Great Times in the Galapagos!
July 15, 2026
7/11
Good morning Galapagos! Today we had an early boat ride that took us over to Isle Isabela. Our guides, Danny and José, walked us down a short path to Conche de Perla. Here, we got our first opportunity to snorkel! We were lucky enough to catch sight of a massive stingray – shoutout Jensen for being one of the first to recognize it! While we waited for our van to drive us to lunch, Day, MP, and Izzy Van managed to motivate the group to walk instead! Doing this instead of driving was a great way to see more of the island and chat with everyone in the group. After our shawarma lunch, we had to grab some ice cream of course. We were fueled up enough to regain energy for our afternoon surf lesson. Cece, Helen, Phoebe, Annabel and Bea were so eager to get into the water – we loved to see it! After a couple of hours annihilating some waves, we had one more activity waiting for us – soccer! The group quickly changed and walked over to the local soccer field. There we met up with another Moondance group and some players from the local soccer team – The Scorpions. These girls killed it. Cece truly was a master in the goal and Day made a half field shot. It was incredible to see. After the main game, our group did a small round of ‘world cup.’ Olivia and Gray were team Djibouti, Helen and Phoebe were Jamaica, Beatrix and Izzy Van were Türkiye, and Jensen and Day were Ecuador. It was absolutely hilarious watching everyone yell their team’s name, while trying to chaotically score on Cece. We ended the night at an authentic Ecuadorian street food restaurant. Olivia, Samantha, and Annabel became great friends with one of our servers, which soon became a highlight of the trip.
7/12
Yesterday was busy, but we have a volcano to hike today! After breakfast, we drove to the start of the Sierra Negra trail. About 2 miles up, we were welcomed by a beautiful, sunny, and clear view of the Sierra Negra Volcano. The girls hiked in record time, so we were able to continue even further up the path. At the next viewpoint, we took some more photos, filmed a couple fun videos, and took in the gorgeous lava rock. The girls had fantastic attitudes the entire time. Shoutout Anna for carrying her big backpack up the whole thing and always staying positive! The rest of the afternoon was free, which the girls loved. We laid out in the sun, grabbed smoothies and coconuts at the local beach bar, went to the supermarket for snacks, played volleyball, and finally, had a dinner picnic on the beach! Once it had gotten dark, the stars shone so bright we could see them all sparkling. Sam noticed that if we got closer to the beach, you could see the milky way galaxy, which she loved. After moon-up, the group managed to wiggle their way into another soccer game. This time with students from the U.S. and Israel. We love how they’re never afraid to ask to join in on the fun!
7/13
Day 13 of our trip started out with our second surf lesson with Francisco and José! All the girls gave it their best effort and did a great job at standing up! Phoebe and Annabel showed off their incredible surfing skills and helped some of the other girls as well! Anna and Izzy Van stayed persistent with the activity until they got it and were able to stay up! We soaked in every moment of our last surfing lesson and wrapped up our time in Isabela perfectly, and none of the girls wanted to leave the beach. We got a delicious lunch at Blue Summer where Helen had everyone, including our guides, cracking up. Danny and Francisco spotted two large tiger sharks right off the coast which got everyone super excited to head back to Santa Cruz! The group spent the afternoon boating over and once we got there, we were happy to be back at a familiar hotel and even ran into EGP 3A who we got to spend some time mingling and catching up with. Our girls loved hearing about the other group’s trip, and Charlotte even made some new friends with the other students! We finished off the day with ice cream from our favorite deli and Moonup!
7/14
We kicked off our last morning in Santa Cruz with a short hike to Tortuga Bay. Here the girls got to take some beach naps and MP and Day worked on their summer reading! The group saw some of the famous marine iguanas which are endemic to the Galapagos and are the only iguanas to have adapted to an aquatic lifestyle in the world as well as a few Darwin finches! Danny also spotted a small stingray just off the coast of the bay! Despite the humidity and heat, the girls kept an excellent attitude throughout the course of the hike, and we were so proud of them, especially Samantha as she did not let her hurt toe get in the way of enjoying the walk! Afterwards we ate a great lunch then hit up the best ice cream place in town for a well earned cone. Olivia was a proponent of everyone getting seconds! And big nugs to Jenson for always trying the local flavors like coconut and guava! We then headed back to the pier to say goodbye to Santa Cruz one last time and take the ferry to San Cristobal! The girls loved getting to meet Danny’s family when we reached our final destination, and for dinner we finally got to try some amazing sushi! We headed back to our hotel for Moonup and to get an early night’s rest in order to knock our last couple of days out of the park!
Thank yous:
Beatrix: Thank you guys for sending me on this trip! I have had a great time and have practiced stepping out of my comfort and trying new things. I love yall so much, and say hi to curren for me! Also thanks for fixing the flight!!
MP: FAM!!! I’m having a blast in the Galapagos🌊☀️!! Don’t worry I am getting my tan on🤗 Thank you so so so much for sending me on this trip! See you guys soon!😘😘
Izzy Van: hi mom and dad! I am having so much fun in the Galapagos! Thank you so much! Can’t wait to see you!
Olivia: Hey fam! I am having so much fun in the Galapagos☀️! Thank you so much for letting me go on this trip! I have had so much fun! Can’t wait to see y’all! Love you! 😘
Day: Hiiiiii Mom, Dad, Daisy, and Big John!!!!!!! I am having a BLAST in the Galapagos!!! I am so grateful that yall sent me on this trip, THANK YOU!!!! I cannot wait to come back and give everybody a HUGE HUG!! Bring Daisy to the airport 🙏 I love yalll ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
Jenson: Hiiii everyone!! I am having the best time everrrr on this trip we have been in the Galapagos and it is actually so so amazing 🤩 THANK YOUUU SO MUCH 💗💗💗 Miss you guys and can’t wait to see ya !!!
✌️☀️😘
Sam: Hey Mom and Dad! I miss you guys so much and can’t wait to see you at the end of the week! We are in the Galapagos right now, and it is so much fun. My favorite island has been Isabella because of how amazing the people were there. I can’t wait to tell you all about it! Love you!!!
Charlotte: literally have had the best time!! I don’t want to leave Ecuador or the girls!! But can’t wait to see yall soon!! Thank you soo much for the trip!! Tell Stella, char and phoenix, I will see them soon! PLS bring REAL American food to the airport 😁😜❤️🍔🌭🌮🌯🥗🍕🍟🥓🧇🍝🍿🥞🧇🧁
Cece: I never want to leave this is so much fun! But I’m so excited to come home and see everyone! I feel so blessed to be here!! Tell everyone I will see them soon! Also btw next week I won’t be home that much next week because I’m going to be with my friends a lot! 🩷 love yall soooo much!!!! Thank you for sending me on this trip!! 💕😜✌️😘🤩🤗 oh also can we get ice cream when I’m back pleaseee! 💜💗
Helen: HEYYY GUYS!! I have had the best trip ever with the BEST PEOPLE💕❤️🔥😘!! I genuinely don’t want to leave but I am SOSOSOOSOSOS excited to see and tell you all about it😜😜😜😜. I’m so grateful for this experience and am so happy that I get to be here with these people😜💕❤️🔥🤗🤗🤗🤗!! See you guys legit in 48 hours!! Hopefully yall all come to the airport to see me and bring me cotton candy Alani💕🤩can’t wait to show u guys my besties😁😝☀️🌊 BYEEEEEEE LOVE U ALL✌️❤️🔥
Anna: SEE YALL SOON!!! I love my group so so much!! I have had the best time on this trip and I am so thankful for this trip and all the amazing people I have met!! Will you please bring me a celcius when I see you at the airport!! LOVE YALL SO SO MUCH!!
Annabel: HII FAM😘😘 I’ve had sooo much fun in these last two weeks! I’ve made tons of friends and I’m sad to leave them. I’m so grateful for the opportunity you gave me and I can’t wait to tell yall all about it. tell Brooks to do my streaks early Friday morning on snap ily brooks. I LOVE YALL TONS AND IVE HAD THE BEST TWO WEEKS EVER!! See you at the airport also I NEED American food! Some chipotle or ice cream would be great! ILYY
Phoebe: Hi mom and dad! I can’t wait to see you! I am having so much fun. Tell yaya and papa thank you for sending me on this trip I am so grateful🤗. I have seen so many cool things like SEA LIONS there are so many and the water is so clear. I have to go but I can’t wait to see u!
¡Hola, Ecuador!
July 11, 2026
¡Hola, Ecuador! We were so happy to see the girls arrive tonight in Quito! They were all wearing big smiles and were excited for the next two weeks. Once we got back to the hostel, everyone ate some comforting cheese and pepperoni pizza, settled into their rooms, and circled up for the first moon-up of the trip. We named our first ‘Leaders of the Day’ aka LODs, Cece and Anna, got to know each other a little bit more, set goals for the trip, and celebrated finally being together after waiting all summer! It is crazy how the last session has already arrived, but we are more than ready to embrace every adventure and take in every moment.
The first full day was nothing short of boring. We woke up to eggs, toast, and fruit sitting at the table in the hostel lobby. After a decent drive, our group ended up near Cotopaxi National Park, where we met the horses we would be riding for the next couple of hours! The look on Helen and Jenson’s faces when they saw the outfit we got to put on was priceless. Everyone wears a poncho, chaps, and a helmet to look like a true ‘chagra.’ When we made it to the top of the hill, Cotopaxi volcano was peeking through the clouds, trying to say hi. Our guides also pulled out some hot tea for us to drink to prevent altitude sickness. Sam and Izzy Van were big fans of the tea. Although it was a bit dusty, the Andes waved goodbye as we made our way back down. We drove a few minutes down the road to a local lunch spot where meat is cooked on a hot stone. After lunch, we had a decent drive to Baños, but this was not a problem for the group. The altitude shifts can make you very, very sleepy, so a bus nap was much needed. We wrapped up our busy day with a stop at a restaurant in Baños called Arepas to Go. Although it’s a Venezuelan restaurant, everyone was excited to try something new, and they loved it!
Day 3 was our Baños exploration day! There were many things to check off the list, but the very first thing was to meet up with Phoebe! Although she arrived late in Ecuador, everyone was so excited to finally have our group complete. They mentioned how it felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing without Phoebe and Bella back with us yet. We drove up to Casa de Arbol and got the chance to swing off the edge of the world! Then, the bus took us to a cable car down the mountain. While this can be pretty spooky, being so high up, everyone participated willingly and happily. Afterwards, we hiked down to El Pailón del Diablo, aka the devil’s cauldron. As we got closer to the waterfall, the mist got more powerful, but we were completely mesmerized. Soon after, the girls got the opportunity to explore downtown Baños as well. Our guide, Alé, showed us a spot to get chocolate empanadas! Because we obviously can never have enough sugar, we were also able to try local taffy made fresh by a street vendor. What really caught the girls’ eyes were the fruity hard candies that most of them had seen on TikTok. Day, Helen, Olivia, and Phoebe found these popular treats and encouraged the group to try them. Turns out they are actually very delicious!! Our step goal for the day had been achieved, so we walked back to the hotel. But soon after, we had one last activity to wrap up the day – Salsa Dancing!! Our salsa queens, Phoebe and Olivia, had fantastic rhythm and each won a small alpaca toy to bring home.
Additionally, Cece and Jenson were special guests up on the stage, getting to demonstrate how to do some of the moves! We were very, very impressed with how well everyone could dance. Although it has only been a few days, this group is truly starting to feel like family, and we are so grateful for them!
Day four started out with zipline and rock climbing at Parque Adventura! Despite multiple girls having a fear of heights and the zipline looking scary at first, we were so proud of all the girls for giving it their best effort and all deciding to participate! The course included a short zipline over a canyon and the Rio Verde, then a suspended bridge, a ladder up the side of the canyon, and lastly another zipline back across! Cece said she was very happy that she was able to conquer her fear of heights with Moondance, and we were so proud of Charlotte for pushing through even though she felt pushed out of her comfort zone! We ate a delicious burrito lunch where Annabel had her whole table dying laughing at her hilarious code words! After a very eventful morning, the girls were very excited to have some downtime back in the bus as we headed back to Quito! Everyone, but especially Helen, loved listening to the playlist all the girls created for the trip based on their favorite songs, which was, of course, the perfect soundtrack to our road trip. We wrapped up the day back in Quito, and the girls got to mingle with another Moondance group and play some games like soccer and volleyball with them back at our hotel!
We began day five at the Equator Museum! As soon as we got off the bus, the girls loved looking at Google Maps to see that we were perfectly on the Equator! Our wonderful tour guide, Brandon, explained the Coriolis Effect, native Amazon species, and the Indigenous cultures within the rainforest. We even got to see some alpacas and guinea pigs up close! We took lots of pictures standing on the Equator and even had eight egg masters: Beatrix, Helen, Phoebe, Annabel, Charlotte, Anna, Mary Parker, and Day! Then we hit the road to head into town, and went straight to the Virgin of El Panecillo, which is a very famous statue located on top of a hill in Historic Quito and has the best view of the city! We learned that the statue is the largest aluminum statue in the world and is three meters taller than Christ the Redeemer in Brazil! At this point, the group was super hungry, and thankfully, our guide Sebas had the perfect meal planned – pizza! After some of the best pizza of our lives, the group walked to the presidential square, stopped into the Compañía de Jesús Cathedral, and did a delicious chocolate tasting at Yumbos Chocolate! Beatrix absolutely loved the cathedral and got to show off some of her incredible art history knowledge!
Most recently, day six included the most-awaited portion of the trip – traveling to the Galapagos Islands! The group woke up early to ensure they caught their flight with time to spare. Day, Charlotte, Izzy Van, Olivia, and Mary Parker enjoyed talking with another group of teens on the plane with us to pass the time. They even befriended a flight attendant named Matheo! The morning of travel was long, but before we knew it, we had touched down on Santa Cruz Island. We met up with our outfitter, Danny, who took us straight to lunch in the highlands. The highlands of the Galapagos are known for being home to famous giant tortoises, and immediately following lunch, we got to go for a walk around a ranch to get a closer look at them! We wove in and out of caves formed by lava and took lots of pictures with the tortoises, all the while learning more about why they are such a special species. Helen mentioned that this was her favorite activity thus far and loved getting to see some of the environment that makes the Galapagos so unique! We got some downtime back at our lovely hotel, walked to a delicious dinner, and ended the night with a great Moonup. We are so proud of the effort each and every one of these girls is putting into this experience, and are so lucky to have them on this trip!
Helen: Heyy Mom, Daddy, Sally, Type func and Ethan!!! I’m having sooo SOSOSO much fun with best friends❤️💗We are on the way to the Galapagos right now we just finished up in Ecuador🎉🎉. I have presents for everyone🙂I love you all so much and just can’t wait to see and tell you all about it🐈😁🥰!!!!!!
Day: Hiii Mom, Dad, Daisy and Big John!!!!! I’m having SO much fun!!! I am missing everyone so so so much!! I’ve done a lot of shopping and gotten presents for everyone!!!! Addie and Emerson I miss yall so much ❣️❣️❣️ I can’t wait to play pickleball, go get Mexico, and get swog (please eat some for me) when I get home! I love you yall SOOOOOOO much and cannot wait to tell yall ALL about it!!! Please bring Daisy when picking me up!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! 😊🩵🎉🤸♀️
Jenson: Holaa guys!!! I am having the besttt time ever!! We just finished up all of our things in Ecuador and are on the flight the the Galapagos!!! ☀️☀️ I am so so exited for what’s to come and so grateful for this AMAZING TRIPPP!!! I have met the best and coolest people ever and have done sooo many awesome things! 🤗 Can’t wait to tell yall all about it! Thank you guys so much love and miss you all lots 💗💗🥰
MP: Heyyy fam!! I am having SOOO much fun here!! We had the absolute BEST time in Ecuador and now we are headed to the Galapagos!🤗🤗I love you guys bunches and I can’t wait to teach you guys SALSA DANCING!! 💃 See you soon!😘
Phoebe- hi mom and dad! I am having the BEST time! We got to do so many cool things in Ecuador! We learned how to salsa dance and with a competition and I won! We also went on the Equator and learned about the Amazon river. We are on the way to the Galapagos and I can’t wait to swim🌊. I have made so many new friends and I can’t wait to tell u everything! I love and miss you so much💗!
Sam: Hey mom and dad! I miss you guys so much! This trip has been so fun and interesting so far, and I have loved being immersed within the culture here in Ecuador! We have already done so many fun and amazing things, and I can’t wait to tell you all about them!! We are headed for the Galapagos now, and we will spend the rest of the trip there. I love you guys so much and can’t wait to see you soon!! 💗💗💗
Izzy Van: Hi mom and dad! I am flying to the Galapagos today. We have already spent time in Ecuador. It was super fun! We did lots of different stuff and I am exited for the Galapagos. I haven’t been eaten by a bird yet, so all good. Miss you and see you soon!
Charlotte: Hey fam! Had an amazing time in Ecuador now headed to the Galapagos!! Tried many new things and loving all the adventures. Tell Char, Stella, and phoenix I miss them soo much and I’ll see them very soon! Can’t wait to tell u abt all my new friends. Also can’t wait to go to Galapagos 😆🤣😜💗
Olivia: Hey mom, dad, and Emma! We are on the plane to the Galapagos right now! We had an amazing time in Ecuador 🇪🇨 and we did so many fun activities! I have made a bunch of new friends! Miss y’all so much but I’m having so much fun! Hopefully I’ll come back tan! Love y’all! 🤗💗😆
Beatrix: Hey dad and mom! Miss yall so much, I went to Quito and Baños (headed to Galapagos now)! We have done a lot like horseback riding through Cotopaxi national park, zip lining/rockclimbing, hanging with a co-ed group, and many other activities (like visiting the equator). Also, I met Austin and Micheal scibellies’ leaders, they were awesome. Tell curren I miss him and hope he’s having fun in the Bahamas. Love yall!!
Anna: Hi guys! I miss yall so much but I am having so much fun! I can barely carry my duffel bag and we have to pick it up so much but hopefully I’ll be a lot stronger when I come home! We have done so many fun activities and I am so grateful for the opportunity to go on this trip! I love yall so so much!! See you soon!
Cece: HIIIIIII!!!!!! miss yall so much! Especially the boys 🐶! I am having so much fun and LOVE my group and leaders!! I am so thankful for this opportunity thank yall so much! I found some fun stuff with Meres shopping money, so excited to show yall! Please tell everyone I miss them so much and I can’t wait to see them! love you!!!💜🎂💃😝 🧇
Annabel:Hi guys! I miss yall soo much! I’m having a lot of fun here and I love my group! I’ve made a ton of friends and it’s so pretty in Ecuador. Mom: I bought you a really pretty necklace and then someone threw it away by accident but it’s the thought that counts. I’ve also been practicing my Spanish a lot! Brooks: I miss you so much and I can’t wait to see u soon! You’re my best friend! Dad: I love you tons and I miss u! Tell Reese that I love and miss her. Also tell REAP hi and I love them. I can’t wait to see yall in a week
Safe Arrival!
July 7, 2026
Hello Ecuador + Galapagos Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely, and is all together! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure!
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
