Floreana Island
Today our expedition brought us to Floreana Island. We started early with a stroll at the world famous “post office bay”. There has been a barrel in this picturesque place since the whaling days. We followed the amusing tradition that consists of leaving letters and cards in the barrel to be hand delivered by passing visitors without using stamps. We took some postcards with us with the hope to deliver them and share our own experiences with previous visitors to this enchanted paradise. One postcard we found was left in the barrel just a couple of days ago. The person from our group who picked it up mentioned that the address on it was not far away from his residence.
Later in the morning we went for a Zodiac cruise around Champion Islet looking for the elusive and rare Floreana mockingbird. We were successful; we spotted several of them. In addition to these rare birds, we observed many other species: frigate birds soaring high in the sky, noisy Galápagos shearwaters skimming the water, beautiful red billed tropic birds, elegant swallow-tailed gulls, baby sea lions frolicking around the Zodiacs, colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs and dozens of brown noddy terns. After this delightful ride many of us got ready to explore the underwater via our first deep-water snorkel outing. Some of us chose the more challenging option of drifting along with the current, while others preferred to go to a sheltered bay. On both options we had clear water, hundreds of fish, playful sea lions and lots of fun.
In the afternoon we had two rounds of kayaking to explore along the shoreline of Punta Cormorant. All went smoothly and the experience was wonderful. We then made a wet landing on a greenish olivine for a relaxing walk around a paradisiacal lagoon where greater flamingos where feeding. We descended for a stroll on a fine white sand beach where tortoises had nested. A spectacular sunset reminded us that it was finally time to come back on board. The day was over, but the new sightings and memories are so strong and vivid that they will stay in our guests’ hearts and minds forever.
Today our expedition brought us to Floreana Island. We started early with a stroll at the world famous “post office bay”. There has been a barrel in this picturesque place since the whaling days. We followed the amusing tradition that consists of leaving letters and cards in the barrel to be hand delivered by passing visitors without using stamps. We took some postcards with us with the hope to deliver them and share our own experiences with previous visitors to this enchanted paradise. One postcard we found was left in the barrel just a couple of days ago. The person from our group who picked it up mentioned that the address on it was not far away from his residence.
Later in the morning we went for a Zodiac cruise around Champion Islet looking for the elusive and rare Floreana mockingbird. We were successful; we spotted several of them. In addition to these rare birds, we observed many other species: frigate birds soaring high in the sky, noisy Galápagos shearwaters skimming the water, beautiful red billed tropic birds, elegant swallow-tailed gulls, baby sea lions frolicking around the Zodiacs, colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs and dozens of brown noddy terns. After this delightful ride many of us got ready to explore the underwater via our first deep-water snorkel outing. Some of us chose the more challenging option of drifting along with the current, while others preferred to go to a sheltered bay. On both options we had clear water, hundreds of fish, playful sea lions and lots of fun.
In the afternoon we had two rounds of kayaking to explore along the shoreline of Punta Cormorant. All went smoothly and the experience was wonderful. We then made a wet landing on a greenish olivine for a relaxing walk around a paradisiacal lagoon where greater flamingos where feeding. We descended for a stroll on a fine white sand beach where tortoises had nested. A spectacular sunset reminded us that it was finally time to come back on board. The day was over, but the new sightings and memories are so strong and vivid that they will stay in our guests’ hearts and minds forever.
