Galápagos Geology at Its Rawest

Another stop was a dry landing at Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island. In the Galápagos, most landings are done by dinghy. There are two types: wet landings, where you step into shallow water and wade to shore, and dry landings, where the dinghy pulls up next to rocks or a small dock so you can step out without getting wet. 

Sullivan Bay is one of those dry landings, and the landscape here is unlike anything else. The entire area is a hardened lava field from a volcanic eruption in the late 1800s. The dark, twisted rock formations still show where the lava once flowed, with patterns that look like waves or ropes. It’s dry, silent, and almost moon-like—a genuinely otherworldly place.