Protection Center Isla de La Plata

Location :

• Nick McFarland

  17 January 2017

  The island itself is rather barren aside from the masses of blue footed bobbies and a few other species. I very much enjoyed the surrounding waters though where we were able to see whales surface as well as snorkeling with sea turtles and tropical fish. Booked a boat from Puerto Lopez.
  
  Visited in August 2016.

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• S Briones

  04 November 2016

  WOW! We took our children here on a family vacation. For about $35/person at our hotel (Victor Hugo) a tour guide met us in the lobby the next morning to walk us over to the pier and we disembarked from Puerto Lopez by boat. Puerto Lopez is one of the only places in the area allowed by permit to carry tourists out to the island. If you are going to pay for the whale watch and think you may want to visit the island, just pay a few dollars more for the island trip. You see whales (during seasonwe went in early-August) on the way to the island. Our guide stopped several times for everyone to get a good look at the whales and to take pictures. We played cat & mouse with the whales as they moved around near the isla which was very exciting. It is an hour boat ride out to the island from Pureto Lopez, but sandwiches and fruit were provided by the local tour group and included in the price. Snorkeling was also included in the price, but completely optional (my husband and son did not snorkel, but my daughter and I did). Bring about $10-$20 cash as an entry fee of $2/person is required (not included in tour price) and tips for the tour guide and crew are encouraged.
  The island requires a lot of walking including steep inclines so flip-flops are discouraged. My 11 & 12 year-old kids were very tired after this trip. At the top of the island, there is a fork in the trail and our group had to choose which path to take, blue-footed boobies or frigate birds. There was not enough time to go on both tours which was a bummer. We selected the blue footed boobies and in early August, they were still mating & nesting. This tour requires a great respect for the natural wildlife and a mature individual so taking little kids (under age 10) would be difficult since you walk among the nesting birds and have to be pretty quiet and careful. The views on this path were stunning and cliff-side photo opportunities were plentiful.
  This island is remote and there is very little infrastructure so bring your own swim-suit, toilet tissue, bottled water, sun screen, towels, Dramamine and common sense. You are prohibited from taking any food onto the island or removing anything from the island. This keeps the natural beauty undisturbed and people are very respectful of the island for the most part. There is a foot-washing station and a shaded educational portico near the restrooms to begin and end your tour.
  This was the most memorable and beautiful part of our trip. It is called the Galapagos for the poor for good reason. We saw much more wildlife than just blue-footed boobies and frigates. We saw sea-turtles and other beautiful marine life while snorkeling as well as spotted dolphins and other birds that frequent the island. It was very educational and a rewarding view for all of the walking required. I highly recommend taking this trip and look forward to going again!

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• Nathan Allen

  07 September 2016

  It was awesome to be able to see whales, sea turtles, blue-footed boobies, and many fish while snorkeling! We paid $35 and enjoy a whole day tour complete with lunch. If you're lucky you will get super close to some amazing whales jumping out of the water :-)

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• Martin Mena

  30 August 2016

  It's an excellent adventure, you get to see whales, dolphins, blue-footed boobies (I love blue footed boobies, they are such a lovely birds) and do some snorkeling too.

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• Hamish MacDonald

  07 August 2016

  Awesome tour with a really informative guide who had good English. Snorkeling after the tour was really cool (watch out for the little jelly fish!). Whale watching was by far and away the best part of the trip however; absolutely spectacular!

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