The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    The Galapagos Islands School Trip

    The+Galapagos+Islands+School+Trip

    It is almost spring break! And this means sleeping in, relaxation, and (for some) vacation! I am lucky enough to be able to go on the EF Tours school trip to the Galapagos Islands for the break.

    The trip will be 8 days long; we are leaving on the morning of Friday March 30th and getting back on Saturday April 7th. The flights are split between two groups, one on American Airlines and one on Delta airlines. Actually, the trip is not directly to the Galapagos; first we are flying to Ecuador.

    The first day will be a tour of Quito, and then after that we will fly to Galapagos (specifically Baltra). Then, we will be taking a boat to Isabela Island. On the third day, we will be doing a volcano walk, exploring a natural flamingo habitat, and snorkeling on the island. the day after that will focus on Santa Cruz island, with special focus on the Charles Darwin research station (because, as many may know, Darwin did much of his research with animals in the Galapagos, and technically this trip is supposed to be “educational”).

    After that, we will be flying back to Quito, where we will be exploring the area and having dinner. The last day, we will be shopping in the market town of Otavalo, which is known for unique souvenirs. In the evening, we will take a night flight to Miami. And on Saturday, we will finish our flights home and arrive back in Cleveland around 3:00 in the afternoon.

    One of the other nice things about the trip is that Ecuador is in the same time zone as the U.S., and the Galapagos Islands are only one hour behind. So jet lag will not be a problem  (although some of the flight times might be a bit obtrusive). The only other potential issue is that of sunburn, because the sun near the equator is so strong, and most of us have not even had exposure to the sun in months.

    But overall, I obviously feel very excited and lucky to be able to go on a trip that is so amazing and unique! I’m not really sure what to expect, but I am sure that no matter what research I do there will still be things that will surprise me.

    More to Discover