LEAD Base Camp: Ecuador 2012

 

Trip Highlights:

 

• Develop your leadership skills
• Mountainbike alongside the world’s highest active volcano
• Serve in a local school in Quito, empowering the students and teachers
• Raft through the jungle and down class III/IV rapids
• Discover the fascinating world of the indigenous peoples
• Explore a gorge overflowing with cascading waterfalls
• Trek through the jungle learning about the amazing ways to use the jungle for all our needs
• Learn Spanish during Global LEAD’s private Spanish Survival course
• Discover your personal strengths and how you can best use them at school and in life

 

 
Get a glimpse of all that you will see and do on LEAD Base Camp: Ecuador in the video below.
 

 

Check out our online brochure here.

 

Daily Itinerary:

 

Arrival in Quito

Transfer from airport to hotel in Quito. Overnight at Ricon Escandinavo.

 

Day 1—Spanish Class, Tour of Quito and Service Project

We begin our morning with orientation and a quick Spanish survival course. Regardless if you have never spoken Spanish or if you are fluent, this session will be fun and helpful!

 

In the afternoon, our group gets to know the historical and cultural capital of Quito through a guided city tour. This beautiful colonial city is known for its rich architecture, churches and sculptures as well as the mountains that engulf it. Its colonial center was founded in 1534 and was designated as the first World Cultural Heritage Site in 1972.

We will then head to Carmen Bajo School where we will be given a brief orientation about the school and the project that we will work on. We will then spend the afternoon with the children at the school running sports and art enrichment programs.

 

Overnight at Ricon Escandinavo. (B)

Day 2: Full Day of Service

We will return to Carmen Bajo for a full day of service. Our focus will be on refurbishing a  classroom so that it can be a proper learning environment for students. The opportunity to support this school is not only a fantastic way to better understand some of the challenges that Ecuador faces, but also to reiterate the importance of being a servant leader and evaluating personal responsibility.

Overnight at Ricon Escandinavo. (B, L)

 
 
 
 
 
 

Day 3: Mountain Bike Cotopaxi

In the morning, we depart from Quito and head to Cotopaxi National Park, which is home to one of the largest active volcanoes in the world! Here we will mount bikes and begin a breathtaking ride through the national park.

 

We will have a picnic lunch before continuing on to Banos, a colorful town of known for its hot springs and rugged landscape.

Overnight at Hosterìa Monte Selva.  (B, L, D)

 

Day 4: Waterfall Hike and Rainforest Exploration

We will depart Banos and continue further east towards the Amazonian town of Tena. On the way will we stop and explore beautiful waterfalls! Once in Tena, we will board a boat which will transport us to our jungle oasis, Casa del Suizo!  The beautiful pool overlooks the river providing a tranquil experience that will not be forgotten. We will spend our afternoon hiking before returning to the lodge for dinner.

 

Overnight at Casa del  Suizo.  (B, L, D)

 

Day 5: Full Day of Jungle Adventures
We will hike through the jungle, tube down the river and visit an animal shelter. This full day in the jungle will open our eyes to an unknown world of rare rainforest creatures. After returning from the adventures you can relax by the pool overlooking the river below.

Overnight at Casa del Suizo.  (B, L, D)

 

  
 
Day 6: Jungle Rafting on the Jatunyacu River

 

After breakfast at the lodge, we head to the Jatunyacu River which is regarded as one of Ecuador’s best one-day river runs.

 

After a safety briefing, our whitewater rafting adventure begins. A trip down the Jatunyacu River offers crystal-clear water and glimpses into indigenous communities that live along the shores in small bamboo and wood houses. A boxed lunch will be provided en route. That evening we will return to Quito.

 

Overnight at Ricon Escandinavo. (B, L)

 

Day 7: Visit Artisan Market, Final Dinner and Return Home

We will spend the morning exploring and bartering in the incredible artisan market. With treasures from all over the country, you are sure to find the perfect souvenir of your time in Ecuador. After wrapping up our curriculum and celebrating our discoveries at our final dinner, you will depart for the airport to take the flight back home.

(B, D)