One of the oldest islands in the Galapagos archipelago, Floreana is studded with volcanic cones, with a lush vegetation and diverse flora, both native and introduced.
The island's relatively abundant vegetation provides nesting areas for tropicbirds, shearwaters and noddies; flamingos live in its lagoon, and there are several sea lion colonies.
The submerged crater of Devil’s Crown is one of the best snorkelling sites in the Galapagos.
Some of the potential landing sites and highlights around Floreana Island are shown below. There are two kinds of landing: a “dry” landing, where you step from the panga (dinghy) that takes you ashore directly onto rocks or a jetty, and a “wet” landing, where the panga edges into a sandy beach, and you step out into knee-deep water and wade ashore.
Baroness Viewpoint
This viewpoint is a fantastic place to absorb the atmosphere of the Galapagos. Once inhabited by an indulgent baroness and her three lovers, this island has an intriguing history – legend has it that she was involved in a fascinating murder mystery. Easy trails allow you to exploring the island and see its flora and fauna at a relaxed pace.
Location highlights: Great view, Intriguing history
Activities: Walking (Approximately 1km hike)
Landing conditions: All times: Wet
Physical demand: Gentle
Devil’s Crown
One of the best snorkelling sites in the Galapagos, this volcanic crater has been eroded by wave action, leaving the northern and southern sides sticking out of the water and creating currents between them. The coral reef in the middle attracts a great variety of marine life, and offers excellent snorkelling.
Location highlights: Coral reef
Activities: Snorkelling
Physical demand: Challenging
Post Office Bay
In the 18th century, whalers passing through the islands placed a wooden barrel on Floreana to use as an unofficial mailbox. The tradition continues today as visitors leave addressed postcards in the barrel and sort through mail that has been left by others and take it to deliver in their home country.
Location highlights: Barrel Post Office, Sandy beach
Activities: Walking (Approximately 1km hike)
Landing conditions: All times: Wet
Physical demand: Gentle
Punta Cormorant
This site has a large lagoon where birds such as common stilts and white-cheeked pintails are seen along with flamingos. The island has highly distinctive beaches: Green Beach takes its name from its colour, which is due to a high concentration of olivine crystals in the sand, while Four Sand Beach is composed principally of white coral.
Location highlights: Large lagoon, Green-coloured beach
Activities: Panga ride, Walking (Approximately 2km hike)
This 8 day cruise visits the archipelago’s smaller islands, exploring them by panga (dinghy) and on foot. You’ll discover noisy sealion colonies leisurely wandering around, fiery coloured iguanas, blue-footed boobies and Sally Lightfoot crabs surrounding the rocks, and a wealth of colourful birdlife.
Find out more about Eastern Galapagos Highlights
Take a journey to the enchanting cloud forests of the Andes, staying in a unique biodiversity reserve, and viewing the varied wildlife from walking trails or a rainforest canopy. A luxury naturalist-led cruise in the Galapagos Islands offers emerald waters, rugged coves and a remarkable number of endemic species.
Find out more about Galapagos & Ecuador in Style
Travelling aboard the exclusively chartered MV Beluga in the company of broadcaster Mark Carwardine and Founder Chris Breen, we have designed a comprehensive itinerary to experience and photograph the famed wildlife of the Galapagos gaining a fascinating insight into the ecology of the archipelago.
Find out more about Galapagos Exclusive with Mark Carwardine
Accompanied by team member Helen Bryon, we cruise around the Galapagos Islands to observe and enjoy the remarkable wildlife of this enchanting and untouched archipelago. During the voyage we hope to encounter Galapagos sealion, giant tortoise, blue-footed booby and more iconic species.
Find out more about Galapagos Wildlife Cruise
This small-ship expedition explores the enchanting Galapagos Islands, known for their incredible biodiversity and unique ecosystems. Explore the beaches and bays of the southern islands and encounter an astonishing array of wildlife species including giant tortoises, sea lions, iguanas and flocks of flamingos.
Find out more about Southern Galapagos Highlights
Boasting an astonishing array of wildlife, this bucket-list expedition combines the very best of the east and west Galapagos islands, in search of exotic marine life, a wonderful array of bird species, and fascinating terrestrial animals, all from the comfort of a luxurious, expedition superyacht.
Find out more about Ultimate Galapagos Luxury Expedition
Explore the west Galapagos Islands, on board a luxury expedition superyacht. Home to large colonies of marine iguana, sea lions basking in the sun, and iconic blue-footed boobies displaying their legendary mating dances, these enchanting islands offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience for wildlife enthusiasts.
Find out more about West Galapagos Luxury Expedition
This intimate and luxurious superyacht boasts custom-designed interiors, a sun deck with outdoor dining, a panoramic indoor lounge and a lower deck swim platform. With seven individually designed cabins and a timeless, yet contemporary, style throughout, Aqua Mare is a superb luxurious choice.
Find Out More about Aqua Mare
This charming vessel provides comfortable accommodation for your exploration of the Galapagos Islands. With a maximum of 16 passengers, in eight well-appointed cabins, this small-ship offers an intimate sailing experience and all the amenities you would expect of a high-quality motor vessel.
Find Out More about Cachalote Explorer
Anahi is a power catamaran yacht, which provides great stability, and is the ideal vessel for passengers with little or no experience at sea. Eight cabins equipped with portrait windows, air-conditioning, lower berths, and a private bathroom, provide comfortable accommodation for Galapagos cruises.
Find Out More about Anahi
The Nemo II is a first class sail catamaran accommodating a maximum of 12 passengers in six tastefully designed cabins, each slightly different in size and configuration. There is a common area both inside and out, as well as a small sun deck complete with lounge chairs, and a small bar.
Find Out More about Nemo II
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EXPEDITION VESSEL
EXPEDITION VESSEL
EXPEDITION VESSEL
