Isabela is the largest island in the Galápagos, covering approximately 4,670 km². Its distinctive shape was created by the connection of six shield volcanoes: Ecuador, Wolf, Darwin, Alcedo, Sierra Negra, and Cerro Azul. Five of them remain active, making Isabela one of the most volcanically active islands in the archipelago.

 

At 1,707 meters, Wolf Volcano is the highest point in Galápagos. Sierra Negra is another geological highlight, with a caldera measuring around 10 kilometers across, one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world. Across the island, lava fields, volcanic formations, and areas shaped by past eruptions reveal how the Galápagos landscape continues to evolve.

But Isabela is not defined by geology alone, Puerto Villamil, its main settlement, is home to a small community whose livelihoods are closely connected to fishing, farming, and tourism. This relationship between people and their surroundings has become an important part of the island’s approach to tourism.

Isabela is home to more wild giant tortoises than all the other Galápagos islands combined, with distinct populations associated with its volcanoes. Much of this population lives in remote volcanic terrain far from visitor routes, so sightings in the wild are less predictable here than on Santa Cruz, where tortoises roam freely on highland ranches. Near Puerto Villamil, the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center offers a dependable encounter, and with luck, a wild tortoise may appear along the trail to the Wall of Tears. In southern Isabela, a 2023 census counted 4,146 tortoises of the Cerro Azul population and 461 from Sierra Negra, providing updated information for conservation efforts.

Off the western coast, the Cromwell Current brings nutrient-rich waters to the surface, creating important feeding grounds for fish, seabirds, dolphins and whales. Around 16 whale species have been identified in the area, some present year-round and others seasonally. These waters are best explored on western-route expedition cruises rather than on day excursions from Puerto Villamil.

Isabela is the largest island in Galápagos, formed by six volcanoes and home to iconic wildlife unique to Galápagos: flightless cormorants, Galápagos penguins, marine iguanas and some of the archipelago’s most significant giant tortoise populations. Yet its character is defined as much by the people who live here as by the landscape.

Most of the island’s residents live in Puerto Villamil, a small town that has kept the rhythm of a fishing port. Fishing, farming and tourism sustain daily life, and each depends on the health of the land and sea that visitors come to see. Spending time here means encountering Galápagos as part of an island where nature and community share the same space.