Safari to Isla Isabela

young, volcanic and with evolution in full swing

Set on the western side of Galapagos, Isla Isabela is by far the largest island in the group. Its characteristic seahorse shape is the product of six large volcanoes, which have merged to create a single land mass.

Area : 4640 sq km / 1970 sq mi
Location : 70 km west of Seymour Airport
Activities : hiking, snorkelling, bird-watching
Highlights : scenery, geology, tortoises, finches, marine iguanas

All six of the volcanoes are impressively sized, the tallest being Volcán Wolf, which reaches 1707m (5600’) above sea level.

This is high enough for each mountain to create its own microclimate, generating cloud cover and dramatically increased rainfall at higher altitudes. In fact a couple of the mountains are so high that they are above the clouds and their summits again become arid.

From a Darwinian perspective, these verdant mountain tops are, to an extent, separate islands of evolution, with less mobile species like certain plants and (particularly) giant tortoises demonstrating significant differences across the different volcanoes.

Isla Isabela is one of the younger islands in the group, being around one million years old (compared with 3-4 million years for more easterly islands).

It is volcanically a good deal more active, which not only makes it a more dramatic and exciting place to visit in many ways, but also makes the evolutionary developments somewhat more obvious.

Whilst there is definitely enough to see on more easterly islands to fill a week and more, it’s hard to imagine a proper visit to Galapagos without including a visit to the volcanically exciting Isla Isabela.

If you specifically want to include Isla Isabela in your trip, then do let us know and we will make sure that you get onto the best and most appropriate vessel.

usually visited by more westerly boat itineraries