Sierra Negra Volcano

Sierra Negra is one of the six volcanoes that make up Isabela and it holds a caldera roughly ten kilometres across, among the largest basaltic calderas anywhere, a black bowl of hardened lava so wide that the far rim is a low line on the horizon. It is very much active, with eruptions in 2005 and again in 2018 that sent flows down its flanks and closed the trail for a time. The standard visit is a guided walk from the trailhead above Puerto Villamil to the rim, then optionally on across older flows to Volcan Chico, a field of fumaroles, spatter cones and multicoloured oxidised lava with views north over the island. The route is often in mist.

What you actually see

• A caldera ten kilometres across - one of the largest basaltic craters on earth.
• Volcan Chico fumaroles - steaming vents and coloured lava on the flank.
• Recent flows from 2018 - fresh black lava across the older ground.
• Views north over Isabela - the island seen from the rim.

When to go

Year round; the highlands are misty and wet in the warm season, and the walk is best started early. A day. A certified guide is compulsory and horses are an option for part of the way.

Honest expectations

The rim is frequently in cloud and many walkers see nothing of the caldera. The track is deep mud after rain. The full Volcan Chico route is about 16 kilometres with no shade and no water. Eruptions have closed the trail without notice.

Nearby

Puerto Villamil is below; the wall of tears lies near the town.