The famous view
Two bays and a rock.
kuhnmi — CC BY 2.0 · Pete from USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Cayambe — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Stephen Montgomery from Kallangur, Australia — CC BY-SA 2.0
A small uninhabited island of about one square kilometre that offers the most famous view in the Galápagos: the spiky Pinnacle Rock rising above two crescent bays with golden beaches, and behind them Santiago Island with its black lava fields. Visitors climb a wooden stairway of a few hundred steps to the 114-metre summit, across a moonlike volcanic landscape of small cones and lava in reds, oranges and greys, with a few drought-hardy plants. From the top spreads the celebrated view seen in the 2003 film «Master and Commander». Around Pinnacle Rock visitors snorkel among colourful fish and sea turtles, and may meet Galápagos penguins, which nest in nearby caves and are the only penguins living on the equator. It can only be visited by licensed boat with a national park guide, and operators price the trips. Day trips leave from Santa Cruz, and multi-day cruises stop here. The climb to the summit is exposed to the sun.
Two bays and a rock.
A moonscape.
Penguins and turtles.
Sullivan Bay, east of Santiago Island
Yes, on a day boat trip from Santa Cruz with the summit climb and snorkelling, or as part of a multi-day cruise.