Ecuador
Sullivan Bay, Santiago
Sullivan Bay: A Walk Across Young Lava on Santiago
Sullivan Bay and the islet of Bartolomé inside it are both named after Bartholomew Sulivan, a lieutenant on Darwin's ship, the Beagle. The island of Santiago was formed by two overlapping volcanoes, and its oldest lava is about 750,000 years old. Wildlife is scarce on the lava itself; the rock is the attraction.
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A Guided Landing
Visits to Sullivan Bay are made only with a naturalist guide authorized by Galápagos National Park, and the trail crosses a lava flow on the southeast coast of Santiago Island. The walking is fairly level, but the ground is bare rock with very few plants.
- Nobody lives on Santiago.
- The small island of Bartolomé lies within the bay, and its Pinnacle Rock juts out over the water.
- Most tourist boats visit Santiago, which has other visitor sites at James Bay on its northwest coast.
- Visits ashore are allowed only in daylight, between 6:00 and 18:00, and the national park sets every boat's itinerary.
- A naturalist guide leads no more than 16 visitors at a time.
Visiting Rules
Sullivan Bay is part of Galápagos National Park, so an authorized naturalist guide leads every visit and the park's rules apply from the moment you land.
- Keep to the marked trail and follow the signs.
- Stay at least two meters from every animal, even one that walks toward you, and never feed wildlife.
- Switch off your flash when photographing animals.
- Do not bring food, plants or animals into the islands.
- Smoking and fires are not allowed anywhere in the park, and all rubbish goes back to the boat with you.
- Do not buy souvenirs made from black coral, shells, lava rock, animal parts or native wood.
- Watch where you step: tiny Mollugo plants growing out of cracks in the lava are among the first to settle on this ground.
A Brief History
Santiago was a supply stop for sailors long before it was a park, and its history of introduced animals is closer to that of the inhabited islands than any other uninhabited island's.
- 1684: The English buccaneer Cowley named the island after James, Duke of York, and changed the name in 1685 when James was crowned king.
- Late 1600s: Black rats first reached the Galápagos at James Bay on Santiago.
- 1812 to 1814: Like buccaneers and whalers before him, Captain Porter of the USS Essex took water, wood and tortoises from the island.
- 1835: Darwin and the ship's surgeon spent nine days ashore collecting specimens. He found so many land iguana burrows that they struggled to find space for their tent.
- Second half of the 1800s: The lava flow at Sullivan Bay was laid down.
- 1892: For the 400th anniversary of Columbus's first voyage, Ecuador renamed the island San Salvador; today it is known as Santiago.
- 2000 and 2006: After decades of damage, Santiago was declared free of feral pigs in 2000 and of goats and donkeys in 2006.
- 4 January 2019: 1,436 land iguanas from North Seymour were released on Santiago, about 180 years after the last record of them alive there.
- To learn more ashore: The Charles Darwin Research Station stands on Academy Bay in Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island. It is the base of the Charles Darwin Foundation and has a natural history interpretation center.
Sullivan Bay with Children
There is little wildlife at Sullivan Bay, so it works best for children who are curious about rocks and volcanoes. The lava is dark and open, so sun protection matters even more than usual.
- Younger children: Look for patterns in the black lava, then see who can spot the first tiny plant growing out of a crack.
- School age: Count the small volcanic cones along the trail, and compare the black lava with the older reddish cones that stand out of it.
- Teenagers: Bartolomé's Pinnacle Rock, just across the water, appears in the 2003 film Master and Commander. The land iguanas brought back to Santiago in 2019 are a good story about restoring an island.
Accessible Travel
Landings in the Galápagos can be slippery, and the walk at Sullivan Bay is on bare lava. The trail is relatively flat, but the surface is uneven and can be tiring for anyone with mobility or balance problems.
- Ask your boat before booking how you land at Sullivan Bay and how long the walk takes at your group's pace.
- Bring a hat, water and sun protection.
- Travel health insurance is mandatory for foreign visitors to the Galápagos, so check that your policy covers the islands.
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