Isabela Island is
by far the biggest island of the Galapagos bigger than all the
other islands combined. It is about 75 miles (121 kilometers)
long and 50 miles (80 kilometers) at its widest. The total land
area is 1,771 square miles (4,587 square kilometers) bigger
than Rhode Island.
Composed by six
shield volcanoes that have merged into a single land mass, it
also has the highest point in the islands, Wolf Volcano. Isabela
looks a bit like a sea horse
facing toward the west. The most recent
eruption was Cerro Azul in 1999. The island is still rising with
a maximum elevation of 5,600 feet at Wolf Volcano. Its name comes from Queen Isabela
of Spain (1451-1504) who helped Columbus get money for his
voyages in the 1490s. On older maps you will see it called
Albemarle, named by the English after a duke.
The northern part of Isabela is wild, remote, even forbidding.
The main feature is the line of volcanoes that lie in a
northwest direction. It is easy to see how the island is formed
from these huge mountains fused together. Volcano Alcedo is the
second largest volcano on Isabela and was once popular for
visitors to climb up. However, a recent program to eliminate the
tens of thousands of wild goats that plague the area has left
huge numbers of carcasses on the slopes and so visitors are no
longer permitted on Alcedo. Volcano Darwin was named to honor
Charles Darwin, the Galapagos' most famous visitor. The equator
runs through the caldera of Volcano Wolf which is named after an
Ecuadorian geologist. Sailing around Volcano Ecuador you can see
that half the volcano has slipped into the ocean. Scientists
figured out that it caused a huge tidal wave. The Bolivar
Channel, between Fernandina and Isabela, is among the best
places in the islands for whale watching. Here, the waters are
relatively shallow and upwelling brings nutrients from deeper
waters, so the channel is rich in plankton.
Volcano Sierra Negra is the dominant feature of Isabela's
southern half. This huge mountain has the world's second largest
caldera (crater) after Ngorogoro in Africa. It measures about 6
miles (9.7 kilometers) wide by 4.5 miles (7.25 kilometers)
across. Puerto Villamil is the main settlement on the island,
with about 1,000 people. A dirt road leads from here to Thomas
de Berlanga, a small farming community. Visitors can take a
horse ride up to the caldera around to the northeast of the
crater. Here are large fumaroles outlets from the volcano that
emit steam and sulfurous gases. From here is a spectacular view
of the entire island, and beyond to Santiago (James) Island.
Volcano Cerro Azul is the smallest volcano on Isabela, but also
the most active. It erupted for several weeks late 1999,
threatening several populations of giant tortoises that were
airlifted to safety at the research center in Puerto Villamil.
Tagus Cove:
On the way to Tagus Cove, the boat will sail through
Bolivar Channel. These are very productive waters; whales and
dolphins are often seen here. Tagus Cove was historically used
as an anchoring site for pirates and whalers. The nature trail
is an ascent through the typical dry vegetation zone and offers
spectacular views of Darwin Lake, a saltwater crater lake and
the long narrow inlet that appears to connect with it. At the
top of the trail it is possible to observe the different
vegetation zones, as well as catch a glimpse of Darwin and Wolf
Volcanoes as well as Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants
and pelicans.
Punta Vicente Roca is located
at the ‘mouth’ of the head of the sea horse, which forms the
northern part of the islands. Here the remnants of an ancient
volcano form two turquoise coves with a bay well protected from
the ocean swells. The spot is a popular anchorage from which to
take panga rides along the cliff that are the remains of the
volcano or explore a partially sunken cave at the water’s edge.
Masked and blue-footed boobies sit perched along the point and
the sheer cliffs, while flightless cormorants inhabit the
shoreline.
The upwelling of coldwater currents
in this part of the Galápagos, give rise to an abundance of
marine life which, in combination with the protection of the
coves, make Punta Vicente Roca one
of the archipelago’s sough after dive spots. One cove is only
accessible from the sea by way of an underwater passage. The
passage opens to calm waters of the hidden cove where sea lions
like to laze on the beach having traveled along the underwater
route. The entire area of Punta Vicente
Roca lies on the flank of 2,600 foot Volcano Ecuador.
This is the island’s sixth largest volcano. Half of Volcano
Ecuador slid into the ocean leaving a spectacular cutaway view
of the volcanic caldera.
Urbina Bay is an easy wet
landing on a gentle sloping beach. This area is very interesting
in that it is a perfect example of the geological activity of
the islands. In 1954 over 3 miles (5 kilometers) of the marine
reef at the edge of the shore were uplifted by 13 feet (4
meters).
At Elizabeth Bay enjoy a
panga ride through the mangrove area to see the rays, turtles,
sea lions, and, circling overhead, Galapagos hawks. A colony of
penguins inhabit a rocky islet at the entrance to Elizabeth Bay.
Punta Moreno is a desolate
and pristine landscape of very impressive black lava flows with
a unique system of brackish lagoons that are a magnet for
wildlife. This newly opened visitors site offers Darwin’s
finches, Galapagos doves, penguins, flightless cormorants,
blue-footed boobies, mockingbirds and flightless cormorants.
There is extraordinary and unusual vegetation here, all with a
beautiful views of volcanoes Alcedo, Sierra Negra and Cerro
Azul.
