Bartolomé Island

Bartolomé Island (Isla Bartolomé) is a volcanic islet in the Galápagos Islands group, just off the east coast of Santiago Island. It is one of the "younger" islands in the Galápagos archipelago. This island, and Sulivan Bay on Santiago island, are named after naturalist and lifelong friend of Charles Darwin, Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan, who was a lieutenant aboard HMS Beagle.

The islet has a total land area of 1.2 km2, and consists of an extinct volcano and a variety of red, orange, green, and glistening black volcanic formations. A planked 114-metre hiking trail leads up the side of Bartolomé's volcanic cone. The summit provides views across the water to other islands in the archipelago.

Bartolomé is famous for its Pinnacle Rock, a distinctive volcanic plug that juts out over Sullivan Bay. One of two bays divided by a narrow isthmus, Sullivan Bay is known as a snorkelling spot, where visitors may swim with penguins, marine turtles, white-tipped reef sharks, and other tropical fish. Galápagos penguins are frequently seen, and a small cave behind Pinnacle Rock houses a breeding colony. Seasonally, Bartolomé is the mating and nesting site for green turtles, which – along with herons – make use of the gentler beaches. The endemic Galápagos lava cacti colonise the lava fields here.