"Isla Isabela" Isla Isabela by MalenaN

Isla Isabela Travel Guide: 27 reviews and 229 photos

The beach outside Puerto Villamil - Isla Isabela

Volcán Sierra Negra and Volcán Chico

Isla Isabela is the largest island in the archipelago. With its 4588 sq km it makes up 58% of the landmass in Galapagos Islands, and it is four times larger than Isla Santa Cruz which is the second largest island. From north to south the island is around 100km long.

Five of Isla Isabela’s six volcanoes are still active, Cerro Azul had its latest eruption in 2008 and Sierra Negra in 2005. The highest volcano is Wolf, which is 1707m high, and thus also the highest point in the Galapagos Islands. Both Wolf and Ecuador lie on the equator.

I hope to come back one day to visit the visitor sites that are only accessible while on a cruise. Many of them are situated on the west side of the island where the Flightless Cormorant can be seen and the largest population of Galapagos Penguins live and where there are whales and dolphins in the sea.

Along the road to Muro de las Lágrimas

I did a one-week Galapagos cruise with M/S Cachalote and I did the itinerary which did not include Isla Isabela. However, after the cruise I visited Isabela independently, but what I saw then was just a small part of the southeast corner of the island. I stayed in Puerto Villamil which is a small laidback town with only 2000 inhabitants. Puerto Villamil has a beautiful setting by the sea with a long white sandy beach in front of the town. There are plenty of things to see and do around Puerto Villamil and while I was there I made a day tour to Volcan Sierra Negra and Volcan Chico, a tour to the small island Las Tintoreras where you can see White Tipped Reef Sharks and lots of Marine Iguanas, I snorkelled, saw the flamingos in the lagoons in town, visited a tortoise breeding centre, rented a bike to visit Muro de Las Lagrimas and the water lagoons west of Puerto Villamil.

Last visit to Isla Isabela: Jul 2011
Intro Updated Apr 9, 2012
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Reviews (27)

Marine Iguanas on Las Tintoreras - Isla Isabela

Marine Iguanas Things to Do (25)

One of the highlights of Galapagos Islands is to see the amazing Marine Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). They are... more travel advice

A Galapagos Giant Tortoise along the road - Isla Isabela

The Galapagos Giant Tortoise Things to Do (25)

The Galapagos Giant Tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus) is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. There are eleven different... more travel advice

Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands - Isla Isabela

Puerto Villamil, Isla Isabela Things to Do (25)

Puerto Villamil is situated on the south-eastern side of Isla Isabela. It is the third largest settlement in the... more travel advice

Brazo de Mar, Isla Isabela, Galapagos Islands - Isla Isabela

Complejo de Humedales and the road to... Things to Do (25)

One morning I went for a walk along the sandy road west of Puerto Villamil. I came to a sign indicating that this was... more travel advice

Transportation (1)
Speedboat between Puerto Ayora and...

Hotels (1)
Hostal La Jungla (The Jungle)

Travelogues (11)

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Comments (7)

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Yaqui May 3, 2012 at 8:47 PM

Such beauty here and you've captured so many wonderful special creatures. Fantastic page!
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Kuznetsov_Sergey Apr 14, 2012 at 11:19 PM

Great Galapagos cruise, Malena! So many various birds - so good for bird watching and photographing. Loved marine iguanas best of all!
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zadunajska8 Apr 13, 2012 at 10:31 AM

Wow! How lucky are you to get to enjoy such a great trip? I'm a bit of a Darwin devotee and so this would be a trip of a lifetime for me. I'd love to see the mockingbirds and finches but I think the lava lizards were my favourites from your great pics. Look forward to reading your other Galapagos island pages soon.
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globetrott Apr 5, 2012 at 2:46 PM

Lots of Excellent photographs you have here, Malena !
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Nemorino Feb 18, 2012 at 3:52 AM

I’m glad to learn that they now have some breeding centres for tortoises on the Galapagos Islands to restore the population of the Giant Tortoises. Great that you were able to rent a bike at Puerto Villamil.
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HORSCHECK Feb 6, 2012 at 10:17 AM

Another fabulous page about your adventures in Ecuador. Especially the Jungle Hostel seems to be well worth a stay. :-)
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balhannah Nov 22, 2011 at 8:56 PM

I would like to visit here and see all the wildlife. You have done well with the Bird Photo's, I know how hard it is to capture them without blur!