Isla Isabela
Today we visited Isla Isabela. Isla Isabela is the largest island in the Galápagos archipelago. The island was formed by 6 volcanoes that grew together. First we went to Puerto Villamil. This is the largest town on Isabela with approximately 2000 inhabitants. Puerto Villamil is located right in front of a white sand beach and is one of the most beautiful spots in the islands.
After that went to the Humedales. Humedales is the Spanish word for “wetlands”. This is an area with mangroves, swamps, and lakes just outside the town of Puerto Villamil. The small brackish water lagoons create the perfect environment for a small type of shrimp that serves as the food for the island’s flamingos.
Then we went to El Muro de las Lágrimas (“The Wall of Tears”). When the Ecuadorian government first took possession of the Galápagos islands their main purpose was to house Ecuadorian prisoners. Since there wasn’t much for them to do, they were forced to carry rocks to a far location and build a wall. Nowadays this wall is known as “The Wall of Tears”.
Then we returned to the beach for some relaxation and snorkeling. Afterwards we enjoyed another delicious lunch on the boat.
In the afternoon we visited the local branch of the Galápagos Park Service, whose main purpose is to take care of the many species of giant tortoises that live Isla Isabela Island. We saw the efforts made by the National Park Service to protect and increase the declining population of giant tortoises on this island. At this center you can learn everything there is to know about the five different species of giant tortoises found on Isabela Island.
In the evening we went to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the city center…
It is a tradition among the local population to make a doll or image out of papier-mâché. The dolls/images are burned late on New Year’s Eve. They believe that by burning them, they also burn away all the sins and negative experiences of the past year. This brings good luck for the new year.
They also release wish balloons. There were a lot of them. People stand underneath them, which can sometimes be dangerous if a wish balloon suddenly catches fire and drops down burning.
During the night the boat navigated to the west coast of Isla Isabela.