Ecuador is an extremely diverse destination with something to satisfy the tastes and interests of everyone. Although one of the smallest South American countries, it is packed with contrasts of landscape and culture, and is situated between Peru and Colombia. The mainland consists of three principal geographical regions that also influence the climate: the Sierra (Andes) run down the country in a central spine, with an area of Amazonian rainforest to the east and coastline to the west. There are numerous national parks in Ecuador, home to an incredible variety of animals, birds and plant life.
The country is home to many different ethnic groups and the national language is Spanish. There are Quichua speaking communities in the Andes and, among others, Shuar communities in the Oriente. Overall, this blend creates a fascinating and mixed culture which teams will be able to see and experience first hand.
Ecuador is a good destination for teams looking for a diverse expedition. There is so much to do that teams can concentrate on a Northern or Southern route to maximise time on different phases and minimise time spent on internal travel.
This destination has the possibility of being as challenging as a team wishes their expedition to be.
Some possible expedition objectives are given below, please note these may alter between now and your expedition. The Expedition Programme Manager for Ecuador will agree a suitable expedition itinerary for you, to best match the abilities and aspirations of your team.
Acclimatisation: Day Treks
Teams will need to undertake day treks from the start of their main trek (or nearby) to prepare for the main trekking phase and ensure they are ready for the subsequent journey.
Main Trekking Phase
There are a number of 3-7 day treks that the team can do, which will prepare them for ascending some of the higher volcanoes. In the Northern part of Ecuador treks could include walking in the cloudforest, in the Andean Sierra around Latacunga or the beautiful Pinan Lakes area. Further south, the team could do an Inca Trail trek from Achupullas to Ingapirca, or a trek in the Southern Highlands.
Challenging Trekking Phase: High altitude trekking
Once acclimatised, teams could aim to complete another challenging trek from 1-4 days. Many teams choose to tackle one of Ecuador’s volcanoes; Volcán Ruminahui (4712m), El Corazon (4788m) or Imbabura (4580m) are all peaks which are a suitable challenge for the whole team to summit.
Jungle Phase: Rainforest exploration
Teams could undertake jungle exploration in the Oriente region of the Amazon rainforest, based from Tena or Macas. Here teams can explore by foot and sometimes by motorised canoe, and will spend their nights in bamboo stilted huts called Cabanas. Whilst in the rainforest they will get the opportunity to go on day treks alongside local guides who have an incredible knowledge of the ecosystem that they have grown up and lived in.
Projects
Teams can participate in a number of different projects and World Challenge already has established links with a number of schools, children’s homes and charities throughout the country. There are projects based in communities and schools where teams can help to repaint buildings and carry out basic construction tasks. There are also an abundance of potential conservation projects, often linked to the preservation of the cloud forest and to promoting eco-tourism and agriculture.
Rest and Relaxation
Teams will be spoilt for choice. They could visit beautiful markets, none so famous as Otavalo, travel to Puerto Lopez on the southern coast and spend time at Isla de la Plata (also known as the poor man’s Galapagos) and go whale watching, visit Inca ruins at Ingapirca or go white-water rafting.
