Every year, the classes of fourth E.S.O. have the opportunity to go to the natural park of Inagua, a very beautiful zone situated in the south-west of the island. This part is the oldest and has the largest pine tree forest of Gran Canaria.

This year was our turn.

Days before leaving, we divided all the people that were going into 5 groups. Each group had to do a housework task which included:  preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner, cleaning the toilets and cleaning the house. Each work had a supervisor that made sure that everyone was doing something.

First of all I have to say that to arrive at Inagua you have to walk 10 Kms ! but don’t worry, if you’re tired you can go by car.

The same day we reached the house, we did another walk to see the sundown.

The next day we had to wake up at eight ó clock in the morning to have breakfast. Then we prepared our things to walk. This time we surrounded a montain. The worst thing was that I suffer vertigo, and we were walking at an altitude of 300 meters, so I walked looking at the ground. The monitor, Teddy, showed us native plants and flowers. He also told us that even after the fire that took place there two years ago, plants and flowers believed to be extinct, grew once more.

The third day, we didn’t walk a lot. Teddy took us to a dry waterfall.

In the afternoon, the monitor, showed us photos of Inagua after the fire and compared them with now. It is awesome how nature is able to recover from a fire.

This day it was my birthday, my friends prepared a surprise party with a delicious cake. At night, some of us went to the bedroom and we had a party, we put on music and we danced.

The last day we had to clean all the house and walked another 10 km more to reach the bus.

The experience was excellent, we learnt how to protect nature and how to live together.

Pedro David López (4º ESO)

I had heard of Inagua being mentioned in my house for fifteen years and each school year I saw my mother making preparations for the camp. And telling the stories related to it, I found out that I had in fact been there before I was born while my mother was pregnant with me. Later with the passing of time I was able to fulfil my dream.

On Tuesday we were all prepared as if we were going on a normal school trek but we did not know what was waiting for us and what we were going to learn and enjoy. Inagua is not a regular camping expedition; It is something really different. To spend 4 days and three nights in an extraordinary place, a natural reserve, with an incredible sky where you can clearly see the stars (not like in a city!), is an incredible experience.

In addition to the long walks, there are so many anecdotes that if I had to count them all, it would fill the whole page.

To summarise, it is a remarkable experience that helps us learn new things and get to know places on our Island that we never knew existed.

Alvaro Jimenez (4º ESO)