As reflected in its many names, Floreana has had a colorful history: Pirates, whalers, convicts, and a small band of somewhat peculiar colonists—a Baroness among them—who chose a Robinson Crusoe existence that ended in mystery and death. Today roughly fifty Ecuadorians inhabit the island. In 1793 British whalers set up a barrel as the island's Post Office, to send letters home on passing ships. The tradition continues to this day, and visitors can post letters and cards here to anywhere in the world.

Punta Cormorant offers two highly contrasting beaches; one is composed of volcanic olivine crystals, giving it a greenish tint that glitters in the sun. From here a trail crosses the neck of the isthmus, that rises to form a cinder cone, to a beach of very fine white sand, formed by the erosion of coral skeletons. Between the two beaches is a salt lagoon frequented by flamingoes, pintails, stilts and other wading birds. Seen 250 meters north from the point is an old submerged volcanic cone that has been worn down by waves, Devil's Crown is home to a myriad of marine species including a variety of corals, pencil sea urchin, wrasses, angelfish, amberjacks and many other creatures, making for some of the best snorkeling in the Galapagos. The eroded crater walls form a popular roosting site for seabirds including boobies and pelicans.