The Ultimate Isabela Island Guide: Best Things to do in Isabela Island Galapagos 2026
Isabela Island is a small chilled island paradise famous for its wild penguins, sharks and sea lions. In this guide I share the best things to do in Isabela Island Galapagos, from riding a bike to the historic Wall of Tears trail, spotting sharks on the famous Las Tintoreras tour or exploring the lava tunnels on a Los Tuneles boat tour.
I skipped the expensive group day tours from Santa Cruz and the luxury cruises and stayed on the island for 3 nights to experience this island on my own time. Whether you want to snorkel with wild sea horses or spot the famous Isabela Island penguins, these tips from my own experience will help you plan your trip with absolute confidence.
Isabela Island
The Ultimate Isabela Island Guide: Best Things to do in Isabela Island Galapagos 2026
Top Things to do in Isabela Island: Galapagos 2026 Guide
1. Ride a Bike along the Wall of Tears Trail
Renting a bicycle is the best way to explore the Wall of Tears trail because walking the hot track takes a long 90 minutes each way. If you do want to walk please try to leave early to miss the midday sun and also take plenty of water. If you decide to bike I paid around USD $10 per person for a full day rental so I also used it to get to lunch and dinner for the day to make full use of the money.
As you pedal along the sand trail you will find loads of small paths running left and right of the main trail. Make sure to stop at a few as they were all so different, we did some that were beaches, some that were lagoons and others that were mangroves! You must make a stop at El Estero because many travellers accidentally miss this mangrove spot and it was my favourite! It was a blue and green mangrove area that you could swim in and it was full of playful sea lions swimming around us!
Afterward, continue your ride to the end of the trail to the Wall of Tears. Make sure to not miss the view from the top. There is a hidden path behind the wall on the left hand side that leads you up to a viewpoint and this gives you incredible panoramic views of the untouched volcanic landscape from above.
Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for wild giant tortoises hanging out right in the middle of the bushes along the main track
2. Spot Marine Wildlife on a Las Tintoreras Tour
The budget friendly Las Tintoreras tour costs USD $60 per person and you get to see crazy amounts of marine life as well as learn about the history of the island. You will board a small boat from the main pier and ride past volcanic rocks to spot the famous Isabela Island penguins chilling by the water.
After this you will get off the boat on the lava formations that form the small island and a guide will lead you past hundreds of marine iguanas and sea lions. The major highlight of the walk is viewing shark alley, which is a narrow rock crack where dozens of reef sharks sleep at high tide. The excursion finishes with a snorkelling stop where you can swim alongside massive rays and marine iguanas in the clear bays. This is a half day tour so no food is included in the price.
Pro Tip: Pack food with you for lunch because this excursion ends right at the main docks. If you bring lunch you do not have to walk all the way back into town for food. Instead you can eat by the water and head straight to the free pier for an afternoon of snorkelling and swimming with the sea lions.
3. FREE Snorkelling at Concha de Perla
You do not need to spend money on expensive excursions every day because the best free snorkelling spot is located right next to the main speedboat pier. I swam with a playful sea lion puppy who was incredibly playful and completely loved the bubbles that I was blowing with my snorkel!
I also saw 3-4 turtles a day here as well as a penguin (they are so fast so I got no pictures so you will have to just trust me).
Pro Tip: Come in the early morning because the pups seemed most playful and I had the whole pier to myself.
4. Explore the Volcanic Arches on a Los Tuneles Boat Tour
The Los Tuneles boat tour costs USD $120 per person and it is worth every single dollar. It is a 30 to 40 minute boat journey out to the Cabo Rosa lava formations, so I highly recommend bringing a warm jumper because the wind is absolutely freezing. Once you jump into the water you will snorkel inside natural stone arches and get to see green sea turtles, sharks and even wild sea horses resting in the algae. I had never seen a sea horse before so it made my day.
After the swim you will take a guided land walk across the volcanic bridges (the ones you have probably seen all over Instagram) to see blue footed boobies. If you are lucky, you might even witness their famous mating dance from just a few metres away! Turns out I am now a bird person as these were one of my favourite animals to see!
Pro Tip: If you can only afford one tour or only want to do one tour I would choose this one. It is more expensive but you see the same sea life as the Las Tintoreras tour but also get to see sea horses and blue footed boobies. It includes lunch and to be honest what is the point of going to the Galapagos if you do not see the boobies?
5. Sea Lions at the Puerto Villamil Pier
Every day when you go down to the pier, whether it is for a tour or to swim at Concha de Perla, make sure to just walk out to the end of the main wooden passenger pier where your speedboat arrives because it is a hotspot for sea lions. We did this every day and we are so glad we did as one of the days we walked along the decking and were so lucky to find at least 25 sleeping sea lions all sunbathing together on the wood. It is the absolute best spot in town to get up close for videos and pictures of so many sea lions close together.
6. Hike the Sierra Negra Volcanic Crater
Many travellers that love a bit of adventure spend a half day on a guided trek up to the rim of the active Sierra Negra volcano. It is the second largest volcanic caldera in the entire world, stretching 10 kilometres across. The full guided hike takes around 3 to 4 hours to complete and leads you across a surreal, black lunar landscape of dried lava fields and active sulphur vents. I skipped this hike during my stay because I wanted to focus fully on the marine wildlife tours, but it is highly recommended by fellow backpackers who want a break from snorkelling.
7. Snorkelling at the Beach Next to the Pier
Every day after we swam at Concha de Perla (and yes we did swim here every day without fail) head over to the beach next to the pier. We did one day of just watching the sunset and another day of chilling and snorkelling. We saw a baby sea lion trying to play with sleeping adult seal lions (they were not impressed) and then he decided to go have a nap on a tourist towel with them (lol)!
When I snorkelled here I saw wild sea turtles and large rays just 2 minutes out from the shoreline in water shallow enough to stand up in. If you swim around the corner to the area where the local tour boats are anchored, you can even find at least 6 small sharks swimming around the shallow bays. You are guaranteed to see sea lions here every day, sleeping or swimming.
8. Enjoy Cheap Meals on the Main Square
The food options on the Isabela Island main square are fantastic and offer much better value than the other islands. For breakfast and lunch, you should head straight to Sun and Coffee to enjoy their daily menu of the day. It changes every day and it is never boring rice and beans (yes I am thinking of Santa Cruz).
For dinner, the local restaurants around the square set up tables and serve incredible 3 course meals that include a drink for just USD $12 to USD $14 per person. It is an amazing place for budget travellers because you can easily get a fresh half lobster dinner for the same price as a basic chicken plate.
9. Kayaking at Puerto Villamil Bay
If you do not want to book a full boat excursion, you can rent a kayak right from the main town beach for around USD $20 per hour. You can then paddle around the bay to try and see the Isabela Island penguins resting on the rocks and marine turtles surfacing right next to your boat without paying for a guide. We did not do this as we did both tours but I heard others raving about this experience.
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What is Next?
Flying to the Galapagos from Quito?
If you are flying out of Quito to explore the Galapagos Islands and want to do this on a budget rather than an incredibly expensive yacht cruise then read my dedicated posts.
We did the entire trip on a budget by island hopping the 3 main islands of Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal on our own! I have written a dedicated post breaking down our exact budget itinerary, how to book the cheap local public ferries, the tours worth spending your money on and how to see the best wildlife for free without a guide.
Ultimate 10 Night Land Based Galapagos Itinerary
If you are flying out of Quito to explore the Galapagos Islands and want to do this on a budget rather than an incredibly expensive yacht cruise then read my dedicated posts.
We did the entire trip on a budget by island hopping the 3 main islands of Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal on our own! I have written a dedicated post breaking down our exact budget itinerary, how to book the cheap local public ferries, the tours worth spending your money on and how to see the best wildlife for free without a guide.
Where to next?
I am constantly discovering new hidden gems and sharing the magic of the world in real time. If you would like to follow my journey through 44 countries and beyond, join me on social media. Whether you are looking for daily travel inspiration or honest travel advice for your next big adventure, I would love to have you as part of the Where Katie Goes community. Let us explore the world together.
