The Voyage of the Beagle — Interactive 3D Route

Charles Darwin’s voyage aboard HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836 carried him around South America, the Galapagos, the Pacific, Australia, and the Atlantic. His observations of geology, fossils, wildlife, and island species during the journey became crucial foundations for his later theory of evolution by natural selection.

This trip's route plotted on an interactive 3D globe, stop by stop. Prefer a plain written itinerary? See the 2D trip itinerary for the same trip.

1. Devonport, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom

   1831-12-27

   HMS Beagle departs with Charles Darwin aboard

   1 photo

2. Ferry: Devonport, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom → Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

3. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

   1832-01-06

   sails off Tenerife but cannot land because of quarantine

   1 photo

4. Ferry: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain → Porto Praya, Santiago, Cape Verde

5. Porto Praya, Santiago, Cape Verde

   1832-01-16

   first extended stop; Darwin studies volcanic rocks and tropical landscapes

   1 photo

6. Ferry: Porto Praya, Santiago, Cape Verde → Saint Peter and Saint Paul Rocks, Atlantic Ocean, Brazil

7. Saint Peter and Saint Paul Rocks, Atlantic Ocean, Brazil

   1832-02-16

   lands on the remote equatorial rocks

   1 photo

8. Ferry: Saint Peter and Saint Paul Rocks, Atlantic Ocean, Brazil → Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

9. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

   1832-02-20

   anchors at the Atlantic island

   1 photo

10. Ferry: Fernando de Noronha, Brazil → Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

11. Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

    1832-02-28

    encounters Brazilian rainforest and slavery

    1 photo

12. Ferry: Bahia, Salvador, Brazil → Abrolhos Islands, Brazil

13. Abrolhos Islands, Brazil

    1832-03-27

    surveys coral and coastal islands

    1 photo

14. Ferry: Abrolhos Islands, Brazil → Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

15. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    1832-04-04

    begins long stay and inland excursions around Rio

    1 photo

16. Ferry: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil → Montevideo, Uruguay

17. Montevideo, Uruguay

    1832-08-04

    reaches the River Plate

    1 photo

18. Ferry: Montevideo, Uruguay → Bahia Blanca, Argentina

19. Bahia Blanca, Argentina

    1832-09-16

    explores the pampas and fossil beds

    1 photo

20. Ferry: Bahia Blanca, Argentina → Punta Alta, Argentina

21. Punta Alta, Argentina

    1832-10-08

    collects major fossil mammal remains

    1 photo

22. Ferry: Punta Alta, Argentina → Cape San Sebastian, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

23. Cape San Sebastian, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

    1832-12-16

    enters Tierra del Fuego waters

    1 photo

24. Ferry: Cape San Sebastian, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina → Bay of Good Success, Argentina

25. Bay of Good Success, Argentina

    1832-12-17

    meets Fuegians near the southeastern coast

    1 photo

26. Ferry: Bay of Good Success, Argentina → Cape Horn, Chile

27. Cape Horn, Chile

    1832-12-22

    doubles Cape Horn in severe southern seas

    1 photo

28. Ferry: Cape Horn, Chile → Goree Sound, Navarino Island, Chile

29. Goree Sound, Navarino Island, Chile

    1833-01-15

    anchors among the channels of Tierra del Fuego

    1 photo

30. Ferry: Goree Sound, Navarino Island, Chile → Darwin Sound, Chile

31. Darwin Sound, Chile

    1833-01-30

    explores a channel later bearing Darwin's name

    1 photo

32. Ferry: Darwin Sound, Chile → Port Louis, Falkland Islands

33. Port Louis, Falkland Islands

    1833-03-13

    first Falklands visit after British occupation

    1 photo

34. Ferry: Port Louis, Falkland Islands → Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina

35. Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina

    1833-08-24

    begins overland travel across the Argentine plains

    1 photo

36. Ferry: Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina → Buenos Aires, Argentina

37. Buenos Aires, Argentina

    1833-09-20

    reaches Buenos Aires during political unrest

    1 photo

38. Ferry: Buenos Aires, Argentina → Santa Fe, Argentina

39. Santa Fe, Argentina

    1833-10-02

    travels inland along the Parana system

    1 photo

40. Ferry: Santa Fe, Argentina → Puerto Deseado, Argentina

41. Puerto Deseado, Argentina

    1833-12-23

    anchors at Port Desire on the Patagonian coast

    1 photo

42. Ferry: Puerto Deseado, Argentina → Puerto San Julian, Argentina

43. Puerto San Julian, Argentina

    1834-01-09

    surveys Port St Julian

    1 photo

44. Ferry: Puerto San Julian, Argentina → Rio Santa Cruz, Argentina

45. Rio Santa Cruz, Argentina

    1834-04-21

    ascends the Santa Cruz River inland

    1 photo

46. Ferry: Rio Santa Cruz, Argentina → Port Famine, Strait of Magellan, Chile

47. Port Famine, Strait of Magellan, Chile

    1834-06-01

    reaches the Strait of Magellan

    1 photo

48. Ferry: Port Famine, Strait of Magellan, Chile → Valparaiso, Chile

49. Valparaiso, Chile

    1834-07-23

    first major Chilean port on the Pacific coast

    1 photo

50. Horse: Valparaiso, Chile → Santiago, Chile

51. Santiago, Chile

    1834-08-14

    travels inland from Valparaiso

    1 photo

52. Horse: Santiago, Chile → Ancud, Chiloe Island, Chile

53. Ancud, Chiloe Island, Chile

    1834-11-21

    begins work around Chiloe

    1 photo

54. Ferry: Ancud, Chiloe Island, Chile → Castro, Chiloe Island, Chile

55. Castro, Chiloe Island, Chile

    1834-11-29

    crosses southern Chiloe by land

    1 photo

56. Ferry: Castro, Chiloe Island, Chile → Chonos Archipelago, Chile

57. Chonos Archipelago, Chile

    1835-01-14

    surveys the broken islands south of Chiloe

    1 photo

58. Ferry: Chonos Archipelago, Chile → Valdivia, Chile

59. Valdivia, Chile

    1835-02-08

    experiences the great Chilean earthquake region

    1 photo

60. Ferry: Valdivia, Chile → Concepcion, Chile

61. Concepcion, Chile

    1835-03-04

    sees earthquake damage around Concepcion and Talcahuano

    1 photo

62. Horse: Concepcion, Chile → Mendoza, Argentina

63. Mendoza, Argentina

    1835-03-18

    crosses the Andes toward Mendoza

    1 photo

64. Horse: Mendoza, Argentina → Copiapo, Chile

65. Copiapo, Chile

    1835-06-22

    studies mining country and Andean geology

    1 photo

66. Ferry: Copiapo, Chile → Iquique, Chile

67. Iquique, Chile

    1835-07-12

    visits the nitrate coast

    1 photo

68. Ferry: Iquique, Chile → Callao and Lima, Peru

69. Callao and Lima, Peru

    1835-07-19

    anchors off Lima before crossing the Pacific

    1 photo

70. Ferry: Callao and Lima, Peru → San Cristobal Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

71. San Cristobal Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

    1835-09-15

    reaches the Galapagos Islands

    1 photo

72. Ferry: San Cristobal Island, Galapagos, Ecuador → Floreana Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

73. Floreana Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

    1835-09-24

    observes tortoises and island settlement

    1 photo

74. Ferry: Floreana Island, Galapagos, Ecuador → Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

75. Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

    1835-09-29

    explores volcanic Galapagos landscapes

    1 photo

76. Ferry: Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador → Santiago Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

77. Santiago Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

    1835-10-08

    collects birds, reptiles, and plants

    1 photo

78. Ferry: Santiago Island, Galapagos, Ecuador → Tahiti, French Polynesia, France

79. Tahiti, French Polynesia, France

    1835-11-15

    arrives in Polynesia

    1 photo

80. Ferry: Tahiti, French Polynesia, France → Matavai Bay, Tahiti, French Polynesia, France

81. Matavai Bay, Tahiti, French Polynesia, France

    1835-11-20

    stays near Matavai Bay

    1 photo

82. Ferry: Matavai Bay, Tahiti, French Polynesia, France → Bay of Islands, Paihia, New Zealand

83. Bay of Islands, Paihia, New Zealand

    1835-12-21

    reaches New Zealand

    1 photo

84. Ferry: Bay of Islands, Paihia, New Zealand → Sydney, Australia

85. Sydney, Australia

    1836-01-12

    arrives in New South Wales

    1 photo

86. Horse: Sydney, Australia → Bathurst, Australia

87. Bathurst, Australia

    1836-01-20

    travels inland across the Blue Mountains

    1 photo

88. Ferry: Bathurst, Australia → Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

89. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

    1836-02-05

    anchors at Hobart Town

    1 photo

90. Ferry: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia → King George Sound, Albany, Australia

91. King George Sound, Albany, Australia

    1836-03-06

    last Australian landfall

    1 photo

92. Ferry: King George Sound, Albany, Australia → Cocos Keeling Islands, Australia

93. Cocos Keeling Islands, Australia

    1836-04-01

    studies coral reefs and atolls

    1 photo

94. Ferry: Cocos Keeling Islands, Australia → Port Louis, Mauritius

95. Port Louis, Mauritius

    1836-04-29

    stops in the Indian Ocean

    1 photo

96. Ferry: Port Louis, Mauritius → Simon's Town, South Africa

97. Simon's Town, South Africa

    1836-05-31

    reaches the Cape of Good Hope

    1 photo

98. Ferry: Simon's Town, South Africa → Cape Town, South Africa

99. Cape Town, South Africa

    1836-06-01

    visits Cape Town and nearby districts

    1 photo

100. Ferry: Cape Town, South Africa → Saint Helena, St. Helena

101. Saint Helena, St. Helena

     1836-07-08

     examines the island's geology and Napoleon-era landscape

     1 photo

102. Ferry: Saint Helena, St. Helena → Ascension Island, St. Helena

103. Ascension Island, St. Helena

     1836-07-19

     stops at the volcanic Atlantic island

     1 photo

104. Ferry: Ascension Island, St. Helena → Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

105. Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

     1836-08-01

     returns briefly to Brazil on the homeward leg

     1 photo

106. Ferry: Bahia, Salvador, Brazil → Porto Praya, Santiago, Cape Verde

107. Porto Praya, Santiago, Cape Verde

     1836-08-31

     revisits Cape Verde before the Atlantic crossing

     1 photo

108. Ferry: Porto Praya, Santiago, Cape Verde → Terceira, Azores, Portugal

109. Terceira, Azores, Portugal

     1836-09-20

     final Atlantic island stop before Britain

     1 photo

110. Ferry: Terceira, Azores, Portugal → Falmouth, England, United Kingdom

111. Falmouth, England, United Kingdom

     1836-10-02

     Darwin leaves the Beagle after nearly five years

     1 photo