HLD offers it all

I signed up for HLD about a month and a half before I left so it was really last minute but based on the reviews it looked like an awesome program and I wasn't disappointed!
My program began with medical rotations followed by a week of traveling, a week of volunteering and then a final week of medical rotations. I also added on a week in the Galapagos. The schedule changes for each group that attends HLD but Juan and Jose ensure that every group has an awesome time!
I was the only one on my trip in the pre-medical program who already works as a health care professional but the "Learn" portion of the trip still benefited me as I had the chance to see the hospitals and converse with the medical student tutors about different patient conditions that I had seen in my practice.
The "Discover" portion was a whirlwind adventure. I was absolutely amazed by every city I visited! We did tons of different activities from hanging out in natural hot springs, dancing and hiking in the jungle to waterfall rappelling and extreme tubing! There is no shortage of adventure on this trip!
The "Volunteer" portion of the trip was my favorite. It began with fundraising for the materials required to build homes and ended with smiles, hugs and tears when we had to leave the community members. This experience is incredibly rewarding and I would recommend the trip based on the volunteer aspect alone. It was especially meaningful this summer as the trip came right after an earthquake destroyed the coast of Ecuador and the already rural and poverty stricken communities had their homes, even if they were simple, taken away from them. The damage done, even after most of the clean up, was evident and I'm glad I had the chance to do something small to help.
I don't want to give away anything about the additional week in Galapagos but it was amazing! If you are planning on staying 28 days you should definitely add on 7 more to visit the Galapagos!