7 Best Snorkeling Spots in Isabela, Galapagos
Snorkel Guide
- Last Updated: December 9, 2024
Isabela is the biggest and most unexplored island of the archipelago and it has incredible snorkeling spots, with that in mind I’ve listed here the 7 best spots to go snorkeling in Isabela. Although some are beaches of Isabela, others are islets in the near, places you can only go by doing a daily tour. The marine life in the Galapagos is so unbelievable that even snorkeling you might spot hammerhead sharks and manta rays.
Apart from snorkeling in Isabela, you can go on volcano hikes, explore the highlands and even scuba-dive. This is the island with the best unspoiled nature in my opinion and I’ve personally snorkeled in at least half of these places and when I didn’t I could see the fish and sometimes turtles and sharks from above water. In any case, for the ones I did snorkel, I wrote an entire guide on how to get there and all the info that you need and I linked them together.
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Snorkeling in Isabela
General Info
Isabela, like all the other islands, is part of the Galapagos National Park, and therefore it has a number of things you should know:
- Most of the activities have to be done on a tour with a Naturalist guide.
- All the agencies have the same prices (although you can barter if you book more than one tour).
- Most beaches have opening and closing times (turtle nesting reasons).
- You should book your tour at least one day in advance (or you might risk not having a place on the best ones).
- Bring Seasickness Medication for the tours on the water.
- Always use strong sunscreen (Sun in the Equator line burns more).
- Have mosquito repellant with you, especially at sunset. There are horseflies in the Galapagos.
- You can’t fly a drone here unless you have a special permit from the National Park.
- You can’t rent a motorcycle or a car, everything has to be done by taxi, bus, boat, bicycle, or on foot.
- You can’t and shouldn’t touch the animals on the island.
Snorkeling in Isabela
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Snorkeling in
Isabela, Galapagos
1. Concha de Perla Lagoon
The Concha de Perla Lagoon in Isabela is a beautiful lagoon full of mangroves that you can visit just a short walk from Puerto Villamil town. You don’t have to pay for the entrance and is great for a family escape or snorkeling adventure.
You will definitely see marine iguanas on the wooden deck before entering the water and exotic beautiful fish. With luck, you might spot some turtles and perhaps some reef sharks and rays.
View the full blog post here: CONCHA DE PERLA LAGOON
2. Puerto Villamil Beach
The Puerto Villamil beach or Playa Isabela in Isabela island is a gorgeous 4 km beach that runs alongside the entire seaside of this cute little town.
This white-sanded beauty with turquoise water is the perfect place to relax on Isabela island. Here you will see many pelicans fishing and marine iguanas and on the east side, there’s a great place to surf.
View the full blog post here: PUERTO VILLAMIL BEACH
3. La Playita Beach
La Playita beach is the main alternative to Puerto Villamil’s beach and it stands right at the beginning of Los Humedales Park and some meters after the main beach. Here you can come at the end of your Wall of Tears bicycle ride or to say that you went to a different beach in Isabela.
Honestly, it is nice and it has more like a bay feeling but with a giant beach like Puerto Villamil’s beach next to the town where there aren’t almost people you don’t necessarily need to find a remote beach on this island. In any case, if you look for alternative beaches this is it.
View the full blog posts here: WALL OF TEARS IN ISABELA or PUERTO VILLAMIL BEACH
4. Los Tuneles - Cabo Rosa
The Los Tuneles or Cabo Rosa tour in Isabela island is the coolest water tour you can do in the archipelago and the best snorkeling in Isabela, Galapagos. You will see so much wildlife you won’t believe it.
We saw on the surface blue-footed boobies, penguins, sea lions, marine iguanas and orange crabs and underwater reef sharks, turtles, a sea horse, a sea lion, an eagle ray, a stingray, an octopus, a lobster, and beautiful schools of fish.
Apart from the wildlife, the lava structures underwater are mind-blowing, you can dive through infinite tunnels and caves, and to top it we saw like in Angelita’s cenote in Mexico, an hydrogen sulfide cloud. What an experience!
View the full blog post here: LOS TUNELES TOUR IN ISABELA
To book this tour: Check the local company Coral Blanco Tour Operator (click on the icons), or book it online on Viator with any of the tours underneath:
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5. Las Tintoreras
Las Tintoreras islet is the most common tour to go on Isabela island and it’s the only one you get if you come from Santa Cruz on a daily trip to Isabela. It is an area on the water, 10 minutes by boat from Puerto Villamil’s town that was formed when the lava of Sierra Negra’s volcano got in contact with the oxygen forming a solid outer shell, like a lava tunnel’s carcass, and because it is on the water it formed some canals where daily hundreds of baby reef sharks (tintoreras) tend to go to.
Here you will also see blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, and with luck some penguins. After the land tour, there is some time for snorkeling where you might find turtles, rays, and sea lions. Personally if you’d like to do some snorkeling in Isabela i would definitely suggest you first the Los Tuneles but if you don’t have time this is a great fast and cheaper option.
To book this tour: Check the local company Coral Blanco Tour Operator (click on the icons), or book it online on Viator with any of the tours underneath:
6. Tortuga Island
Tortuga Island or Brattle Island is probably one of the places I’d visit if I’d want to see Hammerhead sharks and manta rays while snorkeling in Isabela. It is a small islet located on the southeast of Puerto Villamil town and it has a shape of a half-moon clearly being the crater’s rim of an extinct volcano.
After a 45 minutes speed boat ride you reach the island and there is some birdwatching time to try and spot blue-footed and Nasca boobies, frigate birds, and other species, and then it’s snorkeling time where you will hopefully find hammerheads and manta rays, then there is some deep-sea fishing and you eat lunch at Loberia beach, after lunch and after some more snorkeling, you go back to Puerto Villamil.
To book this tour: Check the local company Pahoehoe Galapagos’s website.
7. 4 Hermanos & Cartago Bay
Los 4 Hermanos islands is another great place to see some hammerheads, Galápagos sharks, and even manta rays. It is located 1 hour away by speed boat to the northeast of Puerto Villamil’s town. Here like in the Tortuga Island snorkel tour you’ll have a chance to do some deep-sea fishing and fish your own tuna with the crew that will later prepare it as ceviche for lunch.
After Los Hermanos the tour takes you to Cartago Bay where you can snorkel a bit more and see some green turtles, tropical fish, rays, and sharks.
To book this tour: Check the local company Pahoehoe Galapagos’s website.
Snorkeling in Isabela
Where to Stay
For those looking for a sophisticated and comfortable stay, The Iguana Crossing Boutique Hotel is a great option, boasting 14 elegant rooms, a sparkling pool, and a rooftop lounge. Cormorant Beach House offers an environmentally conscious retreat, where guests can enjoy the natural beauty of the island and a complimentary breakfast at a local-owned restaurant. For those who prefer more apartment-style accommodation, Aparthotel Casa Soleil offers fully-equipped apartments just 450 meters from the beach.
To learn more about the best hotels in Isabela, Galapagos, check out the full article:
All the Articles About The Galapagos
San Cristobal Island – The easternmost island of the Galapagos, the “Isla Bonita”
Santa Cruz Island – The island with the best tourism infrastructure.
Isabela Island – The most adventurous and less explored island of the main three.
