The Galapagos Islands: Isabela Island

It has been 18 days since Chad and I have returned from the Galapagos Islands, but it seems like a lifetime ago.  Almost like a dream.  Were we really even there? The Galapagos are so otherworldly, that as soon as you leave, you feel very far removed from your time there.

Chad and I did a land-based itinerary, and our first stop was to Isabela Island, where we stayed for three days.  If you are deciding on whether you want to cruise the Galapagos or take a land-based vacation, please refer to this post. This post also gives you all the logistical information you will need to understand how to navigate visiting the islands on a land based itinerary and what you can expect during your travels.

Isabela Island is a lot less commercial than Santa Cruz Island. It feels more authentic, and you have a lot more interaction with the locals. We took a small regional flight (read: 8-seater prop plane) into Puerto Villamil, which is the largest town on the island. Although the island is volcanic, Puerto Villamil is surrounded by white sandy beaches. Upon arrival in Puerto Villamil, you must pay $10.00 USD per person in cash. Day 1: We stayed at Iguana Crossings Hotel, which, by all accounts, is the nicest hotel in Puerto Villamil.  The hotel is an eco-hotel and is the most innovative on the island.  It is also beach front, so spring for an ocean view room.  Behind the hotel is a wildlife-filled lagoon. The only problem with staying at an eco-hotel is the water use restrictions. The water in the faucets and the showers were timed to 8 seconds, so you had to keep pressing to have the water flow.  Doesn’t seem so bad for the sink, but try showering in 8 second intervals! Also, the water takes some time to get hot.  Other than that, the hotel is lovely, the staff is very friendly, and the full breakfast (included with the room) is delicious.  This is the view from our balcony:And this is the view from our bathroom: It’s kinda nice to wake up to a flock of social flamingos cackling outside. Also, the sunset view wasn’t too shabby either! This is unfiltered, by the way:The hotel is aptly named since it does indeed sit right before an actual crossing for iguanas; and for whatever reason, when they cross the dirt road, they do so at the actual crossing. But we didn’t have too much time to linger on property, because just two hours after we landed, we were already off to our first adventure: a trip to Las Tintoreras! Las Tintoreras is a chain of small islets.  You must take a boat from the harbor about 10 minutes away to reach the small island.  On the way, you see plenty of manta rays and sea turtles.   Prior to reaching Las Tintoreras, the boat took us on a small sea cruise where we spotted our first blue footed boobies and a penguin!We also met some local fishermen who were cleaning their day’s catch – the large and sweetly delicious Galapagos lobster, which we later ate for dinner that night.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the plentiful Sally Lightfoot Crabs. We disembarked from the small boat and began our island exploration.But for the wildlife, the island is uninhabited, and you must visit the island with a naturalist guide.  There is a trail full of iguanas (so watch your step) that leads to a bay that is located within a volcanic crack. From the crack, you can see white tip reef sharks. If you continue to follow the trail, you will find yourself on a deserted beach where sea lions hang out.From there, you must turn around to return to the location where you boarded the boat and go to another little snorkel spot. Upon returning from the trip, we were greeted at the port with more lounging sea lions.Day 2: Today we had an early morning tour to Los Tuneles, a place where lava flows formed unique, arcs, tunnels, tubes, and lava bridges both above and below the ocean and offers some of the best snorkeling on Isabela Island; and, according to Chad, the best snorkel he had in all of the Galapagos! It was a regular ole’ sea sanctuary. It takes about 45 minutes to get there by boat, and, honestly, the waters can be kinda rough on the ride out. We weren’t too worried because our captain was a man they called the Ecuadorian John Travolta (and, I am still kicking myself for not getting a picture of him because he did look like a pudgier, Latin American John Travolta!), and his first mate was JESUS (of whom I managed to get a picture).

But, not to worry, because with a little internet magic, I found someone who had the forethought to snap a pic of John Travolta.  Now, obviously, this is not my photo – and I have no idea who those people are – but, I mean, seriously, does that man in the middle not look just like John Travolta? He has the bluest eyes (which you can’t see in the pic below, but, trust me, they are the color of his shirt), and they call him Travolta on the island.

Anyway, he loves snorkeling, so he usually jumps in the water and joins you.  Jesus too! This is Jesus:Is it not total perfection that he is holding a fish? So, on the way to Los Tunneles, you pass this rock where penguins usually hang, so the boat will stop to scope them out (cue major sea sickness, even if you aren’t prone to it). While you are busy spotting birds, Jesus throws out clear fishing line from a spool (like, he doesn’t even use a fishing rod) that has a hook at the end, and within seconds, he is pulling up fish by the dozens. Snorkel time! In case you were wondering, while the water is clear, it is also cold (about 65 degrees Fahrenheit). Pretty much every tour operator has wet suits, masks, and fins for your use while snorkeling, and everyone went in with a wet suit. After hitting two snorkel spots, you make your last stop at Los Tunneles, where you disembark and explore the lava tunnels and all the boobies waiting to welcome you! By the way, these pictures do not do this magnificent place any justice, like not at all. Another fun fact about this incredible place – see the tall skinny cacti in the picture below? These are called candelabra cacti. They grow out of the volcanic rock at the rate of one centimeter per year (or about one meter every hundred years); so, the cactus on the left hand side of this picture is about 400-500 YEARS OLD! Pretty amazing, right? Once back on Isabela, I stopped by for a visit with my sea lion friend again. We had the rest of the afternoon free, so we decided to do some independent exploration. Every morning, we saw this bridge, and we wondered where it went, so we decided to find out.The trail is about a mile long on pretty flat terrain.  It is a scenic route that has two flamingo lagoons along the way.  It also has some cute little rest areas.

But, it is what is at the end of the trail that is the real treat- a giant tortoise breeding center!And, in case you missed the first sign, there is this one here:
Honestly, we are glad we came here because there were hardly any people, it is not at all touristy, it is free, and there are several tortoises from all stages of life in different pens.  Also, not to spoil it for you, but this breeding center was way bigger, had many more turtles, and was way more impressive than the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz.  Sorry, Charlie, but that’s the truth!

After retracing our steps through the trail, we decided to hit the beach in front of our hotel: Day 3: Today’s itinerary called for a hike up Sierra Negra Volcano. You know, prior to this day, I was complaining to Chad that I did not think we were getting enough exercise on this trip; and then the volcano day arrived, and I shut up. For the rest of the trip.

Okay, so things you should know about this activity if you are going to do it (that I wish I had known!): 1) it’s TEN MILES round-trip (uphill half the way), and that is for the easy route (after about two hours of hiking you have to choose if you are going higher for a view or lower to a crater; oddly enough, the higher route is the easier one); 2) it’s cloudy; it’s sunny, it’s windy, it’s rocky; dress accordingly; 3) there are no bathrooms, so bring your own TP for the nature toilet. The views are incredible, and it’s worth the effort, but you need to wear the right shoes.  As in, NOT sneakers.  Wear thick socks and a good hiking shoe because little lava rocks will be in your shoes all day. If you do not heed this advice, then, at the end, you will have lovely, bloody blisters (like I did!).
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Do not be deceived by the start of this trail.  You hike on a road like this for about two hours.  Not so bad, right?  Looks kind of flat. See how our guide is dressed? I was like, that’s a little over-kill.  Then, about half way through, I understood.  You are on the equator. You need a hat for this. And about a ton of sunscreen (like all over your face and legs; any exposed part really). And SPF lip balm. Or like a face mask, really.Plus there are pretty flowers along the way that grow wildly: And fresh guava that you can eat:After about two hours, you are rewarded with this view.  But, this is about half way. You still have to walk around the rim. Rim walking:

This was a good time to take a little reflection break:  Stunning views with almost no other hikers, it was so quiet and peaceful. Plus, about a million of these are in my shoes: You start to worry when you see the bones because at this point, you feel like you may die, too. But, as the sign reminds you, you still got more climbing to do: See the faint green back there. Well, that is where we got our first view up top after two stinking hours of climbing.  Look at us now! At long last, we made it to the top of the easier route.  This is where Internet comes from!! Just kidding.  Kind of.  These are GPS systems and seismographs. Okay, time to trek back down!

You would think that after an activity like this, we’d take the rest of the day off; but you would be wrong. This was our last day on the island, and this is an Anastasia vacation, so no rest. We can rest when we are dead.  We had a snorkel spot to hit!

Concha de Perla is a great little snorkel spot that you can do on your own, and it is free to visit.  This means that it is also a little more crowded.  If you go early in the morning or later in the afternoon, there are less people.  Some say the snorkeling is better in the morning.  You can see rays, turtles, lots of fish, crabs, iguanas, star fish, and sea lions here.

Remember John Travolta from above? Well he and his wife, Carmen (you won’t miss her, trust me, her eye shadow job is something else.  Drag queens could get tips from her!), own a dive and tour shop called Rosedelco.  It is located right on the road heading towards the port, so we stopped in and rented wet suits and snorkel gear.

Concha de Perla is located in the Port of Villamil, where all of your day excursions have taken place. After entering the port, you will see a juice stand on your left.  Just past the juice stand is the entrance for Concha de Perla, which can be reached via a wooden pathway.

En route, we encountered a sea lion road block.  We thought we would just jump over them, but they were not pleased with that.  They woke up and started barking and showing teeth. Who knew that they were so testy! Ultimately, a park ranger had to come wake them and get them to move off the walkway and onto the sand to continue their siesta! At the end of  the pathway, you will reach a wooden landing that has benches on the left, and wooden poles to hang your stuff on either side.  There are two staircases that lead down into the (cold!) water. This is what the lagoon looks like: You aren’t supposed to go past the rock in the middle. While we were visiting, one of those lazy sea lions decided he was hungry.  He came waddling up the walk to the platform, made his way down the stairs, and shot like a bullet through the water looking for fish! This was a great way to spend our last day on Isabela, and I am so glad we didn’t miss this place. Unfortunately for us, all good things must come to an end; but, we were excited, because up next was Santa Cruz Island! Isabela is a special island in the Galapagos not to be missed – truly a nature lover’s paradise; and whether you are doing a cruise or a land-based itinerary, I HIGHLY recommend that you make a point of staying a couple of days here.