A group of ten BRVGS students and several adults had an amazing experience in late June, traveling to Quito, Ecuador, and then on to the Galapagos Islands. The group toured Quito for a day, seeing the changing of the Guard at the Ecuadorean Presidental Palace in the city center, and also visiting the Mitad Del Mundo ("Middle of the World") at the Equator.
After touring Quito, the group boarded a plane for the Galapagos Islands, landing first on Baltra Island, then taking boats to Santa Cruz Island and then to Isabella, the largest island in the archipelago. The group toured several islands over the week (Isabella, Santa Cruz and San Cristobal) and saw amazing landscapes and wildlife that included giant tortoises, marine iguanas, warm-water penguins, blue footed boobies, sea lions and sea turtles, as well as many of the birds first made famous by Charles Darwin. Students also snorkeled with sea turtles and tropical fish and toured the Charles Darwin Research Station.
After returning to Quito from the Galapagos, the group ventured into the Andes Mountains, where they visited local markets, met indigenous peoples and saw a local religious festival. The group was able to experience a wide variety of culture, food, scenery and language throughout the 9-day journey, and many characterized this as a "life-changing" trip.
To see pictures from this amazing journey, click on BRVGS Galapagos Photos.