Galápagos Wildlife Watch

The following post features student writing. ¡Hola! For our activity day in San Cristobol, we went to Kicker Rock and the beach. We split in two groups of 10 with naturalists and our charter boats. We sailed out to Kicker Island where we spotted two…

Day 20: Hike Up Volcán Sierra Negra

The following post features student writing. We arrived to the Galápagos Islands, and they are beautiful! We started off Day 20 with a delicious breakfast of bread, yogurt, eggs, fruit and coffee. After leaving our hotel, we had a 30-minute ride to the Volcán Sierra Negra….

Horseback Riding in the Andes

The following post features student writing. The morning started off with a delicious breakfast of French toast, pancakes, or eggs. After breakfast, we suited up in ponchos and chaps getting ready to horseback ride! We rode the horses through the mountains and around the hacienda…

15,953 Feet

The following post features student writing. Today we finally faced the challenge of hiking up Cotopaxi. We started out with a flat hike around a lake to acclimate ourselves to the altitude. After that we drove up the volcano in a bus and later got…

The Last Goodbye

The following post features student writing. There is no better way to spend the last day in Iltaqui than with the whole community. Despite the two-hour delayed start, the fesitivites quickly took off with a volleyball game between us and the locals. The games were close,…

Independent Projects & Main Projects

The following post features student writing. As the days wind down in Iltaqui, we all are rushing to leave a positive and lasting trace on the community we spent two weeks living and working in. For some, that means finishing up their independent project and…

La Mágia de Pepe (The Magic of Pepe)

The following post features student writing. We started our overnight excursion to Intag by celebrating Alex’s 16th birthday with some watermelon (for him) and cake (for us). There are not many people who can say that they are completely content, yet Pepe is one of…

Craters & Conversations

The following post feature student writing. Hiking is good for three reasons: great views, physical activity (14 km @ 10,000 feet), and good conversations. Although the group started off as one cohesive unit, after countless PUDs (pointless up and downs) the big pack split up…

Cotacachi’s Birthday

The following post features student writing. We started off the day by participating in Cotacachi’s 156th birthday parade along with the community of Iltaqui. In the town of Cotacachi, we experienced many different traditional dances and ate delicious Ecuadorian pastries. After the parade, we held…

Shovels & A Dream

The following post features student writing. Our first two days of community service consisted of starting a drainage canal and removing a clay roof off of the Iltaqui community center. We began the canal with the goal of turning flat land into a three-by-three-foot ditch….