Floreana Island

Floreana is the smallest inhabited island in the Galápagos and has a complicated history. A group of European settlers arrived in the 1930s, and several of them disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Post Office Bay still has its barrel, originally set up by whalers in the 18th century, where visitors leave postcards and take ones addressed near their home to deliver by hand. Sea lions meet you at the landing site, and blue-footed boobies fish right offshore. The highlands are green and overgrown compared to the drier lowland coast, though biting insects are common up there, so bring repellent. Devil's Crown, a submerged volcanic cone just offshore, is one of the best snorkelling spots in the archipelago, with reef sharks, rays, and sea turtles. There's no real shopping on Floreana. Guided excursions by foot or boat cover the main sites. The island is best experienced slowly.