An Exciting Sample Two Week Educational Trip to
ECUADOR 2012, including the Amazon Jungle
35 total hours of Spanish classes (15 hours with a private tutor plus 20 hours of small group), living with an Ecuadorian host family, and a bio-ecological adventure in the Amazon Basin

This trip can be shortened or lengthened and more activities added or less.  We completely customize your trip.

Week One
Sunday
On your own arranged flight, fly into Quito, Ecuador, for a private airport pickup. You will be delivered to Ecuadorian host families (experienced in hosting younger students) with shared rooms and where breakfast and dinner meals are included.
Monday
You will have breakfast with your host family, and they will direct you to school. (All the family houses are within walking distance of school or through a fun trolley ride). After an orientation, you will have four hours of one-on-one classes with a private tutor from 9 – 1 at the prestigious Academia de Español Quito. Your classes will be conversational in emphasis, with grammar reinforced through speaking, and they are appropriate for all levels of Spanish. You will have lunch each day arranged by the school. After lunch you will be accompanied by teachers as you set out to explore the fascinating city of Quito, named as a Patrimony of Humanity city. This afternoon you will have a walking tour of the Centro Histórico of Quito, a colonial gem. Return for dinner with your family and socializing at home.
Tuesday
One-on-one classes from 9-12 So that you may learn the historic progression of the area, this afternoon you will visit a museum of PreColumbian art, the Casa del Alabado, containing more than 5,000 ancient artifacts. You will wonder at the rich archaeological past of Ecuador.
Wednesday
One-on-one classes from 9-12 This afternoon you will be able to have your picture taken with your feet straddling the actual equator. You’ll be at La Mitad del Mundo, the monument to the establishment of the equator, the line separating the two halves of the world. See demonstrations of water swirling in opposite directions, depending on which side of the equator you place yourself.
Thursday
One-on-one classes from 9-12 This afternoon you can choose between two locations. One is the Mindalae Museo Amazónico with six display rooms with different themes, including shamanism, the Andean cosmovision, clothing, ceramics and other things of the Amazon world. Or you can choose to go to the Jardín Botánico to see the most important habitats of the flora of Ecuador, such as the rainforest and the swamps. The Orchid Room has one of the best collections of orchids in all of Latin America.
Friday
One-on-one classes from 9-12 This afternoon you also have a choice of visiting two places. The Museo de la Ciudad occupies the oldest civil building in Quito. For many years it functioned as the Hospital San Juan de Dos. The collection is a historical sampling of the origin and evolution of Quito, recalling daily life during past times through stories, legends, dress, flavors and fiestas. Or choose the view instead! Visit El Panecillo, 3,000 meters high and the division mark of the city. It is crowned by a gigantic aluminum sculpture of the Virgin of Quito.
Saturday
Departure for the Anaconda Program. The Amazon ecosystem is one of the richest and most complex plant and animal habitats in the world. The Ecuadorian Amazon covers an area of a 120,000 km of the most exotic vegetation of the tropical rainforest. The Andes mountain range is the western border of these regions, while Peru and Colombia make the southern and eastern borders.
This includes seven days and six nights lodging in an ecological resort, round trip transportation by van, full board, four hours daily of small (5 maximum) group instruction, and daily excursions with qualified guides.
After settling into the cabins called Shangri La, you begin with a short walk around the location in order to learn about the uses and medicinal properties of plants of the indigenous people. The group returns to the cabins to have dinner.
Week Two
Sunday
After breakfast, you will have a 4 hour conversational class concentrating on the vocabulary of the area. Following class, you begin to walk along the river bed until arriving at the first waterfall, where you can swim. Then you climb this waterfall and continue until you reach five beautiful, powerful waterfalls, each one different and awe-inspiring. The return trip is made through the mountains, where you can view a primary forest, with trees over a thousand years old. You can also practice balancing and swinging on vines like Tarzan!
Monday
After class the group begins a 4 km walk to a lagoon in the heart of the jungle, where you can swim and enjoy the natural ambience of a spectacular landscape. The return trip is made by canoe (life jackets provided) or inner tube, 20-30 minutes of rafting until arriving back at the cabins.
Tuesday
Upon waking in paradise you discover a large wondrous panorama, for the cabins are situated on a steep bank. Around the Anzú River on a clear day you can see volcanoes such as Sangay, Altar, and even eruptions from Tungurahua and Cerro Hermoso. After breakfast and your Spanish class, the group begins a four hour excursion to canyons in the jungle. Here you can observe parrots, butterflies, bats, migratory birds and insects as well as many wildflowers.
Wednesday
After class a van takes you on a 15 km drive to an upper tributary of the Anzú River, where you begin a thrilling rafting trip down rapids. There are also peaceful sections where you can swim and relax while floating down the river. Afterwards, you will visit an indigenous community, where you will learn about the life and traditions of the local people. You can see a local family's hut where they will show you how to prepare chicha, a traditional drink made with yucca by natural fermentation. Then you continue rafting downriver until arriving at the riverbank beneath your cabins.
Thursday
After breakfast and class, you go to a spot where you have a marvelous view of the surrounding jungle. Then you continue to the river where you will learn techniques of gold panning. Later the group visits a Botanical Garden, returning to the cabins around 3:00 or 4:00 pm. In the evening there is a farewell dinner with traditional music.
Friday
Breakfast and return to Quito, arriving around 4:00pm. You will be delivered to a centrally located hotel and enjoy a last dinner in Quito, sharing adventure stories around the table.
Saturday
After breakfast at your hotel, say goodbye to Ecuador via private airport transport for your departure flight.

Trip Cost including   $1400

No airfare included   We can provide resources for airfare.
Included is all as described, including airport transport, all classes, all lodging and three meals daily.

Leader’s cost (with a minimum group of 10) $350

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