Galapagos: Preserving Nature's Wonders Program for Teens

After going on three adventures with GLA (Guatemala, Galapagos and Costa Rica), I can say that if you’re looking for a physically challenging, rewarding and purposeful program, the Galapagos adventure is the one for you.

Galapagos was the most culturally immersive program and I got so much out of it. The local guide was very knowledgable, and I not only learned about the Galapagos Islands and their history, but also that of Ecuador as well.

At the home bases, I truly felt welcomed. Everyone always had a smile on his/her face, and it was a great start to every day. The food was amazing everywhere! We snorkeled at some pristine locations where nothing could’ve made my experience better; we were lucky enough to even see a sea turtle lay her eggs!

The service on this program was pretty tiring, yet so enjoyable that I was always motivated to keep going further than our goal. The best thing about the service was when the locals would join us and help out, demonstrating just how close a community these small islands are. When leaving the islands, I felt like I just came out of a dream. I couldn’t believe I was able to bike, kayak, hike and swim next to all of these exotic animals and gorgeous landscapes.

After the program, I definitely felt changed and more confident about myself. Many times I thought that I couldn’t handle something, but I was able to overcome my fears. I made many strong friendships with people around the world from this program, including the mentors, directors and locals, who were a big part of my experience and truly made it the adventure of a lifetime for me.

This summer, I visited Ecuador and the Galapagos for 2 weeks with GLA. It was a truly rewarding experience- I met so many amazing people that I bonded with, and I did a lot of things (such as volunteer in a giant tortoise preserve) that I could not have done anywhere else in the world.
A highlight of my trip was swimming with sea lions. In the Galapagos, wild sea lions would approach us and swim circles around us while we were snorkeling. Even though it happened pretty frequently during our snorkeling expeditions, playing with wild sea lions never stopped being amazing.
Going through this program is a great experience, and I would recommend it to everyone. The Galapagos is beautiful and wild and completely unparalleled, and this program allows us to experience it to the fullest.

I returned from this trip 3 days ago, and I miss it so much! It was the most amazing experience, with the most amazing people, in the most amazing place! There was a perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. We snorkeled, kayaked, hiked, explored, and of course did community service. We also had plenty of free time to read, relax on the beach, and spend time together. Meanwhile, I always felt safe and secure. The food was great, especially the fresh fruit. The mentors and guides were friendly, informative, and all around awesome! The islands themselves are out of this world! You get face to face with the wildlife, and the landscape is amazing. The lodges we stayed at are run by local families, and they were perfect in helping us submerge ourselves with the culture. This trip was certainly out of my comfort zone, but it was worth it! I'm a different person now, and I would completely recommend the Galapagos trip, as well as any other GLA trip.

This trip is fantastic to say the least. I have gone on two GLA trips, one in the Galapagos and the other in Thailand. My first trip was the Galapagos when I was 14 years old. The trip was amazing. The staff makes sure to keep you active and interested at all times. We had the opportunity to interact with the people in the area, living in a local family's home, playing soccer with a local girls team, and our amazing local staff. Our local staff had a vast knowledge of the area and could answer every single question we had about almost anything. The living situations were a little tight and rustic, yet that is what one should expect in order to get the full experience of the Galapagos. From snorkeling to hiking to soccer to mule riding to deserted beaches the fun was endless. GLA made sure we were always safe and we were able to always call our parents and email them whenever we needed to. I completely recommend this program for anyone who likes nature and isnt scared of a couple of bugs.

If you like man-eating spiders, this trip is the place for you! Don't get me wrong, the galapagos is one of the most beautiful place in the world, i loved the the animals! but GLA made my experience more miserable then it had to be. Going to equador, you have to go with the mind set that you will NOT under any circumstances stay in a somewhat nice place, but i did not know it was going to be THIS bad. our first night on the galapagos was on san cristobal and the accomodations were the most horrific and discusting thing i have ever seen. the floor was just rocky concrete, and 6 people to a TINY room. there were no sheets, and only one person could move between the broken bunkbeds at a time. there were "ventilation systems" which were spaces between the tin roof and rotting walls, which the GIANT spiders would crawl in. there were only 3 DISCUSTING bathrooms to share between the kids, concealers, guides, and the family that lived there. the people who we stayed with did not take care of there dogs and did not feed them at all. i had to sneak my food into zip log bags to keep the dogs alive. (if you do go, please make sure to feed the dogs!). and mud EVERYWHERE!!! Also, when we were supposed to be painting schools and taking care of the turtles (like they advertised) we had to walk 2 miles up a muddy hill to help a farmer get rid of his plants. they gave us machetes and cutting down the things were fun, but then we had to build a path of rocks, shoveling the rocks into potato sacks, and carrying them up the mile long mountain on our backs. also, the kids were not nice but that cannot be helped and can change with every trip. during the boat ride between islands we got DRENCHED since it was going so fast and the back was open. it was a 2 hour ride. we had to push our suitcases to the front so not all of our stuff would get wet. the guides were FANTASTIC!!! it is a really beautiful place, but until GLA fixes their program, i would not recomend it.

I went to the Galapagos for two and in this period of time GLA did an amazing job of providing education, service, adventure, and self-growth. Everything we did on the trip was absolutely amazing. Some of my favorite memories include painting a school for the children, snokeling a the famous breath-taking spot called Kicker Rock where we swam with sharks, fish, rays, and sea lions, and visiting the tortoise breeding center. One thing I am most grateful for is that I made so many strong friendships with kids all of the US that I still maintain months later. GLA successfully helped me develop into a more independent, confident, mature, educated young adult and I have no regrets or complaints about my trip!

This trip honestly made my summer last year, so much so that all my friends from the group and I talk about going back someday, or at least getting together again. The trip was just what I wanted, exploration of the Galapagos Islands and worlding to maintain a stable environment for the wildlife and people. As an added bonus, every night the 15 or so kids on my trip would gather around either hammocks or chairs, depending on where we were that night, and talk about the day, the rest of the trip, or our lives back home.
The day was never boring, though most of the time extra busy, but in the end I wouldn't change anything about the day to day activities. It wasn't your typical taking photos of the animals, you were embraced by the people and the culture, expecially during the homestay. The animals were, of course, amazing to look at, and what made it better was that at the end of the service days we could see the progress we had done that we knew would directly aid the wildlife.
I've already gotten one of my friends to go this year, and I just hope she has as amazing of an experience as I did. The friends I made are true, and we all joined together to experience something amazing. Whether it was playing soccer with the locals, dancing on the beach, or climbing up a volcano, I would go back and do it all again if I could.

I had never traveled outside of the United States prior to going to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with Global Leadership Adventures. The experience was great! GLA really takes care of its students before going to the country and once you are there. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of nature and sustainability I had not seen before. The meals were great and able to accommodate any dietary needs. You are not only able to do community service but also travel around the islands and experience the true natural beauty of some of the most pristine islands left on the planet. Sign up today!