Live Ecuador's 4 worlds (Amazon, Andes, Coast and Galapagos). Customized trips for groups.

  Ecuador

• Quito: 
Quito
• Galapagos Islands: 
Galapagos Islands
• All Other Regions of Ecuador: 
Banos

Dates: Arrival in Quito every Sunday and Program starts every Monday

Description: Experience the wild of the Amazon Jungle, the culture of the Andes mountains, and marvel at the pristine environment of the Galapagos Islands. Take a trip of a lifetime and be one of the few in the world who lived this experience.

Ecuador is one of the most diverse countries in Latin America. Ecuador is famous for bird watching, the Galapagos Islands and tortoises, Quitos colonial treasures and much more! When traveling to Ecuador you must get a taste of all its regions. The Amazon has beautiful wilderness that remains unspoiled and is home of many indigenous settlements along the tributaries of the Amazon River. The Andes region is outstanding and gorgeous. The landscape is full of hills, mountains and volcanoes that surround lakes and communities. You cannot miss the breath taking snow-caped volcanoes of this region. The Galapagos Islands are an unforgettable destination. The wildlife in the islands is fearless! You will be snorkeling with penguins and sea lions. You will see the beauty of nature by watching giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies.

Highlights: Day 1: After warm welcome at the Quito airport, we will transfer to our Hotel for the night. Here, we will have a brief orientation presentation followed by a question and answer session before turning in for the evening.

Day 2: Travel to Amazon Project Breakfast. Travel to Napo Biological Station located in the Napo Province. During the trip you will stop in the alpine grassland or Paramour to look at some biological and ecological characteristics. After that you will continue to the eastern Cordillera to get to the tropical lowlands. Arrival to the Biological Station, a 2.000 hectares reserve for field research and education in the tropical rainforest region of the upper Napo River in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It is located in the Tropical Wet Forest connecting the Andes Mountain Range and the Amazon River Basin labeled as one of the most biological diverse areas, and Alpha Biodiversity Hot Spot. The Biological Stations is located on the southern bank of the Upper Napo River, at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level. The average yearly temperature is 25ºC, it rains close to 5,000mm per year, on an average of 200 rainy days. The lowest rainfall is during the months of November through January and the highest occurs between April to July. Welcome from the Stations Director and lunch. Visit to the Center for Conservation of Amazonian Plants, which is a center for experimental silviculture, botanical garden and agro forestry extension programs. Visit to the Organic Farm, a demonstration and educational farm for the communities, seeking to produce alternative food sources as well as incomes. Finally, go for a swim in the Napo River. Dinner. Lecture: Oil exploitation in the tropical rainforest. Brief night hike to see nocturnal rainforest species.

Day 3: Breakfast. Early morning visit to nearby Oxbow Lake to see Hoatzins. Depart from the Ahuano dock. First stop: Quichua museum. The Quichuas are an indigenous group that lives in this region. Next stop: Animal Rescue Center, a place that works for the "re-adaptation" of the species that were extracted of their natural habitat for a variety of reasons. The objective of the center is to free the animals again, preparing them to live in freedom. Box Lunch in Rio Ahuano. Stop by the Casa del Suizo. Return to the station. Hike around the Stations Forest through trails within the 2500 hectares. Studies in the Station have demonstrated that there are 250 different species of trees in one hectare, and close to 1,500 species of plants in the same area. Out of more than 1,000 species of trees catalogued by Neill & Palacios, in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin, 17 new species were found within the reserve. Besides these, the Reserve has yielded many new species to science, just to mention a few: in 1997, Michael Schwerdtfeger descried a new species of Passiflora, naming it P. Jatunsachensis; Gregory O. Vigle lists more than 112 species of reptiles and amphibians. So far various people have collected 222 species of orchids. Dinner. Insect diversity observation and discussion about the tropical rainforest diversity
Prepare for travel next day.

Day 4: Travel to Baños. Breakfast. Leave the station. Baños is nestled between the Río Pastaza canyon and Tungurahua volcano and is a playground for adventure activities. There are lots of optional activities here including cannoning, biking, horse riding, and even Salsa dancing lessons! The magnificent, subtropical cloud forest environment of Baños makes for some incredible hikes too, and the town itself is charming. There are hot springs, great cafes, a beautiful town square and lines of little stores where the locals weave melocha (toffee) on the sidewalk. Arrive to Baños and check into the hotel.

Day 5: Rafting trip Baños. Breakfast at 8 am. Pick up from the hotel at 9. Start rafting at 10. We will spend around 4 hours in the river Paztaza, experience is not necessary and all gear is provided Overnight at the Baños hotel.

Day 6: Departure to Cotopaxi. Arrive to Cotopaxi (Andean Hacienda). You will arrive to a nice Andean Hacienda, The Hacienda is next Cotopaxi Volcano, the highest active volcano in the world where you can rest and get warm next to the fireplace. Dinner will be ready, a delicious Andean dishes in a nice ambiance. Then you can rest in the nice and warm Machai Rooms. (like an Andean refuge).

Day 7: (A delicious breakfast will wake you up, and then a brief lesson is given in the morning at Hacienda to teach you how to ride and get acquainted with the horses. Wear the typical Chagra attire, we will begin a visit to the foothills of Rumiñahui volcano, riding side by side with herds of wild horses and bulls. Our native guides will share their knowledge of medicinal plants. The ride takes about 3 hours. Afterwards a delicious lunch of local flavors awaits us at the farmhouse. In the afternoon you can do a nice trekking in the páramo area. Return to Quito (Families)

Day 8: (Spanish class until 12:30pm. Lunch. Activities (watching a Spanish movie where you can familiarized with the language). Go back home (Families)

Day 9: (Spanish class until 12:30pm. Lunch. Activities (visit Handcraft market, enjoy some Ecuadorian sculptures and painters). Go back home (Families)

Day 10: (Spanish class until 12:30pm. Lunch. Activities (cooking lesson, where the teacher will teach you to prepare some delicious Ecuadorian typical dishes). Go back home (Families)

Day 11: (Spanish class till 12:30pm. Lunch. Activities (salsa lesson, this your opportunity to learn some moves of the most famous dance of Latin America). Go back home (Families)

Day 12:(Galapagos (Morning: Depart from Quito (via Guayaquil) to the Galapagos (Baltra Island). Arrive at Baltra Airport where our Guide is waiting to take you to the Yacht. The Captain and Crew welcome you with a special lunch. (Baltra is the chief gateway into the Islands with daily flights to and from Guayaquil and Quito. Baltra Island is connected to Santa Cruz Island by a bridge across the Itabaca Canal. This island was a strategic point during the Second World War.

Afternoon: A visit to Bachas Beach, a 45-minute sail away from Baltra Port. The beautiful white sands make this a very attractive bathing spot. Marine turtles can be seen very near the beach during the breeding season and you can clearly see their nesting sites beyond the high tide mark. In certain seasons beautiful rose-pink flamingos and Lava Herons can be found in shallow lagoons behind the beach. Dinner and a Cocktail to Welcome You await your return to the Yacht.

Day 13: Morning: Breakfast is served before your visit to Genovesa (Tower) Island, north of the Equator. It abounds with Blue-footed Boobies, Red-footed Boobies and Nasca / Masked Boobies (Boobies are known as Piqueros for their habit of plunge-diving for fish), Tropic Birds and Frigate Birds. Two types of Storm-Petrels nest in cracks on the cliffs. (They seem to walk on the water.) Lunch.

Afternoon: You climb the Princes Steps for a spectacular walk amongst a variety of birds nesting all along the clearly marked trail around the rim of the Islands large caldera. Return to the boat where dinner awaits you. (An eight hour (approx.) sail, during the night, takes you south to Bartlomé Island, near Santiago Isla.

Day 14: Morning: Lunch will be served on arrival at Bartolome Island with its famous Pinnacle Rock. This island has a spectacular view with great photo opportunities. If you enjoy adventure activities you will want to climb up a special walkway, past huge lava blocks to the lookout point on the summit of a volcanic cone, from where you will have a view of unequalled beauty. The crystal clear waters of this island invite you to swim, snorkel and practice diving along with its penguins and sea lions. (

Afternoon: After lunch a dinghy (panga) visit to Black Turtle Bay (Caleta Tortuga Negra). This is very close to Baltra.   It is very special due to its lovely beach with sea lions and its clear, calm water. Black (Pacific Green) Turtles and many different types of birds can be seen feeding here as you are paddled around the beautiful lagoons hidden in the mangroves.

DAY 15: Morning: Breakfast. Visit to South Plazas Island. This is a raised marine platform. The abundant sesuvium plant with its vivid, variegated colors: reds, oranges, yellows and greens together with the tall Opuntia Cactus The trees make it an impressive tourist attraction. Large colonies of Sea Lions as well as Land and Marine Iguanas and Tropic Birds, are found here. ( After a two and a half hour crossing, we arrive at Port Ayora on Santa Cruz Island where you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Afternoon: A visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station, internationally renowned for its scientific advances in saving and conserving the Giant Galapagos Tortoise and other endangered species. Here you can see the Galapagos National Parks Installations; hatcheries and greenhouses, where they propagate the diverse species of flora and fauna from each island. (The visit will be followed by a tour of Santa Cruz Island and time to buy souvenirs from the well stocked shops in Port Ayora. At night, after dinner, you can enjoy the attractions of the night-life offered by the Island.

Day 16: Morning: After breakfast a visit to the Gemelos (Twins) in the upland area of Santa Cruz. These are two large depressions surrounded by native Salecia Trees. Two spectacular, circular lava tubes can be explored here. This is a good place to see Darwins Finches and other birds such as the Vermillion Flycatcher. White Egrets (herons) accompany the cattle in the pastures on Islands the lower slopes. Nearby is the Galapagos Tortoise Reserve with magnificent specimens in their natural surroundings. (Return to Baltra Airport to take the flight back to Quito and we will transfer you to our Hotel for the night.

Day 17: (Free day in Quito when you can take all day to shop and walk trough typical stores of the city and buy some souvenirs for your friends and family

DAY 18: Departure(Transfer to airport).
Itineraries can be customized upon request to fit the needs of the group

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Ecuador in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

LEAD Adventures Ecuador's Mission Statement: Since its creation in 2004 LEAD Adventures has been extremely successful launching programs in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and establishing mutually beneficial partnerships abroad. Up to date we have efficiently managed over 2,000 inbound participants individually and in-group programs. Our programs are targeted to young minded people from all over the world that want to experience the great destinations Ecuador and South America have to offer. Why choose our programs? *In-country support: As a South American based company we have the local contacts and resources to offer superb and efficient services to our participants. Our bilingual, experienced, and young minded in country staff are here to help you get the most of your time here. *Security and Experience: We have the local knowledge and contacts to offer the safest and fastest security and emergency procedures. Additionally we are in close contact with the local Foreign Commonwealth Office UK , US Embassies and the like. Several US, European, and other companies choose us a destination management company for their programs. *Value: Our administrative costs are much lower than agencies in Europe or US for example. So we can offer low and more reasonable prices for our programs compared to some agencies abroad. Additionally we are the operators of these programs so we can guarantee cost efficiency. *True local Impact: As a South American (Ecuadorian based) company we have the local knowledge and capacity to choose the best managed projects and ensure a degree of sustainability to them. We support them and provide valuable resources that help continue their work.

Year Founded: 2004