Isabela

Waking up in our tiny wooden hut on Floreana's coast, it was time to move on to the biggest island of the Galapagos archipelago: Isabela.

We breakfasted al fresco on granola, yoghurt and, of course, scrambled eggs, washing it down with organic, island-grown coffee, while we looked out in the direction of the island we would be heading to next.

Cheerio!

Bidding adieu to the wildlife clustered at the port as though forming the official welcoming/farewell committee, we boarded the speedboat and jetted off in a northwesterly direction.

Hanging out on Isla Tortuga

The trip was less bumpy than our inbound journey and, having passed Isla Tortuga and its resident population of marine iguanas, frigate birds with their young, and Andean seagulls, a lucky few clambered onto the speedboat's prow for a closer look at the shearwaters on the approach to Isabela's port town.

Racing the shearwaters

Puerto Villamil is a small, shore-side settlement, but still a magnitude larger and more touristy than Floreana's Puerto Velazco Ibarra.

Bienvenido a los Ingleses

Puerto Villamil

Having checked in at the Gran Hostal Tintorera, we departed after lunch for a walk up the volcano Sierra Negra. I say "up" but given that the volcanoes on the Galapgos are 'shield volcanoes', formed from soft basalt, they don't rise to the towering heights of their pointy mainland cousins.

Gran Hostal Tintorera

Instead, the volcano spreads wide and flat over the south centre of Isabela like a failed jelly. Despite not being a taxing walk - we barely noticed the ascent - the 'summit' gave a striking view over the 10km-wide caldera at the volcano's heart, strewn with enormous black igneous boulders.

Sierra Negra caldera

Back at sea level(!), we relaxed at a most unique beach bar where the patrons could rub shoulders with the local marine iguanas -  respecting, of course, the national park regulations.

View from the bar

Lounge lizards

A most enormous pizza at Los Delfines saw out the evening quite satisfyingly. The family size arrived on a tray almost as wide as the table itself, but presented no great challenge to the two American guys that ordered it between them.