June 26: Airport Hotel
If you have reserved and paid for a hotel room, one of your leaders will meet you at the hotel and stay overnight with the group. We will send you an email one week prior to departure with details about the hotel reservation and instructions on how to meet your leader.
June 27: Departure Day, Miami to Quito
In support of program and student safety, all details regarding specific travel and accommodations are available in the parent/guardian digital locker under Essential Information.
June 27 & 28: Quito
Spend your first days exploring Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. Get to know your leaders and the other students, visit the colonial Old City (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), ride the teleférico, savor rich Ecuadorian coffee in an outdoor café, and participate in an in-depth orientation discussing life in Ecuador, your individual language goals, your project, and group dynamics.
June 29 – July 6: Las Tolas
Travel by bus to our host village located in the Ecuadorian cloud forest a few hours north of Quito. Work together with the community to complete a series of construction, education, agriculture, and conservation projects. Visit a local conservation area and bird research center, and take part in regular language lessons and games to complement all of the Spanish learning that is happening around you in the village.
July 7 & 8: Mindo
Take an excursion to Mindo, and explore the surrounding cloud forest and the Bosque Protector Mindo-Nambillo Reserve. Spot some of Ecuador’s 1,500 bird species, zipline through the unspoiled forest canopy, and hike to crystal-clear freshwater pools and waterfalls. Spend time bonding with your group and prepare for your homestay week.
July 9 – 15: Las Tolas
Return to Las Tolas to live with an Ecuadorian family for one week and become fully immersed in Spanish language and local culture. Continue to work on service projects with your fellow group members during this last week in your host village.
July 16 & 17: Cotopaxi
Visit magnificent Cotopaxi, a snow-capped volcano. Stay at a cozy hacienda, hike to the mountain’s breathtaking glacier and refugio, and ride on horseback across the surrounding páramo.
July 18: Quito
Return to Quito and stay overnight at our residence near the airport. Prepare for your journey to the Galápagos Islands.
July 19: Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos
Fly from Quito to Baltra in the Galápagos and set off to explore Santa Cruz Island. Accompanied by a professional Galápagos guide, surf and swim on the white-sand beach of Tortuga Bay, visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, walk the highlands, explore lava tunnels, and observe wildlife.
July 20 – 22: San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos
Travel by boat to San Cristóbal Island. Mountain bike through the lush grasslands and observe blue-footed boobies and sea turtles. Visit famous Kicker Rock where you can snorkel along an underwater channel and safely swim with sea lions and Galápagos sharks. Kayak or learn to stand up paddleboard. Celebrate as a group with your last dinner together on the islands.
July 23: Travel Day, Galápagos to Quito
Fly from San Cristóbal Island to Quito, and prepare for your overnight journey home.
July 24: Return Day, Quito to Miami
In support of program and student safety, all details regarding specific travel and accommodations are available in the parent/guardian digital locker under Essential Information.