Punta Cormorant, Floreana
Short answer
Punta Cormorant, on the northern coast of Floreana, has the green sand beach of the Galápagos. The sand is green because the lava that formed it was rich in olivine, and the crystals weathered out and stayed — the colour is the mineral itself, not algae or a trick of the light, and it reads clearest when the sand is wet. Five minutes away on the same trail there is a second beach of flour-fine white sand, and a brackish lagoon between the two holds flamingos.
On this page — 7 sections
Green sand beaches are rare enough that there are only a handful in the world, and this is the one in the Galápagos. What most people are not told is that the second beach, five minutes along the same trail, is white and made of nothing but ground-up coral and shell. Same island, same walk, different planet — and the contrast is the reason to come, not the green on its own.
Punta Cormorant at a glance
| Island | Floreana |
|---|---|
| Landing | Wet landing on the green beach |
| How you visit | Cruise, or a day trip from Santa Cruz |
| Guide | Park-licensed naturalist required |
| Between the beaches | A brackish lagoon with flamingos |
| Swimming | Not at the white beach — rays and turtles nest there |
- 1
Punta Cormorant, on the northern coast of Floreana, has the green sand beach of the Galápagos. The sand is green because the lava that formed it was rich in olivine, and the crystals weathered out and stayed — the colour is the mineral itself, not algae or a trick of the light, and it reads clearest when the sand is wet. Five minutes away on the same trail there is a second beach of flour-fine white sand, and a brackish lagoon between the two holds flamingos.
How you get there
- On a southern cruise
- Standard, usually paired with Devil’s Crown or Post Office Bay the same day.
- Day trip from Santa Cruz
- Two hours of speedboat each way. The same long day as the rest of Floreana.
It sits on Floreana, so how you reach the island decides how you reach this.
What you actually see
The green sand beach
Olivine crystals through the sand give it its olive-green cast, clearest when the sand is wet and weakest under a flat midday sun — go early if the colour is what you came for. Rub some between your fingers: the grains are glassy, not powdery. This is also the wet landing, so it is the first thing you touch.
The flamingo lagoon
On the short trail between the beaches. Numbers vary with the water and some visits see none, but when they are there they are close to the path.
The flour beach
Startlingly fine white sand. Turtles nest here and rays rest in the shallows, which is exactly why swimming is not allowed.
What goes wrong
We run these trips, so we know what people complain about afterwards. Better to read it here than find out on the day.
- People try to swim at the white beach
- It looks perfect and it is closed to swimming, because stingrays lie in the shallows and turtles nest above the tide line.
- The flamingos are not always there
- The lagoon dries and refills. No operator can promise one.
- Sandflies at the lagoon
- Persistent, especially at dusk. Repellent before you leave the dinghy.
Who this is not for
Saying this costs us bookings and saves the trip. If any of these is you, tell us and we will build the day differently.
- Anyone expecting to swim — the good-looking beach is the one you cannot enter.
- Visitors who cannot manage a wet landing.
- People doing it as a day trip who struggle with two hours of open water each way.
What lives here
- American flamingo — In the lagoon between the beaches, when it holds water.
- Green sea turtle — Nesting on the white beach.
- Golden ray — Resting in the shallows — the reason swimming is closed.
- Galápagos sea lion — On the green beach at the landing.
Nearby
Post Office Bay
Floreana
What it is →Devil’s Crown
Floreana
What it is →Asilo de la Paz
Floreana
What it is →Champion Islet
Floreana
What it is →La Galapaguera
San Cristóbal
What it is →El Garrapatero
Santa Cruz
What it is →Every visitor site we have written up → · Floreana, the whole island →
Questions people also ask
Why is the sand green at Punta Cormorant?
Olivine, a volcanic mineral, weathered out of the surrounding lava and concentrated in the sand. It shows most clearly when the sand is wet.
Can you swim at Punta Cormorant?
Not at the white flour-sand beach — rays rest in the shallows and turtles nest above the tide line, so it is closed. Snorkelling happens elsewhere on the itinerary.
Will you see flamingos?
Often, not always. The lagoon is brackish and dries out; numbers move with the water.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. If one of them changes and we have not caught up, tell us and we will fix it the same day.
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