Over winter break, 12 students and two professors went to Ecuador to learn about the country’s people, cultures, and environment.
Washington College’s Environmental Studies in Ecuador course, in partnership with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), took a broad look at environmental issues in the equatorial nation. Students and faculty traveled from dry lowlands to tropical highlands to arid islands on an 11-day scientific adventure. Along the way they gained insights into the people and the intersection of society and the natural world.
Rebecca Fox, associate professor of environmental science, led this study abroad program, accompanied by Brian Scott, an economics and environmental studies professor.
“We learn so much each day that if you go in without any background knowledge, it’s really overwhelming to try to understand what’s happening,” Fox said.
The semester before they traveled, Fox divided the students into four groups to research national parks, the Kichwa people, natural disasters, and agriculture. Each group acted as a subject matter expert and got the entire traveling party, including the two professors, up to speed on their subject. The two professors also taught classes, with Fox focusing on the science, biology, and food production and Scott on the economics and social sciences.
Each student was given a waterproof notebook and encouraged to take notes and make observations in the tradition of Charles Darwin. Their journal entries give a taste of what they experienced. The entries are abridged and edited for space.
Day 1
Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) Campus and Quito’s Historic Center
Students attend lecture on anthropology in Ecuador, take a tour of the campus, and visit the historic center of Quito.
Today was our first day in Ecuador, and in the morning Mara took us on a tour of the USFQ campus. We had several lectures on the natural ecology and anthropology of the area. This was followed by a three-course lunch, in accordance with Ecuadorian ‘proper etiquette’ which is highly stressed at the university.
We were then taken directly into the historic center of Quito, spending time in several churches. The churches were quite imposing with intricate designs running down every wall and ceiling, often decorated with gold. The thought of how much gold was used to construct such places was almost impossible to comprehend, and the cost of such a venture when it was constructed seemed impossible.
We went to the top of one of the churches and saw the city from above while climbing one of the domes, and even went into one of the domes. We later saw the city from even higher at one of the city’s highest peaks, where there was a statue of Mary.
Jeremy L. Liberman ’25
Day 2
Haciende Verde and the Quitsato Sundial
Students learn about agrobiodiversity in the Andean Dry Forest and taste native edible plants. Then they visit the Quitsato Sundial, a popular tourist site directly on the equator.
Today we went to Hacienda Verde, and I ate food that I’ve never tried before. I loved seeing the farm in the Andes. The land usage was so much more creative and felt way healthier for the land than any other type of farming I’ve seen before.
We then went to the equator. I really enjoyed the “geo-centric” alternative orientation to the map. It explains a lot more about how the world works and makes more sense.
For lunch, we ate food prepared by a Kichwa woman. Kichwa women wear different clothes to differentiate different ethnic groups. Later, I was able to distinguish between different Kichwa groups while I explored the town of Otavalo.
While we were in the Guayllabamba valley, I noticed there were a lot more arid plants like cacti, succulents, and plants with small leaves or modified spikes. The valley is in between two large mountains that create the rain shadow effect.
Hannah Choi ’26
Day 3
Cuicocha Lagoon
The group travels to a lake inside a volcano’s crater. Students hike part of a wildlife reserve and boat on the lake.
Today we drove to Cuicocha Lagoon. We hiked the ridge around it, affording us an incredible view of the pristine and untouched caldera on one side and the rolling farms on the other. We had an incredible view of the lagoon and the islands in its center and the ecotones of cloud forest rising up the slopes.
I had been hoping to see a spectacled bear, but we only saw a bromeliad [plant] ripped apart in the characteristic way bears eat them. We saw a variety of dragonflies, which was exciting, and Andean coots on our boat ride around the lagoon. The blue, mineral-rich water seemed eerily devoid of life, with not a single fish to be found. The water was cold and dark, blanketed on the bottom by a layer of thick green algae. I was surprised to learn that water did not flow in or out of the lagoon, which seemed strange since it is a rather sizable body of water.
After driving to Cotacachi, we had a delightful lunch and visited the market, supposedly famous for its leather (which there was not a lot of). We took a long drive back to Cumbayá afterwards, enjoying a nice evening relaxing at our hotel.
Jeremy L. Liberman ’25
Day 4
Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve and Frajares Farm
The students visit a biodiversity hotspot, where the dry lowlands meet the tropical Andes. Then, they visit a coffee farm and learn how to process beans and brew fresh coffee.
We went to Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve. It was a little cold, but the view into the crater town below was quite beautiful.
Now I must mention that we saw an Andean bear, a critically endangered species that regularly comes into conflict with Ecuadorians. I almost forgot how elusive and rare they are. I really hope the Andean Bear Corridor works.
I’ve never seen so many hummingbirds in one place before. I was excited to see the rufous-tailed hummingbird, however, my favorite was the booted racket-tail.
We also went to a coffee farm. There were a lot of ins and outs to coffee preparation from how the beans are fermented, dried, and even ground that I never considered. I honestly have a greater appreciation for the drink now that I know what it takes to make good coffee, which is ironic because I don’t even drink coffee regularly.
At Reserva Intillacta we learned about alternative agricultural processes. I was really moved by Nina’s lecture about how food connected to autonomy. People have lost the ability to grow their own food and control how they interact with what they eat.
People have lost their connections to the land over time. This lack of knowledge makes us dependent on the systems already in place to get food.
Hannah Choi ’26
Day 5
Yunguilla Culuncos Hike
Students hike a culunco—an ancient trail the original peoples of Ecuador used as trade routes—and learn about cloud forests. The Yungilla community developed a model of sustainable ecotourism.
We hiked some of the trails going through Intillacta to a giant strangler fig plant that may have been over a hundred years old. It was likely planted on a tree branch by way of bird poop, where it took root and dropped its anchor roots that slowly engulfed the tree over a long period of time. It was the most impressive parasitic plant I’ve seen to date.
After breakfast, we were off to Yunguilla where we met Jessinía. She took us on a magical walk through the cloud forest on trails called culuncos and originally used by the Yumbo people, a very isolated community within the forests of Ecuador.
Yunguilla is a large community living in the cloud forest, who all work together to sustain each other. Jessinía explained that work is split inter-generationally, where the younger generation that has been through more years of education has taken on more of the administrative work and the elders are doing more production jobs such as working in fabricas to process jams and cheeses, which is one of the community’s primary sources of income. The social dynamics were particularly interesting in Yunguilla.
There were many interesting things about this community, including the formation of Mamapulla, a group of women involved in protecting their environment while developing skills within the community to sustain themselves.
Maya Betley ’25
Day 6
The Galapagos Islands
Students learn about the history of the islands—human and natural—and get to see islands’ unique flora and fauna.
I wasn’t expecting the environment to be so arid—the many cactus species exemplified dry-condition adaptations. I would love to visit in the rainy season when the shrubs have leaves.
We visited the San Cristobál Environmental Interpretation Center to learn about the history of the Galapagos. We’d discussed much of its natural history, however, this was the first time I’d learned about the cultural and social history of the isles.
There were no native peoples to exploit on the Galapagos Islands. Prisoners were sent there, and there was a vicious pattern of human rights violations and uprisings.
The scariest part of my day was snorkeling.
The actual snorkeling part was fine. It was cool to see sharks and sting rays, and I really enjoyed swimming through the schools of fish. However, I got cold and headed in early, only for a sea lion to make itself very comfortable on the stairs out of the water. We weren’t supposed to get within six feet of the wildlife. That made it a battle between maintaining Galapagos National Park rules and possibly getting hypothermia.
Estefania told me to simply exit, and that if I didn’t bother the sea lion, he wouldn’t bother me. Once I managed to get my body onto the stairs, the sea lion flinched and glared at me. The entire time I thought I was about to get bitten or charged. As soon as I walked past it, the sea lion relaxed again, but my heart was racing. I was very jealous of how easily Estefania got out and just scared the sea lion off.
Hannah Choi ’26
Marine iguana
Marine iguana
Galapagos penguin
Galapagos penguin
Giant tortoises
Giant tortoises
Day 7
Kicker Rock and Punta Pucuna
Students snorkel near a volcanic ash rock, which was an important marker for sailors. Next, they visit Punta Pucuna, a bay surrounded by lava cones.
We set off for Kicker Rock. Flying fish erupted from the boat’s wake and sea turtles surfaced. We snorkeled around the rock where the sea was calmer and deeper and teemed with wildlife. Large schools of fish swam about, and silhouettes of larger figures faded in and out of view. Before long, scalloped hammerheads appeared beneath us, gliding along gracefully from side to side. Large groups of spotted eagle rays also appeared, and a white-tipped shark also briefly swam into view.
We went to a small beach crawling with Sally Lightfoot crabs and lava lizards. Our guides caught a large palometa, which they gutted and washed on board.
After lunch we visited a very different part of San Cristobál, covered in petrified lava flows as far as the eye could see. It looked like a landscape from another planet, one covered in craters and valleys and cracked rocks as light as feathers. Our guide explained that the lava flows were relatively young and primary succession was unfolding before our very eyes.
We returned and enjoyed time at Playa Mann, though I felt wary in the water. The sea lions swam so close that I saw only a brief dark shape before their form appeared next to us. A giant sea wolf, as the locals call them, completely in its element. I have never been so close to such a large wild animal before. The sheer abundance of their drooped forms on the beach and dark shapes in the water is something that will be forever a foreign sensation to me.
Jeremy L. Liberman ’25
Day 8
El Junco, Puerto Chino, and Ranti Tasting
Students visit the only permanent natural freshwater lake on the whole archipelago. They swim at a quiet beach and taste coffee at a ranch where native tortoises roam.
The hike at El Junco was wet and foggy, and the elevation around 2100 ft. To me, this isn’t very high and made for an easy hike. Some people disagreed, reminding me that Chestertown is at sea level.
Puerto Chino had crystal clear water, nice waves, and soft sand. I could see fish darting in and out from the surf. There were even sea lions playing nearby. I’m glad I decided to swim.
I was thinking a lot about how good Ecuador was for what I’m interested in, including hiking, diving, and snorkeling. I was also thinking about how my Spanish would greatly improve if I could be in a country like Ecuador long term. I’ve been learning the language since kindergarten but didn’t learn much practical Spanish. For example, I know how to say albóndiga or meatball because we had to learn a Spanish story about a frog whose mouth was too small to eat a meatball. Meanwhile, I struggle to ask something like “how large is ___?” I thought, maybe I could be like a dive or snorkeling tour leader. My swimming skills are good enough for that, and I speak English so I could lead tourists in the Galapagos. That can be my fallback plan if nothing else works.
I forgot to mention that we saw Galapagos tortoises today, because I was so caught up in a daydream about moving to Ecuador. But I did learn that “Galapagos” has something to do with the word “saddle.” The tortoises were named for their saddle-like shape.
Hannah Choi ’26
Day 9
Santa Cruz Island and Charles Darwin Research Station
Students learn about Charles Darwin’s life and theories and how breeding programs rebuild native tortoise populations.
Today we took a boat to Santa Cruz, where small sharks were swimming close to the docks. We went through yet another biosecurity checkpoint, before finally entering Santa Cruz.
We took a short trip to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where there were tortoises of many species from across the islands, exhibiting a variety of carapace shapes and sizes. There were adults, prehistoric remnants of a bygone age when giant reptiles ruled the Earth, and hatchlings barely a year old.
There was also a museum dedicated to the islands’ species and Charles Darwin, the man credited with the concept of evolution by natural selection and species arising according to environmental pressures rather than by an omnipotent creator.
Darwin has long been my inspiration. Seeing the place which birthed his revolutionary theory has been an incredibly profound experience.
We hiked through dry forest to Tortuga Bay, where a patch of mangroves was a nursery for young fish and sharks. We saw marine iguanas and lava gulls, which have profound differences from similar species that make them more likely to survive on these volcanic islands. Even the finches walked right up to us, clearly unafraid and not adapted to the presence of large terrestrial threats. It is indeed interesting to see the differences between the wildlife of these islands and that of the mainland, and how such rare and seemingly elusive wildlife will walk right up to us.
Jeremy L. Liberman ’25
Day 10
Bartolome Island
A deserted island formed by lava flows gives students the opportunity to learn about geological formation.
It’s really cool being in Ecuador during an election. I’ve noticed all types of marketing going on for the campaigns. Their system is different than ours, and they have tons of options to choose from. I’ve seen signs saying “vota todo 7” which means vote for candidate 7.
I’ve seen a lot of Kia ads and sponsorships but haven’t noticed many Kia cars. While we were hiking on Bartolome Island, I asked our guide about it. Firstly, the island’s energy plant is a joint effort between Korea and Santa Cruz. Next, the Ecuadorian government has an agreement with Kia to provide electric vehicle charging stations on the island. She also told me that the Galapagos has a very strict car policy. You need a permit to own a car. It makes sense to limit the number of cars on small islands like the Galapagos. Whereas in the United States, it’s nearly impossible to go to work or sometimes even school without access to a car. This is especially true because of how our country is individualist and doesn’t like to promote public transportation.
After our hike on Bartolome Island, we went snorkeling. Here’s my mention of seeing Galapagos penguins. I’m simply grateful I was here in the first place. I’m also so thankful that Jeremy was swimming toward a shark today. He was trying to get a photo or video, but inadvertently caused it to swim directly by me. I was close enough to clearly see its eye and its cat-like pupil looking around. It was truly surreal. Being this close to a shark in the water is really a dream come true.
Hannah Choi ’26
Day 11
El Chato Ranch and Lava Tunnels
Students explored lava tunnels on a ranch famous for its many wild giant tortoises. They did not record journals of their final day on the islands.
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