Thursday, October 1, 2026
For eight days and seven nights, our group of 13, along with our resilient chaperones Mrs. Hall and Mr. Gary, embarked on Oceanside High School’s maiden trip to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador. As Mrs. Hall put it, “this trip was amazingly horrible and terribly awesome.”
The amazingly horrible segment of our trip began at 4 a.m. at the Guayaquil Airport, approximately 165 miles from our intended location in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Our plane was rerouted to Guayaquil, a city south of Quito. After spending the night in a completely unknown city with unplanned (but nice) accommodations, we were able to catch a flight heading north to Quito.
After landing in Quito, we headed to our hotel to prepare for yet another flight the next morning. Although our first stay in Quito was brief, we were able to experience a little bit of the city and one of its restaurants.
We packed our bags in anticipation of our arrival on the Galapagos Islands the next morning. The plane ride to Baltra — a small island near the center of the Galapagos chain — was short, but the views from it were breathtaking, as we soared over the Pacific Ocean.
Our bus and boat ride to our next destination foreshadowed the beauty we would be seeing for the next three days. The ferry docked in the port of Santa Cruz Island. The port was filled with boats and even some sea lions. It was scene made for a post card. From there we headed to the Charles Darwin Research Center to see the many species of tortoises indigenous to the islands. After a “terribly awesome” two-mile walk, we were able to swim in the Pacific Ocean at Tortuga Bay, a local beach.
The next morning, we headed to the island Isabella by boat. There, we were immersed in even more nature as we met more sea lions, iguanas and exotic crabs. After trekking through lava rocks inhabited by iguanas, we went snorkeling. Throughout the corals we swam with giant sea turtles and huge schools of fish.
The next day we visited Floreana. As we arrived, dolphins surrounded our boat and swam with us to the port. We hiked through the untouched hills to tortoise grounds, only to be met with extreme downpour. As the rain cleared, we were able to head back out for more snorkeling. This time, there were sea lions, penguins and blue-footed boobies only inches away. Some of our group even swam with a playful sea lion. Our time on the islands was short, but definitely memorable.
Back in Quito, we visited the equator and learned how the Incans determined its location. Several of us even earned the title of “Egg Master” by balancing an egg on a nail on the equatorial line.
With our bodies still adjusting to the temperature change, we layered up to hike around Cotopaxi National Park. After some exploration, we headed back to the city for some different exploration. The market was filled with hundreds of vendors selling everything from alpaca scarves to beautiful paintings and carvings. We even tried cuy, a signature Ecuadorian dish that is made from Guinea pig.
Our trip was exhilarating and unique. The experiences we had will never be forgotten and we can’t wait to hopefully revisit in the future.
