Santa Maria (Floreana), Ecuador

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Floreana, surprisingly, has a population of about 70 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 only one passenger boat every two weeks from Puerto Ayora, but other transportation can be arranged.

The Wittmer family runs a small hotel and restaurant. There's also a phone there, the only one on the island. Here, rates for lodging can range from $45.00 to $80.00, depending on the time of year. If you're on a cruise, though, you'll bypass the little community and end up at the lagoon where flamingos live. These pink residents spend about 7 hours a day or more eating, and so take some binoculars to watch the ballet of necks as they gracefully move back and fourth, scouring the floor of the lagoon for little shrimp. Take your binoculars to enjoy the show up close.

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 hand-delivered by someone in the next 5 to 10 years. We left a card for our niece, and, unfortunately, someone brought it over to the states and mailed it! That's no fun!! Remember that it must be hand delivered. We were pretty disappointed.

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 snorkeling places in the Galapagos Islands. In the later summer months, it's cold, but the shivers are well worth the view! You'll see sharks, schools of tropical fish, corals and countless other marine life.

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