Floreana – Asilo de la Paz/asylum of Peace visitor site - Hiking - Ecuador

The asilo de la paz hike on Floreana Island is primarily of historical interest for guests. It goes past a cave allegedly once used by pirate Patrick Watkins and also visits freshwater spring which served as a source of water for early settlers.

The hike, which can be done from the small town of Puerto Velasco Ibarra (or you can contract for a ride to take you most of the way), goes through the heart of Floreana’s agricultural region. Early settlers planted trees including tamarind, plums and particularly citrus trees (according to legend, it was Watkins himself who introduced citrus trees to the Island).

The cave allegedly used by Watkins was later home to the famous Dr. Ritter and his girlfriend Dore Strauch. After Ritter died, the Wittmer family lived there for a time. The Wittmers and Ritter had roles in the infamous Galapagos Affair.

Near Asilo de la Paz, there is a place where the Park Service has built a corral of sorts for Giant Tortoises: it’s possible to visit. As the Floreana Island subspecies of Giant Tortoise is extinct, the corral houses specimens from other islands.

Hike Difficulty: 2/5. It’s an eight kilometer hike from town, but you can hire a driver to take you all but the last quarter-mile or so.

Wildlife: look out for the introduced Polistes versicolor versicolor wasp: it’s aggressive and common all over Floreana. You don’t want to mess with them!

Hiking