Galapagos, Santiago Island

Galapagos Santiago Island Santiago is the fourth-largest of the islands and has several excellent visitor sites with in its 585 sq km.

Here there is a good chance of spotting the Galapagos hawk, the Galapagos dove, the vermillion flycatcher, the white cheeked pintailed duck and flamingos. The fur seal's grotto has two small, deep pools of crystal clear water which are separated from the sea beyond by submerged volcanic bridges. This makes snorkeling in these tranquil pools among the seals even more pleasurable.

Sullivan Bay is on Santiago's east coast. Here, a huge, black, century old lava flow has solidified into a sheet that reaches to the edge of the sea. A dry landing enables visitors to step on to the flow and follow a trail of white posts in a 2km circuit on the lava. You can see uneroded volcanic formations, such as pahoehoe lava, lava bubbles and tree-trunk molds in the surface.

Puerto Egas, on James Bay, on the west side of Santiago is the most visited point on the west side of the island. Here, there is a long, flat, black lava shoreline where eroded shapes form lava pools, caves and inlets that house a great variety of wildlife. This is a great place to see colonies of marine iguanas basking in the sun. The tide pools contain hundreds of red Sally Lightfoot crabs, which attract hunting herons of all the commonly found species. Puerto Egas is one of the most popular sites in the islands.

Espumilla Beach, can be reached with a wet landing. The swimming is good here, and by the small lagoon behind the beach you can see various wading birds including, at times, flamingos. A 2km trail leads inland through transitional vegetation where there are various finches and the Galapagos flycatcher.

Buccaneer Cove, called because it was a popular place for 17th- and th-century buccaneers to careen their vessels. The cliffs and pinnacles, which are used as nesting areas by several species of seabirds, are the main attraction these days. This is best appreciated from the sea, but it is possible to land in the cove, where there are beaches. continues...

Galapagos » Islands » Santiago Island