Final Countdown :(
July 3, 2025
Tuesday!!!
Our first full day in San Cristobal and we had so much to explore! We enjoyed a buffet breakfast of croissants, scrambled eggs, and pancakes before loading into taxis and heading to the organic farm where we volunteered for the morning. When we arrived, we were able to try various fruits grown on the property. Paige LOVED the passion fruit with sugar, while Finley preferred the salt. The fresh hibiscus tea was a favorite as well. Once we had our fill of fresh fruit, we headed into the field. We started with harvesting coffee plants. Hannah gathered the most seeds as we moved on to pick the papayas from their trees. As we left the fields, we were led into the chicken coup. We tried our best to corner the chickens and catch them, which turned into a silly, muddy game that ended in a lot of laughter. Hannah and Savannah caught the big roosters and quickly became their friends. We went to see the goats and the ducks next. Olivia and Addison got to meet and feed the baby goat and mini chickens, the smallest animals we saw on the farm. We continued to help out on the farm, learning about their waste recycling and composting process. Sloane definitely fit in on the farm the most as our resident ranch girl. We finished up our time on the farm with a homemade, fresh, and organic lunch. Vivi and Mary Blake gobbled up the plantain chips. Full to our hearts content, we loafed back into our taxis and went straight to snorkeling. We headed down from the highlands to the coast and loaded into our gear. We were swimming around and a few sea lions came to play. One particularly liked Ellie and started nibbling on her flippers. Ansley was able to swim with us too – a one fin wonder! It was incredible to see so many fish and wildlife in one bay. Once we were worn out from swimming, we laid on the beach in the sun until the bus came and picked us up. We showered and enjoyed a pizza dinner (w ice cream) in town with our guide. Hannah and Paige led our moonup and we went to sleep so sad that the next day would be our last day of activities.
Wednesday!!!
Our last day of activities :((( but we saved the best for last! We woke up and ate another hotel breakfast of pancakes and cereal before heading to our first snorkeling location of the day. We hiked to a bay within the national park lands on the islands. The sea lions were so friendly, zooming in and around us playing. One headed straight for Olivia before turning around her at the last minute. We saw several sea turtles too. Campbell dove down and swam with them up close! Once we worked up an appetite, we walked back into town ready for lunch. We enjoyed sushi and tempura falafel salads. From there, we headed to our ride for the afternoon: a big boat! The girls were so excited. We took the boat to an uninhabited island and walked around the rocky terrain. Mary Blake and Finley used their walking sticks to balance like pros. We saw so many blue footed boobies on their nests and with their babies! We snapped some pics (Addison being our best wildlife photographer) and headed back to the boat. There, we snacked in the sun and jumped off the side. Elise overcame her fear and jumped with the girls too! We put back on our snorkeling gear and swam around the boat. Vivi and Caroline even crossed the channel to the little island where they could see a beautiful rainbow and played with even more baby sea lions. Our ride took us to a private beach for the rest of our afternoon. We basked, laughed, sang, and splashed in the crystal blue water, feeling so grateful to get to enjoy such a beautiful place. Paige and Savannah played “chicken fights” in the water until the last second. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay there forever since we had a cooking class for dinner!! We showered up quickly and headed to a local grandmother’s house. She taught us how to cook ceviche, plantain chips (a crowd favorite), rice, homemade orange juice, and chicken. Ellie and Sloane manned the stove while Ansley and Hannah worked on the ceviche. Everyone was involved and then enjoyed our wonderful creation. We finished our night with ice cream and sad goodbyes to our guide. Then, we moonup’d for the last time and shared hugs and tears about having to leave the next day.
Thursday!! Last Day 🙁
We woke up on our last morning in the Galapagos and packed up. We took in the last views of the ocean while we enjoyed toast and coffee at the local café owned by our guide’s family. It is so special to feel connected to the community only after a couple of days. We made it to the airport, grabbing our last ice creams at the stand by the gate. The girls were finishing writing down all of their memories in their journals. And we were on our way to Quito and then home.
It had been such a joy to have each of these girls on this trip. We are grateful that you entrusted us with them. We love all of them so much and are so sad to see them go. Sending them with lots of hugs❤️
– Caroline + Elise
Galápagirls
July 1, 2025
Thursday!!!
We woke up ready to hit the ground running to make it to the Galápagos! The beach here we come! We gave one last hug to our official best furry friend in Quito, Bella, and we were off to the airport. We made it through security with ease and boarded our flight with a professional Ecuadorian soccer team. We colored and made friendship bracelets, and before we knew it, we were getting off the plane and smelling the salt air. We found our new guide, Martín, and boarded the ferry to our first island: Santa Cruz. We disembarked and went to see the giant tortoises. We enjoyed a yummy lunch and explored the ranch seeing volcanic lava caves and the natural habitat of the beautiful turtles. We finished the day by walking around the beautiful town and eating a yummy pizza dinner with ice cream for dessert. Mary Blake and Campbell led our moonup under the stars. We were so excited for this next part of our adventure!
Friday!!
We love the beach!! We woke up on Santa Cruz Island and took the long fairy over to Isabela Island. As soon as we docked, we were handed snorkeling gear and we jumped into the water. Paige started diving down like a mermaid and Olivia was snapping pics of the sea creatures with her underwater camera. Once our flippers were tired, we loaded up and had a local lunch. We made friendship bracelets, and Finley even made a new type of design. With some free time to spare, we changed into suits and enjoyed some beach time! Paige made Savannah a mermaid in the sand and we jammed out to our songs of the trip. After diving like sea lions in the waves, we showered up and went to the tortoise breeding center where we got to see the baby turtles! Sloane loved taking pictures of the smallest ones. We walked back to the beach through the forest, seeing flamingos and other beautiful birds. We stopped for milkshakes while looking at our beautiful view. We rested for a little while and then headed to dinner, where Ellie made friends with the local cat! Once we were well fed, Finley and Sloane led our moonup under the stars on the beach. We went to bed sun kissed and happy.
Saturday!!!
Another awesome day in paradise. We woke up and headed to hike up the volcano on Isabela Island. It was a muddy one, and we had to pull out our rain jackets but vibes were high. Ansley was such a trouper when she hurt her ankle, and everyone helped her get down the trail. While she was resting up and getting better, the rest of the group hit the beach before going to a yummy shawarma lunch. The kids said it was their favorite meal yet. Once we were full and energized we hit the beach. Campbell showed off her body surfing talents and we splashed around in the crystal clear water. Addison, Finley, and Mary Blake took an awesome afternoon nap in the sun. Once we had our fill of the rays, we showered off and headed to the local fields for games of soccer and basketball with the local kids. The girls had so much fun. Sloane was an awesome translator and we quickly made new friends. Ansley hung out with the younger ones on the sidelines while Savannah, Addison, Vivi, and Ellie tore up the basketball courts with the older kids. Once we were thoroughly exhausted, we headed to another beach front restaurant for dinner. We finished the night with a moonup on the sand led by our LODs, Mary Blake and Ellie.
Sunday!
Back to Santa Cruz!! When we woke up on Isabela Island, ready to surf the massive waves!!🤙🏻🤙🏻We hopped in a bus and drove down the beach to our surfing spot where we met our instructors, David and Josello. We split up into groups and took the waves by storm. The girls were incredible and standing up in no time. Once we were salty and tired, we headed back to the hotel to rinse off before lunch. We went to another local spot where the lemonade was to die for. Then we headed to the pier and rode back to Santa Cruz. We were sad to leave our new small town friends in Isabella Island, but we were excited for the next adventure. We walked around the shops on the new island and enjoyed another awesome dinner.
Monday!
The days are going by too quickly!! Time, slow down!! This morning we woke up to a lovely homemade breakfast of eggs and croissants from the owner of our hotel. We loaded up and walked to Tortuga Bay for a beach morning. Hannah and Savannah bonded with our guide and Sloane and Finley devoured their books. Once we had our fill of the sun, we went back to the hotel and grabbed ice cream cones on the way. We showered and hopped on another ferry to go to our last island of the trip: San Cristobal. We checked into our hotels, showered, and got dressed up for our banquet meal! We enjoyed a nicer dinner of Poké bowls and pasta next to the water. We have already started to reflect on what an incredible two weeks we have had and we are so sad that it is starting to come to an end. We finished the night with a roof moon up led by Vivi and Olivia and we went to bed excited for what San Cristobal had in store for us.
Addison- Hi Mom and Dad! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! It has been such an adventure! I am so excited to tell you about all the new things that I have tried and I hope my siblings are having fun at their camps as well! Miss you all! Tell Dolly, Gran, Grandaddy, and everyone else that I miss them! Love you and see you soon!❤️❤️
Savannah- Hey!!! Thank you guys forever for sending me on this trip!! I can’t wait to get home and tell you all all about it. I hope you guys are having so much fun in the Bahamas, so sad I’m missing it. Kind of. lol. Happy early birthday mom! Anyways, I love and miss you guys so much. Can’t wait for the fourth❤️❤️Also I major overpacked. Haha
Ansley- Hi Mom and Dad!! I’m having so much fun on this trip. Doubt you’re surprised about my ankle. I miss you guys so much! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! Love y’all! ❤️
Mary Blake- Hi guys!! I’m so excited I get to see yall soon I can’t wait. Thank you so much mom and dad for sending me on this amazing trip and giving me these experiences❤️ PS: we should eat corn on the cob for the fourth😁
Finley- hey yall!! Thank you so much for letting me experience this awesome trip. I can’t wait to see yall soon! Also ima need yall to bye ALL the fruit you can before I get home I haven’t gotten a bite this whole trip. The water diseased it. Love yall!❤️🔥🤩
Olivia-hi mama and dad! Thank you soooo much for this experience, it’s been so fun and I love all the people I’ve met. I can’t wait to see yall soon! (Mama, may you please bring me my blanket and some sweatpants for the car? Thank you) love you!! 🩷
Ellie – Hiiiiii!!! This is for the hanrettas Benevides and Duprees!!!! I’m having sooo much and I miss u guys so much! The Galápagos Islands are so beautiful and I can’t wait to show u guys pics. I’m trying to find souvenirs for u guys bc I can’t send a post card to u. Miss u guys so much!!🩷🩷
Sloane- I’m soooo grateful that yall allowed for me to go on this trip. This has been the coolest experience ever and the best 2 weeks of my life. The Galapagos are so pretty and we’ve been doing such fun stuff. I can’t wait to see yall soon! Love yall 💕💕
Vivi- Thank you so so much for sending me on this amazing trip!! This trip has been so much fun and I am so grateful for yall allowing me to go on it! I will forever remember this experience! I can’t wait to see yall soon! Love you guys so much!!!
Hannah – thanks Dad for sending me on this trip. I really appreciate it. Our tour guide is pretty cool and the girls are having a lot of fun. Love and miss you.
Campbell- Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to go on a trip like this! I am so grateful for all the memories and friends I have made along the way and this has been the best two weeks of my life! I can’t wait to see y’all in 3 days…Love and miss all of y’all! 🩷
Paige – Thank you guys so so so much for letting me go on this trip and experiencing so many awesome new things. Loving the Galapagos and all my new friends literally the best two weeks of my life. See you guys Friday!! Love you so much!! ❤️❤️❤️
Adventures in Ecuador
June 27, 2025
Saturday!!! Airport day!!!
We welcomed all of the girls to Quito with Pizza in hand and a mariachi band playing in the background (unplanned but lovely surprise). We could tell within the first 30 minutes that this was a special group of girls. We collected our things and headed to our first hotel. The bus ride was full of giggles and get to know you questions. Once we arrived, we had an awesome Moonup and went to sleep, awaiting our first activity!
Sunday!
Our first full day started with eating breakfast at the hotel and saying our goodbyes to Bella (the hotel manager’s beloved dog). We boarded the bus and headed toward Cotopaxi National Park, where we arrived at the highest active volcano in the world! We met our horses and suited up in traditional ponchos and warm layers underneath. Sloane was the first to hop onto a horse, and everyone quickly followed. Mary Blake made sure to capture the views with her camera. We cantered, galloped, crossed streams, and took in some of the most beautiful views we had ever seen. Once we made it back to the barn, we said goodbye to our new friends and headed to Baños. As we descended into the valley, we were in awe of the incredible views outside of our windows. When we arrived in the beautiful town, we checked into our hotel. Hannah and Ansley were especially excited about their amazing view. And Olivia and Sloane had the killer roof top room. We showered and headed into town for a delicious pasta dinner. Once we were back at the hotel, we enjoyed another sweet Moonup under the stars. Then the girls broke out Paige’s deck of cards before bed.
Monday!
Phew! Today was a long one full of so many fun activities and surprises. We started the morning by eating croissants, eggs, and chocolate cereal (yum), and we boarded our special bus equipped with speakers and hype music. Campbell made sure we all took advantage of the dance party. Our new ride took us up the mountains around Baños where we explored tons of waterfalls. We took the longest cable car in the country over a ravine, squealing and taking pics as we were being pulled across. We hiked down Devil Pan’s Waterfall and took in the views of the massive water fall. Once we had hiked back up to the top, we browsed the huts full of locally made jewelry and clothes. Mary Blake loved the llama key chains, and Ellie took the opportunity to practice her Spanish with the locals. Once we had completed our purchases, we loaded back into our party bus and headed to the Tree House, a beautiful look out point with swings and flowers. We chowed down on a snack of empanadas and took pics of the stunning mountains. We had lunch back in town at a local Mexican restaurant. As we shared tacos and quesadillas, we learned about Finley’s volleyball and architecture careers, Addison’s love for movies, and Elise and Caroline’s favorite words. After lunch, we loaded back into the bus and headed to the local zoo. We saw monkeys, parrots, toucans, tigers, and capybaras! Officially exhausted, we went back to the hotel to rest before our final activity of the night: Salsa dancing!!!! This was the highlight of the day. We had two local teachers who taught us steps. Everyone did so amazingly, and Ansley and Hannah were voted the Queens of the Salsa! After we were danced out, we shared a barbecue buffet with our teachers and danced some more. Once our legs were too tired to cha – cha any longer, we went back to the hotel. Hannah and Addison, our LODs, led moon up and we all went to bed happy and tired.
Tuesday!
Boy do these girls know how to laugh. We woke up refreshed in Baños ready to seize the day. First stop was the adventure park to zip line and climb over and up a canyon. Savannah was our brave leader, going first every step of the way. The girls were so brave, conquering their fears and had so much fun. Once the canyon had been traversed, we ate lunch in town at a local restaurant. We made friends with local students and enjoyed some strawberry smoothies with our meal. Our tummies were full, and we loaded up the bus to nap as we made our way back to Quito. Once we arrived, our competitive 2025 Ecuador and Galapagos Moondance Olympics commenced. The games consisted of two stages: soccer match and dance battle. The games concluded with a tie, and we were all sore from laughing so hard. We enjoyed pizzas for dinner before Ansley and Ellie led us through another giggly, sweet Moonup.
Wednesday!
Our last day in the mainland did not disappoint. We ate another yummy breakfast at the hotel before loading back onto the bus and heading to hot springs. Cold from the morning mist and chill, we waded into the warm, volcano fed water and immediately felt more relaxed. Vivi and her poker face won two games of Mafia, and we giggled until we worked up an appetite. We went to a local restaurant for lunch where warm hot chocolate kept us warm. While we were eating, the rain cleared up and we were able to hike through the jungle alongside a beautiful river. Once we made it back to the bus, we celebrated our hard work with an ice cream stop. The rest of the day was full of more soccer, dancing, and laughing. We went into town and ate a yummy dinner before Mooning Up while we excitedly awaited the Galapagos the next day!
These girls are truly a special group. We are so lucky to get to spend these two weeks with them and share so many adventures. They are funny, kind, thoughtful, and always up for a challenge. We are excited for all that is waiting for us in the islands!
SHOUT-OUTS!!
Mary Blake- Hi everyone!! I’m so excited to see y’all soon! We have done so many fun things I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it! Love y’all❣️
Savannah- Hi mom and dad!! Thank you guys so much for sending me on this trip. Although I miss you guys so much I’m having so much fun and I love all the girls I met. I hope Sam had the best time in Thailand and I hope you guys have so much fun in the Bahamas. Can’t wait to hear all about it. Love you guys & tell Lucy I miss her ❤️❤️
Addison- Hi Mom and Dad! Miss you guys so much and I am having such a great time in Ecuador! The views here are so beautiful and I can’t wait to tell you about it! Love you guys so much!! ❤️
Ansley- Hi Mom and Dad! I’m having the best time. All of the girls are so sweet and fun. I miss you guys but not too much. The views here are beautiful! Tell Murphy and Brooks I say hi! Love you guys so much! ❤️❤️
Sloane- Hi Guys!! I miss y’all so much but am having the best time. All the people here are so sweet and super fun to hang out with and talk to. I don’t want to leave here.. Love you guys!!
Finley- Hey Y’all!!! I miss you guys so much and I can’t wait to see y’all’s faces again. Hanging out with all these girls they are amazing. love y’all so much!!
Vivi- Hi family!! I miss you guys so much and I can’t wait to see you again! I am having an amazing time in Ecuador, and am so excited to tell y’all all about it. I miss you and love you all so much!!
Paige – Hi mama, Chris Chris and Taylor I miss you guys so so much but I’m having the best time ever! I’m so so grateful you guys let me go on this trip I can’t wait to tell you all about it and show you all the pictures. Love you guys and Tell Carmel I miss her!! 🩷
Campbell- Hey mom, dad, Emmons, Colt, and anyone else reading this!! I am having so much fun and have met so many new friends who I have loved hanging out with on this trip and hope to get to hang out with after this trip too! Thank y’all so much for sending me on this trip and everything y’all do! Love all of y’all so much and I will see y’all soon! 🩷
Olivia- Hey mama, dad, max! I love you guys so much and I can’t wait to see you. I’m having tons of fun and the girls are really sweet! Thank you so much for this experience in this beautiful country because this is truly a once in a lifetime experience! I love y’all and miss you, see you soon! Say hi to Crush for me, 🩷
Hannah – Hi Dad, Haley, and Biscuit! I am having the best time ever traveling Ecuador and I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it. The girls here are so nice and every adventure we have had has been amazing. Thank you Dad for letting me come because it’s unlike anything we have done together! Tell all my friends I miss them a ton and that I’ll be back to lax ASAP. 🩵- H2
Ellie- Hi Mom dad nana and courtland! I’m having soooo much fun here and I’m so excited to share all my memories with you guys! I’ve been taking lots of pics My favorite activity so far is horseback riding in Cotopaxi and seeing the peak of a volcano!t I can’t wait to see u guys! ❤️ Ellie
Safe Arrival in Ecuador!
June 23, 2025
Hello Ecuador + the Galapagos Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has arrived safely in Ecuador! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear all about it soon!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
