Floreana Island
This morning we woke up early for a pre-breakfast hike. The sea was calm, making for the best conditions for a comfortable wet landing at Punta Cormorant. Around us were the last remains of monumental cinder cones. Once we got everything ready, it was time to begin a magnificent walk on a spectacular inorganic sand beach.
As soon as we began our exploration, the splendor of the place was revealed in a remarkable incense tree forest, with charming land birds calling all over the place. A symphony of natural colors was played as soon as we reached a brackish water lagoon in order to witness a few lagoon birds found in the area. But the most emblematic of all was definitely the greater flamingo that was moving from one side to the other, feeding on small crustaceans from the lagoon.
Farther into the trail, we crossed the isthmus of Punta Cormorant before reaching an organic sand beach. Considered one of the largest nesting places for sea turtles, Punta Cormorant was awe-inspiring from the beginning to the end.
Once back on board the National Geographic Islander, it was time to enjoy a delightful zodiac ride along the coastline of Champion Island. Here we encountered baby sea lions swimming from place to place, swallow-tailed gulls nesting in the crevices, red-billed tropicbirds flying above us, and the most iconic of all, the Floreana mockingbird.
We then had a memorable experience deep-water snorkeling; hundreds of reef fishes of different colors surrounded us and it was like being inside a natural aquarium. One of the highlights was the white-tip reef sharks that swam below us, but the most remarkable moment was spent with baby Galápagos sea lions that were very playful, blowing bubbles in our faces.
In the afternoon we visited one of the most historic places of the Galápagos, Post Office Bay. After visiting the post office barrel, we had a marvelous experience in a zodiac ride around the mangrove forests of the area. At the end of our exploration, we enjoyed a fantastic view of Post Office Bay as the sun set below the horizon.
