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

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