Galapagos Paradise : Six Things to See on Isabela Island

Getting there is an odyssey of its own! A flight from Guayaquil to the Baltra Airport, water taxi to Santa Cruz Island, half an hour hike with backpacks to the speedboat dock, three hours on the waters to the small village of Puerto Villamil on Isabela. Largest of the Galapagos and considered the “gem” of the archipelago.

Then a bus ride to Scalesia Lodge, situated in the highlands of Isabela Island on the slopes of a volcano, about 20 minutes from the town of Puerto Villamil. My safari tent-like home in a magical forest with a spectacular view of the coasts of Isabela.

Here are the best places to visit and things to do when you get there.

Villamil Lagoons

Villamil enjoys a beautiful long beach, which is picture-book tropics. I visited during the recent Blue Moon whose profound tidal effects caused minor flooding but major surf-worthy waves!

Behind the beach are several saltwater lagoons which are home to pink flamingos, pintail ducks and other species. There are several visitor excursions from town on foot, by minibus or panga.

Tintoreras

Just offshore from Puerto Villamil are Las Tintoreras. They are so close you can see them in the distance which is reassuring as you walk down the sturdily constructed jetty to get into your colorful panga, a small speedboat, with its canvas shade roof.

This island is a unique and fragile environment formed of A’A lava (the sharp, spiky kind) and home to an abundance of wildlife. In town I rented a short wetsuit and took a quick boat ride to Tintoreras. Once there it was an easy one hour walk on a sandy path, observing marine iguanas, sea birds, sea lions and the elusive blue-footed booby.

My snorkeling adventure was a delight: marine turtles, rays and colorful reef fish and coral formations were in full view.

Tortoise Center

The Arnaldo Tupiza Tortoise Breeding Center is short walk from Puerto Villamil. The trail from town follows a boardwalk that takes you across the wetlands and Opuntia cactus fields.

At the breeding center there are five different subspecies of Galápagos Giant Tortoise that are all native to Isabela, but currently threatened by habitat damage caused by introduced animals and volcanic eruptions.  Here, the Giant Tortoise eggs are carefully incubated in a special hatchery.

Adults are cared for in large supervised, walled areas.

This careful breeding program is designed to increase the populations of these remarkable animals to ensure their survival as a species unique to the Galápagos.

Wall of Tears

Known in Spanish as El Muro de las Lágrimas, the Wall of Tears is one of the most important historic sites in the Galapagos Islands.

The wall is the anguished effort by prison inmates over a fourteen year period in the 1940-50’s. Working in the sweltering heat, the inmates gathered sharp, heavy lava rocks from the area and built two walls of their intended prison.

Of the 300 original inmates, our guide said that 50 were able to escape, with help from local sympathizers who witnessed their impossible task. Several, he said, chose to live in anonymity on other islands.

Sierra Negra Volcano

The majestic Sierra Negra Volcano rises almost 4,500 feet on Isabela. Though the volcano remains active today, there hasn’t been any recorded activity since 2005. Its expansive caldera, with a diameter of 6-plus miles, is the second largest on the planet behind Africa’s Ngorogoro.

The easiest way to reach Sierra Negra Volcano is to take the 5 mile trail on foot from Santo Tomás, a tiny village located southeast of Sierra Negra. The trails gradual incline takes you up into the “cloud forest” with its constant mist and frequent downpours. Giant tortoises and iguanas, an array bird species, native hydrangeas and varieties of orchids spice the hike to the caldera.

The island is the largest of the Galapagos chain, all known for their famously fearless wildlife and as a source of inspiration for Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Puerto Villamil

I loved this “hidden away” little town on the beach. There are a few hotels, mainly for the serious surfer, and bars dot the beach with outdoor tables and drink specials like this gorgeous passionfruit daiquiri… two for $10 (thanks Barbara!)!!

I browsed the souvenir shops and ended up with a t-shirt for my husband emblazoned with the island’s kitschy mantra, “I Love Blue Boobies”… along with the signature bird. Completely relaxed and so casual that shoes are an afterthought.

“… the islands are very remarkable: it seems to be a little world within itself; the greater number of its inhabitants, both vegetable and animal, being found nowhere else.”

Charles Darwin

I agree.