Bartolomé Island

Bartolomé Island

Bartolomé Island (Spanish: Isla Bartolomé) is a small volcanic island in the Galápagos Islands, just off the east coast of Santiago Island. It is one of the younger islands in the Galápagos group. The island was named after Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan, a friend of Charles Darwin. He sailed with Darwin on the HMS Beagle.

The island covers about 1.2 square kilometres. It has the remains of an extinct volcano. The volcano has colorful red, orange, green, and black rocks. Visitors can hike a 114-metre trail up the volcano. From the top, you can see great views of the islands around it.

Bartolomé Island is famous for Pinnacle Rock. This is a tall rock that rises above Sullivan Bay. The bay is a popular place for swimming and snorkelling. People can see Galápagos penguins, marine turtles, small sharks, and many tropical fish there. There is a cave behind Pinnacle Rock. A group of penguins live and breed in this cave. The island's beaches are also used by green turtles for nesting. Herons also come to the beaches. Unique lava cacti grow in the island's lava fields.