Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
Click here to jump down to the most recent post!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20
¡Hola Hola Families!
The day has finally come for the Galapagos trip to begin! We have been greeting our team of students at the airport and slowly adding members to our awesome community of leaders.
While the students have waited for everyone to join, they have been keeping busy. Our first arrivals took on the staff in a 3 on 3 soccer game (students won). We’ve been playing cards games, tossing a ball to our very energetic homebase pup, drawing funny blob pictures, and all in all have just been having so much fun getting to know one another!
We are still waiting on half of our group as they are rolling in with late night flights (group picture to come tomorrow)!
Tomorrow, we are looking forward to orientation day and to our first outing as a group to go to the Equator Museum in Quito.
We’re so excited to continue to get to know one another and to have some truly spectacular experiences when we get to the Galápagos Islands!
Talk Soon,
The Galapagos Staff Team
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22
¡Hola!
This morning we all woke up to eat some delicious breakfast, we all packed our bags and said goodbye to the hotel dog Bella. They picked up our bags and then we got on the bus to the airport.
At the airport, we all got our tickets and luggage checked in. We waited for a short time and then our plane arrived. It was a short flight that was only about 3½ hours. At the Galapagos Island, we had our backpacks checked and then collected our luggage.
We then got ready to go to our hotel, the airplane had landed on a different island so we took a bus and saw some cool wildlife such as iguanas, next we got on a ferry and saw some crabs, we took another bus to get to our hotel and got ready for lunch and the Charles Darwin museum.
At the Charles Darwin museum, we got an amazing tour of the tortoise sanctuary. We got to see the baby tortoises and how the breeding centers. As well as how they keep the eggs safe and the big tortosies. Then we were guided to a large cold room where they kept a taxidermy of Lonesome George the giant tortoise. Lonesome George is was the last of his spefic tortoise species. After we got to shop around at the exhibit and take photos.
At night time we did our first leadership activity: our community agreement. We then went to sleep to get ready for a full day of service tomorrow!
¡Adios!
-Coral & Erik
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23
¡Hola!
This morning we woke up, ate a nutritious breakfast, and prepared for a long day of service. We then took the bus over to the rancho primesias.
We got fitted with our work boots and got ready to start working. We started with a lesson about the unique tortoises that live there. We even had the chance to climb into old tortoise carpuses and take some fun pictures.
On our way over, we found some grapefruit and orange trees and had the chance to eat some fresh fruit right off the tree.
We then got to work cutting away invasive species in order to make room for the endemic plant species to grow.
We then headed to a sea lion documentary watch, and finished the night with a trip into town to get ice cream and see some animals.
-Mia & Elliot
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24
Today was a really fun day in the Galapagos. We woke up super early and made sure everyone else was awake too by knocking on doors as loud as we could.
After breakfast, we packed our bags and headed to Las Grietas, a natural swimming spot formed in a crack in the rock. We spent about an hour swimming in the crystal clear blue water, diving down and exploring. We also saw loads of fish native to the Galapagos, which made the experience even better.
On the way back, we saw marine iguanas, sea lions, and even Leo the sea lion. Then we took a boat back before heading to lunch.
In the afternoon, we did some service activities and learned more about endemic species, which are plants and animals that are only found in one place. We also spent time hanging out together and playing games, including Dead Man, where Elliott got stuck in the mud, and Splat, an English game taught by Emy and Daisy.
After service, we had a snack break with empanadas and milkshakes which was really fun. Then we took the bus back while listening to music and singing along.
After dinner, we met in our mentor groups and one group went outside to play in the rain!
See you soon!
Emy and London
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25
Hola!
At 9:00 we headed out to our first location, los Gemelos. Los Gemelos is a national park in the Galapagos that is basically a giant crater created by volcanic eruption. We learned about how the island is around 2 million years old and moves around half an inch each year because of the volcanic eruptions. While it was very muddy, the rain made the trees in and surrounding the hole look so pretty.
Outside the tunnels we saw a unique owl in an enclosure before Our legendary guide Fernando led us bravely through some rugged tunnels. we all noticed his exceptional whistling skills that brought tears to our eyes as we walked. The cave was really cool there was a little pond in it and some very interesting designs on the walls.
After eating another amazing lunch we headed out to our last day of service on Santa Cruz, which ended up being the wettest but also coolest day of service yet. Some of us uprooted stumps and some of us planted trees, but all of us ended up completely covered in mud. (Not all of it on accident) after taking some final pictures we were all sad to bid farewell and we are thankful to La Primicias tortoise ranch for the amazing experience.
Breakfast today was a solid start to the day giving us energy with some protein filled scrambled eggs. as lunch rolled around we finished up our site seeing for the day and prepared excellently for service with some nutritious lunch at La Primicias, their meals will truly be missed. After service we came back to base exhausted, and more than happy to be greeted by some fresh fried chicken and French fries for dinner settling our stomachs, and helping us rest before a big day tomorrow!
-Sabine, Cooper
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Today started very early with a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call. Even though everyone was still half asleep, breakfast helped wake us up before we headed out to Tortuga Bay. The walk there was definitely worth it because once we got to the beach, we saw turtles swimming around and even baby sharks in the shallow water!
After spending some time at the beach, we hiked all the way back and headed home for lunch. Everyone was pretty tired after the walk, so it was nice to relax for a bit and eat. After lunch, we got some free time and played card games together.
Later in the afternoon, we headed out for service. Some of us decided to really immerse ourselves in the local culture and community. While we were out, we watched the World Cup match between Ecuador and Germany with the locals, and the atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was so excited, especially when Ecuador won! It was awesome getting to celebrate with everyone and experience how passionate they are about football!
On the way back to base, we made a quick stop where a few of us bought fresh empanadas from local vendors. They were so good and definitely worth the detour. It’s been really cool trying different local foods and supporting the people who live here.
Now we’re back at base, completely exhausted after such a busy but unforgettable day. We’ve had dinner, had some time to relax, and now we’re getting ready to head back into the village to do some final souvenir shopping before we leave for the next island in a few days. It’s hard to believe how fast this trip is going, we can’t believe we’re finishing day 6 already!!
Daisy and Ryan
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
Hola! Hola!
Today our gaggle of students woke up with their suitcases packed to travel across the pacific to the next island: San Cristobal. Our breakfast was surprise scrambled eggs, though the surprise aspect wore off after the third straight day of it being our sole breakfast food.
After breakfast, we took a bus to the harbor and boarded a series of boats to get to the speed boat that would take us to the island. The voyage ended up being about 3 hours of arduous seasickness. Throughout the boat ride we would occasionally become airborne, only to fall into another wave. Suffice to say that sleep was not restful.
Eventually we docked on the sea-lion capital of the Galapagos, and walked to our hotel. Through the walk it became obvious that the moniker was well earned, sea lions flock the waters, beaches, paths, and even benches. We were warned to stay six feet away from them, as to not disturb their rest, but there is not much to do if they waddle up to sniff you.
Next, we went on a fun little walk down to the beach and spent quality time with the sea lions and each other. The sea lions were a once in a lifetime type of experience that you can only experience once. Not only did we experience the animals but we also experienced the local culture with a beautiful snack shack on the beach that was very handy to every single one of us. We saw an absolute beautiful beach. Fortunately, the male seal(the beach master) went straight after another male seal lion almost mistaking it for some of our peers. We made it through the beach and were onto the next.
Everyone was absolutely exhausted from the sun and it was finally time to walk back to the hotel. We got lucky enough to walk through town a little bit and experience the real San Cristabol culture. We finally reached the hotel to get some reliable good food to fill our stomachs perfectly. We even got the chance to eat dinner at sunset with an overview of the town which was beautiful. Now we are watching the World Cup, Columbia vs. Portugal and living the life with the friends we made just a week ago.
-Claire & Archie
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Hola familias y amigos!
Today, we had our first full day in San Cristobal island, and our first official snorkel day! We woke up very early and had a delicious breakfast with eggs, fresh fruit and croissants, prepared by the lovely staff in the kitchen. At around 8:00, we took a short bus ride and took a quick walk to get to La Loberìa, a beautiful rocky beach filled with sea lions (known as Lobos Marinos in Spanish, hence the name of the beach), marine iguanas, and lots of ocean life.
Our local guide, Wilson, was willing to teach us lots about the island and all of the animals that inhabit it as we walked. We got our snorkel gear on and followed Wilson through the ocean as he directed us towards key places. The water was filled with Parrotfish, Sea Urchins, and, surprisingly, turtles! We saw two turtle species, a Hawksbill turtle and a Green Sea turtle, who were both very curious about our group and willing to swim with us. We also saw two adolescent sea lions playing in the rocks, though they were so quick it was hard to get a good look at them.
Once we returned from our snorkeling adventure, we returned to home base to take some much needed showers and have some time to rest. Our lunch was ready around 12:30, and was fried shrimp, rice and a fresh salad. Yum!
After lunch, we began our biggest leadership activity yet- the debate! We were given the issue of how local endemic species of the Galápagos Islands are being harmed by introduced pet species, and, roleplaying as different groups (such as island locals and national park workers), we had to decide what the best solution was. It got a bit heated, but we were eventually able to come to a compromise across all of the groups.
For the second half of our day we experienced an art workshop. In that, we sewed a sea turtle keychain out of string, fabric, and some optional decorations. In addition, there was a shop next door for some snacks to enjoy.
Once back at the hotel, we had some time to relax at the pool. Shortly after we had a delectable meal of potato salad, rice, and some fish. After dinner we had some options to go play soccer or continuing to relax at the hotel.
Sincerely,
Jacob & Caroline
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
Welcome to our day!
Today we had split into two groups for activities and I was group b’s leader. We started with a 8:30 wake up call and headed up for breakfast to start the day. We then played card games until it was time to do our leadership activity with Taylor. We had a great time making the “My Passion Roadmap”. We then headed out for a quick stroll around the town with a few stops on the way. We visited a local bakery and a couple tourist shops. We had a quick lunch then packed up our stuff for snorkeling. We took a boat to Isla lobos and took a tour around the island with many endemic species like the blue footed boobies, Galápagos sea loins, and many others. Then headed back out to the water to snorkel. On our swim we saw green turtles, a sting ray, and numerous sea lions. We then headed to a nearby beach. We had a great time and even saw a beachmaster fight. Then snorkeled back out to boat to head to the harbor. We had to fight through all the sea loins on the dock. When had free time and then headed up for dinner. And finished up the night with soccer and free time.
Group A started off the day with a boat ride to Isla Lobos island. We hiked around the Island see a bunch off Blue Footed Boobies and Sea Lions. Then we went snorkeling around the island to see a bunch of sea turtles. The sea lions joined us swimming around in circles. Then we headed to the beach for a quick break and swim. Then we headed back to the Homebase for a swim in the pool after lunch. After a break we went into the town for some souvenir shopping then we met group B back at the homebase to eat dinner. We ended the day with some soccer at the local park down the street.
With Love,
Cameron & Hannah
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
Buenos Días,
This morning we took a hike to Tijeteras Hill which was where Darwin first landed. We learned a little about the area and then snorkeled. While snorkeling we found a lot of animals native to the Galapagos like different species of iguana, turtles, sea lions, and more.
After we finished snorkeling we went to an information center about the Galapagos. We split into groups and then had to learn and present our section of the information center to each other.
After lunch we had a volunteering session for four hours at a nearby school. During this session we created two murals on a wall both with unique messages and meanings attached to them. The first mural was a map of the Galapagos but the islands were replaced with local foods. This mural also had a message in the bottom saying eat locally. The second mural was of people sitting around a table holding hands with local foods on the table. This mural has writing saying food unites people in Spanish.
After returning from the volunteer work we then had dinner in which we ate beans rice and chicken. While this was happening the Ecuador v Mexico game was delayed. We are currently waiting impatiently for the match to start.
-Will & Sophie
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Hola Hola Hola!!!
It’s our last day of the trip and it’s a busy one!
We started out the day on the terrace overlooking the ocean where we did our first farewell activity. We wrote each other goodbye letters and had our first couple of tears shed!
Then, we headed into town for our last stroll and last trip to our favorite bakery. We grabbed our final souvenirs and then walked to the airport to catch our flight back to Quito.
After a couple hours in the air we landed back in Quito and returned to homebase for our final dinner. We took out the guitar and everyone was singing together after dinner. Then, we held our appreciation circle where we were reminded of all of the fun, adventure, and love we experienced through our last two weeks in Ecuador and we recognized our friends who made the trip so special.
We are so grateful for such a fun filled trip where we made lasting friendships and an important impact on the local communities.
Tomorrow we will start to say goodbye as we begin airport drop offs. Lots of hugs and possibly tears to come!
xoxoxoxo,
Galapagos Group One
