Living on a Fault Line - Iceland to Iran

The RGS and Land Rover bursary "Go Beyond" has been awarded to a group of geographers and geologists following the fault line from the atlantic island of Iceland all the way to Iran.  They are planning to meet with as many people as possible to understand how they deal with living in this active area.

They set off at the end of July and plan to cover 25,000 kms in their quest.  You can follow their adventure and meet the people they come across during their journey who live in close proximity to the fault line.

The communities are often in the remotest part of the country, in the interior of Iceland and remote areas of Turkey.

You too can see the rift valley in Iceland on one of our educational trips and if you are really adventurous can snorkel between the two tectonic plates!  The most difficult part was getting the dry suit on as I found out when I tried it with a couple of colleagues last October.

Lorraine

Discover the Arctic on BBC's Human Planet

For the first time ever the BBC are making a landmark series dedicated to ‘Homo sapiens’, otherwise known as, humans!

From the comfort of your home you can adventure to over 80 parts of the world, witness incredible environments, grasslands, deserts, mountain, oceans, arctic, rivers, jungles and urban environments.  Venturing from Greenland to Papua New Guinea this series is sure to inspire the next generation of students. Visit the BBC for more information on the Human Planet series and a wealth of resources remember to keep an eye out for the Greenland episode…and if you’re inspired, why not travel with your students to some of our inspiring destinations to see for yourself these amazing environments.

Lorraine

Eyjafjalljokull volcano - then and now!

You might be interested to know that Eyjafjalljokull has quietened down tremendously since its rather spectacular eruption in April. Follow the latest updates on the Iceland meteorological website the crater is beginning to fill with water and it is just steam now which is filling the air. The ash has also provided some extra nutrients and the grass and crops are seemingly thriving. Scientists are watching this carefully.

If you would like to see what is happening and to monitor the earthquakes in Iceland the meteorological office has a fantastic website where you can see the earthquake activity.

Take a look now at the latest picture of this sleeping volcano.

If you haven't been to Iceland before and would like to see for yourself how inspiring a trip might be we are offering two teacher inspection trips  - October 2010 and May 2011 register for details now to check if you qualify for a free place.

We also are delighted to welcome back schools who travel with us regularly and will be announcing our new loyalty programme shortly.

OmanTurtle Encounter on School Trip

Silent we were, as we stood behind this wonderful greenback turtle as she gently covered her eggs in the moonlight on the beach at Ras al Jinz. We were there to witness this amazing spectacle on the Oman coast at the research centre for the Greenback turtles. The energy it took for each sweep of the flipper as she took her last motherly act was impressive.    

 

Once covered, the eggs, and then the baby turtles would be completely on their own to battle against predators and to take that long journey to the sea. The little turtles follow light to lead them to the sea and we watched as the tiny little turtle launched itself off the 8ft sand bank to drop into the sea whilst a large white crab was patrolling – it escaped and now began its life’s journey.

 

We, that is myself, Dan - Manager of the Schools programme, and Charlotte - Assitant Manager were in Oman on an inspection visit before launching this incredible destination.  A visit to this Research Centre is part of our school trip programme to Oman which we have just launched. Find out more about this amazing Middle East country. Register now for information on our inaugural teacher inspection trip at study@discovertheworld.co.uk

 

 Lorraine

Iceland Video - now is the best time to travel!

Here at Discover the World we all LOVE the recent video just posted on Inspired By Iceland!  Take a look below - very reminiscent of Bjork's video - fantastic to see some of that stunning Icelandic scenery and everyone having fun! Spread the word that now is a fantastic time to visit Iceland!

Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired by Iceland on Vimeo.

Morocco Adventure in the desert

The quiet of the amazing Erg Chebbi desert in Morocco was calling so off I went to spend a night under the stars in the middle of these huge sands dunes near Merzouga.  Getting there was half the fun too - a camel ride of two hours with a Man in Blue leading the way is every damsels desire I am sure. 

Combining that with the most incredible display of more stars then I have ever seen in my life.  So many I couldn't even work out some of the more famous constellations and the milky way was showing herself in all her glory.   Ideal for all you astronomers and scientists.

All in the call of duty for me as I was out inspecting the bedouin camp on behalf of all the students who can now go on a Discover the World education trip to Morocco.

It can get very chilly in the desert at night so I was very grateful for the thick blankets and the roaring fire.  A steaming tagine was cooked for us and eaten while we were watching our cameleers while they played their berber instruments under the stars. 

I am sure if you are looking for a hot destination to see desertification and water irrigation you will want to take time out for this overnight camping trip.

Lorraine

 

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano - all our school groups home!

Well, what a trip they had!  We are really pleased to report all school groups on our study trips to Iceland during the latest volcanic eruptions are now home in the UK.  Some groups saw more of Iceland than planned with a trip round Iceland going all the way round on Route 1 to get back to Reykjavik. Although one  group did travel through the night!  A big thank you to all our teachers who were in Iceland - welcome  home!

And if you thought the students  were having a good time - yes they did - we organised additional activities like whale watching, and horse riding.   But don't worry, if you thought the students were having too much of a good time some even went to school for their lessons in an Icelandic secondary school. 

If you want to learn how to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that caused the ash cloud, we have been practising quite a bit.  So here goes Aaya-fiatla-yurkult!  Easy!

To witness how practised and organised the Icelandic people are when it comes to keeping people safe during a volcanic eruption being there really did bring the text book to life.  To find out more on the volcanos visit our guide to volcanos.

If you would like to take your students to Iceland to really see the Living Planet at work - not in a text book we would be delighted to help.  To see how other schools feel about their educational visit with Discover the World please see our testimonial page.

Once again, welcome back to all our schools.  Lorraine

New Volcano Charter - Your Travel is Protected

Here at Discover the World we are committed to providing you with the best possible service and understand that the recent air travel disruption may have highlighted some travel concerns. To offer you reassurance in your future travel plans we would like to advise you of our new clear and transparent travel policy.

New Volcano Customer Charter – Applicable to all our Destinations

This comes into effect in the event of any further ash cloud disruption where an airline does not provide this equivalent level of care and assistance.

Flight Cancellations

In the event that it is not possible for your outward flight(s) to operate within 24 hours of the scheduled departure time we will do our best to rearrange your holiday for a later date or if you prefer, receive a full refund of the holiday costs that you have paid to us (excluding any travel insurance premium).

If your scheduled return flight(s) are cancelled and it is necessary for you to remain in your destination and if the airline does not make these arrangements for you, then we will provide you with accommodation and meals until such time that we or the airline can make alternative travel arrangements. This may include returning you to an alternative UK airport via an alternative route, in order to repatriate you to your original UK departure airport.

Holiday Alterations / Rerouting

If you are on holiday and it becomes necessary to alter or reroute any of our holiday itineraries then we will make these arrangements for you at no additional cost. 

To read our complete new Volcano Customer Charter and conditions please click here.

Please contact our specialist team if you require any further advice.

Iceland - volcano witness account

Dan Stacey, Discover the World’s Schools & Groups Manager, is on location in South Icelandand has just been to witness the volcanic eruption near the Eyjafjallajokull glacier.  

“…I just returned from an absolutely fantastic experience in Iceland; I took the 'Volcano Eruption by Snowmobile' tour.  I've been fortunate enough to travel around this amazing country quite a bit, but seeing a live eruption was something else! It took around an hour to get close to the area by snowmobile, and then we stood in awe around 200 metres from the lava (for about an hour); feeling the heat on our faces and just marvelling at the immense power of the earth as it burst out in all kinds of reds and oranges  and yellow. It was like something out of Lord of the Rings; conjuring up images of Mordor and the lava spilling down through black earth and sizzling against the snow.  It was possibly one of the most awesome experiences of my life - seeing a natural display of fireworks that was simply out of this world. "

 

Some of our school groups were in Iceland and could witness for themselves this eruption.  With safety paramount the Icelandic people were well prepared and had their emergency procedures in place.

 

Lucky Dan.....

 

Lorraine

Schools see the Northern Lights!

For those of you off on school trips to Iceland this month with Discover the World you might like to know what the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights might be during your stay.

Going now during the October half term is an ideal time - weather permitting.  As always with wildlife and the Northern Lights nothing is guaranteed but checking out the Geophysical Institute website in Alaska will give you an indication of the probability of seeing them - if clear skies are forecast. 

My own expereiece of seeing the Northern Lights was when I accompanied a school group in October 2006, thanks Paul, and we saw an incredible display combined with an amazing show of shooting stars!

Have a great trip with School Discover... and hope you are successful in hunting down these elusive Northern Lights! 

Lorraine