As mentioned in the ferry section of the Galapagos Islands Trip Report, there are sometimes “entrance fees” to certain islands. To start this section off, I’ll mention that Isabella has a $10 entrance fee that has to be paid in cash as soon as you get off the ferry.

With that aside, here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Isabella!

“Isabela Island is the largest of the Galápagos Islands, with an area of 4,586 km2 (1,771 sq mi) and a length of 100 km (62 mi). By itself, it is larger than all the other islands in the chain combined, and it has a little under 2,000 permanent inhabitants. The island straddles the equator.”

The main town where the vast majority of the 2,000 permanent inhabitants live is called Puerto Villamil and is where the ferry from Santa Cruz drops you off. From the ferry, you can walk 1km into town or catch a taxi for $1/person.

LODGING

In 2021, I stayed in Hostal Cerro Azul ($40/night). Overall, it did its job as a place to stay, but I didn’t love it.

In 2024, I stayed in El Rincon del George ($25/night). I will say the reception is rough and I insisted on seeing our room before paying, but the room was completely adequate. There was also a nice rooftop eating area and a public kitchen and fridge which we took advantage of.

Both hotels did their job of giving me a safe and moderately comfortable place to stay, but neither one wowed me. Both would be completely acceptable places to stay, although I’d return to El Rincon del George before I returned to Hostal Cerro Azul. But in reality, next time I go to Isabella, I’ll continue to search for a place to stay that I love!

FOOD

Similar to the other islands, Puerto Villamil has the expensive tourist trap part of town and the local part of town. But Puerto Villamil doesn’t have near the number of options in either category as the other islands.

In the above map of Puerto Villamil, the red denotes generally expensive streets to eat out in. The yellow denotes mid-priced sections of town. And the green denotes generally cheap places to eat out.

My favorite place we ate in Puerto Villamil were the restaurants in the central market. They’re local places, and the food was good and at a fair price.

My second favorite place we ate was Gracias Madre near the Puerto Villamil central park. It was a bit on the expensive side $20-$30/person, but the food was really good and the vibe of the place was great!

My third choice for food, would be the restaurants along the south side of the central park. You’re looking at about $20/person, but the food is good and the location is great.

I would not advise spending much time at the restaurants on the beachfront. I have not tried them all, but at the ones I did try, the price was high and the quality was low.

• Side note: I would classify Isabella as a “developing island.” Since it has no major airport, not a lot of tourists make it to Isabella. The ones who do generally only stay for a day or two. This is one of the things that makes Isabella my favorite island, but it does also mean that the tourism service industry (hotels, restaurants, etc.) is not as varied and high quality as on other islands.

ACTIVITIES

Free Activities

• Hanging Out on the Beach (2021 & 2024) (free) Hands down, Isabella has the best beach for just hanging out. The beach near downtown is big and beautiful. Some of the hotels offer lounge chairs and shade if you are staying there. If you’re not staying at a beachfront hotel (they’re expensive!), I advise checking out the Pink Iguana Bar which has hammocks in the shade of a tree right on the beach. It’s a wonderfully chill vibe and the perfect base for a relaxed beach day!
• Concha del Perla (2021 & 2024) (free) This is a little bay just off of the pier where you arrive on the island. You have to bring your own snorkeling gear here, but it’s a gorgeous little walk out through a mangrove forest, and then, while snorkeling, you can see a variety of creatures depending on the day. I’ve seen marine iguanas, sea lions, rays, turtles, and a wide variety of fish. Definitely worth a chill hour or two.

A marine iguana swims freely in Isabella’s Concha del Perla, 2021.

• Flamingo Lagoon (2021 & 2024) (free) This is a lagoon right on the western edge of town that flamingos call home. Both times I’ve gone, I have indeed seen flamingos there, but never very many. I’ve been underwhelmed both times I’ve gone. I would say it is worth stopping by but don’t plan on spending much more than 15 minutes there.

A flamingo searches for food in Isabella’s Flamingo Lagoon, 2021.

Cheap Activities

• Taxi to Mirador el Mango and Cueva de Sucre (2024) ($50) On this last time in Isabella, we wanted to check out some more inland “attractions” such as The Mango Lookout (Mirador el Mango) and Sucre’s Cave (Cueva de Sucre). To do this, we simply flagged down a taxi in Puerto Villamil (all taxi’s in PV are pickup trucks). Initially, we just wanted to go to Mirador el Mango and he told us he’d take us there and back for $20. We later asked him to also take us to Cueva de Sucre and he added another $20 for a total of $40. We ended up tipping $10, because he was so great, for a total of $50 for the three of us. Mirador el Mango is a lookout platform on top of a small hill, right next to a big mango tree. It gives an excellent view of the town and all the nearby islands. Cueva de Sucre is a small cave system on a private farm. It’s pitch black inside (our taxi driver thankfully had flashlights in his glovebox that he let us use), and is fun to walk around.

Full On Activities

• Half Day Tintoreras Tour (2024) ($70) As the title states, this is a half-day tour. The Tintoreras are very small volcanic rock islands that surround the Puerto Villamil Bay. The tour starts out with a short boat ride to see some birds (penguins, pelicans, blue footed boobies, etc.). In the second part of the tour, we landed on one of the islands and walked, seeing lots of iguanas, to a small inlet where we saw 20-30 sharks basking at the bottom of the inlet. At the moment in time, while we were there, there was also a sea turtle swimming through all the basking sharks, completely unfazed by their deadly potential. The third, and most substantial, part of the tour was snorkeling. We snorkeled for quite some time seeing a variety of fish, sea lions, penguins, and rays. The highlight of the tour was swimming through a lava tube and seeing another 20-30 sharks basking beneath us as we quietly swam above.

From left to right: Two birds rest on a rocky tintoreras outcropping. Two sea lions chase a shark through a Tintoreras lava tunnel. A sea turtle swims mindlessly through a large group of basking sharks in a Tintoreras lava tunnel. All 2024.

Activities I haven’t yet done but want to do next time I go

• Tunneles Looks like a stunning snorkeling experience with a wide variety of creatures to witness!
• Lave Tubes Cave Hike Looks like an incredible hike with absolutely massive caves.
• Sulfur Mines Heat vents coming out of the volcano, spewing sulfur, and staining the ground with beautiful whites and yellows. It looks absolutely gorgeous!

This brings to an end my thoughts and experiences on Isabella. From here, you can return to the Galapagos Islands Trip Report article.

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Here’s what Wikipedia has to say to introduce Santa Cruz Island:

“Santa Cruz Island is the most populous and second-largest island in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. The seat of Santa Cruz Canton is Puerto Ayora. The island’s total population is around 18,000 with those living in smaller villages chiefly working in agriculture and cattle raising.”

So as you’ve got from that, Puerto Ayora is the place to stay in Santa Cruz. It’s not only the biggest city in Santa Cruz, but it’s the biggest city in all the Galapagos and the tourist center of the entire archipelago. As such, it’s got a lot of options for where to stay, where to eat, and what to do. So let’s break down my experiences with all those things!

LODGING

In 2021, I stayed between two hotels in Puerto Ayora:

Hostal La Mirada del Solitario George ($35/night) which was a solid place to stay. It was about a 10-15 minute walk to downtown (Puerto Ayora is extremely safe and making this short walk, even in the dark, felt completely fine). The hostal didn’t have any real frills, but it achieved its purpose of being a clean and affordable place to sleep!

Hospedaje Germania ($46/night) was much closer to downtown than Hostal La Mirada del Solitario George, but the rooms were extremely small. It felt like a challenge to fit the suitcase in the room with me.

Both were fine places to stay.

In 2024, I stayed my whole time in Puerto Ayora at Lava House ($91/night) which, as the higher price might imply, was the best out of the three places I’ve stayed in Puerto Ayora. Similar to Hostal La Mirada del Solitario George, it was about a 10-minute walk to downtown, but an easy and enjoyable walk. The grounds of Lava House were very enjoyable, and the included breakfast was delicious. I would definitely stay here again and would recommend it to anyone who asks!

FOOD

My general review of eating out in Puerto Ayora is to avoid the first two streets closest to the water. It seems like these restaurants decide their prices on proximity to the sea rather than on the quality of their food.

In the above map of Puerto Ayora, the red denotes generally expensive streets to eat out in. The yellow denotes mid-priced sections of town. And the green denotes generally cheap places to eat out. 

I’m sure there are exceptions to this broad and vague generalization, but if you’re looking to stay within a budget, the restaurants close to the water will not be your friend. With this said, here are some of my favorite restaurants in Puerto Ayora:

Galapagos Deli (2021 & 2024) This is, hands down, my favorite restaurant in Puerto Ayora. The vibes are great, and the food is delicious. You’re probably looking at spending about $15-$20/person to eat here, but they have great pizzas, fish and chips, drinks, ice cream, and everything! They’re kind of located in a back alley in the downtown area, but don’t let it fool you. It’s my favorite food spot!

Sakana Sushi Bar & Fusion – For Lunch Only (2024) The disclaimer here is, that I’ve only eaten lunch here. During the night, evidently, it is a sushi bar and club, but during the day, it’s just a pop-in restaurant offering “almuerzos.” This is an Ecuadorian thing literally meanings “lunches,” but what’s implied when someone is offering an almuerzo is that you’ll get a good, hearty meal for a very cheap price. On mainland Ecuador, almuerzos generally go for about $2-$3. At Sakana, the almuerzos were $6. You don’t really get to choose your almuerzo, you just get the menu they’re offering that day, but it will generally come with a soup, a main, a small dessert, and a cup of juice. For how expensive everything is in Puerto Ayora, this is a great deal and we ate multiple lunches here!

FraFre Gastrobar (2024) Fra Fre was a new restaurant for me during my 2024 trip and while it falls into my “expensive” zone above, the food was absolutely worth it. You’re looking at about $20-$30/person, but it’s one of the best burgers I’ve had in Puerto Ayora, and my wife LOVED their octopus. If you’ve got a bit of a higher budget, or looking to splurge a little, this is a great restaurant to do it at!

Charles Binford Street (2024) During the day, this just looks like a regular, quiet street. At night, the whole street is closed off and restaurants pop up out of nowhere with their tables and chairs taking up most of the road. While you walk down it, you have every waiter and restaurant owner trying to entice you into their restaurant over everyone else’s (even though they all pretty much sell the same kind of thing). If you’re up for an experience with your meal, you’ll love this street and all the restaurants on it!

Proinsular Market (2021 & 2024) If you’re on a budget and prefer to buy groceries, cook for yourself, and eat packed lunches, this is for you. Proinsular is the biggest (that I know of) grocery store in Puerto Ayora and is located right downtown. It’s also where all the ATMs are located. They have a great selection of items as well as some pre-made sandwiches (about $3.50 each). Great option if you’re on a budget!

Bonus Section: Ice Cream!

Everyone knows that a trip to the Galapagos isn’t a proper trip if you don’t use as much ice cream as possible to beat the heat. So here are my favorite ice cream places in Puerto Ayora:

Galapagos Deli (2021 & 2024) Once again, we’re back at Galapagos Deli with their incredible ice cream flavors, and it’s just a comfy place to hang out for a bit!

Helados Tato (2024) I found this one thanks to the guide on one of our tours. He showed up to the tour licking this absolutely MASSIVE soft-serve cone and bragging how it only cost him $2. It was from Tato which is an unimpressive-looking shop that’s a bit of a walk from downtown. But what it lacks in interior (or exterior) design, it makes up for with a wide variety of delicious soft-serve flavors, and large portions for a cheap price!

Gelato Bar (2024) Last but definitely not least is Gelato Bar located on the main drag into downtown. Great ice cream and they seem to be constantly trying and selling new flavors so every visit there is a fun time of exploration! I’ll also give the side note that their coffee is my favorite coffee I’ve had in the Galapagos so far. I’d drink that Iced Latte every day if I could!

ACTIVITES

If you’re island hopping like I’ve done, then you’ll be looking for day activities to fill your time, get out of town, and see some things! The minute you start walking around Puerto Ayora, you’ll immediately see tour agencies on every block. All of them pretty much sell the same tours and the way it seems to work is that they will book space for you on the different tours going out. They’re middlemen who get you set up for a small commission (that’s already included in the prices they advertise). Like it or not, that seems to be the way the Galapagos works.

In my experience, there is little to no price variability between tour agencies. When I went in 2021, I shopped around, getting prices from multiple tour agencies and they were all about the same. Maybe I’m just bad at it, but I wasn’t able to bargain the prices down any significant amount.

In booking tours, you can do as I did and just walk into random agencies to see what’s available. Your hotel will also be able to either book tours for you or recommend their favorite tour agent. Or if you want, you can go to the tour agent I used both in 2021 and 2024: Discovery Galapagos.

I get no kickback from you using them, they’ve just taken great care of me both times I’ve gone and I’ll keep using them next time I go back!

Before we jump into the tours I’ve done, the prices, and my thoughts on them, I do want to point out a few free things to do in Puerto Ayora. I did not do tours every single day as I just didn’t have the budget or energy for that.

Free Activities

• Tortuga Bay (2021 & 2024) (free) is about a 45-minute walk from town to a stunning white and sandy beach with a large population of marine iguanas. While the beach is stunning, it’s not the best for a “beach day” as there is little shade and no amenities out there. Take lots of water, and it’s best to go very early in the morning before the walk gets too hot.

Two marine iguanas sunbathe on the Tortuga Bay beach, 2021.

• Puerto Ayora Pier (2021 & 2024) (free) is the main pier in town. From this pier, you’re all but guaranteed to see sea lions. I’ve also seen rays, small sharks, and a variety of sea birds!

A small black-tip shark swims among a group of golden rays in Puerto Ayora Bay, 2024. Photo taken from the Puerto Ayora Pier.

• Puerto Ayora Fish Market (2021) (free) is the fish market in town. It’s not a big spot, but when they’re selling fresh catches, it’s hustling and bustling not only with people but a large variety of sea mammals and birds hoping to scavenge a few scraps!

Cheap Activities

• Charles Darwin Center (2024) ($10) is a scientific research station on the east side of town. It’s now mandatory to have a guide. They have a small hut maybe 200m before you get to the station entrance. They sketchily call you over and tell you that you need to have a guide, but it feels like a scam the whole time – but it is indeed true. Once at the station, you can see the giant tortoises as well as the giant tortoise breeding program. They also have a variety of informational displays and a small museum.
• Half Day Bay Tour (2021 & 2024) ($40) – we originally did this as a relatively cheap way to fill a half day we had with no plans, but it turned out to be great! The tour leaves from the Puerto Ayora pier and hits up four popular spots around the Puerto Ayora Bay: La Loberia where you snorkel with sea lions if you’re lucky. Punta Estrada where you can see birds including the famous blue footed booby. Playa de los Lobos to see some marine iguanas, sharks, and crabs. And Las Grietas for some more swimming.

Full On Activities

• The Daphnes (2021) ($120) – a full-day snorkeling tour to the islands Daphne major and minor. While snorkeling here we swam with sea lions, penguins, and a wide variety of fish! They then served us a delicious lunch on the boat before letting us get off to explore a gorgeous and remote beach where I got to swim with two different sea turtles. Overall it was a great full-day snorkeling adventure!

A playful sea lion investigates the camera while snorkeling around Daphne Minor, 2021.

• North Seymour (2024) ($220) – a full-day tour where the main event was a significant walk around North Seymour island where we saw hundreds of blue footed boobies and frigate birds! We were there in the middle of June and most of the frigate birds had already mated (they only have their famous red puffy throats before they mate) so we only saw a few of the classic frigates, but we also got to see nesting blue footed boobies (and their eggs). If you like birds, this is an incredible experience! After that, we went snorkeling before having a delicious tuna steak lunch on the boat. The last activity of the day was hanging out on another beautiful and remote beach. This one had a lagoon with several flamingos! I’m really glad we did this tour and if you love birds, I would highly recommend it, but in all honesty, I don’t think I’d do this tour again. If I’m going to spend this much money, I’d personally spend it on a tour where I get to spend more time in the water, hanging out with sea creatures!

Blue Footed Boobies and Frigate Birds on Seymour Island, 2024.

This brings to an end my thoughts and experiences on Santa Cruz. From here, you can return to the Galapagos Islands Trip Report article to see how to catch the ferry from Santa Cruz to one of the other islands!

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