Isabela Island in the Galápagos: Volcanoes, giant tortoises & wild nature

Isabela is by far the largest island in the Galápagos. Its distinctive shape, viewed from above, resembles a seahorse. It was formed by the merging of several volcanoes, some of which are still active today.

Despite its size, only a few thousand people live here. The center of island life is Puerto Villamil on the south coast – a relaxed coastal town with sandy streets, small restaurants, and an atmosphere that instantly evokes a holiday feeling.

Isabela Landing Stage — Jetty in the port of Puerto Villamil

Dream beaches without crowds

The island is particularly beautiful in the mornings and evenings. As the sun slowly rises or sets over the Pacific Ocean, the beach is often almost exclusively reserved for wildlife.

Isabela Beach — Endless sandy beaches on Isabela Island in the Galapagos

On the south coast of Isabela Island lies one of the most impressive places in the entire Galápagos archipelago:

Los Túneles – or Cabo Rosa

Even the journey there by speedboat from Puerto Villamil is an experience.

Rocks in the sea

With a bit of luck, visitors might also spot Galapagos penguins – the only penguins that live permanently north of the equator. We encounter a small population here.

After about an hour, bizarre lava formations emerge from the turquoise water.

Here, two typical elements of the Galápagos Islands meet directly: young volcanic landscape and an amazingly diverse marine worldThe bizarre landscape was formed from lava flows that reached the sea. The outer lava crust solidified, while molten lava continued to flow inside. Later, parts of these cavities collapsed, leaving behind tunnels, arches, bridges, and small lava islands.

Tunnels — Black rock arches span over crystal-clear lagoons, while the sea flows through natural channels and tunnels.

Los Tuneles 2 — The volcanic structures were once created by glowing lava that cooled on the outside while its interior continued to flow, leaving behind cavities.

Los Tuneles 1 — Progress on the lava rock is quite slow.

Los Tuneles 3 — Above the water, blue-footed boobies and penguins sit on the lava rocks, cacti grow between the rocks, and a few centimeters below the water's surface, sea turtles and fish swim through the former lava tunnels.

Los Tuneles 4 — The nests of blue-footed boobies are also sometimes located directly among the lava formations.

the tunnels — At first glance, Los Túneles seems almost completely hostile to life: black lava, little soil, lots of sun and hardly any fresh water.
Nevertheless, vegetation is slowly beginning to reclaim the lava.
**braiding** They are among the first pioneers. They can settle on bare rock and contribute to the long-term creation of new organic material. In between, they grow **Cacti**, which cope well with the extremely dry environment.

The most beautiful snorkeling experience of the trip

Snorkeling in Los Túneles on Isabela – Encounters with sea turtles

After visiting the bizarre lava formations of The Tunnels On Isabela, we head into the water. Even the entrance to this labyrinth of black lava rocks is impressive: narrow channels, natural bridges, and small, sheltered pools make the landscape unique.

Snorkeling among lava and mangroves

Anyone expecting a colorful underwater coral world like in the Caribbean at Los Túneles might be somewhat disappointed. The seabed appears surprisingly barren. There is relatively little vegetation among the sand, dark volcanic rocks, and scattered algae. It is precisely this contrast that makes the place interesting: above us, the spectacular black lava formations; below us, a rather inconspicuous seabed – and yet, fascinating animals suddenly appear.

The paths through the lava formations are partially very tightSnorkeling takes you through narrow passages and under low lava overhangs. Therefore, you should pay close attention to your head and body and always stay close to the guide. Depending on the water level and conditions, some passages can be very narrow.

Then the sea turtles appear.

The real highlight for us comes underwater: Sea turtles!

Suddenly, a large green sea turtle glides serenely through the clear water. It seems largely unfazed by the snorkelers and moves slowly and powerfully across the sandy bottom. In some places, several turtles can be observed at once.

What's fascinating is their calmness. While we try to swim behind them as carefully as possible, the turtles seem completely unperturbed. In the shallow water and narrow lava tunnels, you can get incredibly close to the animals – sometimes you even have to swim out of the way, and it seems as if the sea turtles expect the snorkelers to move aside.

For me, the turtles are definitely the highlight of snorkeling in Los Túneles.

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