The trip was the brainstorm of biology teacher Kristen Thomson, who wanted to offer students a way to extend their knowledge of ecology and the life sciences out of the classroom. Not that it seemed like work—the experience made learning virtually painless.

There were no tests; students were required to keep a daily log and photo journal as part of the educational requirements. Each evening they would meet and go over everything they saw, and it would be plenty.

Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America, yet it is the most ecologically diverse, with 18 percent of the world's total living species. And since the rainforest is one of the more sparsely populated regions of the country, it offers a more authentic and less tourist-like experience.

Some students were eager to go from the start. Sophomore Allison Capek had lived in Germany when younger and caught the travel bug as a result. "I saw pictures of the rainforest and thought it was fascinating, so I jumped on the chance."

In addition to the learning potential, the trip also gave students a chance to travel without their parents.

"This gives them a sense of responsibility, something you can't learn in a classroom," says Thomson.

The journey

The intrepid travelers set off from San Francisco early one Saturday in February, headed toward the capital city, Quito. There was initially a little trepidation mixed in with the excitement—for some it was not knowing anyone on the trip. "Just because you're nervous, you can't let it stop you from going," says Allison. "Once I was on the plane, I calmed down."

There was a great deal of preparation leading to that point, financial considerations being paramount. It would be virtually impossible to raise the kind of money required, so everyone paid their own way. The two parents on the trip had to clear their calendars, one of them being Saratoga City Councilwoman Kathleen King, who made sure her perfect attendance record went unchecked. She went with her daughter, Marie, in an effort to provide enrichment.

"I thought this would be a real eye-opener for Marie."

"Parents had to be convinced that it was safe to let their children travel to a Third World country and a rainforest three hours from civilization," says Thomson. But armed with a sound plan, she convinced the parents, as well as the school board—with strong support of school administrators—that it could work.

"My mom was worried," says Jason Wu, a sophomore. "She said 'You're going to be eaten by an anaconda.'" He later admits it was said in jest. "My mom is pretty cool." He never did see an anaconda, he adds, but he did see a boa resting comfortably on the roof of a bridge.

All the parents were remarkably supportive, and some were a little jealous rather than worried.

It helped that Thomson and her husband, Barry, had met at the lodge where they would be staying. Barry had worked as a guide there and was fluent in Spanish.

The group landed in Quito, located in the Andes Mountains 9,000 miles above sea level, and stayed in a hostel for two days. An afternoon was spent soaking up the local ambience at the Otavalo Indian Market, the largest native market in South America. It was a cultural experience for the group's members, seeing young children ages 6 to 8 selling their goods and not in school. The Ecuadorian children introduced themselves and sang songs for the Americans.

"I enjoyed the shopping but didn't do well with the bargaining; it's a bit uncomfortable," says Allison, who also felt awkward about the begging.

Next the group took a small plane to make the short trip to Coca, flying over active volcanoes and going from a very high altitude to a low one with no repercussions. Then it was up the river, which was a tributary to the Amazon, for a three-hour ride in a motorized canoe.

On their trek along the boardwalk to their accommodations, a few brave ones wore flip-flops instead of boots. But always expect the unexpected in the rainforest—they encountered a hoard of army ants, which are known for ravaging things in their wake. Fortunately these ants weren't that potent, but a few of the group's members were bitten nonetheless.

Settling in

The Sacha Lodge holds special meaning for the Thomsons—they met there when Kristen stayed there after college, traveling with her roommate. "We were supposed to end up in Argentina and Brazil but somehow ended up in Ecuador," she laughs. She returned to the lodge three more times, she was so enraptured with the place. "I fell in love with the rainforest and my husband," she says.

The Thomsons felt comfortable recommending the lodge—it provided the safety and security needed for their young charges.

The lodge reminded King of the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. It was built aboveground with all-wood furniture and a bar and lodge upstairs. The rooms were luxurious, with a view out onto the rainforest. Many of the native Quichian Indians work as staff and also serve as guides.

The travelers soon settled into a routine. The students were awakened sometimes as early as 4 a.m., so they could set off before light when the animals move about. "Hola," reenacts Thomson, tapping on a desk with glee, "buenos dias." And so it went until reluctant sleepers were awake and out of bed.

It was hot, but the group's members persevered in daily hikes—sometimes three a day.

They acclimated to their surroundings like seasoned travelers—like when senior Nolan Marcos leaned against a tree to rest during a hike and a tarantula was knocked down onto King's head. She casually brushed it out of her hair.

"It wasn't a big deal until afterwards. She didn't react to it, just screamed a little and said, 'Oh, it's a tarantula,'" recounts junior Chelsea Young.

On another hike, Jason and his group came upon a snake swallowing a frog three times bigger than itself. The hikers startled the snake, who released its prey and slithered off. The guide assured the hikers they saved the frog, who surprisingly was still alive. Frogs were plentiful on hikes. Along with the standard tree frog, the travelers saw poisonous dart frogs and toads.

Because the climate was tropical, the travelers saw plenty of bugs that were seemingly "super-sized" by the rich conditions. Seeing these bugs was a first for some folks.

"I'm not a big fan of cockroaches," says Allison. "I don't like squishing them and never saw one before except in a museum."

During the afternoon, in the heat of the day, the group members would swim in the black water lake near the lodge. It was a warm 85 degrees with pockets of warm and cold—an odd sensation, the swimmers agreed. It was filled with caimans (small alligators), piranhas, electric eels and turtles, but everyone swam without a hitch and nobody was ever bothered by them. At night the glowing red eyes of the caimans could be seen in the lake.

They fished using bamboo sticks as poles or taking the canoe out and using a net. The lodge barbecued a piranha caught for dinner one night.

"They put a lot of butter on it and it tasted like sole. It was delicious," says Chelsea. So was all of the food, she says, like the many types of juices for breakfast, including tree tomato, or such exotic delicacies as guava ice cream and potato and avocado soup. "It was so much better than at home," she admits.

Since it was the dry season, everyone was warned that the animals might not be as active as they would have been in other seasons. Their luck proved otherwise. Each group saw about five species of monkeys, including the world's smallest monkeys, the pygmy marmosets, who played peek-a-boo with the visitors.

It requires patience to see the animals. Sometimes the travelers would wait as long as half an hour for the animals to move. The students learned to keep very still to entice them out, since the animals aren't used to humans.

The students were split into two different groups, with a native guide available to the groups. Hikes varied. Sometimes the students would go into the forest and other times they would visit the two observational towers on the lodge grounds, which encompasses 3,000 acres of rainforest.

One of the original towers was built in a 200-foot kapok tree affording a 360-degree view of the forest's canopy. This definitely was one of the better viewing spots for spotting birds like the toucan that perched in the trees.

Guides instructed group members during hikes on the use of plants for medicinal purposes. For example, skin conditions can be treated with the red latex from the sangre de drago (dragon's blood) tree.

One of the guides was the son of a medicine man, and when Nolan became ill, the guide performed a mini healing ritual ceremony of sorts using plants.

Thomson knows firsthand the benefits of plants. On a previous trip, she developed a stomach bug that cleared up instantly after she drank tea with native herbs. This is something Thomson would like to see emphasized more.

"Lately I haven't seen as much of a drive; it's much more genetics and microbiology and a lot less of the ecology. It would be nice to see that coming back."

Unfortunately the students also learned about the encroachment of oil companies. Occidental Petroleum is now on the edge of Sacha, says Thomson. Ecuador has substantial oil reserves, and its biggest export is crude. Each time she returns, there are more roads and increased helicopter noise.

Everyone was greatly impressed with the native guides, who had an uncanny ability to spot animals even in the dark. They would listen for them and anticipate where they would land next or see their eyes glinting before pointing them out with a flashlight.

Night hikes were a way to see wildlife when the rainforest is most alive with activity. It's never quiet. "There were crickets, birds making sounds like drops of water and frogs making mating calls," says Chelsea. "It was like an orchestra."

Parent Clint Rosenthal brought night-vision goggles along. "The native guides were agog at this—'Ohh, can I try them?' " says Thomson.

The group also visited the Sacha Butterfly Exhibition Conservatory, one of the largest butterfly farms. Ecuador boasts 4,500 species of butterflies—not bad for a country the size of Nevada.

After a visit to an indigenous farm and the family living there, the group decided to go native and mixed up some red dye from achiote seeds and painted each other for war. They did this on the day that turned out to be the only day it rained, with a torrential downpour the likes of which none of them had seen before. They must have looked quite a sight upon their return to the lodge, with the red face paint dripping all over.

"They had a heck of a lot of fun and learned a lot. I hope they developed a new love for ecology and the rainforest," says Thomson.

Some took away a more poetic memory.

"It was so beautiful, it's hard to describe," says Chelsea. "It's like being in the middle of the ocean and looking out and seeing waves."

Clearly each of the travelers brought back their own individual memories of the trip, but they also shared a common bond of an experience they won't soon forget.