Floreana Island
Today we had a pre-breakfast outing: early in the morning we prepared for a wet landing to visit the famous Post Office Barrel. This is the oldest postal system in the Pacific Ocean that is still in use by visitors. Later on we continued with a Zodiac ride to an area known as Loberia (a sea lion nursery). After breakfast we sailed to Champion Islet for snorkeling and glass bottom boat activities. We had wonderful experiences swimming among playful sea lions, different kinds of tropical fish and sea turtles. It was amazing to be so close to all these marine species. What a busy morning we had!
Back on board the ship again we had a huge and colorful Ecuadorian lunch, and then we took a much-needed short nap. Later in the afternoon we took a trail at Punta Cormorant, where we watched a big group of greater flamingos in a brackish lagoon. Here we also had the opportunity to talk about the vegetation of the island. Walking along the coast, we saw some of the plants that occur in a narrow zone near the shore and are characterized by their tolerance of salty conditions. A good example of this is a plant known as Nolana Galapageia (Nolanacea) which grows only in the Southern Hemisphere. The genus name comes from the Latin nola, “small bell,” in reference to the flower shape. Galapagos clubleaf is the common name, and this plant is considered rare though it is present at several of the most popular visitor sites.
Today we had a pre-breakfast outing: early in the morning we prepared for a wet landing to visit the famous Post Office Barrel. This is the oldest postal system in the Pacific Ocean that is still in use by visitors. Later on we continued with a Zodiac ride to an area known as Loberia (a sea lion nursery). After breakfast we sailed to Champion Islet for snorkeling and glass bottom boat activities. We had wonderful experiences swimming among playful sea lions, different kinds of tropical fish and sea turtles. It was amazing to be so close to all these marine species. What a busy morning we had!
Back on board the ship again we had a huge and colorful Ecuadorian lunch, and then we took a much-needed short nap. Later in the afternoon we took a trail at Punta Cormorant, where we watched a big group of greater flamingos in a brackish lagoon. Here we also had the opportunity to talk about the vegetation of the island. Walking along the coast, we saw some of the plants that occur in a narrow zone near the shore and are characterized by their tolerance of salty conditions. A good example of this is a plant known as Nolana Galapageia (Nolanacea) which grows only in the Southern Hemisphere. The genus name comes from the Latin nola, “small bell,” in reference to the flower shape. Galapagos clubleaf is the common name, and this plant is considered rare though it is present at several of the most popular visitor sites.
