Bartolome

Bartolome is famous for Pinnacle Rock, a towering, spearheaded obelisk that rises from the ocean's edge and is the best known landmark in the island. Galapagos penguins (the only species of penguin found north of the equator) walk precariously along narrow volcanic ledges at its base. Sea lions snooze on rocky platforms, ready to slide into the water and play with passing snorkelers.

Just below the surface, shoals of tropical fish dodge in and out the rocks past sea urchins, sea stars and anemones. A perfectly crescent, pink-and-white sandy beach is a nesting site for sea turtles, sometimes also found resting in the shallow waters near the shore or in the sand to recover from the arduous task of digging nests, laying eggs and covering them.

Penguins dot the nearby rocks of the next landing site, less than a kilometer away along the eastern shore.
Here, the submerged walls of a tiny volcanic crater give the impression of a fountain pool. This dry landing -no wet feet- is the entrance to a 600 meter (1800 feet) pathway complete with stairs and boardwalks leading to Baritone's summit.

The route is not difficult and presents a museum of vulcanology; a site left untouched after its last eruption, where cones stand in various stages of erosion and lava tubes form bobsled-like runs from the summit. At the top you will be rewarded with spectacular views of Santiago Island and James Bay to the west, and far below, Pinnacle Rock and Bartolome, where your transportation back will be waiting in the crystal blue waters of the bay.