Spanish, Culture, Environment and Adventure . . .
This exciting 3-week program combines Spanish classes and cultural excursions in either of two distinct cities - Quito or Cuenca - with a week exploring the Amazon rainforest, and finishing with a week in the spectacular Galapagos Islands on an 8-day land-based tour.
| Week 1 | Spanish and Culture: 20 hours of Spanish classes and excursions to places of historic and cultural interest around Quito or Cuenca. |
|---|---|
| week 2 | Cuyabeno Reserve - 5 days: From Lago Agrio travel by canoe deep into the Cuyabeno Reserve to explore the mighty Amazon |
| week 3 | Galapagos Islands Tour: An 8-day land-based tour of the Galapagos Islands, taking in 4 disctinct islands with a series of whole-day and half-day excursions, based on the islands of Santa Cruz and Isabela. |
In Quito or Cuenca you will stay with a local host family for the week while you study Spanish. This offers the perfect immersion in Spanish as you interact with your friendly and sociable hosts in the morning and evenings. The day will be taken up with regular Spanish classes and visits to places of interest around the city, combining Spanish tuition with more touristic activities.
As an alternative for accommodation we can offer hostel or hotel options.
The second week of your visit to Ecuador is an expedition to the Amazon rainforest, traveling by canoe downriver into the Reserva Nacional Cuyabeno. This exciting trip is the perfect introduction to the life and biodiversity of the world's greatest rainforest with plenty of activities, day and night, including a visit to an indigenous group that still calls the forest home.
The third week of your visit to Ecuador is an 8-day land-based tour of the incredible Galapagos archipelago, visiting several distinct islands and exploring both above and below the waterline. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will be the highlight, of your stay, an educational adventure providing a wealth of unforgettable memories.
"Awesome! each week was so very different. I valued getting a handle on Spanish the first week to be able to communicate with people along the way, and both the visit to the Amazon and to the Galapagos exceeded my expectations."
If you have a shorter period of time available we can offer an alternative itinerary, adding in activities that are of particular interest and adapting to your specific needs and preferences.