From the Amazon to the Andes to the Coast: An Eco-tour Adventure with Wofford College

Last month I had the pleasure of guiding yet another Wofford College Interim trip. This is the fourth year I have been guiding Wofford students on an adventure where they have the chance to learn coursework on eco-tourism while also gaining unforgettable life experiences exploring places and cultures very unlike their typical surroundings in Spartanburg, SC.

The first three years I worked with Wofford we visited Belize (which was amazing!) but this year I wanted to do something different. I wanted to take the students to my favorite country in the world- Ecuador. My dream was to show off the extreme diversity both geographically and culturally that exists  within this small country. We did this by starting in the Amazon basin on the border with Peru, traveling through the snow-capped Andean mountains and finishing on the beach staring out at the ocean.

Our trip across the Ecuador (we actually went all the way to the border of Peru, but google maps couldn't give directions from there)

The Amazon potion of the trip involved living and traveling on board the Manatee Explorer, a 30-passenger river boat designed to navigate the Rio Napo, part of the Amazon basin and a tributary to the Amazon river. The water level of the river was a bit lower than ideal which led to some excitement with the boat getting stuck a couple times. Fortunately, we had also had some extremely lucky and amazing wildlife spottings, including monkeys, pink river dolphins and tons of parrots at the clay licks. After five days of hiking, swimming, kayaking, jungle cruises, cultural interactions and beautiful sunsets, it was time to head into the Andes.

The Ecuadorian border with Peru- as far east as we can go still in Ecuador!

Taking it all in

A monkey moment

Parrots enjoying the clay licks

An Amazonian Sunset

After a chunk of time in the warm and humid world of the Amazon, it was time to get into the mountains. We were picked up by our bus in Coca, a jungle hub town, and began driving west towards   the Papallacta Hot Springs. A night in the cool temperatures of almost 11,000 feet prepared us for what  was next- hiking to the refuge of the Cotopoxi volcano which lies at almost 16,000 feet. For many of the students who have spent the majority of their lives in the east coast, this was easily 10,000 feet higher in elevation than they had ever been before this trip. 

Our first view of Cotopoxi

I was impressed with how many of the students made it all the way to the refuge. We walked slow and breathed in as much of that low-oxygen air as we could, but eventually made it. And with another stroke of good luck, the sky cleared giving us a perfect view of the volcano for most of our visit there. It was a pretty surreal experience to be making snowballs at 16,000 feet when the day before we were deep in the Amazon. 

Snowball fight at 16,000 feet!

After hiking Cotopoxi, we spent another day enjoying the mountain environment with zip lining, horse back riding and visiting historic haciendas.  

Zipping through the Andes 

Whats a ride in the Andes without a pair of chaps?

Riding through the valley of volcano

The llama- an Andean tradition

A view from Hacienda San Augustin de Callo

For a bunch of college students who flew from the winter of South Carolina, a few days in the cold temperatures of the Andes was long enough- now it was time for the beach! So off we went, further west towards the Ecuadorian coast. After a long bus ride we finally got our first view of the ocean. Hard to believe that in just a short span of a few days we had literally crossed the entire country of Ecuador from the Amazon, through the Andes and arriving at the coast.

The following days were filled with exploring the Machalilla National Park, including a visit to the beautiful Isla de La Plata and Los Frailes beaches. We hiked, we kayaked, we snorkeled, we swam and we laid out on the beach. Most days ended with cold drinks and a beach volleyball game at a local tiki hut bar.

A view from Isla de la Plata

The blue footed booby!

Enjoying Los Frailes Beach

We also took the time one day to visit a local school and see how the children spent their days. Along with us we brought donations to the school, the most popular being a soccer ball which happily replaced the "trash ball" they were previously playing with. The students loved the interactions playing with the local kids.

Enjoying the new soccer ball

Playing games with the kids

We ended our trip to the coast with a visit to the hip surf town of Mantanita. After a short lesson, the students were off on the surf boards (with the instructors in the water of course) riding Mantanita's waves.

Some people picked up on it faster than others!

Surfing is tiring!

The following morning we flew back to Quito for a day of visiting the city and the equator line before it was time to head back to the states and end our two week adventure across Ecuador.

All in all the trip went great and while I have traveled extensively all of Ecuador, this trip was special to me because it was the first time I linked up all of Ecuadorian's distinct regions into one big trip. Thanks to Wofford College for allowing me to guide you on this wonderful experience and thanks specifically to all the students who came along and brought with them their energy, enthusiasm and great attitudes!