The small town of Puerto Villamil is pretty much the only settlement on the island apart from a few plantations. By far the largest part of the island is wilderness. There is at least a road to the Sierra Negra, but the only way to get to the tunnels is by boat.

From Puerto Villamil there is a gravel road that runs along the coast.

In town we can rent bikes (15 USD per day per person) and see more of the island on our own on the sandy slopes.

TIPS AND COSTS ABOUT THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ARE ON THIS PAGE.

With Leon in a child seat, which seems very strange to him, we struggle along the sandy track. We have to dismount several times. Leon thinks it’s great to let the wind blow in your ears.

We can drive to the eternally long and lonely beach from the city up to three kilometers away. Then the white sand turns into black lava rock.

We are in December at the beginning of the rainy season. The air and water are significantly warmer than during the dry season, but we have more clouds. As soon as the sun comes out, the water shines in the most beautiful turquoise colors.

We cross a wild mangrove landscape with swampy water. Many waterfowl find their paradise here and flamingos can also be observed here.

After the mangroves we reach the “Playita“, a small beach at the end of the long beach of Puerto Villamil. There is nobody here except us, apart from herons, seagulls and many iguanas, which do not let us disturb them. They only let themselves be disturbed by Leon as soon as he runs to them to touch them. The lazy animals can run really fast when a baby comes towards them.

Even if it is the warm season, the water still has a cold temperature. Every now and then I can see the outline of a sea turtle in the waves. They lay their eggs on the more distant beaches.

Sharks are also spotted on the beach. So a man comes up to me just as I come out of the sea and tells me that a woman saw a big shark a short distance away in the morning.

That doesn’t scare me. After all, we are on the island to see animals and the sharks in particular are admirable and harmless.

The track continues inland. One of the next days we will take our bikes again and enter the desert of cacti and lava, observe the giant tortoises and reach the Muro de las Lacrimas, the haunting monument to a cruel time.