PRESERVING NATURE'S WONDERS

Fly into Quito, Ecuador’s capital, where GLA staff will be waiting to greet you! We’ll drive to the hotel near the airport where our group will spend our first and second nights while we prepare for Galapagos with Leadership Curriculum and team- building. Depending on how smooth airport arrivals go, we may get the chance to visit Mitad del Mundo, a monument built exactly where the Equator line passes through Ecuador.

We’ll catch an early morning flight to the Galápagos archipelago and journey to our destination island of Santa Cruz, the second largest island in the Galapagos Island chain. On arrival, we take our bags, meet our local guides and make our way to our Home Base.

Settle in and take the afternoon to move our legs as we walk to the Charles Darwin Center and National Park Breeding Center to learn about their work on the islands. This will help us to wrap our heads around the delicate and unique ecosystem of the islands and help frame our service work that is to come.

Today, you’ll receive an orientation to our service site – a tortoise reserve located in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. We will work to restore the landscape to its once pristine state, which just happens to be a prime habitat for the giant Galápagos tortoises. This is laborious and dirty work, but our efforts are incredibly important to the islands’ long-term health and preserving this unique landscape.

Over the next three days, we’ll continue our work eradicating invasive species that have taken over the land. In the afternoons, we’ll take excursions to some of the Galapagos’ most unique locations, such as Las Grietas, a stretch of inland emerald green water at the bottom of an earth fracture! Swim in crystal clear water or perch on a volcanic rock nearby to take in the beauty of your surroundings.

You’ll also see two impressive earth craters – Los Gemelos – and walk through a massive lava tunnel! Lastly, we’ll explore Tortuga Bay, a lovely beach named for the black sea turtles that nest here. Relax and soak in the day with your peers and spot wildlife. We will do some leadership activities on the beach and reflect on how we can bring the culture and learnings back home.

Today, we journey to San Cristóbal, the easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago and one of the oldest geologically. Once we arrive, we will settle into our Home Base in town, enjoy an energizing lunch, and spend the afternoon exploring as we hike to Mann beach, where we can enjoy ice cream and start to relax into the rhythms of life on this new island. If conditions are right, we can snorkel here.

After a hearty breakfast, hike to the Cristóbal information center to learn about the conservation work. Next, we will continue our walk to enjoy another snorkel location at Tijeretas Beach. On the Galápagos Islands, there is always something new and unique to see!

In the afternoon, we will continue our service journey, meeting with a local woman who works to keep the islands clean by recycling plastic and other materials. She aims to educate local people and change the mentality around single-use plastics. We will spend a few hours learning about her work and participating in a unique recycling workshop.

Start the day with some fresh air and movement as we take a short ride and mellow walk to La Loberia beach to snorkel. You may even have a chance to swim with sea lions as you watch for majestic sea turtles and fish. We will have lunch at a local restaurant to recharge before heading to a school to help with infrastructure projects. We may do some structure refurbishing, painting, or beautification projects — whatever the school requests at the time of the program. We will spend the evening wrapping up our time on the islands, discussing how this once-in-a-lifetime experience has impacted us.

On our final day on the archipelago, we will practice our dance moves with a salsa lesson and then take some time to enjoy the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, buying souvenirs, and taking it easy with our newfound GLA community. After dinner, we’ll reflect in a group on leadership topics, personal motivations, and the community’s issues that we’ve observed: the challenges of balancing human needs with biological protection and preservation and the pressure to develop the islands. Gather in Mentor groups for deeper discussion.

Time to catch our flight back to Quito. Take a final look at the stunning Galapagos islands from above as we lift off over the Pacific. After an early breakfast and final goodbyes, we’ll head to the airport. The GLA team will help you check in and see you off on your return flight home! ¡Adiós Ecuador!