Ecuador tailor made adventure vacation

Planet

The Wonders of Ecuador itinerary enables you to see this amazing Country in a way that lets you get close to nature and supports environmentally-friendly tourism. We undertake the various adventure activities on this trip with an active commitment to protecting the fragile high-altitude ecosystems. Experience from around the world shows that they can have the potential to cause significant damage, especially when tourists arrive in numbers.

Your guides will ensure that you travel on trails and tracks that have been established for each specific activity and that any rubbish is taken back and disposed of appropriately. As this trip takes you through some ecologically sensitive habitats, your guide will also brief you on the special flora and fauna you will come across and on appropriate ways to maximise your enjoyment while minimising your environmental impact.

The trip includes a stay at the Hacienda El Porvenir, run by Tierra del Volcán, whose goal is to support conservation and knowledge of the local páramo ecosystem. They have over 7,000 hectares of land under sustainable management and conservation, working with the Cotopaxi National Park authorities, and the hacienda has its own environmental management plan that defines land use and management as well as animal carrying capacity. Tierra Del Volcan is part of Fundación Páramo, a non-profit organisation that focuses on conservation and ecosystem protection in the region around Cotopaxi and received Smart Voyager's sustainable tourism certification in December 2007 for their efforts.

People

Our base for the horse riding is the Hacienda El Porvenir, where you can also stay one or more nights if you wish. It is a working hacienda where you will be guided by real Ecuadorian cowboys or chagras. They are employed by the ranch but supplement their incomes with tourism activities, which enable them to continue this unique and traditional way of life. El Porvenir also runs reforestation and environmental education projects in nearby communities to engage them in conserving the páramo.

As with every one of our vacations, the various accommodation options you can choose from meet our ethical criteria, which include: employing and providing ongoing training for Ecuadorian staff; buying their food from nearby markets to support farmers and keep tourist money in the local economy; implementing water and energy saving measures; and advising guests how they can reduce their environmental footprint and engage with local people appropriately.