Santiago Island
Santiago Island
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
21 reviews
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16
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5
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Luc S
Dendermonde, Belgium8,109 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
We did a zodiac tour along the coastline and the cove.
We also saw the monk.
Plenty of birds, sea lions ao.
Beautifull place
We also saw the monk.
Plenty of birds, sea lions ao.
Beautifull place
Written September 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob J
Southport, NC926 contributions
May 2016 • Friends
We spent a full day at Santiago and visited 3 locations. First we did a photo beach walk at Espumilla Beach. On the way in for a wet landing, we saw a Galápagos shark pass between our panga and the beach. Once on the beach we were thrilled by blue footed boobies dive bombing for food, along with a couple of pelicans that were far less graceful. We also saw a couple of adult Galápagos Hawks chasing away a younger male who wanted to return to the nest for a handout. I guess they don't like their young ones returning home any more than human parents... There were a bunch of ghost crabs along the beach that kept disappearing into their holes. We did spot one at the waters edge and got some nice photos.
After breakfast the National Geographic Islander moved to Buccaneer's Cove where we did a deep water snorkel. We were accompanied by a few white tip sharks that had no interest in us. Quite a few King Angelfish.
Later in the day we did a wet landing on the black sand beach at Puerto Egas. The water was calm so the landing was easy. The trail was very hot and I'd forgotten my water bottle. We finally got out to the lava tubes and I forgot all about my lack of water. The tubes are gorgeous and we got out on them to see the Galápagos fur sea lions (they've been misidentified as "seals"). These sea lions are nocturnal and hide in the crevases. The outgoing tide gave us plenty of opportunity to get great bird and Sally Lightfoot crab photos. There was a heron picking off fish trapped in a tide pool. There were also plenty of marine iguanas, including one with the number "47" painted on his side.
Overall, Santiago Island is a great place to visit.
After breakfast the National Geographic Islander moved to Buccaneer's Cove where we did a deep water snorkel. We were accompanied by a few white tip sharks that had no interest in us. Quite a few King Angelfish.
Later in the day we did a wet landing on the black sand beach at Puerto Egas. The water was calm so the landing was easy. The trail was very hot and I'd forgotten my water bottle. We finally got out to the lava tubes and I forgot all about my lack of water. The tubes are gorgeous and we got out on them to see the Galápagos fur sea lions (they've been misidentified as "seals"). These sea lions are nocturnal and hide in the crevases. The outgoing tide gave us plenty of opportunity to get great bird and Sally Lightfoot crab photos. There was a heron picking off fish trapped in a tide pool. There were also plenty of marine iguanas, including one with the number "47" painted on his side.
Overall, Santiago Island is a great place to visit.
Written May 29, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kyle_P1
Boston, MA382 contributions
Nov 2021
Went for a short walk around some lava fields and saw several sea lions playing as well as some fur sea lions on the other side of the trail. We saw a lot of interesting rock formations including a "sea lion hot tub".
Written November 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christina G
Ringwood, UK715 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
Just of the coast of Santiago you will find some of the most spectacular landscapes in the island.. Its a long walk to the summit but it’s been boarded with handrails. There are 388 steps involved in the climb too. It’s tough in places but well worth the views at the very top. Allow 2 hours.
Written March 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steven N
Columbus, OH278 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
To get here is about a 2 hour boat ride from the dock. The ride there was very smooth and relaxing and the weather was great. On the day I was there the stars aligned. I swam with the sea turtles-- that was a goal. I saw tropical fish of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Here's the kicker-the Galapagos Penguins were there as well. To make things even better, while I was snorkeling, one came out of nowhere and became very curious about me. He started tugging on my flippers and as I was photographing this activity, he took an interest In camera and started pecking at the lens---I kept photographing and got some tremendous penguin selfies. Right place and the right time! The beach was a great walk and the weather very hot and sunny. It was a good day! The ride back to the dock was a bit bumpy with the afternoon winds. My wife does get seasick on occasion and the trip out was fine, but on the way back, she did take her medication and was fine. There were some others on our tour who were a little green under their gills.
Written September 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
floridatraveler33
Jacksonville, FL653 contributions
Feb 2018 • Friends
We actually made 2 stops on Santiago as part of the Celebrity Xpedition cruise. Puerto Egas was the first stop and then Sullivan bay. Puerto Egas is where you will get a nice view of wildlife and Sullivan Bay is the on the other end of the spectrum in evolution where you will see lava flows and learn about different types of lava patterns. Sullivan Bay is a hike across jagged lava rock where you will want your best pair of hiking shoes and carefully placed footing. You don't want to fall on this stuff. You might want to elect to bring your walking stick on this hike.
Written February 16, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heart2Travel2
Eugene, OR369 contributions
Jun 2017 • Family
We went snorkeling here in the afternoon and saw turtles, manta ray and lots of surgeon fish. It was so cool to see the turtles trying to eat the algae off the rocks.
Later we went for a long walk along the pahoehoe (Hawaiian word for smooth, ropey surface rock) lava. It is so interesting to see how the lava flowed.The patterns of the lava were amazing. You have to be careful of the cracks and separations. Totally worth the hike and not strenuous. If you're lucky you can find something to use as a walking stick if you need the stability. Most good cruise ships will offer something to walk with ahead of time.
Later we went for a long walk along the pahoehoe (Hawaiian word for smooth, ropey surface rock) lava. It is so interesting to see how the lava flowed.The patterns of the lava were amazing. You have to be careful of the cracks and separations. Totally worth the hike and not strenuous. If you're lucky you can find something to use as a walking stick if you need the stability. Most good cruise ships will offer something to walk with ahead of time.
Written July 2, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
satobt
Hilo, HI1,693 contributions
Aug 2016 • Solo
We stopped there on the bartolome island tour from santa cruz. There is a beach where we snorkeled and I got to see the galapagos penguins underwater hunting little fish! Darwin stopped here in 1835 also so it makes it more cool!
Written August 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Harry R
Ramat Hasharon, Israel391 contributions
Nov 2019
We had two stops on the Western coast of Santiago Island: Buccaneer's cove and Puerto Egas. The former provides great snorkelling amidst the rocks and caves that used to serve as pirate home. The latter hosted an ill-fated attempt to create a salt mining business. Now it is home yellow land iguanas, impressive in their ugliness.
Written November 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adrian Guadalupe
Quito, Ecuador43 contributions
Sep 2019
a beautiful island closer to baltra airport to live an incredible journey by flora and fauna of galapagos, amazing beaches with colorfull sand and magic landscapes!
Written October 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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