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Our camps act as a source of local industry and employment. 100% of fresh produce and project materials are sourced from sustainable local suppliers and skilled workers are employed from the surrounding communities to assist volunteers with project work. Group sizes are kept small to reduce any negative impact.
Accommodation styles will vary depending on your programme and camp location. However, all permanent accommodation is constructed using locally sourced materials and is in keeping with traditional styles. Temporary camps are designed to create as little impact on the environment and natural surroundings as possible.
Environment
No visit to Ecuador would be complete without a visit to the mighty Amazon rainforest. We have gone one better and are giving you the chance to work on projects that will directly help to protect this area for future generations.
During your stay you will spend time in one of the world’s top three biodiversity hotspots, home to an incredible variety of animals and plants, including spectacled bears that can be seen between July and September each year. However, the future of this area is under threat due to the highest rate of deforestation recorded in South America.
You will play a critical role in protecting this forest and supporting the people living here through innovative conservation work and a wide range of community initiatives. You can expect to work on a wide range of activities addressing poverty, employment opportunities, reforestation, habitat protection and tackling human-bear conflict.
For those of you taking part in the two or three month programmes you will also work to protect a small island off the coast by rebuilding a coral reef and working on various environmental education programmes with the community.
Wildlife
The Andean Condor is the largest flying bird in the world and is the national symbol of Ecuador. You will be supporting an organisation that works to conserve this near extinct species and provide sanctuary and rehabilitation for other birds of prey as well.
You will be working with a wildlife sanctuary that strives for the protection of wildlife and the prevention of the illegal trafficking of Amazonian animals including monkeys, ocelots, margays, coatis and macaws. This will include daily activities such as animal care, improving facilities and encouraging local visitors to learn more about their natural heritage.
For those who take part in the two or three month programmes will work on the Pacific coast that will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your trip. You will be working in a charming coastal fishing village in the district of Santa Elena that boasts one of the earliest cultures in Latin America. This project also has a strong marine conservation focus. You will be helping to improve a community run aquarium that takes in injured marine wildlife such as sea lions, marine turtles, sea birds and even penguins.
Community
Working and living alongside a Sierra community in a rural village on the outskirts of Otavalo will be one of the highlights of your Ecuador experience. The village is home to around 80 families and your help will provide adequate sanitation, improve school buildings and facilities, provide assistance within the school and help develop ways of generating greater income for each family to help reduce the need to emigrate in search of work. You will also work alongside a women’s group who produce beautiful artisan crafts to help them develop and expand their enterprise.
We invite every traveler who books a vacation via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the vacations they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same vacation can have different views!
