This morning we woke up with the sun for a pre-breakfast outing on Floreana Island, which was named after our first president of Ecuador, Juan Jose Flores. He decided to annex the Galapagos in 1832 just two years after we broke off from Great Colombia, and Ecuador became an independent country. Floreana Island is rich in human history as it is one of the few islands of this archipelago with fresh water. Therefore, it was visited by many sailors that came through the South Pacific.
During our morning visit in Floreana Island, we had a mission to continue the tradition begun by sailors who sent letters at the Post Office of Floreana. This was nothing more than a wine barrel placed there to collect letters that would hopefully be hand delivered by passing sailors. Our guests had the exciting opportunity to go back in time. We sent and collected mail, just like sailors used to do.
After we finished with the mail tradition in Floreana, we got to explore the coast of this enchanted island on kayaks and Zodiac. During the exploration, we encountered playful sea lions chasing the kayaks, shore birds waking up, and a curious Galapagos penguin.
The morning adventure continued with a deep-water snorkel at Champion Islet, little did we know it was going to be one of the best snorkeling experiences of our lives. Just as we were finishing the snorkeling session, a pod of playful and curious dolphins approached us and started swimming in circles around us! These are the moments that remind us how wild and beautiful our planet earth is and makes us feel so grateful to be part of it!
The adventure continued in the afternoon with a beautiful sunset hike at Punta Cormorant in Floreana. Today is a day that both guests and naturalists will forever remember!
