Off to See the Lizards! Feat. 95 Tiny Friends

While I have been to see the famed giant lizards of El Hierro before, I recently got the opportunity to see them again, this time with all 95 of the preschoolers I teach.

It was an eventful day, beginning with us all gathering in a classroom with lots of fidgety children, in backpacks bigger than they were, to talk about the rules and make sure everyone had a buddy. Then we all got on buses and began on our journey to Frontera, the other major town on the island. It is a twenty-minute drive, but includes a very dark and therefore exciting tunnel.

When we arrived at the lizard sanctuary, we split into two groups, with 45ish kids each, and my group had breakfast first, before heading to see the famous lizards! It was a very exciting time for all.

We had a great lizard viewing! Even though we struggled with being calm and quiet as to not scare the lizards, we saw a lizard pile and several up-close lizard dads. Recently, about 50 lizards were released into the wild, on Roque de Salmor, which is a lizard sanctuary (and their natural habitat) on a rock just off the coast of El Hierro where the only humans allowed are lizard doctors.

After the lizards, we saw some traditional houses, complete with flower-covered crosses, an old-fashioned water filter, ceramic plates, and more. We really struggled with the no touching rule, but all children and artifacts made it out intact in the end, so I call it a grand success.

Frontera is a pretty different environment than Valverde, since it is closer to the middle of the island and at the bottom of the mountain rather than the top (thanks to our tunnel). :D We saw some beautiful flowers, cactus, banana plants, and interesting succulents.

The last stop was seeing a well, which was the main water source for people until quite recently, around the 1950s. Then it was back on the bus home! This is one of my favorite pictures; the bus is full of children, but it looks empty :)

It was an exhausting but exciting day for all!

¡Hasta la próxima!