Galapagos Santiago Island
 Galapagos Santiago Island also known as San Salvador Island is a fascinating place to visit due to its past volcanic activity.Its name in English is James Island and has an area of 585 Km2 which means that this is the fourth Island in size of this Archipelago. Visitors love to visit James Island because it has some spectacular tourist sites. This Galapagos Island is located between Isabela and Santa Cruz Islands. This Island offers a wide variety of seabirds, marine iguanas and fur seals. James bay is a black lava seashore that was also explored by Charles Darwin during his visit in 1835. At Puerto Egas you will have a view of Sugar loaf volcano, from its crater was extracted salt during the 1920s and 1960s. Santiago Island has two volcanoes. The first located on the northwest and the second volcano on the southeast end of the Island. You will make a wet landing to enter this Island. The main Galapagos Activities are Hiking, birdwatching, swimming and snorkeling. Behind the beach of Puerto Egas you will walk through a tourist circular trail of approximately 2 km that leads to Sugar Loaf Volcano. Be ready to take some pictures of the stunning surrounding landscape. It is a great place for birdwatching. Wildlife in Santiago Island is abundant, you will see among others hundreds of lava lizards, marine iguanas, Galapagos Flamingos sally light-foot crabs are, Galapagos penguins, blue-footed boobies and Galapagos Hawks Sites to Visit in Santiago IslandPuerto EgasIt is located to the West of Santiago Island and is also known as South James Bay. You will make a wet landing on a black sand beach and then a walk along the rocky coast line that will you show you a view of some of Galapagos' best tide pools.The black lava towers and craters are filled with crystal-clear seawater. Shortly after landing you will follow a trail that goes through a volcano crater from which Salt was extracted some decades ago. The trail follows the path once used by wagon trains to the crater cone. There's another expedition you can make at Santiago Island. This one starts beyond the tide pools where visitors will meet with Galapagos Fur Seals and Galapagos Sea Lions. You will have a great opportunity to snorkel and swim with them. Espumilla BeachIt is located north of Puerto Egas. This is gold-color sand beach and it is considered to be one of the most attractive spots in the Galapagos Islands.Many visitors come to this place for birdwatching rather than just swimming. Take a walk through the mangrove trees until you reach a lagoon that is usually inhabited by a group of Flamingos, White Cheeked Pintails and common Stilts. Also Sea Turtles visit this mangrove forest to nest, so you must be careful not to step on one of these animals. Along the trail you will see a variety of Galapagos Finches and Vermilion Fly Catchers. You will definitively love to swim and snorkel at this beautiful beach. Sullivan BayThis bay is located at the East of Santiago Island. The lava field with its fascinating shapes and textures is what visitors mostly like. The black lava flows here seem as if they just cooled of the day before.The lava from Sullivan Bay is known as Panoehoe (Hawaiian for Rope). The thin lava molten material cools down after an eruption causing the surface materials to clasp creating the shape of a rope. Panoehoe Lava is very common to the volcanoes of the Galapagos Islands. Take a look at the crystallized volcanic glass along the 2km trail around the bay and the tuff cones that were once rocky islands before the lava flows. As for wildlife, you will come across with some Black Marine Iguanas that had adapted well to this terrain. The hike around Sullivan bay will take you around 1 hour and a half. After this walk, you will enjoy swimming in a beautiful coralline beach. Buccaneer CoveIt is a historical place, because it was a favorite spot for pirates, sailors and whalers, who often found fresh water, salt, tortoises and other supplies during the 17th and 18th centuries.It is located northwest of Santiago Island. There are no landing points at Buccaneer Cove, but you will be able to see from your boat the amazing Galapagos Landscapes of this location. Galapagos Recommended Reading:Birds, Mammals, and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands This is the most comprehensive guide to the unique wildlife of the Galapagos, excellent and detailed descriptions of its extraordinary birds, mammals, and reptiles. (Highly recommended) The Diving Guide: Galapagos Islands
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