Galapagos

19 Days

High School Service Program
Sustainability Projects
with Spanish Immersion
Ages 14 to 18

GALAPAGOS 1
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GALAPAGOS 2
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GALAPAGOS 1
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GALAPAGOS 2
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Program Overview

Venture to the Galapagos Islands—the global treasure that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. Engage with the community on environmental issues and volunteer to protect this spectacular ecosystem. Live and work on a permaculture farm in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island to help establish sustainable tourism alternatives. Snorkel with sea lions and observe blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and giant tortoises. Practice your Spanish while expanding your view of the natural world on our Galapagos teen service trips.

WORK HARD

“I loved being able to help at the school as well as reforest at the farm. The people at the worksites were so dedicated and inspiring, they made me want to do a great job.”

 

Lauren Colella

Pennsylvania

Embracing Projects That Matter

Service projects in the Galapagos address both environmental and social needs. You will work on an organic permaculture farm in the mountains of Santa Cruz. You will plant cacao and green bananas (staples for making delicious e patacones), prepare the farmland for planting crops, build composting toilets, design a mixed-medium mural, and construct tent platforms for small-scale sustainable tourism. In nearby Santa Rosa village we will play games with and teach English lessons to primary school kids. You will assist island teens from Frente Insular in their environmental initiatives and spend a day with a family, connecting with Ecuadorian culture and practicing your Spanish.

“My beliefs, values, and morals changed in ways I will never fully understand, and the sense of camaraderie with the other participants is something I will never let go of.”

 

James Robbins

Arkansas

Our
Home:
Santa Cruz Island

Making Meaningful Connections

Our home in the Santa Cruz Island mountains is Petrel Camp, a sustainable permaculture farm using methods that cohere with the natural ecosystem. The farm grows coffee, bamboo, papayas, mangoes, pineapples and other fruits specific to the highland climate. With solar panels and a solar heating system, Petrel Camp operates off the grid (with a fully equipped modern kitchen, too). The giant tortoises that lumber the grounds undisturbed occasionally seek shade under the solar panels. You’ll learn to minimize waste and consumption and live sustainably in practical, creative ways. You’ll practice Spanish with locals who join on the service projects and accompany us on many activities. You’ll also spend a day with a local family, further connecting to Ecuadorian culture.

EXPLORE ADVENTUROUSLY

“The Galapagos Islands were incredible. I have always wanted to try snorkeling so I was very excited that we did that on the trip, and it was so cool to see sea lions (Los Lobos de Mar) underwater. It is a beauty that is not capable of explaining in words.”

 

Lizzie Edwards

Oregon

FROM THE STUNNING BEACHES TO THE JUNGLE HIGHLANDS, FROM ONE ISLAND TO THE NEXT, GALAPAGOS EXPLORATION TRAVERSES AN INCREDIBLE ARRAY OF LANDSCAPES. HIKE TO CRATERS, DIVE TO CORAL REEFS, SWIM WITH SEA LIONS. FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS BIOLOGICAL TREASURE.

Setting Out To Go Beyond

When you arrive in the Galapagos, every step and splash you take is an adventure. Explore gorgeous beaches and snorkel among reefs and sea life of all shapes and sizes. Hike the equally compelling highlands where panoramic views of the different islands leave you breathless. Take a day trip to an uninhabited island known as one of the most important fishing sites for marine birds. Visit another of the islands—Floreana—which was first colonized by whalers and later had a penal colony. You will understand why naturalist Charles Darwin called the Galapagos “a little world within itself.”

ACTIVITIES AND EXCURSIONS

  • SNORKEL WITH SEA LIONS AT INCREDIBLE CORAL REEFS
  • HIKE TO A PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE TWIN CRATERS, LOS GEMELOS
  • RELAX ON BEAUTIFUL BEACHES OF TORTUGA BAY
  • DAY TRIP TO EXPLORE A PIRATE CAVE, “WALL OF TEARS” AND BLACK SAND BEACH OF FLOREANA ISLAND
  • VISIT NORTH SEYMOUR ISLAND TO SEE THOUSANDS OF BIRDS AS WELL AS BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY COLONIES
  • TAKE WORKSHOPS INCLUDING BANANA PLANT FIBER WEAVING, CROP PROCESSING, AND SCULPTURE
  • VISIT QUITO, UNESCO’S FIRST WORLD HERITAGE SITE

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

MONICA ALVEAR SUSTAINABLE FARMER

Monica Alvear is an artist, educator, farmer and mother of three daughters. Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Monica followed a passion for the environment and study of biology to the Galapagos Islands forty years ago. While almost nonexistent then, tourism today in the Galapagos is huge. The mass of visitors over the years indisputably has caused environmental degradation. Monica’s continuing goal is to find sustainable ways to minimize and manage tourism’s impact on the integrity of the Galapagos and best preserve this uniquely spectacular archipelago. 

Monica has worn many hats in her life—flight attendant, artist and teacher, a stint at The National Museum of Ecuador, proprietor of a hotel. Monica lives off the grid in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island at Petrel Camp, her permaculture farm where she keeps making art and continuing to share with island youth her vision of a sustainable future.

Ecuador Blog Posts

Top 10 Ways to Survive Without Technology

Top 10 Ways to Survive Without Technology

Traveling, volunteering abroad, or simply being in our own home environments are vastly enriched experiences for both teens and adults when we disconnect from technology.

Where We Live

Where We Live

While service work is at the root of each teen service program, it’s in equal measure with cultural immersion that transcends the experience of an average tourist. In all of our homes away from home, we live very much as local people do, and we are part of the fabric of daily life.

VISIONS REVIEWS

Read what others have said about their experience in this location. You also are welcome to contact the VISIONS office to request student and parent references.

NOT QUITE READY?

Feel free to contact us with any questions! We are happy to help find the best program to meet your goals for the summer.

Celebrating 30 Years