Los Humedales, Isabela

Los Humedales at a glance

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   Isabela — Los Humedales

   Los Humedales is a network of boardwalks and tracks through the wetlands west of Puerto Villamil on Isabela, linking lagoons, the Arnaldo Tupiza tortoise breeding centre and the Wall of Tears. It is free, needs no guide, and is usually done by bicycle.

How you get there

By bicycle from Puerto Villamil

The obvious way, and the same route as the Wall of Tears. Bikes rent by the hour in town.

On foot

The boardwalk sections closest to town are a comfortable walk. The far end is not.

It sits on Isabela, so how you reach the island decides how you reach this.

What you actually see

The flamingo lagoons

Brackish pools right beside the boardwalk. Isabela holds the largest flamingo population in the archipelago and this is where you see it.

The tortoise breeding centre

Arnaldo Tupiza, at the end of one of the boardwalks. Isabela’s five volcanoes each have their own tortoise population and several are raised here.

The mangrove and the birds

Whimbrels, stilts, gallinules and, in the scrub, several finch species. It is the best birdwatching you can do without booking anything.

What goes wrong

We run these trips, so we know what people complain about afterwards. Better to read it here than find out on the day.

Everyone rides past it

It is on the way to somewhere else and gets treated as scenery. Stopping is the whole point.

Midday is empty and hot

The birds feed early and late. In the middle of the day you get boardwalk and sun.

Mosquitoes at dusk

Wetland, so of course. Repellent if you are there at either end of the day.

Who this is not for

Saying this costs us bookings and saves the trip. If any of these is you, tell us and we will build the day differently.

• Anyone in a hurry — this rewards stopping, not passing through.
• Visitors who want a single dramatic sight. It is a slow, cumulative place.
• People unwilling to cycle or walk a fair distance in the open.

What lives here

• American flamingo — The largest population in the archipelago is on Isabela, and this is where you see them.
• Galápagos giant tortoise — At the Arnaldo Tupiza centre, and sometimes wild on the track.
• Common gallinule and black-necked stilt — Throughout the lagoons.
• Darwin’s finches — Several species in the scrub beside the boardwalks.

Nearby

Every visitor site we have written up → · Isabela, the whole island →