Isabela Island Tours and Tickets

The tour started with a hotel pickup at 6:10 AM in Puerto Ayora. We then headed to the dock where the speedboat departed for Isabela Island at 7:00 AM. Although many reviews mention a very bumpy ride, our experience was smooth and without any issues. The boat also had Wi-Fi, which worked well and was quite useful during the journey. After about a two-hour ride, we arrived at Isabela Island. A guide received us at the dock with a list of names. There were many sea lions resting around the dock, which was nice to see upon arrival. From there, we took a small boat ride to explore nearby areas and look for wildlife, including Galápagos penguins. We then stopped at Islet Tintoreras for a short hike of about 20 minutes across lava rocks. During the walk, we were able to see sharks swimming in the clear water channels between the rocks. Next was about an hour of snorkeling. It was an enjoyable activity, though it would have been helpful if the boat had initially stopped in shallower water to make it easier for non-swimmers like me to enter the water. Those who could not swim chose to stay in the boat during the snorkeling session. After snorkeling, we returned to Isabela Island for lunch, where vegetarian options were available. The tour then continued with a stop at the Flamingo viewpoint, where we saw a couple of birds. We also visited the turtle breeding center, where we could see many baby tortoises as well. After completing the activities, we returned by speedboat and arrived back in Puerto Ayora around 5:00 PM. There was no hotel drop at the end of the tour, but this was not an issue as we were able to walk back to the hotel through the lively boardwalk street. Overall, it was a hectic but enjoyable full-day island tour within the Galápagos National Park, offering opportunities to see wildlife, walk on lava landscapes, and experience snorkeling.