13/8 Isla Isabela

We rented some mountain bikes and snorkels this morning and set off to explore the island. First we went for a snorkel at Concha de Perla, a natural saltwater lagoon protected from the open ocean by volcanic rock formations and surrounded by endemic mangroves. Visibility still wasn’t ideal but very cool swimming amongst the mangrove roots, and plenty of fish and marina iguanas still out and about!

Afterwards we headed to the Wall of Tears, a historic site located about 6km out of town. Prisoners of the Isabela Penitentiary Colony were forced to construct The Wall for no other reason than to punish them with "hard labour". In places the wall is almost 20ft tall and 10ft wide, and it runs for over 300ft in length. It was constructed entirely by hand from the sharp lava rocks, and this cruelty is said to have resulted in many deaths

Along the route to the Wall of Tears we were also lucky enough to spot a wild Galapagos Tortoise. We also stopped to watch one on the way back but it may have been the same one…she/he hadn’t moved very far 😅Read more