Studying the thing beneath our feet
On first seeing the earth from space, astronauts dubbed it the ‘blue marble’ – a seemingly tiny, water-covered speck against an otherwise jet-black night. It’s small, in the scheme of things; but not when you live right on top of it. Our planet is a constantly changing, revolving, and evolving system of pressures and pulls. Millions of years old, it will live millions of years still. The field of earth science has one all-encompassing mission: to make sense of this planet of ours. What formed it, what’s it doing, and what’s it going to look like in the future?
- When tectonic plates collide, Iceland
- The geological secrets of Yellowstone, USA
- Making a living from lava, Ecuador
- Science and safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
- Beneath the surface of Loch Ness, UK
- The rarest of all large whales, Argentina
- A survivalist’s masterclass, USA
- A bird’s eye view of Niagara Falls, Canada
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.
Snorkel through Iceland’s Silfra fissure
For future scientists, geographers, and divers
Where: Reykjavik, Iceland
Fast facts: Age 12+ | All year round | Half day
Silfra, located in Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park, marks a beguiling gap between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. A stunning underwater site that is under constant transformation, it is one of the world’s best diving locations for two main reasons. First, it is the only place in the world in which you can snorkel directly in the rift between two continental tectonic plates, which meet and drift apart roughly 2cm each year. Second, the clarity of its water is unsurpassed, with visibility continuing over 100m down. It is also as pristine as can be, so it’s safe to take a drink as you swim.
Ready to take the plunge? Snorkel beneath the surface of Silfra in this unique experience, where you’ll see first-hand how the shifting of the earth creates new sub-aquatic terrain.
This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Iceland. We can also build your trip entirely around it.
Take this classClass Highlights
During this class, you’ll:
- Dive or snorkel at your leisure in Silfra, between two tectonic plates.
- Swim through some of the world’s clearest waters and discover the geological treasures that lie beneath the surface.
Leave with an exceptionally rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the earth’s tectonic plates.
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.
A guided glimpse into the land of geysers
For future geologists, volcanologists, and conservationists
Where: Yellowstone National Park, America
Fast facts: All ages | All year round | Full day
As we know it today, Yellowstone – America’s first National Park – traces its geological roots to events that took place millions of years ago. But those processes are still very much in play. Ever-shifting, morphing, and undergoing change, its famous geothermal features – of which there are over 10,000 – are what scientists keep coming back for, of geysers and vents, steaming lakes and ‘chimneys’ of smoke.
Home to humans for some 11,000 years, the park itself is a rich and verdant place; abundant with forest, biomes, and wildlife. And on this enthralling day, you’ll join an expert naturalist guide on a tour through its most iconic thermal landmarks and sights, gaining a scientific understanding of the pressures and forces that make it one of the most geologically active places in the world.
This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in America. We can also build your trip entirely around it.
Take this classClass Highlights
During this class, you’ll:
- Depart from the town of Jackson to embark on an early-morning tour of the park
- Spot wildlife, visit Old Faithful, and trek to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Enjoy a picnic in the park
- Walk the boardwalks that crisscross its most iconic geothermal features and sites
You’ll leave with a scientific understanding of one of America’s most geologically diverse and active regions.
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.
A volcanologist’s visit to the world’s highest active volcano
For future volcanologists, geologists, and explorers
Where: Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador
Fast facts: Age 16+ | June – September | Full day
Cotopaxi is the world’s tallest active volcano. A great, brute beast, this gigantic summit – clad in snow – has been enshrined in local indigenous culture and traditions, as well as shaping the surrounding landscape and its ravines and fissures.
Alongside an expert volcanologist, you’ll embark on a two-hour hike to a mountain refuge some 4,800metres above the ground. Here, you’ll learn about the volcano’s history, geology, and its major eruptions, as well as having a chance to spot and observe the flora and fauna that thrive on its flanks.
This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Ecuador. We can also build your trip entirely around it.
Take this classClass Highlights
During this class, you’ll:
- Travel to Cotopaxi National Park and view the volcanoes that form its landmass
- Gain an expert’s insight into the history, geology, and behavior of this and other volcanoes across the world, as well as Cotopaxi’s influence on indigenous culture and traditions
- Trek to its rarified snowline to observe the volcano, and its flora and fauna, close up
You’ll leave with a practical understanding of how volcanoes are formed, how they behave, and how they’ve shaped the world on which we live.
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.
Embark on a guided tour through one of the world’s most remarkable terrains
For future conservationists, hydrologists, and zoologists
Where: Okavango Delta, Botswana
Fast facts: Age 16+ | July – October | Half day
The Okavango Delta – a vast island territory of flooded plains and verdant marshlands – is home to some of the world’s most endangered species. Inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, this is a rare and incomparably important location – not just for its wildlife, but for its unusual scientific features; as a place where the interaction between wildlife, hydrology, and the local climate are all deeply entwined.
In order to understand this magnificent place, you’ll join an expert guide on an early-morning journey into the surrounding bush. On your journey, you’ll learn about the Delta’s climate, ecology, wildlife and biology, but you’ll also have the opportunity to trek and sight some of the species that call the region home (from hippos to elephants).
This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Botswana. We can also build your trip entirely around it.
Take this classClass Highlights
During this class, you’ll:
- Depart early, at 6am, in order to witness the Delta coming to life
- Learn from your guide about the history of the Delta, its geology, its wildlife, and about the wider importance of the region to science and conservation
- You’ll also gain a rare insight into the essence, ethics and ambitions of guiding across such unique places as these
You’ll leave with an insider’s insight into the wildlife and ecology of one of the world’s rarest and most spectacular natural environments.
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.
A deep dive into the science, speculation and conspiracies surrounding the world’s most talked-about lake
For future scientists, geologists and explorers
Where: Loch Ness, Scotland
Fast facts: Age 16+ | June – July | Half day
In 1987, naturalist and researcher Adrian Shine organized Operation Deepscan – a sonar sweep of Loch Ness whose aim was to resolve, once and for all, the mysteries of this mythical body of water. The event became a media spectacle, putting to bed the persistent legend that a monster lay beneath the lake’s apparently placid surface.
But many more mysteries remain to be solved, not least the understanding of the dynamics and diversity of the world’s deepest lakes and lochs. On this myth-busting day, you’ll join Adrian on a private boat cruise around the lake. Together, you’ll probe beneath the surface and unlock its lingering (and scientific) mysteries, getting to grips with the methods and methodologies used by scientists to untangle its most closely-held secrets.
This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Scotland. We can also build your trip entirely around it.
Take this classClass Highlights
During this class, you’ll:
- Join Adrian Shine on a private boat tour of Loch Ness
- Understand the history of the lake and its many mysteries, not least the legend of the Loch Ness Monster
- Gain an insight into the modern research undertaken at the lake, from deep water dynamics to lake biology
Leave with an expert’s understanding of the world’s deepest lakes and how we study them, as well as how we pierce their myths.
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.
Study the migration patterns of the southern right whale
For future marine biologists, zoologists, and conservationists
Where: Puerto Madryn, Argentina
Fast facts: Age 15+ | September – November | Full day
The southern right whale is said to be the rarest of all large whales. With under 14,000 individuals, these enormous ‘baleen’ feeders are an uncommon sight in the waters they call home. But Puerto Madryn might as well be their living room. Each year, these majestic creates migrate to the calm waters off the Argentine coast in order to give birth and reproduce. Keeping track of them are a team of scientists whose job is to better understand a species that has been called the “ecosystem engineer” of the oceans.
On this thrilling and educational experience, you’ll meet the team who, since the 1970s, have been studying the southern right whale. Alongside expert scientist Enrique Crespo, you’ll get a first-hand introduction to the decades-long conservation and research project that this team has been conducting, as well as a very special two-hour boat trip to spot the whales for yourself.
This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Argentina. We can also build your trip entirely around it.
Take this classClass Highlights
On this class, you’ll:
- Travel to Camo 39, a navy refuge that is used as the base of operations by this team of researchers
- Learn about the work of the institute and understand better their goals, aims, methods, and programs
- Embark on a whale-spotting expedition of your own, travelling at sunset to maximise your chance of spotting them in the waters
You’ll leave with a first-hand understanding of the southern right whale and of the research that is done to conserve and understand this majestic species and its community.
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.
How to survive in freezing Arctic landscapes
For future scientists, geologists and explorers
Where: Denali National Park, Alaska
Fast facts: All ages | June – September | Full day
For the uninitiated and the unaware, the Arctic is one of the most hostile places on earth. As humans, we’re poorly equipped to endure its hostility. But there are tricks and techniques to surviving a journey across its frigid and fearsome landscapes. Here in Alaska – a comparable environment – you’ll learn, from a glacier survival expert, about the skills needed to traverse this remote and wild place. In no time at all, you’ll go from novice to seasoned pro.
Climbing, hiking, navigation, hydration. You’ll learn to make fires and create drinking water out of ice. Navigate with the stars and to use this perilous environment to your own ends. You’ll tame its tumultuous temperament and hone your own skills to conquer and survive it.
This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in America. We can also build your trip entirely around it.
Take this classClass Highlights
During this class, you’ll:
- Be guided by an expert survivalist, or ‘glacier docent’
- Practice the skills of Arctic trekking and climbing (and the equipment required)
- Learn how to survive, heat fires, and stay hydrated
- Learn the science of wilderness orienteering and navigation, with both compasses and the stars
- Understand how to create shelter and how to stay warm, as well as learning how to use avalanche beacons and the art of ‘reading’ glaciers themselves
Leave with a deep respect for – and knowledge of – Arctic landscapes, knowing a series of crucial techniques to survive its harshest conditions.
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.
The sensational science of North America’s most iconic waterfall
For future geologists, hydrologists and engineers
Where: Niagara Falls, Canada
Fast facts: Ages 12+ | April – October | Half day
Straddling the border between Canada and the United States, the Niagara Falls deserves its reputation as one of the world’s most dramatic waterfalls. Every minute, some six million cubic feet of water plunges over the edge of its three individual falls. This incredible natural power has, understandably, attracted the interest of scientists and engineers who have sought to harness the power of Niagara to generate energy without the use of fossil fuels.
In order to get a true sense of the falls as a geological feature, it’s necessary to see it from the air. And that’s exactly what this class involves. You’ll travel by helicopter, from the Sir Adam Beck generating plant to the curving edge of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, all the while flying through a sky filled with mist and rainbows.
This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Canada. We can also build your trip entirely around it.
Take this classClass Highlights
During this class, you’ll:
- Board your helicopter before setting off above the hydroelectric generating plant which captures the falls’ power
- Gain a bird’s eye view of how the falls functions within its landscape
- Witness each of its major formations and landmarks, from the whirlpool rapids to rainbow bridge
You’ll leave with a rare, scientific understanding of one of the world’s most powerful natural waterfalls, getting a sense of how nature can be harnessed through the work of science and engineering.
Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.