Most of the weekends (it is depending of the students) we organize a trip for our students.  We believe these excursions offer the opportunity to explore Ecuador, socialize, and simply relax and enjoy a more natural and peaceful side of the coutnry.  We choose affordable, safe and less-known locations where the students can immerse themselves in the lifestyle and culture of the local people.

These excursions can last from one to two days depending on the distance needed for travelling.  Some common destinations include Zumbahua-Quilotoa, Otavalo-Cotacachi, Mindo, Baños-Puyo, Papallacta, Volcàn Pululahua and Volcàn Pichincha.

Students pay for their own expenses during these trips, but we have flexibility about where we go and where we sleep.  Costs therefore vary depending on the budgets and interests of the students.
We aim to speak Spanish during these excursions, and encourage students to view these trips as the applied part of their learning experience.

Otavalo is located in Imbabura, Ecuador. It is a popular attraction for people visiting Ecuador. The make-up the city is of indigenous, mestizos and of European descent people. There are approximately 40,000 native otavaleños, and most live in the surrounding villages. Most native otavaleños are master weavers and great businessman.  One can appreciate this art when visiting "la Plaza de los Ponchos," where you will find ponchos, hand made blankets and sweaters, "Panama Hats," (an Ecuadorian product), a variety of hand made jewelry.....  Otavaleños have great traditional hard working ethics and have popularized their work all over the world.. The markets at Otavalo are busy and full of fascinating Ecuadorian specialities. The textile artesano market had a host of fantastic clothing, jewellery and fabrics and the food market served a delicious lunch for all of us. We stayed in a lovely central hostel called Al Geranio, which was peaceful, very pretty and very comfortable. On Sunday we went for a thre hour walk around the Laguna de Cuicocha, which was exhausting but very rewarding. I took some great photos! It was a fantastic weekend and I would gladly go again...

Erin Graham, student - England

Otavalo Indian Market - Plaza de Ponchos

Trip to Cotopaxi Our trip last weekend was to Mount Cotopaxi. We stayed at Cotopaxi's south face for three days, it was quite hard but in the end the trip was amazing...
The views of Cotopaxi were spectacular and although the walk up the mountain was quite tiring due to the altitude we managed to reach the snowline at about 4500 metres. The views during the walk and from the mountain were very impressive too. Apart from the people in our group and the guides, there were no other people around, so we had the mountain all to ourselves. The lodge and food were also very good and overall I had a very satisfying trip."

Jaya Thursfield, student - Australian

Cotopaxi Volcano - Albergue de Montaña Cotopaxi Cara Sur