AROUND THE GLOBE: Galapagos, Living like Robinson Crusoe

The Galapagos are a group of around thirty islands clustered together in the Pacific. They are classed as a World Heritage Site - a place which must be preserved for all humanity - and indeed appear like one of the last paradises to be found on earth. Here Stéphane Peyron meets Gil, his wife Marta and their little daughter Nathalie. This family has chosen to live in the Galapagos, and here leads a very unusual kind of life. They act as guides to Stéphane in this marvellous garden. People are normally forbidden access to all but 3% of the islands' surface, for they shelter some of the world's most rare and precious species: giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea-lions and many extraordinary birds. Here, at least, harmony has been preserved. As Stéphane discovers more about the islands he also discovers more about Gil, and what made him determined to achieve his dream of living like a latter-day Robinson Crusoe.