Isabela Island was my favourite of the three. While the biggest islands in the Galapagos, it was also the least busy, without an aiport, and generally left off the schedule of all the cruises. It didn’t hurt that the beaches were spectacular, even if we did have to move a bit further away from the water to avoid the creepy guesthouse owner of a first night’s stay. After checking into the ill-fated hotel, we hit the beach for some sun and swimming. The beaches here are seriously awesome, and you’ll likely be the only ones there. We sure were.
Lots of room to write this!
Sufficiently relaxed, we walked through town to check out some of the nearby snorkelling spots. We got sidetracked by a chill bar at the end of the pier. Anywhere else, this place would have been packed, at any time of day. When we arrived, we were the only ones there. Welcome to Isabela. An much more isolated island than Santa Cruz or San Cristobal.
En route to the local snorkelling spot
Refreshed, we made our way to the local snorkelling spot. This one we didn’t have quite to ourselves, as the local kids were out in force, swimming and snorkelling. I guess a pretty normal after school activity for them! We also had to share the pier with a few sea lions.
Locals of Isabela
Having spent quite a lot on diving on Santa Cruz, and planning to dive on San Cristobal, the five of us booked a snorkelling trip for the next day. It was hands down the best snorkelling I’ve ever done. Arriving by speedboat to Los Tunneles, we hung out with some blue footed boobies on top of tunnels of dried lava. The stunning geological formation was like a barren desert landscape, in the middle of the ocean.
Around the corner, we started snorkelling. Our guide would dive down, pop up back up, and tell us to head down. It took a while to adjust, but pretty soon we could make out what he was referring to: sharks. Hanging out in the caves created by the tunnels. As you do.
Done with the sharks, we cruised away in the speedboat, only to be joined by a school of mantas. Yup, manta rays. Like lightening, our guides threw us snorkels and masks, and started throwing us off the boat to swim with them. I had seen mantas before, but had never jumped off a boat to find a school right beneath me. Incredible to say the least.
Ecstatic and exhausted after the incredible day, we spotted the last on our wildlife checklist: penguins! A day well spent indeed.