Area: 248 sq. miles; 16 x 18.6 miles
Max altitude: 4858 feet
Geology: Consists of a central volcano and calderas, numerous parasitic cones on the flanks, extensive lava fields and a few vegetated areas. It is one of the youngest volcanoes of the archipelago and the world.
Vegetation: The predominant vegetation in the Arid Zone is concentrated in “kipunkas” (small areas left untouched by recent lava). The southern and eastern summit has vegetation of the Humid zone. Near the coast there are extensive mangrove concentrations.
Outstanding characteristics:Sporadic volcanic activity, volcanic landscape, penguins, flightless cormorants, abundant marine iguanas and a colony of lava cacti.

The landing is a dry one, set in a quiet inlet beneath the branches of a small mangrove forest. A short walk through the vegetation leads to a large colony of marine iguanas—a schoolyard of Godzilla's children—resting atop one another in friendly heaps along the rocky shoreline, sneezing out saline water to clear their bodies of salt. Nearby , sea lions frolic in the sheltered coast line. This is one of the few places you can glimpse iguanas grazing on seaweed underwater and above!

Dominating this landscape stands high overhead Las Cumbres volcano. At 1495 meters ( 4,858 feet ), it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, reporting seven eruptions from its 6-kilometer-wide caldera (mouth) since 1968. Along the coast line, the world's only species of flightless cormorants have established their colony near an inviting inlet frequented by sea turtles. Because these birds evolved without land predators — it was easier to feed on the octopuses, eels and fish found in the ocean — the cormorants progressively took to the sea. They developed heavier, more powerful legs and feet for kicking, serpent-like necks and wet, fur-like plumage. Their wings are now mere vestiges. Back toward the landing and farther inland, the island's black lava flows become more evident, forming a quiet, inner lagoon. Galápagos hawks survey the seascape from overhead.

The catch is you must take a post card from the barrel and see that it gets to the right place. That is how the system began and continues to this day.

Punta Cormorant offers two highly contrasting beaches; the strand where we land is composed of volcanic olivine crystals giving it a greenish tint that glitters in the sun. From here a trail crosses the neck of an isthmus—that rises from behind a small cinder cone—to a beach of very fine white sand known as “Flour Beach”. Flour Beach was formed by the erosion of coral skeletons. Between the two beaches is a hyper-saline lagoon frequented by flamingoes, pintails, stilts and other wading birds. Some 250 meters (700 ft) north from the point is an old submerged volcanic cone that has been worn down by waves; Devil's Crown is home to a myriad of marine species including several species of corals, sea urchins, and many other creatures including a great number of fish species, making this place one of the best snorkeling sites in the Galápagos. The eroded crater walls form a popular roosting site for seabirds including boobies and pelicans.

and Gardner Island offers peak encounters with playful young sea lions and large schools of surprisingly big tropical fish, including yellow tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish and bump-head parrot fish. Sleepy white-tipped reef sharks can be seen napping on the bottom and sometimes Hammer head sharks in a near by location.

The quantity and variety of wildlife at Punta Suarez is remarkable. Sea lions surf the waves beyond the breakwater landing, and tiny pups are known to greet your toes upon arrival. A few steps inland you will find the most peculiar population of marine iguanas in the Galapagos. They bear distinctive red markings, some with a flash of turquoise running down their spine and legs, and nap in communal piles. The trail then takes us beside the western edge of the island where Nazca boobies (formerly known as Masked boobies) nest along the cliff’s edge, and then descends to a rocky beach before rising to an open area and a large gathering of nesting blue-foot boobies. Galápagos doves, cactus finch and mocking birds forage nearby, unconcerned by human presence. The trail continues to the high cliff edge of the southern shore; below, a shelf of black lava reaches out into the surf where a blowhole shoots a geyser of ocean water into the air. Within this area, along the cliffs is the “Albatross Airport” where “Waved albatross” line up to launch their great winged bodies from the cliffs, soaring out over the dramatic shoreline of crashing waves and driven spray. In the trees set back from the cliff is one of only two places in the world where the Waved albatross nests. In fact, the 13,000 pairs that inhabit Hood Island constitute a total endemic population of this species of birds, with the exception of a very small population that occasionally nest elsewhere on the continental part of Ecuador. Lucky visitors can watch courtship ‘fencing’ done with great yellow beaks and necks among the large, fluffy, perfectly camouflaged chicks. Mating occurs year round.

Located in the south of the north western most point of Isabela Island is Punta Vicente Roca . On the map, this place looks like the head of a sea horse. Here the remnants of an ancient volcano forms a cove with a bay well protected from the ocean swells. The spot is a popular anchorage from which to take dinghy rides along the cliff where a partially sunken cave beckons explorers. Nazca and blue-footed boobies as well as brown noddy terns perched along the point and the sheer cliffs, while flightless cormorants inhabit the shoreline. The upwelling of coldwater currents in this part of the Galápagos produce an abundance of marine life which, in combination with the protection of the coves, makes Punta Vicente Roca one of the archipelago's most interesting dive spots. This place is good to practice some kayaking. The entire area of Punta Vicente Roca lies on the towering flank of 2,600 foot Volcano Ecuador . This is the island's sixth largest volcano. Half of Volcano Ecuador slid into the ocean leaving a spectacular cutaway view of its caldera. 

On the way south, to Tagus Cove , the boat will sail through the Bolivar Channel. These are the coldest, most productive waters in the Galápagos, the upwelling of the rich Cromwell current makes for frequent sightings of dolphins and whales in the area. Tagus Cove, named for a British naval vessel that moored here in 1814, was used historically as an anchorage for pirates and whalers. One can still find the names of their ships carved into the rock above our landing, a practice now prohibited, of course. The cove's quiet waters make for an ideal dinghy ride beneath its sheltered cliffs, where blue-footed boobies, brown noddies and pelicans nests. Flightless cormorants and penguins inhabit the lava ledges near the ocean.

From our landing, a wooden stairway rises to the trail entrance for a view of Darwin Lake , a perfectly round saltwater crater, barely separated from the ocean but above sea level! The trail continues around the lake through a dry vegetation zone and then climbs inland to a promontory formed by spatter cones. The site provides spectacular views back toward our anchorage in the bay, as well as Darwin Volcano and Wolf Volcano farther to the north.

Urbina Bay is directly west of Isabella's Alcedo Volcano, where we will make a reasonably easy wet landing (a hop into a few inches of water except when the shore line is rough) onto a gently sloping inorganic beach. In 1954, a Disney film crew caught sight of this gleaming white strip, and on further investigation found pools of stranded sea creatures! To their astonishment, three miles ( 5 km ) of the marine reef had been uplifted by as much as 13 feet (4 meters) in moments. Now visitors can walk amongst the dried coral heads, mollusks and other organisms that use to form the ocean floor. A highlight of this excursion is tracking down the very large land iguanas that live in the area, whose vivid and gaudy yellow skin suggests that dinosaurs may have been very colorful indeed. Giant tortoises inhabit this coastal plain during the wet season, before migrating to the highlands when the lowlands turn dry. Our landing beach also provides opportunities to snorkel amongst marine creatures, or just relax on the beach. Here we must take care not to step on the sea turtle nests, which are dug carefully into the sand.

Puerto Villamil has a feeling of standing on the edge of the earth. The tiny fishing village, founded in 1897 by Don Antonio Gíl, is something of a forgotten gem in the islands. It has a population of roughly 2,000 people and is set amidst miles of white sandy beaches that rest at the outer edge of 4,452 ft . ( 1370 m ) Sierra Negra

Volcano . Buried pirates treasures has been unearthed here some years ago in the shadow of a tall coconut palm, thereby giving credence to all the legends of hidden treasure buried beneath palm trees. It's possible to travel to the highlands by bus, from the base of the volcano to the Park Service post, from where we can have a 2 hour hike on fairly steep terrain to the rim of the volcano. Measuring 10 km across, the caldera is the third largest in the world after Ngorongoro in Africa and Caldera Las Cañadas in the Canarias. At the rim we have some spectacular views of the caldera, the island and the surrounding Pacific. We continue hiking for another 45 minutes to the sometimes active cone of Volcán Chico. This is a parasitic cone that protrudes from the northern side of the volcano. The most recent eruption with lava flows and fumaroles occurred in October 2005 and gave evidence of the birth and continued growth of the islands. In the afternoon we'll return to Puerto Villamil. Along the way we will visit a breeding station for the endemic giant tortoise lead by the National Park Service as well as a hyper-saline lagoon frequented by flamingos and other waders and shore birds. We also plan some free time in town giving you the opportunity to relax in a local beachside bar.

Hidden behind this little forest lies a rather small hyper-saline lagoon where flamingoes used to nest until some natural forces changed its condition in 1995. Snorkeling along the rocks at the east end of the beach reveals many reef fish common to these waters.

This island is teaming with life! You might have to give way to a passing sea lion or marine iguana. Blue-footed boobies nest on either side of the trail where mating pairs perform their courtship dance. Further along the rocky shore a strand of white sand lies inland, and large flocks of sea birds mass for outstanding feeding frenzies, rendering a tableau for us from ages long past. The trail turns inland to reveal the largest nesting site in the Galápagos of the magnificent frigate bird. These huge, dark acrobats have 5 foot wingspan, and males, with inflated scarlet gular pouches, sit precariously in low bushes to watch over their equally large chicks.

Puerto Ayora is home to both the Galápagos National Park Service Headquarters and Charles Darwin Research Station, the center of the great restorative efforts taking place in the park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we go ashore to visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Program run by the research station, which began by rescuing the remaining 14 tortoises on the island of Española in 1970. This program has restored the population of animals there to over 1,000 today. You will see many of these animals, with their sweet ET necks and faces; from hatchlings to juveniles to large, distinguished individuals like Lonesome George, the last of his particular race of tortoises. The local color of this port makes for an attractive stop-off, with restaurants, souvenir shops and internet cafés.

A highlight of any trip is a visit to the Highlands, where the dry coastal vegetation transitions to lush wet fields and forests overgrown with mosses and lichens. Our destination is the Tortoise Reserve, where we will have chances to track and view these friendly and ancient creatures in their natural settings. This extends to the adjacent pasturelands, where farmers make some profits by allowing visitors into their farms in exchange for payment. The best times to see tortoises here is during the cool or dry season from June through December. Another nearby attraction is the highland’s lava tubes. Some of tubes offer easy access by the means of wooden stairways that descend to the mouth of their arched cave entrances. From there one can make their way into the tubes underground along the cool, dimly lit naturally formed passages with their fascinating rock formations. The tubes make for a fairly easy and interesting hike. You should bring along non-slip footwear and some hikers prefer to use a flashlight.

Black Turtle Cove, located on the northern shore of Santa Cruz, is a living illustration of how mangroves alter the marine environment to create a rich and unique habitat. Four species of mangrove crowd from the shore out into the lagoon, which stretches almost a mile inland. As we drift though the quite waters in our dinghy, we are likely to see spotted eagle rays and cow nosed or golden rays, which swim in a diamond formation. White-tipped reef sharks can be seen beneath the boat and Pacific green sea turtles come to the surface for air and to mate. Sea birds, including pelicans, herons and egrets, all feed in the cove. This cove has been declared as a “Turtle Sanctuary”.

Las Bachas is a sandy white-coral beach that is a major egg-laying site for sea turtles. The name Bachas refers to the remains of landing craft left here at the end of WWII. Apparently, the locals couldn’t correctly pronounce what the US military called “the beach of the barges”. Instead the local fishermen and others started referring to the beach as “Las Barchas” and later that name devolved into “Las Bachas”. Ashore marine iguanas mingle with flamingos and other wading birds in another of the many super saline lagoons found in the Galápagos.

Another visitor’s site, Dragon Hill (Cerro Dragon)--located on the far western extreme of the island--makes and easy dry landing on a cement jetty. The path leads to a white sandy beach and then a rocky and dusty trail. Here the visitor will be rewarded by the presence of wading birds in another hyper-saline lagoon, and once inland, a nesting group of land iguanas. Less than a mile apart, a breathtaking dinghy ride will give the visitor an opportunity to see turtles and typically large numbers of sea birds as well as sharks in a mangrove environment.

A wet landing on a sandy white beach brings visitors into contact with one of many sea lion colonies. Bulls contend for the right of being the Beach Master, while smaller males mask as females to make stealthy mating moves. Galápagos hawks are often easily approached, perched atop salt bushes, and an ascending trail leads toward the cliffs, where a dense thicket stands to the inland side. The cliff side provides an expansive view of the ocean. The giant prickly pear cactus found here live up to their name, with tree-sized trunks!

Today the flow stands as a gallery of abstract shapes resembling braids, curtains and swirling fans. Brightly colored “painted locusts” and “lava lizards” punctuate the black volcanic canvas, as does the occasional finger of lava cactus and spreading carpetweed. Looking back across the bay from the source of the flow, a cinder cone of reddish lava, you are treated to a view of Pinnacle Rock nearby Bartolome Island

On the northwestern side of the island is James Bay , which offers access to three unique sites, Puerto Egas, Salt Mine and Espumilla Beach . The first landing, Puerto Egas is the most visited area and begins with a wet landing on a black beach. With intriguing eroded rock formations inland, the trail crosses the dry interior eastward and continues along the shore line where two different types of lavas merge into unreal scenery. There we find the so called Fur seal Grottos, the only place during your visit that allows you to see these beautiful marine mammals during a land excursion. Darwin describes his visit to James Bay in Voyage of the Beagle .

From the black beach it's possible to experience one of the most exuberant snorkeling sessions during your visit.

The approach makes for a lavishly colorful sight! The turquoise waters of the channel contrast brilliantly with the black lava of the shoreline. The rocks have grown thick with green seaweed in places, speckled with bright orange “Sally light foot” crabs. Further up the shore a carpet of scarlet ice plant (Sesuvium) serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus. Yellow-gray land iguanas sit beneath, waiting patiently for pears to drop.

The trail gradually follows the tilt of the island to the cliffs that overlook the ocean to the south, where swallow-tailed gulls nest. Red-billed tropic birds, Nazca and blue-footed boobies ride the windy currents. The overlook is a great place for spotting large marine life, including manta rays. Surf pounds an inlet at the western corner of the island, where a colony of male sea lions makes their home at what is referred to as a bachelor's site. The oils from their fur leave the surrounding rocks looking polished and shiny.

Puffball-chicks with their proud papás—who sport their bulging scarlet throat-sacks—crowd the surrounding branches, while both yellow-crowned and lava herons feed by the shore. Farther along you will discover a stunning series of sheltered pools set into a rocky outcrop, forming another natural film set. A trail beside the pools leads up to a cliff overlooking the caldera, where pairs of swallow-tailed gulls, the only nocturnal gulls in the world, can be seen nesting at the cliff's edge. Lava gulls and pintail ducks ride the sea breezes nearby.

Across the bay is Prince Philip’s Steps, named for a visit by the British Monarch in 1964. The 25- meter (81-foot) stairway leads to a narrow stretch of land that opens out onto the plateau surrounding Darwin Bay, and extends to form the north side of the island. Red-footed boobies wrap their webbed feet around branches to perch in the bushes, and, in contrast, their “Nazca booby” cousins dot the surface of the scrublands beyond. Crossing through the sparse vegetation you will come to a broad lava field that extends towards the sea—this forms the north shore. Storm petrels flutter out over the ocean in swarms, then return to nest in the cracks and tunnels of the lava field, where their predator, the short-eared owl, is a frequent visitor.

history, human interaction, ecosystems, flora and fauna. It is also the place where cultural activities take place, including theatre, exhibitions and workshops. From the Interpretation Center , a 3 kilometer loop trail arrives at Frigate Bird Hill, where both magnificent-frigates” and great-frigates can be seen in the same colony—ideal for learning to distinguish the two bird species. A 45-minute bus ride from town takes you to “El Junco”, one of the few permanent fresh water lagoons in the islands. Its location in the highlands of San Cristóbal ( 2,300 feet or 700 meters ) ensures our passage through a variety of vegetation zones. The lagoon offers a panoramic setting for exceptional bird watching including frigate birds that, in spite of being sea birds, go there to rinse the accumulated salt from their feathers.

Heading up the coast from Wreck Bay and Puerto Baquerizo, you will see Isla Lobos across a small channel off the coast of San Cristóbal . This basalt island outcropping lives up to its name of “Sea Lion Island,” with its noisy population of frolicking and barking beasts. It is also a nesting place for blue-footed boobies and an excellent spot for snorkeling.

Playa Ochoa is located 6 miles from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The beach is small with easy access, Here you'll find the Chatham mockingbird and various species of Darwin finches. Toward the rear of the beach is a little hyper-saline pond where white cheek pintails can often be seen wading. The beach also provides a chance for some introductory snorkeling.

Leon Dormido , also know as Kicker Rock , is a spectacular formation that rises 152 meters ( 500 feet ) out of the Pacific 4 miles off the central western coast of San Cristóbal . It takes the form of a sleeping lion or the Sphinx if you look at the rock from the south, but from the north you can see that the rock is split, forming a colossal tablet and, piercing the sea, a great chisel ready for etching. Small vessels can navigate through the narrow channel between the rocks.

La Galapaguera is a tortoise reserve in seminatural conditions. This beautiful facility was built by the GNPS to provide the chance for visitors to San Cristóbal to take a look at another race of giant tortoise, the Saddle Back. To reach the reserve it's necessary to take a bus across the island from west to east. The ride takes 1 hour and the facility offers a dirt trail of easy access where 25 adult tortoises can be found in company with the very first babies to be born in captivity in this facility.