Isabela

The largest island in the archipelago, built from six volcanoes. Sierra Negra, the Cabo Rosa tunnels, the Wall of Tears and the Tintoreras channels, plus penguins at the equator.

On land

Volcanoes, lava fields and the Wall of Tears.

The main fumarole cone at Volcan Chico, with its mineral stained ground
Day tour

From $120 per person

Isabela

The fumaroles and sulfur deposits on the flank of Sierra Negra, in a dry tropical landscape of birds, tortoises and iguanas.

Walkers on the rim of the Sierra Negra crater
Day tour

From $125 per person

Isabela

Sierra Negra rises 1,124 m above sea level, 22 km from Puerto Villamil. Horses skirt the eastern rim of the caldera to Los Jaboncillos, and from there it is on foot to Volcan Chico and the Sulfur mines.

Know before you go

The Wall of Tears on Isabela, built of stacked lava blocks beside the trail
Day tour

From $125 per person

Isabela
  • Half day

A half day walking out of Puerto Villamil past 2.5 km of white-sand beach, lagoons and mangroves to the lava wall built by prisoners of Isabela's penal colony between 1946 and 1959.

Walking through a lava tunnel in the Isabela highlands
Day tour

From $205 per person

Isabela

An excursion into a volcanic area of Isabela shaped by lava fields and rock formations, where different ecosystems have taken hold on the old flows.

On the water

Boat trips from Puerto Villamil to the lava channels and tunnels.

A white-tipped reef shark in the shallow lava channel at Tintoreras
Boat trip

From $130 per person

Isabela
  • 3 hours

Three hours off Puerto Villamil in three parts: a panga ride around the islets, a walk over lava flows past resting white-tip sharks, and a snorkel over rays, turtles and reef fish.

Know before you go

The turquoise channel and candelabra cactus at the Cabo Rosa tunnels
Boat trip

From $245 per person

Isabela
  • 4 to 5 hours

Four to five hours out of Puerto Villamil to the lava arches of Los Tuneles, with a first stop at Roca Union in open water for boobies, pelicans and sea lions.

Day trip from Santa Cruz

Staying on Santa Cruz? See Isabela in a single day by boat.

A Galapagos penguin standing on the volcanic rock
Boat trip

From $210 per person

Isabela
  • Full day

A long day and a 2.5-hour crossing to Puerto Villamil: the Arnaldo Tupiza tortoise breeding centre, the flamingo lagoons, and 45 minutes of snorkeling in the channels of Tintoreras Islet.

Extra fees paid on the day

ready to experience
the Galapagos?

Jacqueline Ojeda and Jorge Jaramillo of Pristine Galapagos