Isabela is the largest Galapagos island by size but not by population. Santa Cruz is roughly 380 square miles but is home to over 18,000 people. In comparison, Isabela is over 1,770 square miles but only has a population of about 2,200. The overwhelming majority of the island’s residents live in the town of Puerto Villamil. The port town is small and laid-back, which made it a perfect place for us to base our trip. We spent 5 days on the island and appreciated the chance to slow down and relax after our active days.
While there is a small airport that receives infrequent planes, the huge majority of people arrive on Isabela through its port. And after the typically rough ride, some arrive in better conditions than others! Thankfully, there are some adorable greeters waiting on the dock to immediately make you forget about all that you went through to get there.
And not to be left out, there is a land-based greeting crew as well. Do not expect these lounging marine iguanas to get out of your way. Even the sound of an army of wheeled luggage coming up from the dock did not make them budge. We happily gave them the appropriate distance of 2 meters while we marveled at how little they cared about our presence.
There is one road into town from the port. If you are arriving with luggage and do not have a pre-arranged pickup from your hotel, you will most likely want to hire one of the many taxis waiting when the ferry arrives. We did walk from our hotel through town and to the port one evening so it is definitely doable; I just wouldn’t recommend it when you first arrive on the island because you may not be feeling great and the roads aren’t ideal for toting luggage.
The town of Puerto Villamil has white sand streets lined with palm trees. The main town square features a park and a church. There are a dozen or so restaurants lining the square, although many of them were still not open when we were there due to the low tourist numbers during the pandemic. We ate one night at a pizza restaurant and they warned us that we would have to wait 30 minutes just for them to turn on their ovens and heat them up.
While the National Park sites require a guide, there are quite a few activities around Puerto Villamil that you can do on your own. The flamingo lagoon, tortoise center, wetlands, and the Wall of Tears are just a few of the areas that you can explore on your own.
You can even snorkel on your own at Concha de Perla. Located just next to the harbor, the short boardwalk trail through a canopy of mangrove trees is stunning in its own right. At the end of the trail there is a small dock (where there happened to be a small sea lion waiting for us!) with direct swimming access to a bay with calm, clear waters that are perfect for snorkeling. We didn’t get in but apparently this is a great place to easily swim with fish, sea lions, turtles and rays. Note that this is a public spot with no secured storage for your belongings so keep that in mind if you plan to snorkel.
The harbor is also a worthwhile place to spend some time wildlife spotting. Aside from the many sea lions lounging on the docks and playing in the water, we also saw sea turtles and huge manta rays swim right under the dock.
And the beaches around Puerto Villamil simply cannot be beat. The scenery is absolutely jaw dropping. Black lava rocks are scattered across the sand and in the water, with marine iguanas lounging on top and Sally Lightfoot Crabs crawling about. The water is so clear that you can see the marine iguanas’ tails swishing back and forth under water while they swim. Volcanos span the horizon and mangrove trees dot the foreground. I can’t image there is any other place in the world with a view like this.
There is so much to see and do on Isabela that the sleepiness of Puerto Villamil provided a perfect balance to the adventurous side of the island. You won’t find a gourmet restaurant scene or a booming nightlife in Puerto Villamil. But you will find everything you need – nice hotels, good food, friendly people, and a stunning oceanfront location. There are so many amazing things to see and do on Isabela and the laid-back vibe of Puerto Villamil was exactly what we wanted after our packed days exploring.
