Surreal doesn’t even begin to describe it.

You’ve heard about the Galapagos, right? That group of islands where Darwin studied the finches and began to develop his theory of natural selection?

It’s probably starting to come back to you now: Foggy remembrances of your high school biology class’s unit on evolution that you might have tried to block from your memory. Great. Tuck that memory away, because there is so, so much more to the Galapagos Islands than that, from enormous tortoises to breathtaking (literally) volcanoes to downright delicious chocolate and coffee. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Through a massive undertaking on our AP bio teacher’s part, a group of former and current students from my high school had the amazing opportunity to experience all of these elements of the islands up close and personal. And it was incredible. This is Part One (it was far too long to publish all of it at once) of a haphazard documentation of our trip, combining fun facts and quotes about our very favorite memories with some of our more sobering experiences, as well. Feel free to skip around as you want to read the sections that most interest you, and stay tuned for part two next week!

1. Back to the basics.

First, a little bit of background: The 19 Galapagos Islands actually make up a national park belonging to the country of Ecuador. (I didn’t even realize this until we got there; oops, sorry, Reyes). We spent the first and last day of our trip in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. The other days were devoted to sightseeing and traveling between three of the major islands: San Cristobal, one of the oldest island, Santa Cruz, the most populated, and Isabela Island, the largest island and home to the active Sierra Negra Volcano, among others. As Parris Kruebbe said, “The environment was so different from island to island. It was amazing, the difference a two-hour boat ride can make.”

The official language of Ecuador is Spanish, but the indigenous peoples also speak their native language, called Quichua. Ecuadorians are very passionate about their soccer team, and they kill it with their salsa dancing. The population is 90 percent Catholic, and their major exports include oil and roses, which they say can stay fresh for up to a month after being cut. (Guys, take note).

2. Sea lions, tortoises and boobies, oh my!

If you’re thinking that the heading for this section is awfully risqué, don’t panic, a blue-footed booby is a bird native to the Galapagos. While we did see several of these from a distance, we also got to be just one meter away (the mandatory distance) from other wildlife, like the tortoises and sea lions. Macy Isbell summed up what we were all thinking when she said: “Seeing the wildlife as close as legally possible in their natural environment was awesome.”

While we were, of course, super excited about being so close to the sea lions, they’re just another part of everyday life to the locals. You can’t visit a beach without seeing a group of them basking in the sun or jockeying for position on one of the shaded benches by the ocean. The adults are a little distrustful of us, grunting and barking if we venture too far into their personal space, but the babies are very curious. In fact, during our first snorkeling experience, a baby sea lion swam around with us and even came up onto a rock to visit afterward! (Unfortunately, but for good reason, touching the wildlife is strictly prohibited). Other animals seen while snorkeling include marine iguanas, sea turtles, stingrays and even a small shark. Casual, I know.

We also visited a place called El Chato Ranch, home to some of the islands’ signature giant tortoises. With no natural predators on the islands, these tortoises can live to be around 100 years old. The general consensus among our group was that, with their wrinkled faces and toothless grins, the adult tortoises resembled “cute old people.” (If you’re a cute old person reading this, it’s a compliment; I swear). Another of our stops was at a tortoise breeding center, where the islanders are making conscious efforts to preserve the remaining 11 of the 15 original tortoise species.

While the baby tortoises were too adorable not to include, you should contact other group members if you would like to see video footage of the additional activities taking place at this breeding center.

3. It’s all about the view.

Seriously, the views across all of the islands and in Quito were breathtaking. To quote Elyse Hanna, “The scenery was stunning, from Quito’s mountains to the Galapagos’ beaches to the top of the Sierra Negra [Volcano]. The best part of the trip was how beautiful everything was.”

Pictures don’t even begin to do it justice. The water was so blue, the vegetation so green — each island was like a miniature slice of paradise. Just trust me on this one; seeing is believing. Like Elyse said, we experienced a variety of terrain, whether we were looking out across the volcano we just hiked, wading into the water to snorkel, or peering out the window as we drove through the mountains.

Remember to look for Part Two, which includes trying guinea pig and other cultural foods, bartering in Spanish in the marketplace, multiple bonding experiences and more!