Isabela Island by Land Galapagos Guide!

The Largest Galapagos Island

Isabela Island was my favorite of all the islands since it had so much to see and do! We saw SO much wildlife, had some incredible excursions and fully relaxed in the laid back vibe the island offers.

Getting to Isabela

If you have followed my other guides on Santa Cruz and San Cristobal, visiting Isabela works best as the third island after Santa Cruz to take a 2 hour ferry! The ferry leaves twice a day and costs $3o per person. I highly recommend booking in advanced and getting to the boat early to pick a good seat. I typically get sea sick but was totally fine on the ferry because we took the AM boat when the water is less choppy and we picked seats where I could get fresh air and look out the whole ride, very important! If you come from San Cristobal taking a sea plane is a must since there is no ferry connecting the two islands.

Where to Stay on Isabela

The Isabela Beach House: A perfect hotel in every way! Open your door and step right on the sand, lounge in their lovely beach chairs and take a dip in the ocean at this adorable Bed and Breakfast! The breakfast each morning was very filling and kept us going with a full day of excursions. The staff was awesome here too with recommendations and arranging anything we needed. If that’s not enough, the location was right next to town but also quietly situated and we could walk to a premier snorkel spot next door Concha Perla.

Best Things to Do on Isabela

Los Tuneles Tour

Los Tuneles: A must do tour when on Isabela and you can only explore this incredible area with a naturalist guide to help protect the area. First explore the lava formations on land that create perfect natural coves and sanctuaries for wildlife. We saw so many penguins and boobies soaking up the sun! Next you’ll jump in the water and snorkel with your guide whose excellent at knowing the secret hiding places for sharks, sea horses, and an incredible amount of sea turtles! Expect to spend most of the day on this tour. We booked through Pahoehoe and really enjoyed our guide and experience.

Las Tintoreras

Las Tintoreras Excursion: This awesome excursion is a quick ride to a small islet right off the shore. You need a guide to visit this wildlife zone and its well worth it. We started on land and checked out the natural channels formed by volcanos. They were FULL of white tip sharks sleeping, sea lions and turtles. The island was also full of marine iguanas and we saw a big group of penguins and blue footed boobies! It’s the only colony of penguins north of the equator. Once in the water we swam through one of the very narrow channels single file, right over the sleeping sharks. It was a thrilling experience and I am so glad we did it! We added this tour last minute after hearing great things and it was a half day tour which gave us time to do something else

Concha Perla

Concha Perla : This snorkel spot was an easy walk from Isabela Beach House! It was full of wildlife and we saw a lot as soon as we got in the water! Expect turtles, sea lions, puffer fish and more! Its a shallow cove so it is a very low impact thing to do on your own. Concha Perla is a must do when on Isabela!

Beach Bike Ride

Beach Bike Ride: Rent beach bikes from the town (we went back to Pahoehoe) and follow the sand trail right along the coast towards the Wall of Tears. We loved peddling right along the waves and stopped for a swim and a picnic. We did end up going all the way to the Wall of Tears but it was a tough ride uphill and a bit rocky so beware! Along the path there are a couple of Giant Tortoise observation spots - we got very lucky on the way back and there was a big one right in the middle of the path! It was so cool seeing a tortoise in the wild

Sunset at Pink Iguana

Sunset at Pink Iguana Bar: An awesome beach bar in town with live music, great drinks, and a perfect place to watch the sunset! We loved the laid back vibe and spots to lounge on the beach

What to Pack

Enjoy the magic of the Galapagos!