Floreana Island

Located approximately 4 to 5 hours west of Española and equal distance south of Santa Cruz, this island has long been a favourite site of visitors including pirates, whalers and early settlers.

One of the oldest islands Floreana illustrates the aging process of a volcanic island. Unlike the younger western islands, Floreana's volcano has been long extinct and is in the advanced stages of erosion. The erosion process gave the island the nutrients and soils need to sustain plant life. The combination of this rich soil and a good water supply have given the highlands of Floreana a diversified landscaping of native and introduced flora.

Floreana, surprisingly, has a population of about 170 permanent residents. There isn't much to do here if you chose to stay, but you can take a good few hikes (guided by a naturalist) and enjoy the peace of the island. There is some speedboats fom Puerto Ayora, but also you can charter your speedboat for your group.

On the north coat of Floreana is Post Office Bay, a charming place where you can follow the tradition of pirates and whalers of the past. There was a barrel where these gentlemen left mail, and every ship that passed by would look through the mail to see if they were heading to where the mail was addressed and then take it. The tradition lives on, and you can leave a letter for a loved one in Floreana. Hopefully, it will be delivered by someone in the next 5 to 10 days. We left a card for our niece, and, someone brought it over to the states and mailed it. Remember that it is much better to be hand delivered.

Devil's Crown is a must for the snorkelers out there! Don't miss it. This is a semicircle of rocks and one of the most magnificent diving and snorkelling places in the Galapagos Islands. You'll see sharks, schools of tropical fish, corals and countless other marine life.