Santiago Island
Short answer
Santiago is where Darwin spent nine days ashore in 1835 — longer than on any other island — and it is still one of the best landings in the archipelago. Its two draws are Puerto Egas, where the sea has eroded the lava into grottoes and pools full of Galápagos fur seals, and Sullivan Bay, a vast field of ropey lava from an 1897 flow that looks a week old. Cruise and day-trip access; nobody lives here.
On this page — 8 sections
Santiago had goats. Introduced by whalers, they multiplied to more than a hundred thousand and stripped the island. Between 1997 and 2006 every one was removed — the largest eradication of its kind ever attempted. The vegetation came back within a decade, and so did species nobody had recorded in a century.
Santiago at a glance
| Also called | James Island, San Salvador |
|---|---|
| Population | None |
| Access | Cruise, and day trips from Santa Cruz to Sullivan Bay |
| Main sites | Puerto Egas and Sullivan Bay |
| Darwin | Spent nine days ashore here in 1835 — his longest stay |
| Famous for | Fur seals, and the 1897 lava field |
Getting there
This is the part that decides whether Santiago belongs in your trip, so it goes first rather than last. How you reach the archipelago at all →
- Cruise
- On most central itineraries, usually Puerto Egas in the morning and Sullivan Bay the following day.
- Day trip from Santa Cruz
- Sullivan Bay and Bartolomé are sometimes combined into one long day from Puerto Ayora. Puerto Egas is generally cruise-only.
- Staying over
- Not possible.
What is on the island
- 1
Puerto Egas
A black sand beach and a trail along a shoreline eroded into grottoes, arches and tidal pools. Galápagos fur seals rest in the shade of the overhangs — the only place most visitors see them. Marine iguanas, herons and octopus in the pools at low tide.
- 2
Sullivan Bay
A hundred hectares of pāhoehoe lava from an 1897 flow: black, glassy, folded into ropes and coils, and almost untouched by plants. You walk on it. It is the clearest look at raw geology anywhere in the islands.
- Puerto Egas
- A black sand beach and a trail along a shoreline eroded into grottoes, arches and tidal pools. Galápagos fur seals rest in the shade of the overhangs — the only place most visitors see them. Marine iguanas, herons and octopus in the pools at low tide.
- Sullivan Bay
- A hundred hectares of pāhoehoe lava from an 1897 flow: black, glassy, folded into ropes and coils, and almost untouched by plants. You walk on it. It is the clearest look at raw geology anywhere in the islands.
The history, which is the point
Most Galápagos islands are wildlife and geology. Santiago is those, plus two hundred years of people behaving strangely on a small piece of rock.
- 1835Darwin lands and stays nine days — longer than anywhere else in the archipelago. He collects, climbs, and notes the tortoises being taken by the crews of whaling ships.
- 1897The Sullivan Bay lava flow. It is still barely colonised more than a century later, which is how slowly life takes hold on fresh basalt.
- 1920s–60sA salt mine operates at Puerto Egas. The ruined buildings and the road up to the crater are still there.
- 1997–2006Project Isabela removes more than 100,000 introduced goats from Santiago and northern Isabela — the largest eradication of its kind ever undertaken. The island’s vegetation recovers within a decade.
What you see
- Galápagos fur seal — Smaller than the sea lion, with a denser coat, bigger eyes and a preference for shade. Puerto Egas is the most reliable place to see one — they are far less common than sea lions and much shyer.
- Marine iguana — Along the whole shoreline at Puerto Egas.
- Galápagos sea lion — On the beach and in the tidal pools.
- Galápagos hawk — Frequently perched along the Puerto Egas trail, and famously unafraid.
- Green sea turtle — In the bay, and nesting on the black sand.
Every species, with the exact sites →
Can you stay here?
No. Santiago is uninhabited — there is no settlement, no accommodation and no landing outside the marked visitor sites. You come for a few hours and you leave. The four islands you can actually sleep on →
What we would tell you first
Fur seals are not sea lions, and they are shy
They sit in shade under overhangs and they do not come to you the way sea lions do. Bring patience and stay back — the two-metre rule matters more here because they will simply leave.
Sullivan Bay is a walk on glass
The lava is sharp, uneven and slippery where it is smooth. Closed shoes with grip, and take it slowly. There is no shade at all.
Puerto Egas is generally cruise-only
Day trips from Santa Cruz reach Sullivan Bay, often paired with Bartolomé. The fur seal grottoes usually need a cruise.
The other islands you visit but cannot stay on
- Española — The oldest island in the archipelago and the only nesting site on Earth for the waved albatross. Cruise access only, and a season that decides everything.
- Bartolomé — The most photographed view in the Galápagos, a 114-metre boardwalk climb, and a landscape that looks like the moon. A day trip from Santa Cruz.
- Fernandina — The youngest island in the archipelago, still erupting, and the largest pristine island on Earth: no introduced species have ever established here.
- Genovesa — A drowned caldera in the far north with the largest seabird colonies in the archipelago, red-footed boobies, and a short-eared owl that hunts in daylight.
- Santa Fé — A short day trip from Santa Cruz: a sheltered turquoise bay full of sea lions, a forest of tree-sized prickly pear, and a land iguana found nowhere else.
- North Seymour — A flat slab of uplifted seabed twenty minutes from the airport, with the archipelago’s most accessible nesting colony of blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds.
All eleven compared, side by side →
Trips that reach Santiago
- 8-Day Galápagos: San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz & Isabela 8 days · from US$2,085
- 6-Day Luxury Galápagos 6 days · from US$3,595
- 6-Day Galápagos Multisport 6 days · from US$1,569
None of them quite it? Tell us what you want and we build it →
Questions people also ask
What is Santiago Island known for?
Two things: Puerto Egas, where the sea has eroded the lava into grottoes full of Galápagos fur seals, and Sullivan Bay, a vast field of ropey lava from an 1897 eruption that still looks freshly poured. Darwin also spent nine days ashore here in 1835, his longest stay in the archipelago.
Where can you see fur seals in the Galápagos?
Puerto Egas on Santiago is the most reliable site. Galápagos fur seals are far less numerous than sea lions, much shyer, and they seek shade — you find them tucked under lava overhangs rather than sprawled on a beach.
Can you visit Santiago on a day trip?
Partly. Sullivan Bay is sometimes combined with Bartolomé as a long day trip from Puerto Ayora. Puerto Egas, where the fur seals are, generally requires a cruise.
What happened to the goats on Santiago?
Whalers introduced them and they reached more than 100,000, stripping the island. Between 1997 and 2006 every one was removed — the largest eradication of its kind ever attempted anywhere. The vegetation recovered within a decade.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. If one of them changes and we have not caught up, tell us and we will fix it the same day.
- Galápagos National Park Directorate — Visitor sites, landing rules and which islets are closed to landings.
- Galápagos Conservation Trust — Independent conservation reporting, including the Floreana restoration programme.
- Ecuador Ministry of Tourism — service portal — Ecuador’s register of licensed operators — where our own licence is listed.
Planning this trip yourself?
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