Top 10 Volcanoes in the Galápagos
The Galápagos archipelago, on the equator about 1,000 kilometres west of Ecuador, is one of the world's most productive ocean-island hot spots. Most of its big islands are single shield volcanoes; several erupt every decade or so, producing the wide, gently-sloping summits that Darwin saw and then revisited in "Origin of Species."
1. Sierra Negra
A vast shield volcano on Isabela Island, with one of the largest calderas in the world by area. The 2018 eruption produced fluid basaltic flows that ran for weeks. The rim hike from Puerto Villamil is one of the best volcanic experiences in the archipelago.
2. Wolf
Also on Isabela, the highest peak in the Galápagos at 1,710 m. Eruptions in 2015 and 2022 sent flows down the southern flank into territory inhabited only by pink iguanas — the species lives exclusively here.
3. Cerro Azul
The southernmost volcano of Isabela. A 2008 eruption produced spectacular lava fountains in the caldera. Cerro Azul tortoises on its slopes were rescued during eruptions in earlier decades.
4. Alcedo
Central Isabela's shield volcano, with a striking 7-km caldera holding hot springs and large herds of giant tortoises. Trails into the caldera are sometimes open for limited multi-day hikes.
5. Darwin
Northern Isabela, named for the obvious reason. A long quiet period has been broken by occasional eruptions, including a significant event in 1813. The caldera is filled with a saltwater lake.
6. Ecuador
The smallest of Isabela's five shields, on the island's northwest. A 1981 eruption produced ash and flows. Ecuador volcano is also a frequent point of reference in Galápagos biogeography studies.
7. Fernandina (La Cumbre)
A single, almost circular shield occupying the whole island of Fernandina. One of the world's most active basaltic volcanoes, erupting in 2009, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2024. The caldera holds a lake that drained spectacularly in 1968.
8. Santiago
A shield with a long-history rift zone in the centre of the archipelago. The 1759 eruption is one of the earliest written records by visiting sailors. The island has Sullivan Bay's striking 1897 pāhoehoe lava field.
9. Pinta
The northernmost main island. Famous as the home of Lonesome George, last of the Pinta tortoises, the volcano itself has been quiet for centuries; the rim is dry and shrubby.
10. Marchena
A small island in the north of the archipelago, with a 1991 eruption that gave the first satellite-monitored basaltic event in the chain. Otherwise unvisited; the cone is offshore-only.
How to plan a Galápagos volcano trip
Most visits are by cruise. Few cruises actively visit volcanoes — the wildlife is the standard draw — but Sierra Negra is a common day hike from Puerto Villamil, and overflights of active Fernandina are sometimes possible.
See them on the map
Open the map and find the Galápagos on the equator west of Ecuador. The hot-spot track extends east as the Carnegie Ridge toward the mainland.