Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos, but Puerto Villamil is the only town. Puerto Villamil is located on the southeastern part of the island. It has a population of 2000 and a very laid-back, beachy vibe compared to the more populated islands of Santa Cruz and San Cristobal. The main street where most hotels and restaurants are located is sandy and unpaved.
Isabela Island was formed from six volcanoes – Ecuador, Wolf, Darwin, Alcedo, Sierra Negra, and Cerro Azul. All of them are active volcanoes except Ecuador.
The sunset views from Playa Grande, which is Puerto’s Villamil’s main beach, are amazing!
Isabela is the best place in the Galapagos to spot penguins. As the ferry was pulling up to the dock on my second visit I saw a penguin splashing and swimming in the water nearby!
Bring enough cash for your stay on Isabela as the ATM may be out of order. Check if your accommodation accepts credit card before your visit.
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HOW TO GET TO ISABELA ISLAND
A ferry (white) and a water taxi (yellow).
Ferry connections to Isabela are only available from Santa Cruz. Ferries cost $30-$40 each way and leave Puerto Ayora daily at 7:00am and 3:00pm and the journey takes about 2 hours. Return ferries depart at 6:00 am and 3:00 pm. You should be at the dock no later than half an hour before to check-in and pass through luggage inspection.
Isabela has a small airport, so flying there from Santa Cruz or San Cristobal on is possible.
All foreigners must pay an entry tax of $10 at the docks upon arrival to the island. Ecuadorians must pay $5 and Galapagos residents don’t need to pay a fee. If you only have a backpack and your accommodation is nearby, you can walk from the docks to town. If you prefer to take a taxi, you may have to wait a few minutes at the dock. On Isabela drivers prefer to fill up their taxis so you may end up sharing the car with other tourists on the ride to town. You will be charged per person.
WHERE TO STAY IN PUERTO VILLAMIL
HOTEL ALBEMARLE
Hotel Albemarle is just steps away from the beach. Some rooms have views of palm trees and the ocean. The rooms are very clean. Breakfast is served in a lovely area next to the pool. There is a rooftop terrace where you can sit and enjoy the views. I couldn’t get a wifi signal in the room (upstairs) but the signal is stronger in the lobby and breakfast area.
VOLCANO HOTEL
I stayed at the Volcano Hotel and the ladies at the front desk were so nice, always asking what time my tours were so they could arrange breakfast for me! When I arrived I was given a refreshing welcome drink, which I really appreciated after the ferry ride! My room was clean and modern. The wifi in the room was terrible, but that is not the hotel’s fault as the wifi on the whole island is very slow. You can get a decent signal in the lobby.
WHERE TO EAT IN PUERTO VILLAMIL
THE BOOBY TRAP
The Booby Trap is located at the end of the main road across from La Casa Rosada. The dining room and bar is on the second floor. It is an open-air area with views of the ocean and beach. It took a long time for the food to be ready but the grilled octopus and mashed potatoes were delicious!
LA CASA DEL ASADO DE ANIBAL GARCIA
This restaurant is not on the main street of Puerto Villamil so many tourists probably miss it, but in my opinion it is the best restaurant on Isabela. It is known for its grilled seafood and is popular with locals and tour groups. There is a big grill outside the restaurant so you can often watch the food being cooked. The seafood platter is amazing and the fresh juice is delicious!
YUMMY-YUMMY (BEACHFRONT FOOD STALL)
Yummy-Yummy is a beachfront food stall run by a friendly older couple. The empanadas are so tasty! It’s a great place to grab some food and drinks from and enjoy them on the beach during sunset.
LA CASA ROSADA
Known as the “pink house” in Spanish, La Casa Rosada is a popular beach bar for both tourists and locals to hang out. Locals also call it “La Caleta Iguana” because of the dozens of marine iguanas that hang around the property. In the evenings you can relax in a hammock or bean bag and watch gorgeous sunsets from here. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try out the slackline (which is like a tightrope).
WHAT TO DO ON ISABELA ISLAND
SNORKEL AT CONCHA DE PERLA
At the end of a boardwalk trail covered with sleeping sea lions is Concha de Perla, a place where you can hop in the water and go snorkeling. Bring your own snorkeling gear here or rent it in town. Here you can swim with sea lions, rays and fish. The water is calm and perfect for beginners. Best of all, snorkeling here is free!
BIKE OR HIKE TO THE WALL OF TEARS
From the town of Puerto Villamil you can follow a 7 mile long path to the Wall of Tears. The Wall of Tears is 8 metres high and 100 metres long and was built during the 1940s and 50s by prisoners who toiled every day in the hot sun. They initially thought the wall would serve a purpose, but they later realized that it was actually just meant to keep them busy. As they had to heave heavy, jagged lava rocks many of them died from exhaustion. Their living conditions were harsh with low supplies of food and water and lack of access to medical care. This is how the wall got its sad name.
The hike is very long (about 2-3 hours each way) so a lot of tourists rent a bike to go there, which reduces the journey to one hour each way. The path is relatively flat and sandy, except for the climbs up to the viewpoints. Taxis used to be allowed to take tourists to the wall, but in order to protect the giant tortoises, iguanas, and other wildlife that live along the path, taxis were banned from doing so several years ago. Taxis are now only allowed to drive as far as the Wall of Tears trailhead (where the toilets are located) and barriers have been installed to prevent them from going any further. I never learned how to ride a bike (don’t laugh!) so my only way to get there was on foot. The round trip took me around 5 hours from town, including stops to drink water and take photos. The long journey was worth it though!
You will need plenty of water for the hike (at least 1L). Also bring sunscreen or even an umbrella, as there is no shade along the way. This is especially important during hotter, sunnier months like March (when I did the hike).
During the hike you will also see magnificent views of the forest and ocean from various viewpoints.
Branching off from the main trail are paths that lead to different lagoons, beaches and caves. I only went to look at a couple of them. If you plan to check out all the different paths along the way allocate a few more hours.
A cactus at Los Tunos lagoon.
If you visit the Wall of Tears during March as I did, you will see lush green trees and other vegetation along the way. However, at other times of the year the trees will be bare and brown.
At the top of the lookout near the Wall of Tears called Mirador de las Lagrimas, you can see the remains of El Radar, an old radar tower used by the U.S. military several decades ago. There are some benches to rest on.
VISIT CENTRO DE CRIANZA (TORTOISE BREEDING CENTER)
At the tortoise breeding center, you can see tortoises of all ages. The baby ones are especially cute! It is interesting to watch them move around and eat lettuce. One time when I visited, one baby tortoise somehow ended up on its back and was struggling to get back onto its feet. A guide climbed over the wall and put it back on its feet. Behind the center there is a flamingo lagoon where there are usually several flamingoes.
TAKE A TAXI TOUR TO MIRADOR EL MANGO, CUEVA DE SUCRE and CAMPO DURO
If you have already visited all of Isabela’s main attractions and find yourself with extra time on your hands, you can hail a taxi on the street and ask to go to Mirador el Mango, Cueva de Sucre and Campo Duro. The taxi driver will accompany you to each attraction where he will give a brief explanation and take photos for you.
Mirador del Mango (Mango Viewpoint) got its name because of several mango trees nearby. On the short drive (10-15 minutes) to this site you will pass through the agricultural zone. When I visited in March the trees along the road were green and leafy.
The viewpoint is called Mirador del Mango because of the presence of several trees of this species of fruit. The area nearby used to be a gravel mine that was used for building Isabela’s roads. The road you will take to the viewpoint was used by Isabela’s early settlers as well as convicts on the way to their camps.
You will take a short walk in Cueva de Sucre where you can check out the interesting yellow minerals and golden colours on the ceiling. You will need a flashlight or your cell phone’s light to see as the cave is quite dark inside. The stairs in the cave are a bit slippery because of the cave’s dampness so wear good shoes.
A building on the grounds of Campo Duro.
Campo Duro is an ecolodge and tortoise sanctuary in Isabela’s highlands. Here you can stroll around the grounds and check out all the fruits they are growing like papayas and bananas. You can also spot tortoises! Campo Duro also offers accomodations.
DAY TRIPS FROM ISABELA ISLAND
LOS TUNELES
Los Tuneles is a must-do day trip while you are on Isabela! The tour costs about $145. I saw a few penguins during the tour. You will take a walk on lava rocks that resemble bridges. Cactuses grow on these bridges, which makes them very unique. You can spot many blue footed boobies nesting here. You will also go snorkeling under these bridges. The gaps under the bridges look like tunnels, and in these tunnels you will find white-tipped reef sharks.
I went with Pahoehoe Tours and Gabriel was an excellent guide! He was very enthusiastic about the tour even though he does it almost every day! He took photos of the group and the wildlife and loaded them onto everyone’s memory card or USB stick in the office at the end of the tour. While snorkeling I saw turtles, a seahorse, colourful fish and reef sharks hiding in caves. Gabriel helped push each tourist’s head under the water so that they could see the reef sharks.
LAS TINTORERAS
Near the main pier in Puerto Villamil is Las Tintoreras, a series of rocky islets where huge colonies of marine iguanas live. Tours to Las Tintoreras are available in the morning or afternoon for about $45-$60 and start from the main dock. After riding from the docks to Las Tintoreras in a water taxi, a guide will take you on a walk around the iguana colony. You will also peek into a lagoon where white tip reef sharks rest. The snorkeling near Las Tintoreras is great for beginners because the water is calm. I saw many large sea turtles and colourful fish! On the boat ride near Las Tintoreras I saw a couple of penguins. Read more about my day trip to Las Tintoreras here.
SIERRA NEGRA VOLCANO HIKE
Original Photo Credit: “P1010614” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by Patrice Clark
Sierra Negra is one of five active volcanoes on Isabela island. Its most recent eruption was in June 2018. With a guided tour for about $45-$60, you can hike to the edge of the caldera for impressive views.
At the start of the tour, you will take a 45-minute ride in a chiva to the hike starting point, where there are toilets and a picnic area. After walking for around an hour, you will reach the edge of the caldera. Next you will continue to the lava fields, which have a colourful, Mars-like landscape. Depending on conditions (sometimes the path is closed due to sulfur eruptions), your group will walk to Volcan Chico and rest there for a while before retracing your steps to the starting point.
If your group visits both Sierra Negra and Volcano Chico, expect the tour to last around 5-6 hours and cover 8km each way. If you only go to Sierra Negra, the tour will be less than 3 hours.
Some people may find the hike strenuous, so bring plenty of water. Sturdy shoes like sneakers or hiking shoes are a must, especially for walking on the lava fields. Sometimes the path will be muddy if it has rained recently.
ISLA TORTUGA
Original Photo Credit: “isla tortuga, galápagos” (CC BY 2.0) by Windell Oskay
On the ferry ride to Isabela, you will pass by a large, crescent-shaped island called Isla Tortuga (or Brattle Island). It is the remains of a former volcano. Since it is an important nesting site for seabirds like frigate birds and tropic birds, landing on the island itself is prohibited. However, there are diving and snorkeling tours that go near Isla Tortuga. As the water near the island is deep, snorkeling there is not recommended for beginners.
If at least 5 people sign up, Pahoehoe offers a snorkeling excursion for $130 at Isla Tortuga where you might see manta rays and hammerhead sharks. You will also go to Loberia Grande, where you can try fishing with the crew or do more snorkeling.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD I SPEND ON ISABELA?
To fully enjoy all that Isabela has to offer, you need a minimum of 2 full days (3 nights).
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT ISABELA?
If you prefer cooler weather and less tourists, September is considered low season on Isabela (and the Galapagos). You will need a jacket on the beach at sunset because it gets very windy. If you prefer hot weather and like lounging on the beach, the hottest months of February and March would suit you better.
