Are you looking at Galapagos Island day tours and wondering which one would be best? Or are you trying to decide if a Bartolome Island tour is worth it? Well, you are in the right place.
Keep reading to get all the tour details and learn from our experience on a day tour to Bartolome Island. Then decide for yourself. I think it was pretty remarkable!
Bartolome Island is one of the 127 islands in the Galápagos and a very popular day trip from Santa Cruz Island. Our Airbnb host recommended the Bartolome Island day tour to us and said it was one of the best day trips from Santa Cruz.
We love getting advice from locals, so we accepted. She set up our tour for us, but I have all the details below if you want to go with the same tour company. It really was one of our favorite day trips on our trip to the Galápagos Islands.
I find many tourists that take land-based trips to the Galapagos, end up only exploring, Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal Islands. It is easiest to get to these islands because they have towns on them, so it makes sense.
You should definitely see those islands, but if you are going to take one day trip tour, I would splurge for the Bartolome Island tour.
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Where Is Bartolome Island?
Bartolome is one of the most photographed locations in the Galapagos with a golden sandy beach and a spire that rises into the air surrounded by turquoise sea. Just gorgeous! It is one of the most popular day tours in the Galapagos, for good reason.
Fun Fact: It was also the site where the Galapagos portions of the Russell Crowe movie “Master and Commander” was filmed.
Bartolome Island is a tiny northern island in between Santa Cruz Island and Isabela Island and next to the larger Isla Santiago.
While you can take a tour from Isabela Island too, I would advise against it. It was a pretty long trip from Santa Cruz, and Santa Cruz Island is much closer.
How To Book A Day Tour To Bartolome Island
It was very nice of our Airbnb host to arrange our Bartolome Island day tour for us. She booked it through Nature Galapagos Tours. They do many different tours from overnight adventures to day tours.
We really liked our naturalist guides, the staff and the sailboat was also comfortable, although slow. It made for a peaceful time on the water, but don’t expect to get to your destination quickly.
For the best price and to find the best reliable tour company, we recommend that you speak with your hotel or Airbnb host to find out which tours companies they recommend. They will know which ones have the best reputation and the best prices.
We have been told by others that booking your tours in advance online can be more expensive. I don’t have first hand experience with this, so I’m not sure if this is actually true.
For our day tour to Bartolome Island, we spent $953 dollars for our family of four which included tip and wetsuit rentals.
Things to note: It was in 2022, so it has been a few years. It was also the off-season. We did the tour in October. If you are visiting in mid-December to mid-January or June through August, I would expect higher prices.
Start Of The Tour – Arriving To The Sailboat
We have to be on a bus at 5:50am? I haven’t had to get up and be ready for the day in, well I guess since we flew down to the Galápagos Islands at the end of September. BUT STILL!
The Bartolome Island tour was going to make for a long day. We were so excited! But that didn’t matter. We were all in!
This was one of the few day tours we booked before arriving in the Galápagos Islands. We knew it was going to be a good one!
Getting anywhere in the Galapagos, we have found out, takes awhile. The islands are further apart than we expected.
At 6:00 am, we were picked up in an old bus. We drove for 45 minutes, all of the way across Santa Cruz island to the channel we crossed when we first arrived to the archipelago.
From there we got on a dinghy that passed cute sea lions napping on a buoy and brought us to our sailboat for the day.
Sailing To Bartolome Island
After we ate a nice breakfast below deck, we received a short security rundown and then took off. We were excited to be on the water and scanned the horizon for any type of wildlife.
Besides the group of frigate birds following our boat, we didn’t see too much. However, we still enjoyed the sprays of water on our face and the smell of the sea.
After two hours on the sailboat, we had arrived.
Hiking To The Viewpoint
The first part of the Bartolome Island tour started with a hike up a series of wooden walkways and staircases. We stopped at various platforms to hear about the ecology and geology of the area, for folks to catch their breath, and to take a few pictures.
This island is young, so vegetation is in short supply, while evidence of lava flows is abundant. While inhospitable, it creates a stunning foreground for taking in the bright blue and green waters of the surrounding Pacific Ocean.
Finally, we got to the top of Bartolome Island. I think it speaks for itself. Look at that view! 😍
Looking For Penguins On The Bartolome Island Tour
After climbing back down the stairs, we were taken out on the dinghy for the next part of the Bartolome Island tour. We were going to look for the penguins!!!
Who the heck even knew penguins existed in the Galápagos?!? We had no idea! Our guide explained that there are only 12 penguins that live in the colony on Bartolome Island, but they are more abundant on other more remote islands in the Galápagos.
After gliding around the area in our little boat, we see them! Well 2 of them. They are soooo adorable. Check them out!
Snorkeling With Sea Turtles
After a quick snack of some sort of baked banana treat back on the sailboat, (scrumptious) we prepared to go snorkeling. We never realized that the water around the Galápagos would be so chilly.
This is one of the reasons the penguins can live here. This also means jumping into the water without a wetsuit would be unenjoyable. The kids decided to pass on the snorkeling as they didn’t feel confident swimming yet, but Mike and I both wanted to go.
We jumped into the bright aqua water and started snorkeling along the rocky coastline towards a picture perfect sandy beach where the kids hung out.
And yes they were perfectly safe on the beach by themselves. Only tour groups come to this part of the islands, and we were the only ones there.
This snorkeling experience turned out to be the best either of us had ever experienced.
Watch a video I created on YouTube here that shows what we saw in Bartolome while snorkeling! It was incredible.
We only saw one small shark which, I guess, was the only “disappointing” part. (We would have liked to see a large shark…but oh well I guess a small one is fine. I can’t even listen to myself here. Ridiculous!)
We did swim through multiple schools of fish… like thousands of fish swimming right at and around your body. The best part of it all was seeing 3 sea turtles!!!! We swam right up to them!!!
Return Trip On The Bartolome Island Tour
After snorkeling we jumped back on the sailboat and enjoyed a nice lunch. Then we began the 2-hour journey back to Isla Santa Cruz.
The waves were a little choppier on the way back so we hunkered down on the deck (to avoid getting sea sick) and tried to enjoy the scenery while the sea regularly splashed us.
The kids got too cold above, so they went down below. This is how we found them. It was a long day for them, but at least they got a nap! 😂
Reflecting On The Day Trip To Bartolome Island
While the Bartolome Island day tour was an experience we will remember forever, it was a long day, and we were exhausted by the end. After consideration, we think that this was definitely worth it!
The views, the penguins, and the snorkeling were all spectacular. The negatives for us were that it was expensive and it felt a bit rushed. We would have liked more time to enjoy the location.
Enjoy this blog post? Read our other posts on the Galápagos Islands:
- Galapagos Entry Requirements: What You Need To Know Before Visiting
- North Seymour Island – Day trip in the Galápagos Islands
- The Best Things To Do On Santa Cruz Galapagos
- Costs In The Galapagos: How To Budget Your Trip
- Amazing Things To Do On Isabela Island Galapagos
- Where To See The Amazing Giant Tortoises On Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos
