the Pacific Ocean still in use by visitors. Following the drop-off of cards in the barrel, we continued the visit with a Zodiac ride to the area known as “La Loberia” (a sea lion nursery); here we saw many, many playful sea lions, basking marine iguanas, cruising white tipped reef sharks,
Back on board the Polaris, the ship undertook a short navigation to Champion Islet, off the eastern coast of Floreana. It was during the snorkeling that we saw different kinds of tropical fish, swam with the white tipped reef sharks, and even sea turtles. Of course, the stars of the day were the sea lions.
In the afternoon we walked the trails on the main island of Floreana. It’s amazing to see the island so green. The dry season has passed, and the rainy season has begun, with the rains frequently coming at night (lucky for us). The vegetation looks healthy and lush right now. Though there are only two main seasons here, each of them has a dramatic effect on the vegetation. Although the overall climate of the Galapagos Islands is considered unusually dry for the tropics, it was hard to imagine that today while looking at hillsides covered by leafy trees, sprouting bushes and many flowering plants. From January to June, air temperatures are warm and the skies are usually clear with the occasional heavy rain shower. From June to December, the air is cooler, the skies are often lightly overcast, and there is virtually no precipitation in the lowlands, while the highlands are almost continually wet.
