Your Guide to the Pack Ya Bags site

Click anywhere on the map below to find the country you would like to travel to

Click anywhere on the photographs below to find your interest search

back to other tours in Ecuador

10 days Student Andes and Cloudforest Volunteer Adventure
Level: Moderate ` ASAC-10
A great learning-based adventure trip that combines the Avenue of the Volcanoes, cloudforest adventures and a strong community immersion component through cultural exchange and contributions to some of Ecuador’s poorest and most authentic Indian communities. Activities include: rafting, mountain biking, horseback riding and trekking.
DAY 1: CHIMBORAZO VOLCANO AND PILINGUI COMMUNITY We will start our adventure from Quito due south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes, towards Chimborazo, Ecuador’s highest Volcano at 6310 meters. We reach Estrella del Chimborazo Mountain Lodge for a delicious country lunch and then we continue until we arrive to the Pilingui Indian Community. Here we get to know the Pilingui dwellers to share and learn about their way of life. Among the activities for this afternoon are the dairy farm, handicraft center, alpaca and vicuña breeding and other millenary traditions. Accommodations at the Chimborazo Mountain Lodge. (L, D) DAY 2 - 6 : COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Working with a internationally recognized university in Ecuador, we offer a volunteer program for international students who want to locally contribute under supervision. The communities where the volunteer center has ongoing programs have large indigenous populations; therefore the activities are specially related to topics on Cultural and Ethnic Anthropology, Gender, Environmental Management, Education, and Community Health and Nutrition. The program is located in the Guamote and surrounding communities which offer basic and clean lodging facilities, plus full meals through the program. Students will get a briefing about the people they will meet and the activities they will develop during the next 5 days. The group can choose to undertake one or a combination of the following activities: 1) Renewal of school buildings 2) Classroom and classroom furniture construction 3) Development of recreational school materials 4) Child care 5) Teachers pedagogy actualization workshops 6) Health and nutrition workshops 7) Student workshops: computer science, clothing design, music, math 8) English and Spanish composition Your tour leader will accompany the group to facilitate the adaptation and learning process. In the afternoon of day 6, we will have a lunch with the community members and this is the opportunity to give our farewell to our hosts and friends. Later we will transfer by coach to the village of Baños to explore this picturesque town, which features many impressive waterfalls. Overnight at a local hotel. (B, L, D) DAY 7: MOUNTAIN BIKE IN PATATE VALLEY Today we will cycle in the Patate cloud forest valley, overlooked by the impressive Tungurahua volcano which remains active and occasionally smoking. We will ride along the river gorge filled with great views, patches of cloud forest, and fruit farms extended along the way. In the afternoon we continue our adventure due north to a historic hacienda hotel near Cotopaxi National Park. (B, L, D) DAY 8: HORSEBACK RIDE IN COTOPAXI NATIONAL PARK This day we will visit Cotopaxi National Park, an ecological sanctuary of 36,000 hectares which surrounds Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world. This fabulous reserve, with its treeless Andean moors (or páramo) is dotted with fauna such as herds of llamas, wild horses, and others such as, deer, hares, and even the Andean condor. We prepare our horses, gear and suit up with ponchos and cowboy hats to ride for several hours to learn about the lifestyle of the Andean cowboy or “chagra”. We will ride up on the slopes of the nearby Rumiñahui volcano for stunning views of the park area and many other surrounding volcanos. Enjoy dinner and overnight at a traditional Andean hacienda. (B, L, D) DAY 9: RAFT IN THE TOACHI RIVER We drive from the highlands down to the Santo Domingo area near the coast. Here we find the Toachi River that cuts through a stunning tropical gorge, filled with birdlife and occasional river otters. After our safety briefing at our put-in, we will navigate up to 25 kilometers of the best whitewater west of the Andes. Depending on water levels, our rafting adventure will take us between four to five hours. We enjoy a delicious riverside lunch and transfer to Puerto Quito for lodging. (B, L, D) DAY 10: TREK IN THE CLOUDFOREST & EQUATORIAL LINE In the morning, we will hike and learn about one of the most bio-diverse cloud forests in the world, boasting over 500 species of birds. We will also have the opportunity to visit the Pauma Natural Reserve that features a fantastic variety of wild orchids and other species. Finally, as we reach Quito we will stop to visit the Equatorial line and monument which offers an ethnographic museum that will help us understand the relationship with the sun and the ancestral cultures. Late afternoon transfer back to Quito. (B, L) INCLUDED: Private transportation, mountain biking and rafting adventure and safety equipment, overnight accommodations, professional bilingual guides and meals as described. NOT INCLUDED: hotel & restaurant beverages, National Park entrance fees and tips/gratuities. IMPORTANT FACTS: TRAVEL TIME: 1 to 3 hours per day SEASON: All year ALTITUDE: 500 m to 4800 m AVERAGE TEMPERATURE HIGHLANDS: DAY 8-24ºC, NIGHT 5-12ºC AVERAGE TEMPERATURE CLOUDFOREST: DAY 16-30ºC, NIGHT 14-20ºC SUGGESTED: Non-cotton trekking gear, sun block.
To make a reservation please do not hesitate to call us either by the request form or email to info@packyabags.com If you do not see what you would like please ask as we have product throughout the world that may not be on this site