Gap year expedition in South America

A three-month gap year or career sabbatical.

Learn Spanish immersed in the culture of Quito, help to conserve the Ecuadorian Rainforest and explore South America - from the Andes to the Amazon. The Ecuador Amazon Project offers a fascinating insight into the unique way of life of the communities of the Amazon Rainforest. You will be helping to protect 1000s of acres of forest, living and working with those who rely most on it for their survival, and offering much needed support to tribes and settlers in the region. This intense involvement with the local community twinned with Spanish lessons offers you an unrivalled cultural experience. Following your time on the project, you will journey from the Andes to the Amazon. From snow-capped mountains to pristine white beaches, South America offers you a mix of landscapes, people and wildlife like no other.

The language phase - 3 weeks
One of the most charming aspects of South America is its people and the ability to converse and joke with locals is certain to be one of your highlights. Quito is an ideal location for this, as few locals speak English, allowing you to practice your Spanish both in and out of the classroom. Your lessons are tailored to suit individual language levels and learning ability, from complete beginners to those who have studied Spanish A Level and wish to develop their skills even further.

We have exclusive use of the language school for the duration of your stay and have been bringing groups to learn Spanish for almost 10 years. The welcome you receive as part of our team will give you a true understanding of South American life and culture, and will leave you with endless new friends. The surrounding mountains, cloud forests and nearby beaches make for stunning weekend excursions.

The project phase - 4 weeks
In 1964, in an attempt to deal with overpopulation, the Ecuadorian government opened up the rainforest to cultivation. The land was divided into plots, and the rights to the land were handed out to indigenous people and settlers to the area. To the new settlers this was great news as they were able to produce enough crops for a small profit. To the indigenous people this was a disaster as it imposed an entirely new way of living upon them.

Over the last 40 years the arrival of highland settlers, oil companies, logging companies, missionaries, new diseases and even tourism have led to the further decline of Eastern Ecuador’s indigenous peoples. It has been increasingly difficult for the people of the region to make ends meet and to retain their culture and ancient ways. Today there are real fears that entire cultures may be wiped out. By working in conjunction with FUNEDESIN (an Ecuadorian NGO dedicated to supporting the communities of the Amazon basin), our teams are able to work towards the long-term goal of rainforest conservation with the preservation of both the traditional and new ways of life that exist among the Amazon communities.

The expedition phase - 6 weeks
The Andean Explorer Expedition will take you from breezy snow-capped mountains to lush Amazonian Rainforest, through a wild mix of landscapes, history, culture and wildlife. You’ll be mystified by the unexplainable Nazca lines, awestruck by the mighty Colca Canyon, explore Andean towns & villages and uncover ancient ruins. We follow the sandy Peruvian coast spotting wildlife, climb the Andes into the eerie and colourful world of the Bolivian Salt Plains, encounter river dolphins in the Pampas, meet the indigenous communities on the islands on Lake Titicaca and learn about the Incas in colonial Cusco. Your expedition culminates with the epic Inca Trail to ‘Macchu Pichu’, the enchanted lost city of the Incas nestled deep in the lush green Andean Valleys. What a way to finish an epic and life changing 3 months! To date our volunteers have provided much needed donations and have been involved in working in all aspects of FUNEDESIN’s established achievements. This year for the first time you will also have the rare opportunity to assist at the new Yachana High School, a non-traditional technical school offering new and relevant skills for young people in the area.

In November 2005, the Yachana High School computer centre opened, the centre gives students of the high school the opportunity to communicate with other communities throughout the world. You will have the opportunity to help develop the computer centre and assist with the Yachana blog. As a volunteer you are also involved in numerous other activities, from assisting researchers to identify animal species for biological surveys, constructing a butterfly house and greenhouse for the High School, giving English lessons to the local children, maintaining rainforest trails and signs and making medical trips to visit the various communities deeper into the Amazon with the visiting doctor.

The team size varies from 8-18 with all team members taking part for the entire three-month duration. Teams departing in April attract gap year volunteers aged 18 – 25 years, whereas groups departing in September are aimed at people aged 25+ looking to take a career break, or for some time out.

This project is perfect for anyone with an interest in rainforest conservation and global community issues who would like the chance to gain hands on experience of how a genuine and successful grassroots project should operate. Volunteers will have the unique opportunity of living and interacting with a largely indigenous Amazon community.