Combine one of our Santa Cruz Island safaris with a stay in the Galapagos Islands. Take a small plane flight to Isabela, the largest island in archipelago. While you’re exploring Isabela’s beautiful sights and fascinating creatures, stay at one of our recommended properties on the beach.
Spend the day hiking to volcanoes, snorkelling and swimming with penguins and sea lions, or visiting historical sites.
Your private guide will accompany you throughout the trip.
The Enchanted Islands can be seen only from the air. This extension allows us to fly you to Isabela in a small propeller aircraft for a bird’s-eye view of the volcanic formations within the archipelago. It is breathtaking to see the semi-submerged craters and turquoise waters as well as the rocks, rocks, and islets. Isabela, the largest Galapagos island, is also one of the most active volcanic areas on Earth.
After landing on Isla Isabela and checking in to your hotel, have lunch, then explore Los Humedales, the wetlands of the Island.
Each of the four mangrove species found in the Galapagos are located here. There are sandy beaches, a tortoise centre, and a lookout point overlooking the bay and island. There are a few trails that connect to form a network that shows the wildlife and flora along the coast. Mangroves in the wetlands are an integral part of the eco-system. Their underwater root system is a breeding ground for fish, rays and green turtles. The forests are used by penguins and flamingos to raise their young.
A variety of land birds are common sights in the wetlands, including blue-footed bobies, black-necked cormorants and ospreys. The Galapagos tortoise and marine iguanas are also residents of the neighborhood.
The Isabela Breeding Center, a project of the Galapagos National Park that protects the tortoises from their early years, will be open to visitors. The center releases the tortoises to the Los Humedales reserve where they can be seen wandering along the trails.
After, you can visit the Wall of Tears. It was constructed over 14 years in the 1940s and 1950s when the island served as a prison colony. The wall can be found 5km west of Puerto Villamil which is the main hub of the island. The structure was built by hundreds of prisoners who carried volcanic rock from other areas of the island to the site in blistering conditions. One theory is that the wall was meant to be part of an island prison.
It is an adventure to reach the wall. The trailhead is located outside Puerto Villamil. It starts out sandy and then turns to gravel as it follows the coast and winds through mangroves. You will pass beaches and scenic views, as well as a cemetery that contains the remains of the original settlers.
This wall serves as a reminder of how starkly different the Galapagos of today are. It is a collection of stones, eight meters high and one hundred meters long, that has no merit. This is a great example of the transformation that has taken place on the islands, from an exiled island for prisoners to a destination for tourists from all over the globe.
Prisoners rebelled and the prison colony was eventually closed. Many descendants of those who worked at the Wall of Tears are still living on Isabela today. According to local legend, the Wall of Tears is haunted and one can hear the cries from the men who built it.
The island is located northwest of Puerto Villamil. In 2005, 300m of lava fountains erupted from the shield volcano. Our trip covers 8km around the eastern side to see breathtaking views of Isabela, the surrounding islands, and ends with an active day in the lush landscape of the island.
The accent takes you through many microclimates during the journey. You will find delicious guava fruits and other birdlife in the cloud forest. Your guide will point out Galapagos Hawks, Short-eared Owls, Flycatchers and Finches along the route.
You will continue your hike through petrified, unusually-shaped lava fields. This can prove to be difficult at times. The lava that flows beneath the crust causes the temperature to rise slightly once you reach the 6-mile-diameter crater. The rim offers panoramic views of the surrounding forest, Isabela’s highlands, and the latest lava formations.
The trail can be difficult to navigate and muddy depending on the weather. The crater’s high elevation means that the view from the top can often be seen even when it is cloudy. You don’t have to follow the entire trail. If you need to, you can cut the visit short.
After visiting Sierra Negra, you will be taken to a short boat trip from Puerto Villamil to Las Tintoreras Islet. The first stop is off-shore, close to a colony penguins.
Galapagos penguins are unique. They are the only members of their species that live north of the Equator. Galapagos Conservancy’s work has contributed to increasing the population of endemic penguins, who are now on the endangered species register. The construction of artificial nests in the Galapagos Conservancy area has seen 43 percent of penguin breeding activity.
Once you have arrived on land, explore all the nooks in the islet’s volcanic formations. There are also submerged tunnels that run through the rock where the white-tipped reef sharks rest. Galapagos wildlife is attracted to the waters of Isabela, which are a vital feeding area.
The short hike is full of adventure, with blue-footed bobies, greatblue herons, and large numbers of marine iguanas along the shore. Here is a marine-iguana breeding colony. It is difficult to navigate the trail when it is at its peak.
The creatures found above water are amazing, but the rich underwater life is worth exploring during a snorkeling trip in open waters. When the conditions are right, you can see sea lions, turtles, and marine iguanas among vibrant schools of fish.