Puerto Egas (Egas Port)
Puerto Egas, on James Bay on the west coast of Santiago, is one of the most varied visits in the central islands. The panga lands on a beach of black volcanic sand, in a…
More about Puerto Egas (Egas Port)Galápagos islands · 8 visitor sites
42 yachts and catamarans include Santiago in their routes, with departures from November 2026 to December 2028. Compare dates and fares, then ask us for your offer.
Book with Dana Tours and enjoy complimentary nights in Mindo Cloud Forest at our own Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa.
About the island
Santiago, also known as San Salvador and, to old English sailors, James Island, lies in the center of the Galápagos. Charles Darwin spent nine days here in October 1835, and the island offers some of the most striking volcanic landscapes in the archipelago, together with fur seals, marine iguanas and excellent snorkeling.
Santiago covers 572 square kilometers (221 square miles) and rises to 905 meters (2,970 feet). It has no human residents. Salt was extracted from a crater near James Bay in the 1920s and the 1960s, and a colonization attempt in the 1930s failed. The goats, pigs and donkeys introduced in the past were removed by 2006, in one of the largest island restoration projects ever carried out.
On our cruises Santiago appears in most central and western routes, usually combined with Santa Cruz, Bartolomé, North Seymour, Isabela and Fernandina. At James Bay, Puerto Egas (Egas Port) is a wet landing on a black-sand beach, with a coastal trail of lava pools and grottoes where Galápagos fur seals rest in the shade, and a longer hike inland to the old salt mine crater. Espumilla Beach is a sea turtle nesting beach with a trail through the dry forest, and Buccaneer Cove, once an anchorage for pirates, is explored by panga along its cliffs. Sullivan Bay, on the east coast, is a walk across a lava flow formed in the second half of the 1800s, its ropy pahoehoe surface still black and almost bare. Across a narrow channel, Chinese Hat, a small cone-shaped islet, adds snorkeling with sea lions and, sometimes, Galápagos penguins.
The Santiago rice rat, once thought extinct, was rediscovered in 1997, and the coasts of the island are among the best places to see fur seals, which have thicker fur and larger eyes than sea lions. Galápagos hawks often watch the trails from above.
Santiago suits travelers who enjoy geology and photography. The lava at Sullivan Bay is uneven and has no shade, and the trail at Puerto Egas crosses slippery rocks near the pools.
Visitor sites
Each site is visited with a certified naturalist guide of the Galápagos National Park.
Puerto Egas, on James Bay on the west coast of Santiago, is one of the most varied visits in the central islands. The panga lands on a beach of black volcanic sand, in a…
More about Puerto Egas (Egas Port)Sullivan Bay, on the east coast of Santiago, is a walk across one of the youngest and most beautiful lava fields in the Galápagos. The lava flowed here in the second…
More about Sullivan BayChinese Hat, or Sombrero Chino, is a small volcanic islet off the southeast coast of Santiago, named for its perfect cone shape. The yachts anchor in the narrow…
More about Chinese HatBuccaneer Cove, on the northwest coast of Santiago, was a favorite hideout of the pirates and buccaneers who sailed the Pacific in the late 17th and early 18th…
More about Buccaneer CoveEspumilla Beach, on James Bay on the northwest coast of Santiago, is the largest beach on the island: a long stretch of golden sand backed by mangroves and dry forest…
More about Espumilla BeachCousins Rock is a small, triangular islet off the east coast of Santiago, a little north of Bartolomé: all that remains of an eroded volcanic cone, rising from the sea…
More about Cousins RockAlbany Rock, or Albany Islet, is a crescent-shaped islet off the northwest coast of Santiago, close to Buccaneer Cove. Its curve shelters a small cove, which makes it a…
More about Albany RockThe Salt Mine Volcano is a small volcanic cone inland from Puerto Egas, on James Bay on the west coast of Santiago, with a shallow salt-water lagoon in its crater. In…
More about Salt Mine VolcanoLive dates & prices
The next 12 of 3,834 departures that include Santiago. Fares are per person, based on two guests sharing a cabin.
| Departure | Yacht | Route | Price per person | Mindo gift | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | |||||
| 2 – 5 Nov4 days / 3 nights |
 Archipel IMid-range catamaran · 16 guests
|
A4 · Santiago, North Seymour & South PlazaSan Cristóbal → Baltra | US$2,165 |
Complimentary nightsAll meals & transfers | See departure4 places left |
| 2 – 9 Nov8 days / 7 nights |
 LegendLuxury cruise ship · 100 guests
|
A+B · Genovesa, Fernandina, Isabela & SantiagoBaltra | US$6,063 | ★ All-InclusiveWith private guide | See departureAvailable |
| 3 – 6 Nov4 days / 3 nights |
 InfinityLuxury motor yacht · 20 guests
|
4A · Genovesa, Santiago & RábidaBaltra | US$4,545 | + Mindo PlusActivity tickets included | See departure2 places left |
| 3 – 9 Nov7 days / 6 nights |
 SolarisFirst Class motor yacht · 16 guests
|
A · Fernandina, Isabela & SantiagoBaltra | US$5,600 |
★ All-InclusiveWith private guide | See departure2 places left |
| 4 – 11 Nov8 days / 7 nights |
 Grand Queen BeatrizFirst Class motor yacht · 16 guests
|
C · Española, Bartolomé, Santiago & South PlazaBaltra | US$4,973 | + Mindo PlusActivity tickets included | See departure1 place left |
| 4 – 11 Nov8 days / 7 nights |
 Cachalote ExplorerFirst Class motor yacht · 16 guests
|
Fernandina, Isabela, Bartolomé & North SeymourBaltra | US$5,130 |
★ All-InclusiveWith private guide | See departureAvailable |
| 5 – 9 Nov5 days / 4 nights |
LegendLuxury cruise ship · 100 guests
|
B · Fernandina, Isabela & SantiagoBaltra | US$3,959 | + Mindo PlusActivity tickets included | See departureAvailable |
| 5 – 12 Nov8 days / 7 nights |
LegendLuxury cruise ship · 100 guests
|
B+C · Fernandina, Isabela, Bartolomé & North SeymourBaltra → San Cristóbal | US$6,304 |
★ All-InclusiveWith private guide | See departureAvailable |
| 6 – 13 Nov8 days / 7 nights |
 Aqua Mare SuperyachtLuxury motor yacht · 16 guests
|
WEST · Fernandina, Isabela, Floreana & North SeymourBaltra | US$11,550 | ★ All-InclusiveWith private guide | See departureAvailable |
| 6 – 11 Nov6 days / 5 nights |
Cachalote ExplorerFirst Class motor yacht · 16 guests
|
Fernandina, Isabela & Bartolomé | US$3,895 |
+ Mindo PlusActivity tickets included | See departureAvailable |
| 8 – 15 Nov8 days / 7 nights |
Grand Queen BeatrizFirst Class motor yacht · 16 guests
|
B · Bartolomé, Santiago, North Seymour & RábidaSan Cristóbal → Baltra | US$4,973 | + Mindo PlusActivity tickets included | See departure1 place left |
| 8 – 11 Nov4 days / 3 nights |
Grand Queen BeatrizFirst Class motor yacht · 16 guests
|
B · Bartolomé & SantiagoSan Cristóbal → Baltra | US$2,132 | Complimentary nightsAll meals & transfers | See departure1 place left |
Yachts & catamarans
Good to know
42 yachts and catamarans include Santiago in their routes, with 3,834 upcoming departures between November 2026 and December 2028. Fares start at US$2,104 per person, based on two guests sharing a cabin.
Cruises that include Santiago last from 4 to 15 days. Longer routes combine it with more islands.
Puerto Egas (Egas Port) (wet landing), Sullivan Bay (wet landing), Chinese Hat (wet landing), Buccaneer Cove (no landing), Espumilla Beach (wet landing), Cousins Rock (no landing). Every visit is led by a certified naturalist guide of the Galápagos National Park.
American Oystercatcher, Blue-Footed Booby, Brown Pelican, Darwin’s Finches, Galapagos Dove, Galapagos Frigatebirds, Galapagos Fur Seal, Galapagos Green Turtle, Galapagos Hawk, Galapagos Lava Gull, Galapagos Lava Heron, Galapagos Lava Lizard.
Yes. Every cruise booked with Dana Tours comes with complimentary nights at our own Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa in Mindo Cloud Forest (usually 2–3, more on request), with all meals and private transfers from Quito. Departures with a fare of US$3,500 or more per person include Mindo Plus, with tickets for Mindo’s top experiences, and those of US$5,000 or more are marked ★ and include our Mindo All-Inclusive program, with your own private guide throughout.
Your Mindo Cloud Forest stay
Your written offer lists exactly what’s included for your departure — before you book. How it works · Cruises with Mindo All-Inclusive
We understand the lay of the land (and ocean)
Book with a local, “we’re on the ground here for you!”
Not sure which cruise? Talk to David and the Dana Tours team. We’ll help you compare routes, cabins and your stay in Mindo Cloud Forest.
Includes complimentary nights in Mindo Cloud Forest for your group
We have received your charter request. David and the Dana Tours team will reply within 24 hours with the operator’s charter offer and your group’s stay in Mindo Cloud Forest.
We have also sent you a confirmation email. If you cannot find it, or have not heard from us within 24 hours, please check your spam or promotions folder.
