Safari to Isla Santiago

another major conservation success story

Set to the northwest of the central Isla Santa Cruz, Isla Santiago is composed of two substantial overlapping volcanoes, which rise to a maximum altitude of 907 m (2976’).

Area : 585 sq km / 226 sq mi
Location : 30 km northwest of Seymour Airport

Little is known about the relatively verdant interior of the island, since it remains out of bounds to visitors.

The main focus around the coastline are some areas of fascinating young geology, plus wildlife including marine iguanas, sea lions, green turtles, flamingos, dolphins and sharks.

Island name

The island was named after a Spanish saint. It was previously known as Isla San Salvador (after the first island discovered by Columbus in the Caribbean) and James Island (the English equivalent of Santiago).

Conservation

The ecology of Isla Santiago has suffered badly from the intrusion of feral animals. which have really devastated the local flora and fauna. Significant efforts to remedy this situation in recent decades have led to some really significant recovery.

Exotic plants and feral animals including goats, pigs, donkeys, rats and mice may have been first introduced by pirates as far back as the 1700s, but the process seems to have accelerated during the 1920s and 1930s, when a salt mine and settlement were established on the island.

By the time the national park was established in 1959, the population of endemic Santiago giant tortoises had dropped to around 500 animals.

Over decades goats had destroyed the natural woodlands, creating grasslands across the higher elevations of the island. Pigs systematically destroyed the nests of many of the native species, including giant tortoises, sea turtles and Galapagos petrels.

Although it took almost twenty years to achieve, the park authority declared in 2000 that all the feral pigs had been exterminated and by 2006 all the goats and donkeys had also been killed.

The vegetation is rapidly recovering, although there is now a problem with some of the introduced plant species that had been held in check by the goats.

For decades it was believed that on all islands with black rats, the endemic rice rat had become extinct. However, a remnant population of rice rats was discovered on Isla Santiago in 1997. The challenge today is to ensure that this population continues to survive in spite of the presence of black rats, which are still to be exterminated.

In 2019 the park authority reintroduced 1436 Galapagos land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) from Isla Seymour Norte to Isla Santiago. They had become locally extinct 180 years ago, just after the visit of Charles Darwin.

If you specifically want to include Isla Santiago in your trip, then do let us know and we will make sure that you get onto the best and most appropriate vessel.

The island is usually included in the following live-aboard cruise itineraries.

The island can also be visited on day trips from the hotels on Isla Santa Cruz.

usually included in more westerly boat itineraries