In the early morning of 1 April 2025, 50 tired Year 9 students and five motivated teachers boarded a flight to Lanzarote. Lanzarote is one of the seven main islands of the Canary archipelago – an extensive group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Spain.
Our hotel was in the coastal, urban capital city of Lanzarote, Arrecife. Several of the other places we got to visit, however, were rural and fully left to nature – many of the island areas are barely populated, leaving nature lots of space to breathe. What especially fascinated us about this was how well the inhabitants of the island have managed to adapt to the nature instead of adapting nature to the people.
Looking out of the bus windows, we could often see volcanoes, some of which only erupted in the 19th century, making the landscape unique. Almost 200 different species of lichens and lichenicolous fungi perfectly complete the beautiful volcanic landscape.
We were lucky enough to visit Jameos del Agua, a part of a volcanic tunnel formed by the eruption of the La Corona volcano about 4,000 years ago. At Jameos del Agua we were able to see the very special and well adapted blind albino squat lobsters, which can only be found in Lanzarote.
An astonishing landscape we got to experience was the Timanfaya Volcanic Park in the southwestern part of the island. The volcanoes there partially erupted from 1730 to 1736. Through experiments, we got to experience the volcanic rocks’ high temperatures, which allow the island to get a lot of energy from geothermal energy.
Another highlight was the designs and installation of the renowned artist César Manrique across the whole island, perfectly blending in with the island’s nature and enhancing its features.
We learnt how to get pure salt out of sea water, how lava tunnels are formed and how cacti adapt to dry temperatures. We researched sustainable living and designed our own energy-efficient houses.
Not only did we learn an incredible amount of new information, but we also had an incredible amount of fun – be it on the beach, at the Rancho Texas Lanzarote aquapark or at the quiz night.
Astonished and fulfilled, the 50 students and their very patient teachers – Dr Martin, Mrs Mylod, Mr Conroy, Dr Galloni and Mr Sethia – boarded the plane to the UK. This trip was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience, allowing us to improve our knowledge. Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this trip happen and provide us with this great opportunity.
Mariella Barnert, Year 9
