Gap year travel in Ecuador
| country: | Ecuador |
| location: | Cloud forest |
| departures: | 2010: 1 Apr, 1 Jul, 2 Sep |
| price: | From £1686 - £2386 (6-10 weeks) excluding flights. See below for price inclusions. We can help arrange flights from the UK. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Gap year travel in Ecuador
Gap year travel in Ecuador
This varied team volunteering placement on your gap year travel in Ecuador takes in three different environments and their traditional communities, enabling you to see everything this sensational country has to offer. Travel from the Andes right down into the Amazon Basin and onto the Pacific Coast for the ultimate South American experience whilst getting stuck into life changing sustainable projects in each.
Adventure travel - Exploring cloud forests, trekking, visiting craft, climbing Cotopaxi volcano, kayaking, tubing and swimming in the Napo river, white-water rafting, canyoning, caving, or jungle tours, snorkelling, surfing, horseback or hiking and camping trips. Explore the Galapagos Islands and Pacific Coastline during independent travel.
The second phase is spent working at a groundbreaking community eco-lodge at La Chimba, a small village high in the snow-topped Andes mountains. La Chimba is a wonderful community of traditional Kayambi people, about 3 hours North-East of Quito. Play sports and games with kids in the kindergarten, help to renovate their ancient stone hacienda to use as a visitor center, ethnographic museum and guest accommodation.
The third phase is in the Amazon Rainforest a magical environment with its ancient trees and meandering rivers only accessible by canoe. Live in the small village of Chichicorumi among an indigenous family learning about their Shaman traditions and helping the local community improve their standard of living. When you're not white water rafting, discovering hidden waterfalls and entertaining the communities children, help to build classrooms and venture out into the rainforest with the local hunters.
Quito - You will stay in Quito for weekends whilst switching between phases, at the Hostal Otavalo Huasi. This is a fun, clean and comfortable hostel in the city centre close to local amenities such as internet, laundry services, bars and restaurants. The hostal has shared bedrooms, hot water, showers, loos and a lock up where you can leave your belongings. Breakfast is provided and food is supplied for you to cook other meals yourself.
Price includes: Selection and briefing on all aspects of the scheme, 24-hour emergency back-up, management and support by UK team and in-country Placement Manager and English speaking guide, with reliable communications and infrastructure, safety and induction course on arrival, airport pick up, food and accommodation throughout, and donation to the project communities. Team size 2-12 people.
Climate: In the Andes it is cool in the mornings, warm during the day and cold at night and it rains from time to time. In the Amazon Rainforest it is hot and humid; expect rain in the rainy season normally a couple of hours in the afternoon. At the Pacific Coast it is a tropical dry forest environment, normally dry and hot with coastal breezes, it rains from time to time. Wildlife in the area includes hummingbirds, many species of monkeys and insects, cayman, exotic birds, whales and dolphins.
This varied team volunteering placement on your gap year travel in Ecuador takes in three different environments and their traditional communities, enabling you to see everything this sensational country has to offer. Travel from the Andes right down into the Amazon Basin and onto the Pacific Coast for the ultimate South American experience whilst getting stuck into life changing sustainable projects in each.
Adventure travel - Exploring cloud forests, trekking, visiting craft, climbing Cotopaxi volcano, kayaking, tubing and swimming in the Napo river, white-water rafting, canyoning, caving, or jungle tours, snorkelling, surfing, horseback or hiking and camping trips. Explore the Galapagos Islands and Pacific Coastline during independent travel.
the projects
On the Pacific Coast you will live at Monte Caimito, a beach-side community in the heart of pristine Coastal Rainforest. From the village it is a 20 minutes walk through coastal forest to isolated beaches and coves where you can explore and surf to your hearts content. Your projects will include working to protect the rainforest and encourage the return of monkeys, assisting local farmers to bring in their Cacao (chocolate!) harvest and help to develop the small local school. The second phase is spent working at a groundbreaking community eco-lodge at La Chimba, a small village high in the snow-topped Andes mountains. La Chimba is a wonderful community of traditional Kayambi people, about 3 hours North-East of Quito. Play sports and games with kids in the kindergarten, help to renovate their ancient stone hacienda to use as a visitor center, ethnographic museum and guest accommodation.
The third phase is in the Amazon Rainforest a magical environment with its ancient trees and meandering rivers only accessible by canoe. Live in the small village of Chichicorumi among an indigenous family learning about their Shaman traditions and helping the local community improve their standard of living. When you're not white water rafting, discovering hidden waterfalls and entertaining the communities children, help to build classrooms and venture out into the rainforest with the local hunters.
accommodation and food
Accommodation and meals - In the communities you'll live in a house built in the traditional style, made from cane with a thatched roof. Beds are provided and in all locations there is electricity, running water and plumbed toilets. In the Andes, you'll stay with families in the village, sharing a room between two. Three meals per day and clean drinking water are provided and vegetarians can be catered for. Quito - You will stay in Quito for weekends whilst switching between phases, at the Hostal Otavalo Huasi. This is a fun, clean and comfortable hostel in the city centre close to local amenities such as internet, laundry services, bars and restaurants. The hostal has shared bedrooms, hot water, showers, loos and a lock up where you can leave your belongings. Breakfast is provided and food is supplied for you to cook other meals yourself.
Price includes: Selection and briefing on all aspects of the scheme, 24-hour emergency back-up, management and support by UK team and in-country Placement Manager and English speaking guide, with reliable communications and infrastructure, safety and induction course on arrival, airport pick up, food and accommodation throughout, and donation to the project communities. Team size 2-12 people.
Climate: In the Andes it is cool in the mornings, warm during the day and cold at night and it rains from time to time. In the Amazon Rainforest it is hot and humid; expect rain in the rainy season normally a couple of hours in the afternoon. At the Pacific Coast it is a tropical dry forest environment, normally dry and hot with coastal breezes, it rains from time to time. Wildlife in the area includes hummingbirds, many species of monkeys and insects, cayman, exotic birds, whales and dolphins.
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Environmental Policy - Volunteers are based in 3 different locations throughout Ecuador. The projects however are in walking distance of the accommodation. Project work includes a mix of rewarding community, eco-tourism and conservation projects – maintaining paths, monitoring wildlife, teaching English etc. A large part of the project is protecting and preserving both communities and the forests from the damage being caused by logging companies. Hands on projects working alongside committed communities are a powerful way to educate the next generation of travelers. In addition we have well briefed and professional project leaders working alongside village elders who ensure the message is got across.
Our teams are normally no bigger than 10 -12 per departure and foodstuffs are bought locally and resources such as heating in camps where possible is done in an environmentally friendly fashion e.g. solar panels. In addition rain water is collected for drinking water. Clothes washing is done where possible with bio-degradable soap. Litter is collected and disposed of properly. Walking on paths and erosion is taken seriously. Social Responsibility- We ensure that all its programmes work with the full agreement of local elders and that volunteer’s work side by side amongst the community. More often living in the community. We pay the communities for looking after volunteers and every volunteer has a donation to the community included in the cost – currently £80 per person. This is used to buy materials to build classrooms, pay for education fees and so on. We also work alongside local charities as often as we can supporting their aims. All volunteers and Project Leaders are fully briefed on the destination, host community, local culture, religions, customs and particularly ways of behaving. Economic Sustainability - We ensure that approximately 60% of the cost of each volunteers scheme is paid to the project leader in-country to cover all their in-country costs. This includes paying local communities for food and accommodation where appropriate. In addition we pay communities a donation as described above and source all food, drink, equipment, fuel locally thereby enhancing the local economy.  The hosts employ as many staff as they can cutting down on unemployment and providing families with an income. Sometimes this income supports numerous relations. We also recognize that volunteers spend their own money on drinks, transport, souvenirs, services (taxis), medical care, park fees, activities e.g. rafting, diving, climbing etc which are major contributors to local suppliers incomes and the overall economy. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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