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December 27, 1831 - Darwin's Embark
22-year-old Darwin leaves Plymouth, England on the HMS Beagle. -
January, 1832 - Visiting the Cape Verde Islands
A small ways off from the African coast, these Islands are what first inspired Darwin to write a book on his observations about the unique aspects of places he visits. -
February, 1832 - Arrival in Brazil
Darwin arrives to Brazil in February. This is the first time he's seen rainforests, and is enthralled with the flora and fauna of the landscape. -
September, 1832 - Argentinian Fossils
In Punta Alta, Argentina, Darwin is introduced to the region's large, well-maintained fossils. These fossils intrigued Darwin, and he made may observations of the animals' sizes and relative age. -
March, 1833 - Falkland Islands
These islands are located near the coast of South America on the Atlantic side. These islands introduced Darwin to fossils of brachiopods within some of the older rocks. -
January, 1835 - Chilean Earthquake
After rounding the tip of South Africa, Darwin found himself on an Island off the coast of Southern Chile. Here, he experienced an earthquake that raised the ocean floor 9 feet. This made him think of how the earth's surface can change over time. -
September, 1835 - The Galapagos Tortoises
The Galapagos Islands are where Darwin made some his most important observations. Here, he saw many unique and interesting animals. He saw Iguanas that could swim, birds of all different sizes and shapes, and he saw giant tortoises. He noticed each island had their own unique tortoise best suited for each unique environment. This got him thinking, how could one animal have so many different variations between places? -
January, 1836 - Australian Marsupials
Leaving the Galapagos, the HMS Beagle made its way across the Pacific, and arrived in Sydney, Australia in January. There, he marveled at the unique animals that covered the continent, and wondered how Australia got such interesting marsupials while England got their (comparatively) less-interesting mammals. -
April, 1836 - Cocos Coral Reefs
The Cocos Islands are home to some interesting coral reefs, and Darwin gladly visited these islands to test his theory of atoll islands (which is an island that is a complete or partial ring surrounding a circular coral reef). He wrote that he enjoyed visiting these islands, as he believed they to be some of the most beautiful formations on earth. -
October 2, 1836 - Return to England
Late October 2, the HMS Beagle docked in the ports of Falmouth, England, returning Darwin to his home.