Day 400 – Floreana Island

Sea Turtles, Red Iguanas and Rough seas

Today we woke up nice and early and packed for our day excursion to Floreana Island. We had just booked the ferry tickets for $60 USD ($89.35 AUD) per person (p/p) from Galapagos Cruising Muran SA (Close to the Rock Restaurant). We later discovered we could probably have gotten the tickets for $50 USD ($74.46 AUD) p/p if we kept looking. 

After packing, we went downstairs for breakfast a little early. At 6.50am, the staff started making it for us, which was nice of them.

Getting to Floreana Island

After breakfast we rushed to Galapagos Cruising Muran SA. From here a staff member, walked us to another agency, Galadventure Galapagos Ecuador. Here we had to wait while others on their snorkelling and diving tours received equipment.

The rest of the tourists were on the actual Floreana tour including a guide. We would just tag along on the boat. While we waited, we chatted with the other tourists. We ended up talking to an Italian Australian who lives in Sydney. He recommended a shop called Tamborino in the suburb of Five Dock, Sydney. Anyone from over there, let us know how it is.

Even though we were told to arrive at Galapagos Cruising Muran SA at 7:30am, by the time we were at the pier it was 8.40am. From the Santa Cruz pier, we had to pay $0.50 USD ($0.74 AUD) p/p to take a small boat to the larger ferry.

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The large ferry was nice and clean. By the time we left it was almost 9am. And then the fun began. It was one of the most bumpy rides in my life. The speed boat went as fast as it could and every wave was like a ramp. It was horrible. An hour later, we arrived to Floreana Island. 

I honestly don’t think I could have handled any more time on the boat without getting sea sick.

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The boat stopped a little out from the Floreana pier. We had to pay another $0.50 USD ($0.74 AUD) p/p for a little boat to take us to the pier. However, this charge included the return trip back to the boat later.

Floreana Island

We arrived at Floreana at 10am. The island appears isolated. If we had gone with a tour, we could have visited the highlands to see tortoises and a pirate cave. Since we were not on the tour, we said goodbye to the group and walked along the beach by ourselves.

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Playa Negra

We were quite literally alone. It was amazing and strange. Floreana Island has a small town, which seemed empty. There were hotels but again everything was empty. We firstly walked to Playa Negra (Black Beach in English). The sand here is a dark black colour. There were a few sea lions relaxing along the beach here.

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La Loberia 

La Loberia is a Sea Lion Refuge and a nice spot to snorkel. The walk to the end of the walkway follows dried lava flows and along bushes that are red. It’s very cool in contrast to the white sand and deep blues of the ocean. 

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As we were walking along the path, we noticed heaps of sea turtles popping up for air! It was amazing. I have never seen so many wild turtles in my life. We were so excited to go into the water, but there was no safe entry into the water. The waves were coming super strong into the volcanic rocks along the sand. The volcanic rocks are really sharp so I was very hesitant to get into the water.

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We kept walking along the path looking for an area without sharp rocks. The path ends near the sea lion colony, and even though the sea lions were awesome to look at including a feeding baby, the sea turtles still had us captivated. It felt like 100s of turtles. However, it’s hard to differential between the turtles and sea weed from the shore. 

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Along the way, my wife spotted a single red iguana. It was just lying along the volcanic rocks. It was amazing to see and we were not expecting to see one.

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We kept looking for an entrance point into the water. We ended up back tracking to a cove area. The water was still rough, but my wife convinced me to get into the water. I didn’t spend too long in the water, as the waves were freaking me out. 

Back to Playa Negra

We had plenty of time until the pick up would occur, so we went back to Playa Negra, to chill for a while. We once again had the beach to ourselves. Fortunately we had packed some sandwiches from Santa Cruz. We ate these on the beach. No restaurants were open while we were there.

 As we were here, I met a local Ecuadorian. I asked him about the rough seas, and he said it’s like this sometimes but normally it’s calmer in the afternoon. 

As the pick up time was approaching, we went back to La Loberia to see if the waves were calmer. We were surprised to see the rest of the tour group was here swimming. We joined them for 15 minutes in the water. It was cool, but most of the sea turtles were further out to sea.

We wished we hung out here instead of at Playa Negra in the afternoon. 

The tour guide allowed us to take the transport back to the pier with the rest of the tour group. 

Back to Santa Cruz

The way back to Santa Cruz, was exactly the same as getting here, besides going the opposite direction. In short, it was another hour of horrible waves. 

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Once we arrived close to the pier in Santa Cruz we had to pay $0.50 USD ($0.74 AUD) p/p for a small boat back to the pier.  

Thoughts on Floreana Island

Floreana Island was great, and we wished we knew that there is accommodation there. It does look like the hotels are expensive and you would need to rely heavily on them for food and water. However, if you want a super quiet island, this looks like the place. If we were to come back to the Galapagos, we will definitely spend a night on the island.

Santa Cruz

After arriving back in Santa Cruz, we went to the hostel to dry our clothes and have a shower.

Later, we went back to town to enjoy the night life. We walked to Fish Fry Street and were amazed by the transformation. The road was closed to traffic as tables are set up in the middle of the road. We bought a lobster dinner for $25 USD ($37.23 AUD) for both of us. It was delicious and filling.

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