Bartolomé Island — Attraction in Parroquia Bella Vista

I honestly cannot understand all of the glowing reviews for this tour. It was a complete waste of a day. 1 hour bus from town, to a 2 hour extremely rough crossing to the island and the same back as well. 6 hours of travel in total for around 1hr30 of actually doing something, leaving at 7am and not getting back until after 6pm so also ruining our evening was not worth the very very short experience. We snorkelled for maybe 30 minutes, then undertook the very short stroll up to the view point. This was not a hike, it was a boardwalk with a few steps. It took maybe 20 minutes to get up and down. You could see the top from the bottom of the hill. My walk to school was more challenging. People saying they are fit and it was a struggle are fooling themselves. I can imagine this is a wonderful day for those with less mobility or maybe that are older and still want to get out into nature, and I can really appreciate that this would be perfect for that. It just isn’t for everyone and I wish people’s reviews had stated that. The view point is pretty but SIX hours of travelling and a hefty price tag just to see the top of a hill is not worth it at all. We thought with all of the amazing reviews this was a must see so thought it would be worth it. Taking the dingy back to our boat and exploring the coast line for 10 minutes was the only actually good part of the day. If you have a burning interest in geology this might be worth it but this was not the trip for us. We’re two people that like a bit of effort with our activities, multi-day treks, deep water diving, actually moving your body not just sitting still and having the day delivered to you. Do not bother with this if you are at all adventurous, it’s definitely for those that want a good view with little effort and want to sit still for...

An absolutely amazing view. To get there from Santa Cruz we took an hour bus from the main town. Then a 2 hour boat to get there. So it’s about 6 hours in travel and you spend maybe 2 hours there. We left at 6am and got back by 5pm. It’s pretty go go go the whole time except for the 2 hours on the boat back and forth.

Once you are there the guide will take you up the hill. It’s not that hard and it’s a very well maintained wooden track the whole way. I’d only recommend wearing lots of sun protection so hat, sun glasses and lots of sun screen. I had a jacket for the boat as it can be windy depending on the boat you take.

It cost $180 for us on the cheapest boat we could find.

After going to the top and seeing the stunning view you then go snorkelling. We were so lucky we got to swim with the penguins!! We also saw turtles and lots of fish. Absolutely amazing.

The food is ok. We are vegan so breakfast was just fruit and bread with jam. But lunch was pretty good with lots of vegetables and rice followed by more fruit for dessert. I’d bring snacks if you are a big eater.

Totally worth doing even though it’s...

Bartolomé Island was a late part of our first day cruise itinerary through Galapagos Boat Cruises. It was kind of sandwiched into a really busy day that started out grey and dull and then bloomed into the best evening.

It is hard to believe that such a tiny island commands so much adoration. May be its the Pinnacle Rock, an iconic piece of angular volcanic protrusion that you can see from far away on the very nearby Santa Cruz Island, or indeed your ship.

We took a small team of two zodiac tenders right up and past the Pinnacle. And yes, we got to see a few penguins too and the odd pelican that we disturbed.

The sandy bay and dusk light were probably my two best highlights. No wonder the beach was voted one of the best "Wonders of the World". Absolutely wonderful.

They joys of being no a cruise and not a day tour was immense. We got to see so much more, both on the mother vessel, the zodiacs and the land. Rightly so, this is a bucket list cruise you...