We did a day trip to Floreana island in the Galapagos, when we were staying in Santa Cruz. Floreana has the smallest population with currently about 100 people. It has iguanas that are reddish in color, a tortoise reserve, a short hike up the hill to see caves where pirates used to stay back in the day, and a nice little bay to snorkel in. The boat ride from Santa Cruz to Floreana was about 2 hours.
Floreana was the first island to be occupied in Galapagos. In the 1930s it had a set of characters which involved a doctor who removed his teeth before moving to the island and a Baroness with her lovers. Arguments among these settlers culminated in disappearance of several of them – quite a drama for such a small sleepy place – you can read more here. Now not much is happening on Floreana. Any prospects of growth are limited by lack of significant fresh water sources on the island.
The island accommodates day trippers mostly. It has a couple of very basic restaurants. There is also a resort and it is possible to stay overnight.
Tortoises went extinct on Floreana island in the mid 1800s. A conservation program started in 2017, with several Floreana heritage tortoises now living on the island and a number of others in the breeding center in Santa Cruz.
During 16th and 17th centuries, pirates used Floreana as a base to raid Spanish ships passing through the area. They stayed in the caves on tops of the hills and one still can see carved out spaces they made to make themselves more comfortable.
We then headed down to the white sand beach for a swim and a snorkel. There was a lot of reef fish around, but we did not see turtles or sea lions on this occasion.
After the snorkel we headed back to the pier. On the way we passed the black sand beach. This is where historically visitors were arriving to (before pier was built). And also where the one resort is located, owned by the descendants of those early settlers from 1930s.
All around the pier and near the shore we saw marine iguanas. On Floreana they were reddish in color, unlike those we saw on Santa Cruz.
