Planning a trip to Isla Isabela? Good. It’s totally worth the $30,- boat ride (and the $10,- tax you have to pay once you arrive – surprise!). Isabela has a very different ambiance than Isla Santa Cruz. There are less people, less restaurants, less shops, less everything, except animals. Add some wild beaches and green backdrops to that picture and you’ll understand the charm of Puerto Villamil. The town is a good place to relax a little (after a long boat trip for example), but has a lot to offer too. See here if there’s something in it for you:
(And for our best pictures of the Galapagos, click here, or here, or even better here! More into underwater footage? Then this is definitely your page!)
Snorkeling at Concha de la Perla (free – 1 hour at least)
Always great to start with something that’s fun and cheap! If you’re into seeing some underwater life, Concha de Perla is an awesome spot to go to. It’s an easy to reach laguna – next to the harbour – and you’ll see a lot. Here are the exact places:
- White tip reef sharks on the right side
- Rays in the middle (a bit on the right side of it)
- Iguanas everywhere, but especially at the end of the laguna, where the current is getting stronger
If you’re getting hungry; outside of the port are some vendors. On or them (right side) sells fried snacks with ‘pulpo’ on the inside, octopus. They are delicious and only cost $2,50, which is quite a deal in the Galapagos Islands!
Tour Los Tuneles (5 hours – around $100,-, depending on your bargaining skills)
The tunnels snorkeling trip is a popular activity on Isabela, and probably the most popular tour in general on the island. Of all the people I spoke to who only did day tours, this one was often mentioned as a highlight. So though it’s expensive, if you’re not thinking about taking a multiple day trip on a boat and if you’re planning to go to Isla Isabela, this trip might be worth it.
There are tons of tour operators on Isabela. I’m not sure what the subtle differences are, but essentially all the trips involve taking a boat about 45 minutes to the Cabo Rosa, on the south west side of Isabela Island and two stops for snorkeling (if the weather permits it). Since it doesn’t really matter what agency you pick, you can just walk around town and check what price they offer you. Often they want to give you a discount if you do a second tour with them.
First stop of the tour is the tunnels, where we got out and wandered around for 20-30 minutes. The rainbowy lava formations over there are really impressive. You can get up close to blue footed boobies and their nests, and since the water is so bright you can see a lot of fishes, penguins and sea lions in here very well too. Unfortunately there is no snorkeling allowed in the areas where the tunnels are.
Next comes the snorkeling part which lasts about an hour. There’s an incredible amount of creatures to see in the small laguna where the boats stops. You can swim over there with several giant sea turtles, a cave full of white tip reef sharks, golden sting rays, sea horses, and tons of fish. The guide will show you around where to find all of these, because it’s actually quite difficult to spot a sea horse – for example – yourself.
After a lunch you go back to Villamil and if you’re lucky you can spot some more animals on the way back. We had a big group of dolphins for example swimming behind the boat, but manta rays or humpback whales are sometimes seen too.
Tour Las Tintoreras (3 hours – around $45,-, depending on your bargaining skills)
As said, if you budget-wise only can do one tour at Isla Isabela, make it to the one of Los Tuneles. But in case you want to see as much as wildlife as possible, take the Las Tintoreras tour right after this one. It’s a lot cheaper too and there are not many tours that start later in the day, but this is one of them. So if that would work out time-wise for you, go for it!
Although the site is just off the harbour of Puerto Villamil, you can only to get to the outside of the rocks by boat or by kayak. You have a choice between the two, but either way a registered guide is required. If you go by boats you have some extra time to explore the rocky pathways of the islets. But paddling with a kayak is a fun experience too and will add some extra dimension to your Galapagos trip. Whatever you opt you’ll end the tour with a bit of snorkeling. Most likely you’ll encounter at least turtles, sea lions and some rays. Perhaps a penguin too!
Tortoise center – Centre de Crianza Arnaldo Tupiza (free – 2 hours)
The tortoise breeding center of Puerto Villamil is worth a visit is you have a couple of hours left and love to see some land turtles. The walk towards the the place is rather scenic. Go to the end of Puerto Villamil, just past Iguana Crossing and turn right to walk down the wooden walkways.
You will see a couple of marine iguanas and a number of lagoons that are filled with flamingos. It will take you around 20 minutes to get to the grand finale that is the turtle breeding center. In here you can gaze at the tortoises that are a various stages of age. It’s fun to see them both as teeny-tiny baby’s and as huge 100+ year old guys.
The Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz is more interesting when it comes to information, but if you haven’t had the opportunity to visit that one, the breeding center in Puerto Villamil is a nice substitute. If want to see even more flamingo’s: another place for those is situated right in town at the Laguna de Salina. With a bit of luck you can see a couple of pink fellows from up close.
Wall of tears (free – two hours by bike or half a day by foot)
The Wall of Tears is a kind of eerie commemoration of political prisoners sent to a penal colony and forced to build their own prison. Perhaps not something you’d imagined to visit during a stay in the Galapagos Islands. In this case it’s not about the destination itself, but the road. The mountain bike ride is up hill most of the way, with good resting points and plenty of giant tortoises crunching their way through the forest. Go here if you want some quietness or if you’re eager to do something that’s a bit away from it all and are in the mood for cycling. Bikes are $3,- an hour, or $15,- a day from town. Bring lots of repellent, sun block and water.
Sierra Negra (5 hours hike + 2 hours transportation – around $30,-)
With 10 kilometers in diameter the Sierra Negra crater is one of the largest volcano craters on earth. If that’s doesn’t convince you to go on a hike: the views from the rim into the crater are absolutely amazing. Steam is still rising from the caldera floor and you feel like you’re in a surreal environment, very much resembling the surface of the moon or Mars (I guess!). It’s quite something to imagine what the volcano must have looked like when it was in its full glory.
I’m not going to lie; it is actually quite a hike towards the crater. I didn’t really think it through before we started. In total it takes some 5 hours to reach the top and to walk back. The topography and the nature of the terrain varies tremendously during that 16 km hike. The weather too. But don’t worry; the views are are well worth the walk and will keep you occupied.
The trip includes a break at one of the higher tops around the crater, where you can have lunch with some gorgeous views on both the crater and the northwest of the island. On a clear day when you can see all of the other volcano tops as well on Isabela. Also at the top you can spot a variety of birds and some fresh guava and passion fruit plants.
If an adventure full of beauty and challenges is what you’re looking for then a hike to the crater is absolutely worth it. Perhaps you’re even up for more. In that case it’s also possible to go on a tour where you can walk the entire rim. If you’re gonna opt for that one, let me know how it was!
