July 18, 2025
Tuesday!!
We woke up in Santa Cruz excited for what the most populated island had in store for us. Turns out, it was a walk to a beautiful beach. We are a yummy breakfast and started our hour long walk. We chatted and giggled and made it to the beautiful white sand beach. There, we laid out our towels and basked in the sun. Lucy and Elle took pics of the view while Kahrs and Rowan took restful naps. We all had the best and most relaxing morning. Once it was time to pack up, we walked back to the national park entrance. Our next stop was lunch, but hey, we’re on vacation, so we stopped for ice cream on the way. It was the best soft serve we’d ever had. We made it to lunch and enjoyed burgers and quesadillas before we walked around Santa Cruz before our ferry. Grace and Arey helped each other pick out some souvenirs as we shopped. Then, it was boat time and our last island hopping excursion. This one was a little rocky and bumpy but the girls were troopers and made it through. We finally arrived in San Cristobal, our final island of the trip! We showered up and went to a local restaurant on the water to enjoy our banquet meal! It was so nice to laugh together and reflect on all of our adventures. And of course, we had ice cream stop number two of the day. Another successful day in the books.
Wednesday!!
Service day! We ate breakfast at the hotel and then went up into the highlands of San Cristobal to a local, fully organic family farm where we would be completing community service for the morning. We tasted their homemade cheese, Hayden’s favorite, and passionfruit before heading into the field to help pick coffee beans and fruit. Laine and Croft picked the most out of everyone. After picking, we went to feed the chickens. We made it a game to run around the pin and try to catch them. Henley was our most successful chicken wrangler. We fed the other animals and finished our chores on the farm before enjoying their back porch. Emma Jane and Amelia each won a few games of “Spoons” and then it was time for lunch. The fresh chicken, rice and plantain chips were homemade by the family and we ate till our stomachs were full and happy. We made our way back down to the coast for our afternoon activity: snorkeling! With our wetsuits, masks, and flippers we made it to a little cove where there were sea lions, sea urchins, turtles, and rays! We splashed around, playing with the sea puppies! Once the sea lions wore us out, we went ashore to warm up in the sun. We finished up the day with a pizza party and ice cream with our guide, Carlos! Henley and Lucy led us through one of our last moonups and we hit the hay. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day of activities! We can’t wait to soak it all in.
Thursday!!
Our last day of activities 🙁 We can’t believe how quickly this trip has gone by. This is an incredible group of girls who have made each moment so fun. We woke up, eager to make the most of our day. We headed to meet our guide for another morning of snorkeling and beach time! We went to Darwin’s Bay, the place where he first arrived to the Galapagos. We were greeted by a friendly colony of sea lions in the chilly water. We jumped in, swimming with them and the turtles. Arey was hard at work with her GoPro, catching every angle. Once the sea lions wore us out from playing, we walked to a nearby beach to warm up in the sun. Then it was lunch time and we headed to get sushi. The crispy and spicy tuna rolls were killer. Hayden said it was her favorite meal yet. Then, it was time for our next activity: boat day!! We rode over to Lobos Island and disembarked for a quest to find blue footed boobies! We walked by nest after nest, seeing the little babies and their parents. Lucy especially loved pointing them out and taking pics with them! We made it back to the boat, ate some snacks, and enjoyed the sun. Croft loved jumping in the crystal clear water off of the boat! We eventually made our way to a private beach where we relished in one more opportunity for a nap in the sun. Then we swam back to the boat and heading back to the mainland for our cooking class! We made fried plantains, a local chicken dish with rice, 100% organize orange juice, and ceviche! EJ and Grace were pros at cutting the tuna while Laine and Lucy cheffed up the plantains. We had Hayden, Henley and Rowan to thank for the juice. It was the perfect way to all come together and celebrate our last night being together.
Friday!!
Our last day together 🙁 We woke up at our hotel and headed into town for one more local meal before going to the airport. We have made it through security and will soon be on the way home!
We can’t believe that this session has come to an end. This was an incredible special group of girls. It was a joy for us to watch their friendships grow while we made so many amazing memories. We’re sending them home with lots of love and hugs!!
❤️,
Caroline and Elise
July 15, 2025
Finally on our way to the Galápagos! We woke up one last time in Quito and said goodbye to our new friends. When we arrived at the airport, the girls made it through security like professionals. On the plane, they burned through their books, coloring sheets, and friendship bracelets, and before we knew it, we were landing in Baltra. We met our new guide, Carlos, and went straight to the private ranch on Santa Cruz Island where we ate lunch and had a tour of a Giant Tortoise natural habitat. We ate pasta and took a walk, learning about the famous massive animals and even venturing into a lava tunnel. Once our walk was over, we explored went to the hotel and prepped for an evening of exploring our new town. We walked into souvenirs stores and saw our first sea lions! Rowan pointed out some local students, and we all enjoyed their native dance performance. Lucy, Amelia, Grace, and Laine bought matching necklaces, and Emma Jane found the stickers she had been searching for! Once we worked up an appetite, we ate dinner at a yummy local pizza place. Arey said it might be the best pizza she’s ever eaten! We enjoyed ice cream for dessert and had a sweet moon up on the roof of the hotel. We are so excited for this next phase of our adventure.
Saturday!!
The first full day on the islands – and a busy one! We woke up early in Santa Cruz to make the ferry for Isabela Island. When we arrived, we immediately went to our first activity: snorkeling! We saw a shark, a ray, and so many star fish! Henley was a natural with the snorkeling gear. Once we were tired from exploring, we ate some lunch in town. We refueled before checking into our hotel and hitting the beach. Lucy and Croft read their books and Elle and Hayden took awesome naps. Then, it was back on the bus to go to the Local Tortoise Breeding Center. We got to see the little babies and learn more about how they are saving the species! When we made it back to the beach, we spotted a beach volleyball net. Henley, Emma Jane, and Arey showed us how it’s done, and we had so much fun. Rowan and Kahrs enjoyed the hammocks next to the court too. Muscles sore from running in sand, we made our way back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner. We gobbled up our beach side meal and then topped it off with ice cream and churros for dessert. Amelia and Lucy led our beach moon up under the stars, and we went to bed sun kissed and happy.
Sunday!
Day 2 on Isabela Island! We woke up and ate croissants and eggs before staring our trek up one of the five volcanos on the island! Croft used her cross country and track endurance to lead the pack as we walked up the mountain in the mist. We made it to the top, gabbing along the way. We took pics and then made our way back down. Once our legs were tired and we had worked up an appetite, we headed to lunch where we enjoyed chicken shawarma! After lunch, we got to enjoy the beach! Elle jammed to country music, Laine and Amelia played in the waves, and Hayden and Henley walked on the beach, all taking in the sun. We showered up and headed to our nighttime activity, and favorite one yet, fútbol and basketball with the locals! We split into teams and played with the local boys’ team. Kahrs was an awesome goalie, and Grace once again pulled out her soccer talents when we needed it most. We made new friends, laughed a lot, and started to feel at home on this little island. We ate dinner with churros and ice cream for dessert before mooning up under the stars again! Emma Jane and Elle were awesome LODs.
Monday!
Our last activity on this island 🙁 Ee woke up, ate breakfast, and drank some coffee and hot chocolate to fuel up for our morning surf session🤙🏻We had a short lesson on the beach and then split into two groups, taking turns trying to catch the waves. Grace was the first one to stand up in her group! And Rowan was a natural. Once we were sandy and thoroughly exhausted from our new favorite sport, we went back to the hotel to rinse off before lunch which ended with an incredible passion fruit cake dessert. Once we were full, it was boat time! The girls napped again and we ventured back to Santa Cruz. Upon arrival, we walked around the shops and ate dinner before Laine and Arey led moonup for us on the roof. We can’t believe that there are only 3 days left on this trip. We have a special group that we are already dreading saying goodbye to.
Amelia- thank you so much for sending me on this trip. I have great leaders and great girls in my group!
EJ- Hi! Thank you so much for sending me here. I have had the best time and met the best people. This experience is so unique and I’m so grateful for it. Love y’all!
Lucy- Thank you mom and dad for this trip! I’ve had a great time and have had an amazing experience with the new friends I’ve made. See y’all soon!!
Laine- Hi mom and dad! I am having so much fun and I am so glad y’all let me go on this trip! I have made so many new friends and memories! Love y’all!
Henley: Hi mom and dad! Thanks yall so much for letting me come in this trip I am having so much fun and can’t believe it’s almost done! I love my group and we have had the best time together! See yall soon.
Croft:Hiiiii mom and dad! Thanks so much for this trip it has given me so many memories and I am having so much fun the leaders and the girls are so sweet and I had the best time! Love you miss you see you soon!
Arey: Hola 👋 So grateful for getting to experience this trip and so grateful for yall sending me! Having so much fun and so excited to get back home so many pics and stories to show yall!!! I love and miss yall so much 🥰❤️🫶🏻
Hayden – Hey Mom and Dad!! We only have three days left and I cannot believe it. Thank you both so much for this trip I truly have had such an incredible time. There is so much I have to tell you guys and I cannot wait to get back home I miss you guys so much. Of course though I’ll be sad to be leaving here also but I love and miss you guys so much❤️
Elle- Hey mom and dad! I am having so much fun and the days are going by so fast. We are doing so many cool things and very thankful y’all sent me on this trip. I have met some of the nicest people I have ever met and who I have gotten so close with. But I can’t wait to come home and see everyone. I miss and love y’all so much!
Grace- Hey mom and dad!!! Love and miss you guys so much. I’m having a blast here and can’t believe it’s going so fast. I’m so grateful to be blessed with this experience and can’t thank both of you enough for allowing me to pursue it. You have always encouraged me to be independent and try new things and it is paying off. I love everyone here and have done so many cool things in Galapagos that I can’t wait to tell you about. See you sooon!! ❤️
Rowan- Hey Mom and Dad!! I miss and love you all so much, I’m having an amazing time in Galapagos. I can’t stress enough how grateful I am for this opportunity. Meeting these girls and getting this experience has made me learn so many new things about myself and who I am as a person. Thank you so much, I love you both so much and I will see you soon!!❤️❤️
Kahrs – Hey y’all! I miss y’all but not too much compared to camp. I’m having such an amazing time in the Galapagos and the water is so pretty mom you should be jealous. I’ve met so many amazing people this trip and appreciate y’all sending me here. Thank you so much and see you soon! Love y’all!
July 12, 2025
Adventures on the Mainland!
Sunday!
We are so excited to get this trip started!!! We met all of the girls outside of baggage claim with pizza in hand! We hugged and introduced everyone and shared some slices before loading up on our bus to head to our first hotel. When we arrived, we settled into our rooms and enjoyed our first moon up! We passed out t shirts and journals and talked about what we were all most excited about during the next two weeks. All of these girls are so kind and sweet and we cannot wait to experience this beautiful place together.
Monday!
Our first day of activities – and it was an awesome one! We woke up and enjoyed breakfast at our hotel before loading back onto the bus to go up, up, and up to Cotopaxi National Park. When we arrived, our guide Ale, showed us the local café where Laine and Croft were adventurous and tried a local tea that helps with altitude acclimation! Finally, we met our next mode of transportation: our horses! Amelia’s horse, Paloma, led the pack. We had an awesome ride – walking, cantering, trotting, and even galloping through the beautiful scenery. Henley’s horse even laid down while she was on his back! Once we made it back to the barn, we said goodbye to our new friends and got back on the bus to head to lunch at a local mountain restaurant. We had soup, rice, and chicken before heading outside to visit the restaurant’s llamas! Lucy was partial to the golden retriever while Grace fed the llama carrots. Then, it was back on the bus for us! We made our way to our next city, Baños, stopping once on the way for ice cream. We arrived in our new beautiful hotel, nestled in the mountains. We ate a yummy dinner of Arepas, where Hayden enjoyed the plantains, before Laine and Rowan, our first Leaders of the Day, led our moon up. It was such a great first full day together. We can already tell that this is a special group of girls and we can’t wait for all that is in store for us.
Tuesday!!
Our first full day in our new favorite city, Baños! We woke up and had a yummy breakfast of eggs, croissants, and cereal before loading into the bus for our morning of sightseeing. We went to the Casa de Arboles first to swing on the big swings. We were pushed super high, each taking turns smiling for pictures in the clouds. After our swinging, we were looking for more adventure and headed to the cable car ride. We split into two groups and were sent across the canyon. It was so much fun to giggle together as we endured the rain while looking at the beautiful view. Our next stop was a lookout point of three huge waterfalls. We took pics and took in the sights before starting our hike down to Devil Pan’s Waterfall. We walked across swinging bridges and down stairs to reach the bottom of the massive, rushing 300 ft waterfall. Rowan and Kahrs took in the sights once we got down to the view point, standing with our guide and marveling at how fast the water was moving. We trekked back up to the top and took a well deserved break and lunch of burritos. Elle felt right at home as she enjoyed some Mexican food. Once we were full and done with our dessert of tiramisu, we headed into town to walk around and check out the local shops. The girls bought souvenirs and candy! Then we headed back to the hotel for some rest time. We played a competitive game of Uno, one of Arey’s best purchases of the day. Then we took showers and got ready for our night time activity: salsa dancing!! We had two local instructors and learned some awesome moves. We ate a yummy buffet dinner of meat, mashed potatoes, veggies, and apple cinnamon empanadas. Once we were danced out, we went back home to the hotel where Kahrs and Henley led our moonup! We went to bed with sore legs, excited for tomorrow’s adventures.
Wednesday!!
The big adrenaline rush day! Our LODs, Croft and Elle, woke us up in Baños and said goodbye to our favorite hotel. We ventured to our activity of the day: zip-lining! We zipped across the massive canyon, and Emma Jane led the group across the hanging bridge and mountain ladder. The girls all safely made it across, giggling and gasping at how proud they were for finishing the course. We loaded into the bus, coming down from the adrenaline. We napped as we listened to our 350 song playlist and headed back to Quito. Amelia shared her friendship bracelet string, and the girls have been hard at work. We ate a yummy lunch of burgers, chicken, pizza, chocolate cake and cheesecake! Once we made it to the hotel, we brought out the deck of cards for another competitive game. Laine got the win this time. We laughed a lot and shared stories and Grace showed us her headstand. We walked to dinner, an awesome local restaurant where we sat outside next to a wood burning fire place. We ate and laughed at the table for a long time before walking back to the hotel for moonup. Another successful day in the books 🙂
Thursday!
Our last day in Quito! It’s crazy how quickly these days are flying by. We have an awesome group that has quickly become really close. We woke up and petted our favorite new friend, Bella, the hotel dog before getting on the bus to go to Papallacta. We started our day there with a hike next to a beautiful river. Emma Jane and Arey led the group, taking pictures at every view. We felt lucky to get to explore the Andes Mountains. Once we were chilly and tired, we got dressed to relax in the naturally fed hot springs. We played Mafia and jumped in the cold plunge and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. We ate at the spa and then traveled back to our hotel, stopping for ice cream as dessert. Once we made it to the hotel, we had our opening ceremonies for the EGP 3C 2025 Olympic Games!!! Our first sport was soccer, where Grace definitely elevated our level of play. Next, we switched to choreographed dance routines. Lucy taught us a dance to “Sweet Caroline”! Our final round was the talent show. Henley surprised us with being able to speak with her mouth closed and Kahrs took the gold medal with her shocking cannon ball into the hotel pool. One our Olympic Games had wrapped, we settled down for more games of cards. Hayden was the big winner this night! We had a yummy dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce before mooning up and heading to bed. We can’t believe that we are heading to the Galapagos and that our trip is half way done! Thank you for sharing all of your girls with us!
Kahrs – Hey guys! I’m having so much fun! We are on the way to the Galapagos right now and I’m so hyped to be on the beach. It’s been such an interesting and amazing experience to come to Ecuador. Love y’all!
Laine- Hi mom, dad, Kate (and Henry)! I miss you guys so much but I am so glad I got to come on this trip and I am having sooo much fun and have made so many new friends! We are going to the Galapagos right now and Ecuador was so fun! Love you! ❤️
Henley- Hi mom and dad I am on the way to the Galapagos right now and I miss y’all so much. I am having so much fun and the leaders said that the next part of the trip is even better which I don’t know how that’s possible. Thanks so much for letting me go in this trip and I will see you guys soon!
Croft-hi mom, dad,and Lydia I miss yall so much and I am on the plane to Galapagos which is supposed to be the best part of the trip but Ecuador was so much fun too! Love yall so much and can’t wait to see to yall soon!!
Hayden – Hi Mom and Dad! I miss the both of you so so much but I am seriously having the best time ever. I’ve made such close friends with all of these girls and every day is so much fun. Every day is a completely new day with so much to do and there is always so much to look forward to. I can’t wait to see you guys and tell you guys all my stories and even more to come. I love you both so much!!
Elle- hey! I am having so much fun everywhere I go. Everyone is super nice and I have made some really close friends. I can’t wait to come home and see y’all! I love y’all!!
Amelia- Hey Mom and Dad! I am having the best time! We just made it to the Galapagos and am super excited for everything we do here! Miss y’all so much! Can’t wait to tell you all about it!!!
Emma Jane- hi guys! i am having so much fun. We just made it to the Galapagos and I love everyone in my group so much. It has been awesome. Love and miss y’all!
Grace – Hi!!! Miss you guys so much! Hope you’re having fun back at home. Today is our first day in Galapagos and so far this has been such a great experience with so many amazing people. I’m so excited for all that’s to come. Love y’all!
Arey – Heyyyy fam!!!! I miss yall so so so much! How dad made it back from Europe! This is one of the best experiences in my life no words describe! Already planning next year! Can’t wait to see yall live and miss yall so much ❤️
Lucy- hi! I’m missing yall like crazy and can’t wait to see you soon! I’m having lots of fun and have met such great people. We’ve made it to the Galapagos and I’m seeing so many new things. Love yall!
Rowan- Hi!! I miss you guys so so much and can’t wait to see you when I get back. I’m having so much fun here and can’t wait to have even more fun in the Galapagos!! Hope you guys are having a nice time. I miss and love you!❤️
July 11, 2025
Hello Ecuador + the Galapagos Families!
We heard from our leaders that 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