Isabela Island is the largest island in the Galapagos. Isabela was formed by the merging of six large shield volcanoes: Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra, and Wolf. It is relatively young with an estimated age of around 1 million years. It was named after Queen Isabela I from Castile.
Of the three islands it is pretty chill and a great place to relax.
The island is known for its rich biodiversity, including several species of tortoises, iguanas, penguins, and flightless cormorants.
Las Tintoreras tour
Our guide took us on a boat around the harbor, then on a part of the island that is volcanic rock. From here there are underground tunnels or tubes from flows of lava to snorkel in and see turtles, sharks, and penguins.
I didn’t snorkel but did give my camera to the guide. I might have to come back again since I have found how to move around the islands. Here are some videos from the snorkeling.
Sierra Negra Volcano, which has one of the world’s largest volcanic craters. Its just eruption was in 2018 and each eruption gives valuable information on impact. It is a shield volcano with broad and slow rising slopes and lava flows with less velocity. The caldera is 10 km wide. The volcano collapsed into the caldera and subsequent lava flows have changed the landscape more.
The hike is 16 km total and goes out then back around part of the rim.
Poza de los flamingos
During the early 1900s, the Ecuadorian government used the island as a penal colony, known as Puerto Villamil (the current capital). Prisoners were put to work on various projects, including building the “Wall of Tears,” (Muro de las lágrimas) a large wall constructed from lava rocks. I rented a bike for $10 for the day, brought food with me and had a great 4 hours looking around the area.
It is best to bike all the way out to the wall and then stop at all the other lookouts on the way back.
After that I went to pearl concha, where many go to snorkel.
Then a rest at the pink iguana.
Isabela Island is the main focus of conservation efforts in the Galapagos. Programs are in place to protect the endemic species and restore habitats that have been affected by invasive species and human activity.
Goats were one of the most destructive invasive species. They degraded the habitat by overgrazing, which led to soil erosion and the destruction of native vegetation. This impacted native tortoise populations. Donkeys also contributed to this problem.
Pigs, introduced by humans, preyed on the eggs and hatchlings of native reptiles, such as tortoises and iguanas.
Black rats and Norway rats were introduced accidentally by ships. They prey on eggs and hatchlings of birds and reptiles.
Feral cats have been a significant predator of native wildlife, including birds, iguanas, and young tortoises. Their hunting behavior has caused declines in many native species. Dogs likewise are a problem.
An invasive insects, such as the Philornis downsi fly affected birds. The larvae of this fly parasitize the nestlings of many bird species, causing high mortality rates.
Blackberry and guava plants outcompete the native species and grow too thick.
The aggressive eradication of most of these allowed the tortoise population to increase.