So we took you to Floreana, a quiet remote island in the Galapagos, and now we're taking you to the biggest Island in the Galapagos - Isabela Island. The island that you'll have seen on the map which resembles a seahorse. Despite it being the largest island, there is still only around 1800 people living there, mostly in the town of Puerto Villamil, so it doesn't have the crowds you'll find on the likes of Santa Cruz. This means animals dominate! So you'll find more tourists here than Floreana, but the tropical island calm and laid back feel still remains. So here's our second guide, to the haven of eco tourism that is the Galapagos islands. We will go through why you should pick Isabela Island, what to expect, and what to do on the island.
If you opt to do the same route as us, on your journey from Floreana to Isabela, look out for blue footed boobies on the steep rocky edges of uninhabited islands, if your guide or driver spots them, they'll pull up close and slow, so you can get a good glimpse of some of the Galapagos Islands most famous inhabitants. Also look out for whales and dolphins popping up alongside the boat.
Arrive on the islands and first up its border checks for course!
Where we stayed
We spent most of our time in the Galapagos camping, from our experience locals are very appreciative of those who opt to stay on the islands, as it helps out local businesses more. We wanted to know how the islands felt once the cruises left for the day, the true experience of remoteness. For us, on Isabela this meant driving inland away from Puerto Villamil, the main town, and camping in the foothills of the Sierra Negra volcano, at Campo Duro. Look out for the tortoises roaming about camp, or the biggest spiders in the shower.
Guides and Conservation
A recap from our Floreana blog on guides and conservation; It is important to note as the Galapagos Islands are both a national park and an UNESCO heritage site certain rules apply, and you and your bag will be checked upon entrance and exit to each island. To explore national parks here you need a naturalist guide- it is the law, even including inhabited islands as the majority of the archipelago is a designated national park. You should think carefully, getting a good guide can heavily influence the quality of your stay for the better. This also encompasses responsible tourism. A local guide will help you soak up as much of the islands as possible and are bursting with knowledge, they also make sure you are looking after the island you explore and keep on top of the many rules and regulations in place. Basically, without a guide you will be severely limited in what you learn and where you can explore.
There are a number of spots on the island open freely for you to wander, but they usually maintain some type of supervision or controls, in order to ensure the protection and conservation of endemic wildlife, flora and fauna.
Each islands appears to have its own unique problem when it comes to invasive species, on Floreana conservation and agriculture were hampered by rats, here on Isabela the problem lies with wild hogs/pigs. Groups of hunters go out on horse back with dogs, as part of a project to tackle the problem, the wild pigs have adapted, and they're fearsome and intelligent. A quote from a hunter from the documentary 'My family and the Galapagos'; 'The knowledge we have, the horses, the dogs, the quick kill, it really is the best way to do this, I think. I love animals, I even like pigs, but if you gave me a choice between a feral pig and a giant tortoise, then there is no choice, I'm sure you agree'. After tackling the issue of wild goats with roughly 100'000 eradicated by 2006, the population of the giant tortoise bounced back and greenery returned to baron areas. Now, the threat is the wild pigs. The sheer scale of the Isabela in comparison to other islands makes the task for tackling invasive species that bit harder.
This just shows the importance of those boarder checks as even just a couple of non-native seeds from a different country could have disastrous consequences for flora and fauna and the entire ecosystem.
Things to do on the island:
Beaches and Surfing
Large expanses of open beaches, lined with palm trees, soft sand and tonnes of hammocks, it's idyllic. Find iguanas lining areas of the beach and old look out points, this is where we saw much younger iguanas compared to other islands. Hire a surf board or book yourself a surf lesson for around $50. Good variety of waves for different levels. Expect to share the waves with some sea lions.
Tortoise Breeding Centre
Travel 1.5kms from Puerto Villamil towards the south-eastern tip of the island. Learn about the efforts and practices to help conserve 9 of the 11 surviving sub-species of the giant tortoise. Opened in 1995, in response to a fire in the south of the island endangering the species, along with the ongoing threats from endemic and invasive species. Go see some of the 250 tortoises they breed every year.
Flamingo Lake
Start from the Iguana crossing hotel on the corner, and you'll see a boardwalk through the trees. You'll soon realise why this hotel got its name, iguanas everywhere, it was a bit of a mission to get past without disturbing them. The boardwalk passes through wetland and mangroves, then through to the flamingo lagoon. You'll see more iguanas soaking up the sun on route, birds in the wetlands and maybe the odd tortoise, but the main attraction here is obviously the flamingoes feeding, we saw a few and were the only ones in the area.
Mangroves
The mangroves, like in other parts of the world, are an important part of the Galapagos ecosystem. They are actually one of the only habitats where marine iguanas can reproduce successfully. Wander through the extensive systems and look out for camouflaged iguanas, and be careful not to step on them! Also look out for one of the world's rarest birds, the mangrove finch, one of the 15 species of Darwin finches.
Sierra Negra Volcano Hike
As we were staying in the foothills of the volcano, we were that bit closer to the entrance gate and trail head, but it is still accessible from the town, just get a lift there. There are several trails to choose from.
Opt for a 9.9 mile loop leading to a dry landscape on the top. Or opt for a lightly shorter 6 mile loop to the edge of the largest caldera in the Galapagos, trek across the moonlike landscape and across lava fields, expect to get a bit muddy. You'll get the best views over Isabela island and on a clear day you'll be able to see even further towards Fernandina.
You can visit without a guide but there's lots to learn on this hike, from the geology, stories of the recent eruption in 2018, habitat, wildlife and the sacred and spiritual beliefs of the land. This is the place where you can learn the most about the formation and history of the islands. We arrived just after the end of the eruption in 2018, the remnants of the eruption clear to see.
The Wall of Tears
Travel 5km west of Puerto Villamil and find the Wall of Tears. Built by prisoners from the penal colony between 1945 and 1959, using the resources left by the US military after WWII. It is about 25 m tall and is said to have caused thousands of deaths as a result of its construction. It is known as Wall of Tears by locals as it emanates eerie cries and is said to have a heavy energy surrounding it.
Still got some time? - Visit Minas de Azufre and Snorkel at Concha de Perla
Visit the old sulfur mines at the base of the Sierra Negra Volcano. The walk there is full of great views, and a number of bird species. If you don't fancy a boat ride for snorkelling or diving or have some extra time, take a walk with snorkel in hand to Concha de Perla. You access this lagoon via a boardwalk near the pier in town. You might just find yourself swimming with turtles, penguins, sharks, sea lions and marine iguanas.
Boat trips from Isabela:
First off don't choose a company that encourages any interaction especially touching or feeding the animals. We would highly recommend splurging on either Los Tuneles or Las Tintoreras, or both if you can afford too, whilst you're on Isabela. Despite finding yourself in a tropical island paradise, you may want a wetsuit when you're out snorkelling.
Las Tintoreras
A series of islets situated a short boat ride away from Isabella, south of Puerto Villamil. The rocky volcanic outcrops and clear waters will make you feel like you've been transported to a different planet. First stop on the boat, hop into the water and start searching for wildlife, there is a vast array of marine life you just might see, keep your eyes peeled for a shark, turtle, sea lion or a ray. The current may be quite strong and wavy at the first stop but your guide should pair you into a buddy system, just like with scuba diving.
We then hopped back on the boat and shortly stopped again when we were in a more sheltered section, the swim from the boat to the channel again might be a bit choppy, but you're not far from a long volcanic channel of calm crystal clear water. This is where we were told the likelihood we would see sharks was high. They were not kidding, and it was totally unexpected, although maybe we should expected it, as after all the place is named after, the white tipped reef shark (The sharks are called Tintorera in Spanish). So we swam towards the channel with our naturalist guide taking the lead, and there they were immediately, underneath us swimming, further on lay more sharks than we could possibly have counted, white tipped reef sharks, seemingly asleep on the seabed with little movement, piled on top of each other.
They are about 4 feet long, we learnt that in the channel, once in a group, they don't really move much unless provoked, and are not known to attack. The trick is to lay horizontal across the surface of the water and float your way through the channel. Easier said than done, when the rest of your group has stopped up ahead, and you're trying to stay afloat horizontally whilst not making too much movement, it's then it dawns on you you're sorta trapped in a lava crevice, that's less than 2 metres wide with dozens of sharks below. These sharks, however, will change any misconceptions you had about sharks and not to fear them.
There was not only more of the white tipped reef sharks than we expected, but they seemed larger than we anticipated too. At the end of the channel two young sea lions appeared playing with one another. It's the perfect place to watch the magic of the underwater world unfold. When talking about Las Tintoreras, visitors will often say 'privileged to be in the water' and that we were. Our tour information said that the sharks were fairly common in the archipelago, but to increase your likelihood of seeing them definitely take this boat trip, we think you'd have to be extremely unlucky not to see them here.
Be mindful they are still wild animals and you are guests in their home. This should be at the forefront when finding an ethical company to do the boat trip with.
Swim back over to the boat, jump on, dry off, and get some shoes on as you get ready to scramble onto the islets and walk the Las Tintoreras trail. Immediately, as we go onto the rock there was a sea lion having a nap on the bench. Marine iguanas thrive here, thanks to the mangroves, it was by far the highest concentration we saw, and they didn't seem at all phased by us walking past. Peer over the edge, into the channel beneath that you've just swam through, and you won't quite believe you just did that, the sheer amount of sharks is now even more clear from above. Also, look out for sally lightfoot crabs.
Jump back on the boat, turn the music up and sing and dance all the way back to Isabela. The trip takes about 2.5 hours and costs around $50.
Los Tuneles
Much like Las Tintoreras, Los Tuneles will feel like it's from another world. A 40 minute boat ride from Puerto Villamil, it's only a short ride away. Tunnels with turquoise waters flow under lava rock archways covered in cacti, it is truly a unique site. You get a chance to snorkel through the tunnels and mangroves, and you might just spot, sea turtles, sharks, eagles rays, and schools of colourful fish.
The trip takes 4-5hours and expect to pay around $140-150.
Elizabeth Bay and Mariela Islets
The only way you can each this bay is by taking a boat trip to the west of Isabela. There is a large colony of Galapagos Penguins on Mariela Islets and a large group of marine iguanas. Jump in and you might just find yourself amongst the wildlife or it may require a bit more searching, you might just see some white tipped reef sharks, green turtles, eagle rays or golden rays, alternatively opt to kayak here.
Socks and Sandals
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