On 8th October 1835, the survey ship HMS Beagle
anchored in this bay.
Onboard was Charles Darwin and he and four companions
were put ashore on this island for a week.
An island that he described as both picturesque and curious.
In Darwin's day it was called James Island.
Today it's known an Santiago.
At almost 600 square kilometres,
it's one of the larger islands in the Galapagos.
Its highest point is 900 metres above sea level.
On Santiago Darwin met two Spaniards
who were hard at work butchering tortoises for their meat.
Together they had an uncomfortable walk across this lava field.
Eventually they arrived at this volcanic lake
where the Spaniards collected salt to use as a preservative.
Darwin was fascinated by local flora and fauna.
He described the Galapagos as a world within itself,
full of creatures that were both curious and remarkable.
The islands were teeming with wildlife.
There were so many land iguanas, for instance,
that Darwin found it difficult to pitch his tent
without covering their burrows.
Today, there are none left on Santiago.
In total Darwin spent five weeks on the Galapagos
experimenting, observing and collecting specimens.
As for tortoise meat, he noted that it tasted particularly good
when roasted in its shell.