More Isabela Visitor Sites

Hiking, Eco-Tour, Info.

By Karey Fuhs

With the exception of Puerto Villamil and the surrounding areas, all of Isabela’s visitor sites are on the western side of the island.  

Tagus Cove, just west of Volcán Darwin, was once a favorite anchor-spot for early whaling and pirate ships, the names which are still etched into the cliffs around the cove. In a dingy ride along the cliffs, you can see this historical graffiti, as well as the Galápagos penguin, the flightless cormorant, and other seabirds. A dry landing drops you at the head of a two-km trail, which leads up the lower slopes of the volcano to a high-point, where you can see an impressive crater lake, the paths of lava travel, and a variety of interesting volcanic formations.

Urbina Bay, south of Tagus Cove in the center of the western coast of Isabela, is a flat area formed by uplift from the sea characterized by a unique terrestrial coral reef. A 1-km trail beginning at the beach (wet landing) leads you to the corals and a decent view of Volcán Alcedo. On land, you can see flightless cormorants, pelicans, and marine iguanas. In the bay, you may see rays or sea turtles swimming near the surface.

Following the western coast of Isabela south from Urbina Bay until the shoreline bends sharply toward the lower arm of the island, there is a visitor site known for its marine life called Elizabeth Bay. There are no landing sites, but you can take a dingy ride to the Mariela Islands at the entrance of the bay to see penguins or to a narrow passage in the sea lined with mangroves that leads into an enclosed cave at the opposite end of the bay. As you ride in the panga, look along the coast for seabirds and in the water for sea turtles and rays.