Puerto Villamil is a small port village located on the southeastern edge of Isla Isabela

Isabela Island (Ecuador)

Isabela Island is the largest island of the Galápagos with an area of , and length of nearly 4 times larger than Santa Cruz, the next largest of the islands. This island was named in honor of Queen Isabella of Spain, who sponsored the voyage of Columbus. . By the English, it was named Albemarle...

 in the Galapagos Islands

Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...

. Of the 2,200 people who live on Isabela, the majority live in Puerto Villamil. The harbor is frequently full with sailboats, as Villamil is a popular stop for private yachts making their way to the Marquesas Islands

Marquesas Islands

The Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...

 as it is the westernmost town in the Galapagos Islands

Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...

.

Traditionally residents of Puerto Villamil have earned a living either through agriculture or fishing. Over the years the government has made policies to move the population away from fishing and into tourist-based activities. This move has been hotly debated, and has created political incidents including one in 2000 when a group of sea cucumber fishermen kidnapped baby tortoise

Tortoise

Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...

s in order to have the government extend their fishing limits.

On the southwestern edge of town a boardwalk

Boardwalk

A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....

 was created by the park with assistance of US Aid. It leads through mangrove environments passing along saltwater lagoons filled with flamingo

Flamingo

Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...

, common stilts, whimbrels, Bahama pintails, and gallinules that come here to sweep the mud in search of brine. At the end of the walkway is the Tortoise Breeding Center which was built in order to help preserve the many species of Isabela Tortoises.

On the northern edge of town near the dock are a series of small islets including one known as Las Tintoreras where a colony of white tip sharks can often be seen resting in the lava channel.