It is the third day of our voyage in the Galapagos Archipelago. Our exploration today began with an early outing for our guests who are interested in photography. The rest of our eager explorers went for a hike to the interior of the island. Both groups had the opportunity to walk among dancing blue-footed boobies, as they engaged in courtship rituals right before our eyes. Our guests were given a great opportunity to learn more about the natural history of the island, while they also experienced the occasional challenges of nature photography.
In Punta Cormorant, there is a brackish lagoon where a variety of birds can be found looking for food. Among the species found there were the iconic flamingos, which, with their vermillion color, caught our attention as soon as we got into the boundaries of the lagoon. This rolling island, dotted with numerous extinct parasitic volcanic cones amidst a variety of scrubby vegetation, provides a great opportunity for landscape photography. The fascinating walk from the olivine beach where we arrived in our Zodiacs, took us through the palo santo forest to a second beautiful beach made of incredibly fine, white, coralline sand, which is a favorite nesting site for green sea turtles.
After breakfast the National Geographic Endeavour was relocated to a small islet known as Champion. A Zodiac ride allowed us to spot a variety of sea birds such as shearwaters, brown noddies and tropicbirds that nest in the narrow cracks of the ancient lava flows. Also, this is the only island where a small population of the Floreana mockingbirds, which was driven to extinction by cats, rats and other introduced predators on the main island, still exists. Our morning activities ended with snorkeling and glass-bottom boating among a great variety of fish and sea lions.
In the afternoon, we went kayaking along the eroded basaltic shoreline of Bahia del Correo. Paddling in this calm bay, we got incredible views of sea turtles, eagle rays, and a few sea birds perched on the rocks after foraging offshore. This entertaining adventure took as to one of the most colorful human history places of Galapagos that goes back almost two centuries. Once on land we visited the post office barrel that served whalers and buccaneers as the only way to communicate with their families back home. We kept the tradition and the honor code alive, by searching through the barrel of letters and postcards for any that could be delivered nearby our home areas. Later our Zodiac drivers took us along the coastline for a ride, where we were greeted by sunset over the ocean, to end this breathtaking day.
