SNORKELLING with sharks, camping with wolves and volcano-watching: this is what every geography lesson should be like.

And for the lucky children at one Oxfordshire secondary school, it soon will be – in a way.

Their geography teacher Daniel Moden is currently in the middle of the ultimate immersive experience, cycling more than 20,000km from Vancouver, Canada, to Peru in South America.

He has taken a whole year off work at Icknield Community College, Watlington, to take the geography lesson of a lifetime which has so far involved sleeping in the deserts of the Midwestern US, swimming in the Caribbean off Belize and enjoying the best in Mexican hospitality.

One of the best experiences so far, he said, was riding the Great Divide Trail across Canada and the States.

The 39-year-old from Sandford-on-Thames said: "I had some wonderful encounters with wildlife.

"More often than not, when I chanced upon the sight of a wild animal it would be distant or disturbed by my presence, but camping out in forests or next to lakes, I'd hear the most incredible sounds – wolves howling, coyotes yipping, water birds making otherworldly calls.

"The sounds will stay with me more than the sights."

In Mexico, in stark contrast to some of the safety warnings he had received, he said he was taken back by the hospitality he received.

"A few times I went to eat in restaurants and the staff would refuse to accept payment.

"I've knocked on doors looking for camping spaces and been invited in for dinner and given a bed for the night. Would this happen in the UK?"

Not a strong swimmer, Mr Moden generally avoids water, so a trip snorkelling off the coast of Belize was a memorable splash outside his comfort zone.

He recalled: "Swimming with nurse sharks, turtles and sting rays was a new and exciting experience for me, worth swallowing a few mouthfuls of saltwater for."

Guatemala, meanwhile, provided the chance to view an active volcano at close quarters and a week teaching in a primary school.

And if teaching sounds like a busman's holiday, he said: "It was harder than I'd envisaged but ultimately very rewarding."

Mr Moden is also using his challenge to raise money for Oxford's most famous charity Oxfam.

He is aiming to raise £2,000 and already has more than £1,600.

He explained: "I chose Oxfam because they do amazing work and, having travelled in poor countries, I know how crippling poverty can be for individuals and communities."

Mr Moden is currently in Honduras – or possibly Nicaragua – and aiming to reach Peru in June.

Then he will fly home to Sandford and resume his teaching job at Icknield, where geography lessons won't ever be quite the same again.

Follow the adventure or sponsor the cycle on Mr Moden's blog modentour.blogspot.co.uk