Experience another country while also contributing meaningfully to its society and environment. Lead Adventures offers several different excursions all throughout Ecuador to learn about bio diversity, environmental conservation, social causes, organic agriculture, animal welfare, and community building.
Itineraries range anywhere from 10 to 18 days but can also be customized depending on the need of the group. Ecuador is a beautiful country with a wide range of bio and cultural diversity. Explore the volcanoes in the Andes, discover the jungle world in Amazon, get intrigued by the resources in the Coast, and be amazed by the wildlife and pristine environment of the Galapagos Islands. Whatever you may want to learn, Ecuador can teach you!
Highlights
Examples of some excursions being offered: Social Project Quito: Spend 10 days helping a struggling school in Quito. Help the school by fixing furniture, painting the classrooms, helping plan recreational events for the children, preparing the soil for their vegetable garden, interacting with the children and helping to improve the quality of living within the school.
During this program students will be able to meet the families and work along side them helping them to obtain what is most essential to living; a home. Homes are built in two days with the help of students. Students will be able to see the project from the start where the materials are made and brought to location, all the way to when the home is complete with rooms, running water and electricity.
Biological Station Galapagos: Spend 10 days in a biological station in the Galapagos. This bio station has project to help with reforestation, habitat reconstruction, and agro forestry. Experience hikes to nearby lagoons, native forests, beaches and local villages to learn the ecological and human dynamic of the Galapagos Island. Because the islands were never connected to the mainland, many species of plants and animals are unique to the Galapagos.
Cloud Forest Community Project: Students will spend 10 days helping to fix the furniture, painting murals, interacting with the kids and preparing the soil and area for an organic vegetable garden. Students will be working on a daily basis at this school. They will also have the chance to interact with the children, in this way helping to improve the quality of education and living standards in the community as well as for the Ecuadorian society itself. During your stay you will be placed in a home stay in order to experience real Ecuadorian culture.
Andes, Amazon and Galapagos Excursion Spend 18 days getting to know 3 out 4 regions of Ecuador. First spend time in a biological station in the Amazon region learning about the bio diversity that is unique to this area. Learn about indigenous communities that live in the Amazon. Visit and animal rescue center to understand how they are trying to help abused and hurt animals of the region. Visit a small town that sits right under a volcano and is known for it's adventure tourism with activities like horse back riding, rafting, biking, hiking to waterfalls. Next, visit the Andes and it's amazing volcanos. One of which is Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world!
Stay in a typical Andean Hacienda and enjoy the surrounding views with horseback riding trips and hiking tours. Next experience some culture in the capital of Ecuador. Spanish classes will be given in Quito giving students the opportunity to learn the basics or improve their knowledge all while practicing what they have learned back in their home stays. Finally, travel to the pristine Galapagos Islands where you will discover a world unknown to the outside. Because the islands were never connected to the mainland, many species of plants and animals are unique to the Galapagos. Go on tours to learn about the different species and natural sights that you can only find on these Islands.
Biological Station In Napo: Spend 10 days in a biological station in the Amazonian region of Ecuador. There students will spend time helping with trail maintenance and helping to maintaining the facilities of the station. While working along side bio station staff students will get to learn about the 222 species of orchids in the area, insect diversity, and the characteristics of the Amazon rainforest. Students will have the opportunity to swim in the Napo river, a tributary of the Amazon River, go white water rafting, and take night hikes to really watch the jungle come alive with it's nocturnal animals.
Organic Agriculture: Spend 10 days learning about organic agriculture and how it is vital to the area, it's community and to the world. All of this learning takes place in a small tranquil Andean Hacienda that has stunning view of the Andean region. During the farm stay, students can learn about organic agriculture, agro-forestry, farm animal management (cows, pigs, llamas, guinea pigs etc.), and the conservation of native forests. Students will learn details of each subject through daily practical experience and conversations with the staff. All excursions are available and may be customized upon request to fit the needs of the group
