The Sierra Negra Volcano in the Galapagos Islands

Sierra Negra is one of five active volcanoes located on the island of Isabela in the Galapagos Islands. It is found on the western edge of Isabela, where much of the land growth comes from hardening of volcanic lava and ash from prior eruptions. The nearest settlement is the coastal town of Puerto Villamil. To reach the Sierra Negra volcano itself, tourists must travel the rough road to San Tomas, a small village. From there, you can either walk the rest of the way or travel on horseback. There are a number of tour guides willing to take visitors up to Sierra Negra.

The Sierra Negra volcano in the Galapagos Islands: How to get there

Horseback tours are the most popular route taken up to the Sierra Negra volcano in the Galapagos. These are less physically taxing than making the high up the mountain, allowing visitors to relax and watch the scenery. The ground is sparsely covered with guava trees along the way to the mountain. When you are on top of the crater looking down, the view will be amazing because of the volcano's massive size. You will be able to see fields of black rock that have erosion channels worn into them from the past lava eruptions. Because the Sierra Negra is still an active volcano, tourists must watch out for small plumes of volcanic gas that occasionally pop up through these scarred fields.

The Sierra Negra volcano in the Galapagos Islands: The rim and Volcan Chico

Once you reach the rim of the Sierra Negra, you will travel along past scattered bunches of plants native to the Galapagos Island area. Some of the most common plants in this area are daisies, which must survive the threat of grazing farm animals. You can either walk all the way around the rim of the volcano or head over to the smaller Volcan Chico crater next to Sierra Negra. This is usually the easier way to travel back down the mountain and you will get to see a second of the five active Galapagos volcanoes.

The Sierra Negra volcano in the Galapagos Islands: Recent eruptions

The most recent eruption of the Sierra Negra volcano occurred in October 2005. A large grey cloud of smoke could be seen all the way over in Santa Cruz, an island close to Isabela in the Galapagos. Most of the lava eruption was located at the northern edge of the volcano, spilling out of only three or four main areas. Chunks of lava and other rock were expelled from the mountain, flying high into the air. Because the rim of the Sierra Negra volcano is so deep, this eruption did not cause much damage to the nearby town of Puerto Villamil.