Located on the southern extreme of the Archipelago, Floreana has been called home by some of the very first to colonize this new territory.  It bears several names like Charles, Santa Maria and finally Floreana in honor of the first president of Ecuador, Juan Jose Flores who authorized the annexation of the Galapagos Archipelago the 12th of February of 1832.

This morning our explorers took to shore soon after sunrise. The early morning excursion before breakfast paid off as Cormorant Point was teeming with activity. Soon after our wet landing on a greenish olivine beach, we discovered pairs of Blue footed boobies in courtship while a pair of Galapagos penguins scouted the calm bay for their breakfast. As we made our way inland we got up close and personal with bright pink Flamingoes which foraged and nested on the opposite banks of a massive brackish water lake.

After a well-deserved breakfast we explored the coast line of Champion Islet aboard our Zodiacs as we scouted for the elusive Charles mockingbird, one of the most endangered land birds of the world and the focus of a massive conservation project on nearby Floreana Island, which intends to reestablish the natural conditions previous to human colonization.

Well into the morning we finally got to share the waters around Champion with inquisitive Galapagos sea lion pups and a myriad of colorful tropical and sub-tropical fish.

After such an early start and an activity-packed morning we all enjoyed a siesta. After resting we followed in the steps of some famous and infamous visitors to the islands at the Post Office Bay where we collected and deposited postcards at the Postal Barrel for personal delivery by tourists all over the world.

We finished our afternoon exploring the shallow inlets at Baroness Viewpoint just to the north of our previous landing. Either on board our Zodiacs or kayaks, young sea lions took short breaks from their frolicking sessions to come pay us a visit as we scouted the area for sea birds and other wild life activity.

The chance of maybe coming across a lone penguin or two had been announced, so it came as a big surprise to the naturalists when, at the end of our last excursion of the day, we came across a little rock outcrop fully packed with Galapagos Penguins!

What a way to finish the day!