Floreana Island
Every day in the Galapagos we have a new experience. Today we visited an island of many mysteries and told stories of the people who colonized here in the 1920’s. Many of these early inhabitants inexplicably disappeared! Floreana Island is an enchanting place. After breakfast we snorkeled around a lovely islet where sea lions swam with us and impressed us with their grace underwater. Some of us felt momentarily intimidated as these curious and friendly marine mammals swirled around and among us. The teenage sea lions were extremely playful, and swam under us blowing bubbles, or pulling on our flippers. The experience was magical and utterly unforgettable!
Once back on board we enjoyed a typical Ecuadorian buffet lunch, followed by a much-deserved siesta. In the cool of the afternoon we disembarked on a greenish sand beach where we watched a small group of sea lions still taking their siesta. We followed a cinder trail to the edge of a brackish lagoon where brilliant pink Galapagos flamingos were feeding. They were amazingly close to us! One juvenile was only six feet away but ignored us completely!
Back at the landing beach we found that the sea lion’s siesta was over. The largest male among them was trying unsuccessfully to keep several females together. In the end they almost all managed to escape from him! We laughed and had a good time watching this spontaneous sea lion show. A grand finale to a fabulous day.
Every day in the Galapagos we have a new experience. Today we visited an island of many mysteries and told stories of the people who colonized here in the 1920’s. Many of these early inhabitants inexplicably disappeared! Floreana Island is an enchanting place. After breakfast we snorkeled around a lovely islet where sea lions swam with us and impressed us with their grace underwater. Some of us felt momentarily intimidated as these curious and friendly marine mammals swirled around and among us. The teenage sea lions were extremely playful, and swam under us blowing bubbles, or pulling on our flippers. The experience was magical and utterly unforgettable!
Once back on board we enjoyed a typical Ecuadorian buffet lunch, followed by a much-deserved siesta. In the cool of the afternoon we disembarked on a greenish sand beach where we watched a small group of sea lions still taking their siesta. We followed a cinder trail to the edge of a brackish lagoon where brilliant pink Galapagos flamingos were feeding. They were amazingly close to us! One juvenile was only six feet away but ignored us completely!
Back at the landing beach we found that the sea lion’s siesta was over. The largest male among them was trying unsuccessfully to keep several females together. In the end they almost all managed to escape from him! We laughed and had a good time watching this spontaneous sea lion show. A grand finale to a fabulous day.
