Santiago Island (San Salvador or James) is northwest of Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands Archipelago.James Bay is the most visited point on the west side of the island for its salt crater (Puerto Egas), Sugarloaf Volcano (450 m), fur seal grottos and Espumilla Beach with its flamingo lagoon. Most visitors to this area of James Bay come to see the shoreline south of Puerto Egas, with its striated yellow, brown, and black cliffs of tuff stone, or hardened volcanic ash, which has also been eroded, molded, and polished by the sea into coves and elaborately patterned rocky beaches.
Marine iguanas, sea lions, fur seals, land and sea turtles, flamingos, dolphins and sharks are found here.
Hikers on the coastal trail may be privileged to spot whales or dolphins cruising by offshore or a feeding frenzy of hundreds of boobies or pelicans attacking a school of fish.
