From the dock in Puerto Ayoro, water taxis took passengers to their cruise boats. Fees at Puerto Ayoro were $.50-1USD.
Isabela Island is the largest of all the islands in the Gálapagos. Isabela has 6 active shield volcanos. The main city is called Puerto Villamil and it was my favourite island (and city) to visit in all of the places I visited in the Gálapagos.
Docking at Isabela Island, we were greeted by penguins swimming in the water and seals playing on the sand. We arrived at around 10AM and was escorted to my hotel by one of the workers there. Once at the hotel, I was welcomed with a nice cold freshly made glass of guava juice to quench my thirst. I stayed at Hotel Gran Tintoreras (Tintorera means shark - or female shark). The hotel had a nice ambience to it and the room I was staying in was OK. The people were very friendly and helpful with information about the island as I asked a few questions. I figured I wouldn't be in my room much on this trip as I was only staying on the island for one night.
Tunules Tour
A bus came at 11AM to take me do a snorkeling tour where we would go to two snorkeling sites and visite the lava tunnels known as Los Tunules. Everywhere we went, there were tunnels, above ground and underground - hence the name for the tour.
We took a quick pit stop at Union Rock which is a very popular diving spot at Isabela Island.
The first snorkeling site was at El Finado. It was close to the shore and we were able to dive and see lava tunnels in the water. We saw white tip sharks nestled in some of the caves, a few sea turtles and a sea horse! We were able to see white tip sharks, *rays, sea horses and other sea life.
The second site was rock formation in the middle of the ocean where you could dive under the lava tunnels. Curious sea lions would swim with you as you dove in this area. I also saw a couple of sharks.
The last stop was Los Tuneles which I would describe a surreal out of this world planet with lava structures and bridges. There were quite a few blue footed boobies in this area also.
I made it back at Puerto Villamil in the early afternoon and had a lot of time to walk around and explore the town and later on have dinner. The people of Puerto Villamil were so laid back, friendly, kind. Even the kids riding their bicycles or walking yelled 'hola' to me on the streets.
What I really like about Isabela Island also is that the beach is right next to the city! This beach was beautiful! After having dinner, I made my way to the beach where the sun was setting. I was in peace!
After enjoying the beautiful sunset, I passed by a hair salon and decided to get a haircut. The lady was really nice and asked how I wanted my hair cut. I just ecuadorian hair cut! LOL. It was a bargain for only $5USD!
After getting my hair cut, I decided I wanted to go back to the beach and bought a beer for the trip.
The city was having some kind of politician rally that evening as I heard loud music coming from the city center. Music, food and entertainment were put on by one of the political groups running for office. A stage was setup for entertainers to sing and dance. I bought myself salchicha and enjoyed the show.
I retired early to my hotel because I had to wake up for a Volcano tour at 7AM. I went to bed happy. Isla Isabela is really a beautiful place..
Volcanos on Isabela Island
It was Sunday and I woke up really early, around 5:30AM. I felt I had so much energy and I attribute it to being here in the Gálapagos. I sat outside on a bench just outside the hotel and was greeted by a cat I had met the previous day. Here is a selfie shot of me and my amiga:
It was so quiet and peaceful in the morning. It seemed I was the first one awake. I should really learn to wake up early more..
After having juice and some fruit for breakfast, a truck came by to pick me and some other adventures from our hotel.
The bus continued to pick up more passengers from other hotels in the city as we finally made our way to the volcanoes. The tour included a ligh snack box including juice, fruits and bread. I had picked up a liter of water the night before. Everyone on the tour had high tech hiking boots and I was the only one wearing sandals. LOL.. it worked out OK because the hike was not that difficult. It only took about 30 minutes to arrive to the trailhead from the city.
At the trailhead, a bird landed on the elbow of one of the girls. Even the birds, it seems are not afraid of humans here in the Gálapagos.
We were briefed about what to expect in the hike by our guide and we set off to see the volcanoes. There were two volcanoes we were going to see today. The first one was Vulcan Negro and the second was the smaller of the two - Vulcan Chico. On the way, I would converse with other travelers and find out where they're from. There were couples from the US, Argentina, Chile and Germany. I was the only one from Canada.
The trail for the first part of the leg leading up to Vulcan Negro was a nice walk with a mild incline and dirt road. I think it would be very muddy if it would have rained. We were very lucky that there were clouds in the sky as it cooled the temperature. Even with the clouds, I could feel the immense heat shining on my back.
It only took about an hour to reach Vulcan Negro (aka Sierra Negro). I knew that Vulcan Negro was big, but I was still surprised to see how big the volcano was when I actually saw it with my own eyes. It spread across the horizon for 5km at the center. It was impressive to see. All the volcanoes on Isabela Island are active. The last time Vulcan Negro got angry was in 2005.
Sierra Negra is the most active volcano in the Gálapagos. The last time it erupted was in 2005. I asked our guide if the city is ever in danger, but he said the city is too far away. Hmmm. one hour by car away doesn't seem that far away from this volcano!
We continued on the trail with our second destination, Vulcan Chico as our destination. We walked for about a half hour and we reach a resting location covered area for shade and rain where we re-hydrated and dug into our snacks.
After this point, the terrain would change and we would be walking mostly on rock until we get to Vulcan Chico. As the terrain was changing before my eyes, I couldn't help but think this is like we on a different planet or even a place in Lord of the Rings, like Mordor. There was little to no vegetation minus the sporadic cacti and small bushes.
About an hour after the rest house, we reached Vulcan Chico. It was also nothing short of amazing. The views in and around the vulcano were spectacular even for a smaller volcano!
Back in the city, I had lunch and prepared to pack. I needed to get back to Puerto Ayoro by 6PM so I can get fitted for scuba gear for the next day. I ended up taking the 3PM ferry back to Puerto Ayoro.
Back in Puerto Ayoro, I got sized for the gear I'll need scuba diving the next day. I also rented a GoPro because mine broke last week!
For dinner, I went to the usual Rincon restaurant where I ordered a burger! After dinner, I retired early because I was completely bushed from hiking and traveling most of the day! Diving tomorrow! Can't wait!
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