Isabela Canton

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Isabela has spectacular visitor sites unique to the Galapagos. You can visit Isabela's beautiful beaches, crystal clear bays and coastal lagoons with a huge variety of plants and birds without taking a cruise.

Isabela’s human population has increased over the years, above all during the 1970's. Today fishing is the principal economic activity, but ecotourism and the production of handcrafts are becoming increasingly important.

Six volcanoes are found on Isabela, of which two are over 1,700 meters, which are Wolf and Cerro Azul. The most commonly visited sites are Punta Garcia to see the Flightless Cormorants; Punta Garcia also for Flightless Cormorants; Volcan Alcedo for Land Tortoises; Tagus Cove for Blue Footed Boobies, Flightless Cormorants, Galapagos Penguins, and Marine Iguanas; and Urbina Bay for Marine Turtles.

Even though you can't make it to the western side of the island, Puerto Villamil is worth a week. You can hire horses to get to Santo Tomas or trek over to the Muro de las Lagrimas, a historical visitor site reportedly built by convicts. There are countless marine turtles as well as nests. Often, during nesting season, The Charles Darwin Foundation is looking for volunteers to help them mark nests.