Isabela island was my second stop on the Galápagos and one I was really looking forward to after hearing great things.
Although Isabela is significantly larger than the San Cristobal and Santa Cruz islands, it’s the least populated and least developed one. Around 99% of it is wild and untouched!
I had three full days on Isabela, here’s what I got up to…
Day Four – Day of Two Ferries
I had a long day of ferries! From San Cristobal I took the morning ferry to Santa Cruz. It took about 2hrs, whilst a slight bumpy ride, it wasn’t too bad!
It was the afternoon ferry to Isabela from Santa Cruz that was the killer! What a journey! So so bumpy and the way we kept jarring against the waves every time we bounced over them had me worried!
Honestly thought the boat was going to break in two! I ended up spending most of the journey with my eyes closed. I was so happy when we made it!
Tip: I’ve heard that morning ferries usually have a smoother journey than the afternoon one. This was certainly the case for me on my return ferry to Santa Cruz.
Day Five – Tortoise breeding centre, Flamingo Estuary and Concha Perla
All three islands I visited have a tortoise breeding centre. I went to Isabela’s one, called Arnoldo-Tupiza-Chamaidan, in the morning. It’s about a 20min walk from the town centre and also free!
On the walk to the centre, you pass Flamingo Estuary where you’ll most likely see several flamingos. Bright bright pink! I spent quite a bit of time watching them!
At Isabela’s centre, they breed tortoises from the south of the island which are the most endangered. I found the visit really interesting. Some of the tortoises were absolutely huge and it’s crazy that 150yrs old is the standard age for them!
In the afternoon, I went to Concha Perla. It’s a great place for snorkelling (free activity!) and next to the ferry dock. After a 20min walk from town, follow the boardwalk to the small deck and from there enter the water.
I bumped into my guide from the Kicker Rock tour on San Cristobal at Concha Perla and he took me snorkelling. There was a part which had quite strong currents so I liked knowing he was there!
Plus he taught me how to dive with the snorkel which was cool! I wasn’t very good at getting deep, more practice is needed but the understanding is there!
I swam with a turtle there so I will always recommend it as a good snorkelling spot! Others have said they’ve seen sharks, stingrays and penguins there too! It’s the luck of the draw!!
Day Six – Los Tuneles tour
The tour I chose to do on Isabela was Los Tuneles, the island’s most popular tour.
I was picked up at 7.15am and we returned to the agency’s office for the snorkel gear and wetsuits.
I’d split the tour into three parts. The first is the boat ride to Los Tuneles, which thankfully was a lot smoother than my ferry ride two days earlier, where we stopped briefly at Punta Union rock and later saw a mantaray!
Then the second part is a short walk on the cool Los Tuneles rock formations. We saw lots of blue footed boobies here and giant turtles swam past in the water.
Fun facts about blue footed boobies:
Why are their feet blue? The blue colour comes from a pigment in the sardines they eat. They can’t digest the pigment properly so the colour blue seeps out in their feet.
How to tell if the bird’s male or female? There are three ways: eye pupil size, body size and sound they make. Females have a bigger pupil that takes up most of the eye, have a bigger body and honk. Males have a smaller pupil, smaller body and whistle.
When females are choosing a mate, apparently they look for the male with the bluest feet! I’m not sure about this one!
Getting in to Los Tuneles area takes some skill navigating the breaking waves and slightly submerged rocks. Once in, the area is sheltered from the open sea and we quickly saw a lone penguin sat on a rock! My first Galápagos penguin!! It was super cute!!
The last part of the tour is snorkelling and we saw so much sea life. So so many sea turtles and they were massive!! I floated over one and honestly its shell was bigger than me! I love them!!
We saw white tipped reef sharks sleeping on the bottom. A few did swim by us which did unnerve me slightly (terrified of sharks!!). I was pleased with how calm I was in their presence – a shark still is a shark no matter how chill they seem!
Lots of colourful fish, a stingray, seahorses and a school of golden rays with googly eyes were also spotted on the snorkel. I was so happy with what we saw!!
After about an hour and a half, we got back on the boat for snacks (a sandwich, fruit, biscuit and juice). I was ready to get out the water at this point. Even in my short wetsuit I was feeling the cold!!
It was such a good tour and I was super happy with what I saw! No regrets about the price on this one!!
Other info
It costs $100-110 (£80 approx) depending on the agency and included is a snack or lunch depending on time of day, snorkel gear, wetsuit, towel, water and guide who will also take underwater photos.
There are a restricted number of boats allowed to go to Los Tuneles daily and agencies have certain days they’re allowed to go. With that said, tours do fill up and booking in the evening for the next day will most likely be unsuccessful.
I tried to book after arriving on the late afternoon ferry and could only book for two days time. If you’d really like to do it, do book in advance!
There also two time slots for the tour: 7am at 11am. Figuring out the best time to go was tricky. According to the agency I spoke to, the main difference between the time slots is that later in the day the water is warmer.
I’d also heard it’s best to go at low tide. In my case the morning slot was better for low tide so I went with that one. Plus, it was nice to have the rest of the afternoon to chill and do something else.
I’ve heard that Las Tintoreras is a very similar tour in terms of what you see. It’s also cheaper, at $45 (£35 approx), so could be an alternative to Los Tuneles.
Day Seven – Wall of Tears
The Wall of Tears, El Muro de las Lagrimas, is another free site on Isabela. It’s 7km from town and is a good activity if you’d like to see more of the island.
The wall itself isn’t anything special, but for me the main reason for going was to see giant tortoises in the wild.
I walked there and back in 4hrs and saw lots of tortoises – one was eating a cactus, others were sleeping or crossing the path. Again they’re so big!!!
There’s several stops on the way which are nice. I really liked La Playita, a tiny stretch of beach and the Mirador Cerro Orchilla which had fab views over the island. It made me realise how big the island is and how, aside from the town, most of it remains untouched and undeveloped.
An alternative to walking is to rent a bike and cycle. Lots of agencies rent bikes for $2.50/$3 per hour. Renting a bike seems to the most done option, I saw many cyclists and not a single other walker!
In the afternoon, I’d planned to return to Concha Perla for another snorkel, but my stomach suddenly felt a bit dodgy so I sadly gave it a miss. I would’ve really liked to go back but hey!
I felt back to normal in the evening and a friend and I went to the beach for a happy hour cocktail! Drinking a mojito on the beach was a great way to spend my last evening on Isabela!
Food
The main street on Isabela, Antonio Gil, has a line of restaurants which all serve menus costing around $8 (£6 approx).
If you’re looking to do your own cooking, there are mini markets on the island. I would advise bringing food supplies from the mainland or Santa Cruz if possible as everything is marked up! Next time, I’d bring more supplies with me!
There is also a bakery called Fragata which sells great banana bread for $1 a slice. I kept going back for more! They made great breakfasts or puddings!
Tip: There’s no ATM on Isabela so remember to bring enough cash with you!
How to get to Isabela
Puerto Villamil is Isabela’s main town. It’s only possible to get there by ferry from Santa Cruz.
So, if you’re coming from San Cristobal, you’ll first have to go to Santa Cruz and then on to Isabela. It’ll be a day of ferries: a morning one from San Cristobal and an afternoon one from Santa Cruz – this was my Day Four!
A ferry costs $30* and you can buy a ticket from almost any tour agency. Booking a day or two in advance is normally recommended.
*There is one place on Santa Cruz Island where you can get ferry tickets for $25. It’s opposite the main dock near the waterfront to the left of the church. I bought my ticket here for the return ferry from Isabela to Santa Cruz.
Also, to get on the ferry (small boats!), a water taxi will take you to where it’s anchored. This costs $0.50 so have some coins on you!
The water taxi from the ferry to Isabela’s dock costs $1 for some reason instead of the usual $0.50 and there is an additional $10 entrance tax to the island.
Final thoughts
I really really enjoyed my stay on Isabela. It definitely is a lot quieter than Santa Cruz and San Cristobal which I loved! Such a peaceful atmosphere!
Like San Cristobal, being able to walk quickly to the beach on Isabela was great! It was so close, just behind the main street.
The free activities were great – seeing giant tortoises on the walk to the wall of tears and snorkelling at Concha Perla where I swam with a turtle!
My highlight was Los Tuneles – seeing so much sea life was incredible!! And I didn’t freak out when I saw the sharks or they swam past!
Another reason I enjoyed my stay on Isabela so much was because of my hostel, Posada del Caminante. There was free bananas and oranges we could help ourselves to (the oranges made excellent freshly squeezed juice!) and free laundry was amazing! Plus the showers were hot which island life doesn’t always give you!
If you’re heading to the Galápagos, definitely stay a few days on Isabela – it was wonderful!
