Bartolomé Island

Bartolomé Island

Bartolomé Island is a small island of volcanic origin in the Galapagos Archipelago, located off the east shore of Santiago Island. It is among the younger islands of the archipelago. This island, as well as Sulivan Bay on Santiago Island, are both named after the naturalist and close friend of Charles Darwin, Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan, who served as a lieutenant on the HMS Beagle. This island is only 1.2 square kilometers in size. It offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the archipelago. The island is made up of an extinct volcano and a variety of volcanic formations in shades of red, orange, green and glistening black. Bartolomé has an easy to climb volcanic cone with great views of the other islands, and is famous for its Pinnacle Rock, which is a distinctive feature of the island. The main attraction of the island is the Pinnacle Rock, where you can swim and snorkel, as the underwater world there is really breathtaking. Divers can dive with penguins, marine turtles, white-tipped reef sharks and many other tropical fish. The bay is also a great place to swim, and the two bays are separated by a narrow isthmus of land. Galápagos Penguins are often seen on the island, as a breeding colony lives in a small cave behind Pinnacle Rock. Bartolomé is a seasonal breeding and nesting site for Green Turtles. And herons live on the gentler shores.