this is our ultimate volunteer program! A perfect blend of the Amazon and Galapagos. A rewarding mix of environmental, community and social work, as well as an exhilarating combination of mountain biking, hiking, white water rafting, sea kayaking, snorkeling, and surfing! This volunteer program has it all – volcanoes, rainforest, beaches, adventure and compassion.

Effort: Moderate to Challenging

Available for groups only - contact us for further details

Activities: Volunteer Work, Whitewater Rafting, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Wildlife Watching, Sea Kayaking, and Snorkeling

Trip highlights:

• Live and work with an indigenous Kichwa community and discover their spiritual world through a Shaman cleansing ritual
• Help with the construction of animal cages and a small cultural museum
• Tend to an Amazonian medicinal garden
• Learn to use a machete to eradicate invasive plant species
• Plant and nurture native and endemic plant species
• Lead disadvantaged kids through hikes, horseback rides, and games to teach them about nature and the environment
• Hike to waterfalls in the jungle
• Float in an inner tube down a river meandering through the rainforest
• Exhilarating jungle rafting down one of Ecuador´s best one-day runs (class III-III+)
• Sea kayak and snorkel with sea turtles, sharks, rays, sea lions, and iguanas
• Share lava trails with giant tortoises, lava lizards, blue-footed boobies, mockingbirds, finches, and other species that continue to fascinate evolutionary biologists
• Watch frigate birds bathe in Galapagos’ only permanent freshwater lake
• Learn to ride waves under the instruction of surfing experts
• Relax on a white sand beach next to sea lions and marine iguanas
• Help make Ecuador a better place for the people, plants and animals that call it home

DAY 1: TRANSFER IN QUITO AND OPTIONAL CITY TOUR

You will be met at the airport for private transfer to a hotel in Quito. Depending on the time of your flight arrival, we may have a chance to tour this beautiful colonial Andean city.

DAYS 2 - 4: VOLUNTEER IN THE RAINFOREST

The objective of this project is to preserve nature and cultural identity by encouraging sustainable tourism. It now serves as a model for other communities striving to protect their environments and cultures. We will help with reforestation, tending a medicinal garden, and constructing an ethnographic museum and small zoo. We will volunteer approximately 6 hours per day, which will give us time in the afternoons to participate in nature, adventure, and cultural activities. We will float down a rainforest river on inner tubes, take a waterfall hike, and participate in a cleansing ritual from an authentic shaman. One evening, we will also try our hand at night fishing. If the group would prefer to spend an afternoon learning traditional dancing, painting, skirt making, or jewelry making, this can also be arranged. (B, L, D)

DAY 5: JATUNYACU RIVER RAFTING (CLASS III+)

Today will be spend in Llanganates National Park, which extends from the high Andes down into the Amazon basin and is part of an area declared a Biosphere Zone by the United Nations. The water that collects in this area forms the Jatunyacu River, a class III-III+ river which is considered one of Ecuador’s one-day rafting runs. We begin the day with a short hike through rainforest scenery to reach naturally-formed swimming holes and water slides. After our return and a safety briefing, our whitewater rafting adventure begins. A trip down the Jatunyacu offers 4 ½ hours of exhilarating rapids, big waves, fun holes and high water volume. Its waters carry us through breathtaking rainforest landscapes filled birdlife. We will take a break halfway through to enjoy lunch on the shores of the Jatunyacu before continuing down the river, with an optional 30-minute hike later in the afternoon through a hidden water cave along the riverbanks. After an exhilarating day on the Jatunyacu, we head back to Quito. (B, L)

DAY 6: FLY TO THE GALAPAGOS / INTERPRETATION CENTER

A morning flight takes us to the beautiful coastal Galapagos town of Puerto Baquerizo. After a short briefing by the manager of our volunteer project, we will visit the interpretation center to learn about the fascinating natural, geologic, scientific, cultural, and social history of the Galapagos. In the late afternoon, we will head to Hacienda Tranquila, the highlands location of our volunteer project. (B, L, D)

DAY 7-9: VOLUNTEER W/ REFORESTATION, THE LOCAL SCHOOL AND MORE

We will spend these days volunteering at Hacienda Tranquila, the only charitable organization in the Galapagos that addresses environmental, social and community issues. Hacienda Tranquila strives to tackle problems with solutions that incorporate both human and environmental welfare. They believe this innovative approach is the only true way to forge a sustainable future for the Galapagos.

The centerpiece project is clearing invasive plants and reforesting the land with native and endemic species. Hacienda Tranquila will eventually reintroduce Galapagos tortoises onto the newly restored land and bequest their 50 hectare property of former farmland over to Galapagos National Park. However, invasive species are not only a concern for wildlife, they are overtaking crop fields of the nearby farming communities and threatening to destroy livelihoods. Therefore, Hacienda Tranquila also helps farmers to remove invasives from their farms in exchange only for the promise to nurture a garden of native and endemic plants that Hacienda Tranquila plants on the farmers’ land. All the farmers have been so pleased with Hacienda Tranquila that they always give their volunteers fruits and vegetables and often cook them lunch.

Among other projects, Hacienda Tranquila is also heavily involved with assisting the local school. Volunteers teach English classes at the school, maintain a beautiful garden of native and endemic plants, have painted and replaced broken windows at the school and have plans to provide the school with solar energy. During your volunteer work here, you will likely assist with all the aforementioned projects and more. (B, L, D)

DAY 10: VOLUNTEER W/ DISADVANTAGED KIDS / HIKE & BEACH

Today, disadvantaged and children with special needs come to Hacienda Tranquila to learn, have fun and enjoy nature. You may lead the kids through hikes, horseback rides, and/or environmentally-themed games. You may even be able to assist in providing physical and behavioral therapy to special needs children using horses!

Today, we will finish our volunteer work by early afternoon and have time to enjoy the rest of the day by the coast. We head on a short hike up to Cerro de Las Tijeretas. Along the walk, your guide will explain to you about the native and endemic vegetation as well as the birds and lizards you are bound to see. Tijeretas offers stunning views of both the land and the sea, and it is the point where Darwin first landed to the Galapagos. This cove offers some of the islands best snorkeling, as you will be surrounded by fish of every color, as well as sea lions and the occasional sea turtle. This is also a good spot to view sea cucumbers, sea anemones, sea urchins and other marine invertebrates. On the return walk, we pass by Punta Carola, where you will have the chance to lay down next to sea lions and marine iguanas on its long sandy beach, swim, boogie board, surf (rentals not included) snorkel, or do all of the above. We will spend the night in a waterfront hotel in town, and you will have an opportunity to sample the nightlife of Galapagos’ capital town. (B, L, D)

DAY 11: SEA KAYAK AND SNORKEL ISLAS LOBOS AND LEON DORMIDO

This morning, we kayak along the rugged northern coast exploring bays and coves full of sea turtles, frigate birds, sea lions, and blue-footed boobies. Once we reach Ochoa Beach, we continue on to nearby Isla Lobos, where we will find tremendous colonies of endemic marine iguanas and endemic Galapagos sea lions. We will stop here to snorkel with the iguanas, sea lions, and stunning array of reef fish. Here, you will experience one of the most amazing sea lion encounters in the Galapagos.

We then head to Leon Dormido, two breathtaking rock massifs (tuff cones) jutting out from the sea. Above sea level, its rock walls are home to thousands of sea birds, and below, to millions of fish. This is one of the top snorkel and dive sites in the archipelago. Snorkelers will have a good chance to see Galapagos sharks, spotted eagle rays, and golden rays, as well as multitudes of reef fish, starfish, clams, and marine invertebrates. There is also a good opportunity to see hammerhead sharks! Overnight at a waterfront hotel in town. (B, L, D)

DAY 12: VOLCANIC CRATER LAKES, GIANT TORTOISES, & SURF LESSONS

In the morning, we embark on a short hike to an extinct volcano crater filled with the Galapagos´ only permanent freshwater lake. The hike up provides magnificent views and an introduction to the Galapagos´ native plant species. The lake itself is home to frigate birds, common gallinules, and white-cheeked pintail ducks, among others. We will hopefully witness frigate birds washing the salt from their feathers in the lakes’ calm waters. We will then head to the Galapaguera, a semi-natural habitat and breeding center for giant Galapagos tortoises. It is truly an honor to walk amongst these giants, who can reach over 500 pounds and 175 years old.

For the afternoon, we leave this mist-shrouded environment and head only a few miles to a sunny beach one could confuse for paradise. This is also a perfect place to learn how to surf, and you will spend the afternoon having a blast trying to catch waves. Upon return, spend a leisurely evening enjoying your last night on San Cristobal. (B, L, D)

DAY 13: FLY TO MAINLAND

Enjoying our last morning in the Galapagos, we will have some time to swim, snorkel, or walk around town before our flight back to Quito. (B)

DAY 14: TRANSFER OUT

Today, we transfer to the airport to catch our flights out of Ecuador. (B)

INCLUDED: Lodging accommodations; all meals as described (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner); adventure and safety equipment; guide on adventure activities; all land transportation.

NOT INCLUDED: Flights to and from Galapagos; entrance fee to Galapagos National Park: diving; tips; hotel & restaurant beverages.

**PLEASE NOTE** This itinerary is subject to change without notice due to community circumstances, seasonal changes, last-minute weather conditions, and adjustments of Galapagos National Park policy.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION