the wall of tears

aquauomo

nice walk, nice story, nice surrounding. recommended if you have spare time in one afternoon. go early morning or late afternoon. it gets really hot mid day

Deskcalendar

on the surface it's a wall of rocks but when you think of the history of prisoners just building it for no reason whatsoever and how they had to carry the rocks from far to build this wall, it really makes you think and wonder about humanity in general. It's a place one needs to visit and see and let it all sink in.

717petej

Travelers who visit Isabela must add this to the itinerary. We rented bikes for four hours which cost us around $10. From town we took our time riding out to the wall of tears. Along the way you can ride on the beach, ride past lagoons, see a cemetary and stop along any of the trails you see. We stopped several times to check out the lagoons and wildlife. We saw two wild tortoises and lots of marine iguanas. We climbed to the top of a lookout and took in the port below us. The bike ride is about 4 miles each way and is not that physically demanding. If you can take your time and enjoy the ride it is totally worth it. The Wall of Tears was great too, but it's all about the journey!

amikatoth

If you got o the galapagos, and visit all the museums, you learn that the history of the islands are quite dark and depressing... Lots of tortures went on on these island. Not only animal torture but human. The wall of tears is located in a gorgeous part, although there are so many beautiful parts of these islands. The walkway is amazing and if you climb all the way up above the wall you get a great outlook of the whole island. It is free. You can rent a bike a bike up there and visit all the stops on the way back...there's many. Or you can rent a bike, put them in a cab and come down on the bike....there's lots of uphill on the way up there...

AngelaB172

It's a 7 km trek up a nice scenic trail with more scenic places to stop along the way. We rode with our hotel proprietor in the late evening and driving back we gave several other tourists rides because the route was very long and exhausting if walking. I was glad we were in a truck. The highlight of our viit to the wall of tears was after seeing the wall, we came back to the truck and saw a bird pecking at himself in the mirror. One of the most hilarious scenes witnessed! The wall was just okay. The trek was a nice one if begun early enough in the day and the proper preparations for food and drinks taken care of.

NoApprovalBlog

I was torn on this rating. It's interesting almost entirely because of the story behind it and not really for what it is tangibly. The wall essentially represents the prisoners that were sent to this island back in the 40s and 50s. Because they had nothing to do they were told to build and then take down this wall made of lava rocks they carried from the sometimes more than 10km away. The wall is impressive (maybe 6ft wide and 20ft tall and 300ft long) but there isn't a lot to see other than that.Its a fairly grueling 6km (mostly uphill) from the center of town. Everyone recommends that you rent a bike ($10 for 4hrs) and ride up there. On the way back down there are a couple of spots that you can stop including an observation deck with beautiful views and a few coves where you can snorkel and swim to cool off. You do not need a tour guide which is nice, but its physically taxing.

fisherdvm

But it makes you appreciate the story of the prisoners who suffered there. A female tortoise was climbing the same path with us and hissed at us a bit... added to the excitement of the day.

Felix_the_Cat_23

If you do this by bicycle the experience to ride to the wall of tears makes it a 4 stars vs 3 stars for us. You pass some beaches to your left where you can just do a quick stop and appreciate the remoteness and wildness of the water and sand. You have multiple stops for ponds and an interesting cemetery. You also have some stops along the way for some short walks and view points for great views. The wall itself is in good condition - a good remnant of the penal colony. If you are lucky you'll encounter a few giant turtoises. Our guide in another tour said they just released 300 turtoises in that area. My advice - take a side trip to the breeding center. It is worth a quick visit. You'll get to see a rarer tortoise found in another are (Mt. Ceno, i think), where they have flat backs instead of the dome shaped one. The breeding center was the only place we could find this tortoise.

230erikb

the 7 km trip along the beach and the coastal road, stopping at all the well sign posted side view points is what makes it worthwhile.Iguanas--tortoises-and more. The wall is only the end point.We did it on foot and by bike--take a bike and water and snorkel gear. Explore all the trails especially at the Estuary path.

carolineenwillem

We rented a mountain bike for one day and did sme of the coastal sites in Puerti Villamil, which made a perfect day. The wall is one of the sites, but the nearby mirador is more attractive.

TheDudeAbidesWtf

Great spot to visit if only for the bike ride it makes you do: by the beach, and with a few nice vistas along the way. Wouldn't recommend if the goal is to "see it" however

Scott8147

This is an impressive monument to injustice. The prisoners who were held here were treated very poorly and given the job of building this wall for the purpose of keeping them busy and making them suffer. Many died while building it.

thomase662

The wall is just amazing, take your time to hear the stories about it and to contemplate. If it is cloudy, try to see it a different day.

MLF360

I had no idea about this history of the infamous Ecuadorian prison. To hear the history and see the wall is very powerful. It's definitely worth the trip, and you'll likely see plenty of tortoises in the area too!

MPCSMPCS

To get to the wall we decided to rent bikes, but for the way up to go by car, walk to the wall, and on our way back ride down the bikes. It is a long way to the wall and it is very hot, so we were happy with our decision. Climbing up to the lookout point was good, not too long, and the views are amazing.