Isabela Island
There is so much going on in the Galápagos, so much for the well being of the islands that gives us hope for their future. One walks through the streets of Puerto Villamil and finds several centres and associations that are working for conservation and offering alternative income sources to these island inhabitants. There is “Pescado Azul,” a group of women who are making fish pâté and smoked fish, getting ready to commercialize it on the mainland Ecuador and the tour boats. Lindblad Expeditions is the first to support these projects and we do offer some of these tasty products on board. There are the Environmental Education Centres for the kids of the town that organize field trips, talks, and plays to get the young ones involved in conservation, and through them, get the whole community involved. There is the breeding centre of Galápagos giant tortoises that our guests enjoy the most. There is basically a sign of optimism in every street of this 2,000-inhabitant village located at the southern part of the largest island, Isabela. And there is beauty everywhere. There is a long beach of pure white coralline sand from which we can admire the profile of Sierra Negra, one of Isabela volcanoes that some of our Islander guests hiked while others rode boogie boards in the waves. There are always options for everyone: long hikers, kids and teenagers, those who want to learn about human history and those who want to see flamingos and tortoises. How couldn’t we be optimistic about the future of this place when its beauty is just outstanding and can only inspire conservationist attitudes?
There is so much going on in the Galápagos, so much for the well being of the islands that gives us hope for their future. One walks through the streets of Puerto Villamil and finds several centres and associations that are working for conservation and offering alternative income sources to these island inhabitants. There is “Pescado Azul,” a group of women who are making fish pâté and smoked fish, getting ready to commercialize it on the mainland Ecuador and the tour boats. Lindblad Expeditions is the first to support these projects and we do offer some of these tasty products on board. There are the Environmental Education Centres for the kids of the town that organize field trips, talks, and plays to get the young ones involved in conservation, and through them, get the whole community involved. There is the breeding centre of Galápagos giant tortoises that our guests enjoy the most. There is basically a sign of optimism in every street of this 2,000-inhabitant village located at the southern part of the largest island, Isabela. And there is beauty everywhere. There is a long beach of pure white coralline sand from which we can admire the profile of Sierra Negra, one of Isabela volcanoes that some of our Islander guests hiked while others rode boogie boards in the waves. There are always options for everyone: long hikers, kids and teenagers, those who want to learn about human history and those who want to see flamingos and tortoises. How couldn’t we be optimistic about the future of this place when its beauty is just outstanding and can only inspire conservationist attitudes?
