Floreana Island
We all had great experiences on this magical archipelago today. Starting early in the morning we disembarked for the oldest Post Office not only in Ecuador, but the entire side of the Pacific Ocean. It was supposedly created during whaling times by Captain James Collnet in 1793. We continued this historical tradition by picking up postcards; with intentions to hand deliver them. It is considered a good way to know people from all over the world.
Just when we were finishing a well deserved breakfast, a large pod of bottle nose dolphins showed up during our sailing to Champion Islet. What a lucky beginning to the day! The snorkeling outing around Champion Islet was amazing. Giancarlo Totti, our Dive Master, helped us snorkel very deep to find whitetip reef sharks that were under a submarine cliff. Some Galápagos sea lions were found around this area as well. They caused shouts of joy among their observers. After a quick warm shower we continued with our expedition. Zodiac rides were offered around Champion Islet to look for one of the most endangered and rare bird species in Galápagos, the Floreana mockingbird. This mockingbird species only lives on two satellite islets offshore the main island. The total population of the Floreana mockingbird is estimated to be around only 120 individuals in total. We saw 8 of them!
In the afternoon, some guests wanted to kayak around Punta Cormorant. We enjoyed the great volcanic landscapes from the kayaks. Late in the afternoon, we disembarked at a beach with very peculiar green coloration. The unusual color comes from smalls olivine crystals that are predominant in this beach. A relaxed walk searching for greater flamingoes was successful. We observed many of them eating in a shallow saline lagoon near our disembarkation site. A gorgeous sunset painted the sky with orange reflections marked the ending of a glorious day.
We all had great experiences on this magical archipelago today. Starting early in the morning we disembarked for the oldest Post Office not only in Ecuador, but the entire side of the Pacific Ocean. It was supposedly created during whaling times by Captain James Collnet in 1793. We continued this historical tradition by picking up postcards; with intentions to hand deliver them. It is considered a good way to know people from all over the world.
Just when we were finishing a well deserved breakfast, a large pod of bottle nose dolphins showed up during our sailing to Champion Islet. What a lucky beginning to the day! The snorkeling outing around Champion Islet was amazing. Giancarlo Totti, our Dive Master, helped us snorkel very deep to find whitetip reef sharks that were under a submarine cliff. Some Galápagos sea lions were found around this area as well. They caused shouts of joy among their observers. After a quick warm shower we continued with our expedition. Zodiac rides were offered around Champion Islet to look for one of the most endangered and rare bird species in Galápagos, the Floreana mockingbird. This mockingbird species only lives on two satellite islets offshore the main island. The total population of the Floreana mockingbird is estimated to be around only 120 individuals in total. We saw 8 of them!
In the afternoon, some guests wanted to kayak around Punta Cormorant. We enjoyed the great volcanic landscapes from the kayaks. Late in the afternoon, we disembarked at a beach with very peculiar green coloration. The unusual color comes from smalls olivine crystals that are predominant in this beach. A relaxed walk searching for greater flamingoes was successful. We observed many of them eating in a shallow saline lagoon near our disembarkation site. A gorgeous sunset painted the sky with orange reflections marked the ending of a glorious day.
