Ecuador has a huge selection of multi day expeditions into the jungle areas, some of these on the edge and others in the depth of the virgin Jungle. Being deep in the Jungle is really a special feeling that has to be experienced. Ecuador is one of the few places in the world where it is possible to stay deep in the jungle without a lot difficulty in getting there. Join us for the thrill of being deep in the jungle, feeling life all around you . Ecuador is surrounded by such diversity that it is hard to see everything but I do suggest you try and get at least a 4 day trip into this great jungle lodge. In just one day, it is possible to get you to this most remote and beautiful place.

Below is the 4 and 5 day itinerary in the Bataburo Jungle Lodge. However, it is only with the 8 day itinerary that you get to visit the Huarani village.

4 Day Jungle Ecuador

Day 1-Transfer from Coca to the Huaorani village of Tiguino by canoe. Lunch on the Tiguino River. Welcome cocktail and dinner on arrival, explanation of program by guide.
Day 2- Early morning navigation downstream to observe birds and mammals. Breakfast. 4-6 hours jungle trek accompanied by a native guide and a translator. The chance to learn about the flora and fauna of the region, the Huaorani culture and the use of various medicinal plants. Return to the camp for lunch. In the afternoon fishing for piranhas and observation of caiman alligators. Dinner.
Day 3- Early morning excursion in search of mammals, especially monkeys. Breakfast. Jungle hike with guides explaining more about the complex ecosystem of the rainforest. Lunch at lodge. In the afternoon rowing in the dug-out canoe in the lagoon and a competition with the blowpipe. Dinner. Night walk in the forest to observe inescts and nocturnal animals.
Day 4- Early morning hike to observe birds and mammals. Breakfast. Navigation by canoe back to Coca with lunch on-route.

5Day Jungle Ecuador

Day 1-Transfer from Coca to the Huaorani village of Tuguino by canoe. Lunch on the Tiguino River. Welcome cocktail and dinner on arrival, explanation of program by guide.
Day 2- Early morning navigation downstream to observe birds and mammals. Breakfast. 4-6 hours jungle trek accompanied by a native guide and a translator. The chance to learn about the flora and fauna of the region, the Huaorani culture and the use of various medicinal plants. Return to the camp for lunch. In the afternoon fishing for piranhas and observation of caiman alligators. Dinner.
Day 3- Early morning excursion in search of mammals, especially monkeys. Breakfast. Jungle hike with guides explaining more about the complex ecosystem of the rainforest. Lunch at lodge. In the afternoon rowing in the dug-out canoe in the lagoon and a competition with the blowpipe. Dinner. Night walk in the forest to observe inescts and nocturnal animals.
Day 4- Breakfast. 4-6 hours jungle hike where amongst other things the the guide will explain about the preparation of the curare - a very strong poison that the huoarani use to hunt with the blowpipe. In the afternoon on the river for sport fishing. Dinner.
Day 5- Early morning hike to observe birds and mammals. Breakfast. Navigation by canoe back to Coca with lunch on-route.

If you are on the jungle boat tour, they follow a set route, which can be seen here on link.

Mode of Transport:
The tour starts and finishes in the town of Coca.

It is most recommended to fly directly from Quito - return fare is $122 and the flight takes 30 minutes. For the more daring it is also possible to travel by bus - a 10 to 12 hour trip costing approx $10 each way.

What’s included?

• Accommodation in twin cabins with shared bath
• 3 meals per day & drinking water
• All activities as detailed in itinerary
• Native guide and translator
• Return transport to/from Coca and the lodge (9 hours each way)

Exclusions

• National park entrance fee ($20)
• 3 meals per day & drinking water
• Transport from Quito to/from Coca
• Private bathroom supplement ($20 per person)
• Tips / drinks from bar / other personal expenses

Cost.
Prices start at just $85 per day, per person.

If you have questions, require further information or to reserve a space please email or telephone (English spoken). To read more information about booking, click here.

jon@ola-adventures.com
www.ola-adventures.com
00-593 2 2562699

All this for no more than $45 a day per/ person, with a minimum of 4.

Additional costs are:

• Personal snacks and drinks
• Lunch and dinner - typically $5 -$10 per meal
• Boat hire and equipment $10
• Maid to cook and clean $10
• Bus from airport to Same beach $10

If you have questions, require further information or to reserve a space please email or telephone (English spoken). To see what past adventurers have to say click here.

Remember, if this itinerary does not quite fit with your plans, due to us being a small company we will be more than happy to design a tailor made itinerary just for you at no extra cost. Contact us with your ideas!
Please have a look at Enquires and Prices

jon@ola-adventures.com
www.ola-adventures.com
00-593 2 2562699

In addition to learning to mountain climb in Ecuador, you can get involved in fishing, mountain biking or for those of you with a little more energy, maybe go for the 3 biggest mountains of Ecuador in 10 days. Whatever your desires the mountains of Ecuador can fulfill them all.

Day 1
08:00 -10:00 Make our way to Rucu Pichincha
10:00 -15:00 Training at high altitude and more importantly acclimatise oneself.
15:00 - 18:30 Spend the afternoon exploring…and return to central Quito.

Day 2
08:30 Depart Quito and head for the real mountains,
09:30 Travel through the andean mountains with lots of photo opportunities.
12:00 Arrive in the province of Cotopaxi for lunch
13:30 Lets climb! with a qualified mountain guide.
18:00 Settle down in the refuge for some amazing sunset views and food.
19:00 kick back and relax before the big climb.

Day 3
04:00 A quick bite before we set of for an amazing day.
10:00 Summiting, all depends on fitness. Feel on top of the world.
11:00 Time to start descending
16:00 Arrive in time for an evening meal
18:30 Another beautiful day on the mountains.
19:30 Relax and think about what you have accomplished
Day 4
09:00 Breakfast over looking the andes
10:00 One last morning to take in the mountain scenery.
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Head back to Quito
17:00 Arrive back in Quito.

The cost for this adventure starts at only $70 per person per day, for a minimum of 4 people. There is the option to have a fully inclusive tour, please enquire for details.

This trip includes the following:

• Trained and experienced bilingual Moutain guide.
• Transport in a safe and comfortable 4×4, with plenty of space for you and your bags.
• Door to door pick up and drop-off
• Help with hiring equipment

Additional costs are:

• Personal snacks and drinks
• Meals
• Optional mountain biking ($15)
• National park entry fee ($10)
• Accommodation
• If you are interested we can send you on your adventure with one of the best mountaineers in Ecuador

Mode of Transport.
We will be traveling in a fully expedition equipped 4×4. The vehicle is both safe and comfortable and has legendary off road capabilities. On board we carry a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, maps, tools, GPS. The vehicle will be driven by a trained and licensed off-road driver with many years of experience driving expeditions throughout Ecuador.

Your guide.
This adventure will be guided and driven by a Qualified mountain guide with many years of expedition experienced in Ecuador and in Latin America. We always provide off the beaten track type adventure with a high European standard of safety.

If you have questions, require further information or to reserve a space please email or telephone (English spoken).

Remember, if this itinerary does not quite fit with your plans we will be more than happy to design a tailor made itinerary just for you at no extra cost. Contact us with your ideas!

jon@ola-adventures.com
www.ola-adventures.com
00-593 2 2562699

Here at Overland Latin America, we pride ourselves on having reliable, fully expedition-equipped 4×4s to make your expedition safe and comfortable. We have plenty of space for both you and your luggage, allowing you to sit back, relax and enjoy your adventure.

On climbing, surfing or trekking adventures we can accommodate all specialised equipment with our capacious roof racks.
Vehicles are equipped with:

• GPS Unit.
• Altimeter.
• First aid kit.
• Fire extinguisher.
• Cell phone.
• Emergency recovery equipment.
• Spare parts and tools in case of remote location breakdown.
• Huge roof rack.

Toyota Land Cruiser

For a little more refinement we have the king of 4×4s. No matter what part of the globe you visit, you will see these 4×4s doing what they do best - Adventuring. Our Land Cruiser is always ready for action.

Photos

Andes, Coast, Jungle & Cloud Forest.

Galapagos.

Laguna Quilotoa.

Family Adventures.

Maps.

Videos

OLA extreme day - From the high Andes to the tropical coast in a day!

Coast

Andes

Amazon & Galapagos

General Ecuador

Bookings and Prices

While in Ecuador you will see that many companies call them selves ´Eco-friendly´ without even having a clue what the term truly means!
Unfortunately education of how to protect the environment is rather thin on the ground, but the knowledge that tourists will pay for an ´Eco´ experience or would rather use an ´Eco´ company has filtered through. Be very wary and research as much as you can before booking your tour or accommodation. This is of course not to say that there are know companies here that are really ´Eco´ friendly. One of our favourites here at OLA is the Black Sheep Inn on the Quilatoa Loop. Rather then talking about saving the environment they act. Click here for our high Andean adventures to this region.

How does OLA help?
OLA is only a small grass roots company, but we always use local guides and locally owned accommodation as this helps the local community directly with employment, and helps our adventurers gain an insight into the real Ecuador. On our tours we always carry big 5 litre bottles of water and ask our adventurer´s to fill up their water bottles from this, thus saving on plastic waste. Where possible we always ask our adventurer´s to use the returnable glass bottles as these are by far the most friendly way to buy drinks.

We are currently looking into changing our fuel guzzling Toyota 4×4 for a diesel version that we can run on bio-diesel. This would be a first for Ecuador and something that excites us! For now we do not to use the 4×4 in the city where we can use public transport or even better, cycle! As we are normally busy, we have at least 4 people in the vehicle while on tour making it less of a waste to run.
As we are a completely web-based company, we embrace this new technology which allows us to be almost completely paperless. This is OLA´s commitment to saving the fast declining Amazon region of Ecuador.

Environmental Tips for Travelers
Whilst traveling in a foreign country, it is important to minimize your impact. Here are some tips and information that you should try and remember. We acknowledge that some of this advice may be more difficult to take on board whilst traveling than it would be to incorporate into your daily lives at home. However, even if you only put into practice three or four of our suggestions, be it whilst on the road or whilst at home, it will certainly contribute to reducing our impact on the planet.

Garbage
Most plastic bottles are not recyclable in Ecuador. Try to use glass bottles (returnable) for sodas etc. Aluminum cans are the next best option as they are at least recyclable.
To avoid buying more disposable bottles, carry a water bottle and always check if there is somewhere to fill it up at your hotel/ restaurant (most hotels and restaurants have purified water in large 20 litre bottles called botellones). These places also sell water in small bottles and so they might be reluctant to begin with as they think they are loosing a sale. Of course you will need to pay for the refill also. The concept of reducing garbage is new for Ecuadorians, so don’t be surprised if you have to explain it, but if more travelers request it, the more common place it will become.

If you have to buy bottles, buy the biggest you can and just refill from there, especially if you plan to be in the same place for a while.

Try to avoid excessive wrapping and plastic bags which are all to readily dished out for each small purchase. Tell the shop keeper why you give the bag back!

If you shop in a local market take your own bag or have them place everything in one large plastic bag instead of numerous small ones.

You can also reduce the amount of garbage you produce as a result of traveling by
- using a digital camera instead of using film (the process of developing film can produce a lot of waste unwanted photos are non recyclable and often end up in the trash).

Avoid using excessive cosmetic products e.g. hairspray, mousse, aftershave, perfume and if you must use them, try and find effective environmentally friendly alternatives e.g biodegradable shampoos, crystal deodorants which last longer etc (most containers for these products are non recyclable).

Avoid using disposable products e.g. plastic razors, single use contact lenses.

Try to use re chargeable batteries or eliminate use of batteries entirely e.g. use a wind up or solar torch or radio.

Where available use recycled paper for letters home, trip diaries, toilet paper, etc.

Buy in bulk if you are traveling in a large group- this reduces packaging.

Please remember to recycle whatever you can in the country you are traveling. However, some products that can not be recycled in the host country can be recycled in your home countries, so please take them home if possible.

Food and health

Avoid eating foods that you know are from endangered or threatened species (research these before you come to the country)…E,g, in Ecuador, lobsters are often caught undersized (tail should be longer than 8 cm).

Buy and eat locally grown and locally processed foods wherever possible, rather than food products shipped from long distances, which use more energy (fossil fuels for transport and generally more packaging).

Consider using alternative natural medical products for common travelers illnesses, e.g. grapefruit seed extract for diarrhea, etc. This maybe healthier for you as well as avoids leaving behind pharmaceuticals in the local water and soil (this is becoming a detectable problem in first world countries, thought to affect aquatic organisms like fish and frogs).

Nature, Flora and fauna

Avoid buying souvenirs of local fauna e.g. many stores sell cases of bright colored butterflies, spiders and insects. These are caught by the hundreds in the Amazon and the sales people will tell you that they are not caught but that they raise them … it is not true!

Avoid buying souvenirs that are made with endangered species or species that have to be killed to be made into a craft, support crafts made from renewable resources.

Dont collect insects, flora and fauna without a permit. Leave them for everyone to enjoy.

Take your rubbish home. Better still, try to pack snacks that don’t have individual wrappers e.g bulk dried fruits and nuts, or fruit that comes in its own biodegradable wrapper. Or pack your lunch in a reusable box.

Camping and Water

Use toilets where they exist, if not bury human waste in a hole 20cms deep. Human waste should be buried at least 50 m from water sources.

Use biodegradable soaps / detergents. In Ecuador, local “Foca” detergent claims to be biodegradable.

Don´t wash shampoo and detergent off directly in rivers, but as far away as you can (4 m minimum).

Avoid making fires.

Use a T-shirt when snorkeling as sunscreen is harmful to the marine life.

Transport

If possible, walk or use a bicycle. It not only helps the planet, but it keeps you in shape as well!

Electricity

Lights, fans, TVs, radios, computers - if you are not using it - turn it off!

Traveling with children and babies

Try and teach your child about the local environmental issues. Point out good and bad practices.

Encourage your child to snack on fruit rather than sweets, explain that fruit has a biodegradable wrapper!

If traveling with a baby, why not use cotton nappies? Disposable nappies are becoming a major waste issue in developed countries and are becoming a desirable product in the developing world. Using cotton will set a good example to others and reduce the promotion of disposable nappies. If cotton nappies are simply not an option, you can always use biodegradable nappies.

You can contact us by calling (00-593) 2 2562699 (English spoken:-) Or you can email us: jon@ola-adventures.com. Remember its an adventure not a tour!

kids helping with sweets.

Here is a small sample of the sweets we purchased with your donations. The sorting process was a long, grueling one. As you can see, we put many skilled hands to good use! In the end, we assembled over one thousand bags of candy. We even had enough funds to purchase a toothbrush for each child.

The picture below depicts the kids’ typical environment. These families live day to day and they often don’t have enough money to provide the kids with proper nourishment, let alone a Christmas gift.

Thank to Peter James we have this great photo below

The event kicked off around 4 p.m with the children and parents looking their best for this festive occasion. This was just the start! In true Latin style, the festivities didn’t end until around 3 in the morning!

The kids had a blast playing the traditional game of “El palo encebado.” This game requires that they climb a greased pole to get to the toys up at the top. It is truly a test of sheer determination. In the spirit of cooperation, the kids ended up making a human ladder to reach the top.

Next up was the tomato dance. Pairs of kids shimmied their hips to the frantic rhythm of reggaeton- all while holding a tomato between their foreheads!

This girl would earn a fortune teaching latin dance in London town!Boy, do these kids have energy and do they know how to party!
At around 10p.m., hoards of children lined up to receive their bags of candy and their toothbrushes. The excitement in the air was almost palpable!

kids with sweets and tooth brush

Furthermore, for those who are interested to see, we joined up with a friend, Soledad, and gave 200 goodie bags to the high Andean children, where Soledad has been donating Christmas gifts and sweet bags to the children for the past 13 years. This year she donated shoes,clothes and rubber balls. See photos.

I hope that these photos show you just how much these children really appreciated your gracious donations. As for me, helping the families of a poor town in Ecuador celebrate their Christmas, really made mine! I do hope it does the same for you!

A special thanks to Fupel, a plastics company in Ecuador, for their donations of plastic bags!!

Please also leave a comment by clicking on the red comment button below!

Swim 1.5km

Swim 3 laps 2800m

Bike 40km

Run 2 laps Quito Park 10km 2800m

Winners of Half Iron Man

Finish

I would just like to say thank you to all those that have donated money to the kids here in Ecuador. I will leave it there, as the next blog will be the thank you from the kids themselves and this will make my Christmas & I hope yours. Jon

As you can see we all got across the end line but I would like to say having run a few marathons that this is no walk over due to the fact that you are running at over 2800m in altitude, this really makes it difficult to breath, my legs were good but I felt like I was 70 trying to run, no offence to any old runners that might read this! As Jimmy Savile would still give me a run for my money.

Above Pierre,Joe, Jon & Santi

Nice to be at the end but like I said this event is not over until we get some goods to the kids in Esmeraldas. That is why I will keep working not only to give you all a chance to find some friends that would like to help but also to do another event, that being an Olympic Triathlon that is being held here in Quito on the 2nd of December, I have still to convince Joe, Marcelo & Pierre but I’m sure with a few comments at the bottom of this blog that will make all the difference.

The winners below have promised OLA to be back next year and we in return will keep moving forward. Good time by the winners too at 30:30:00

Having finished the run, Joe is now back to full strength and is working on the logistics of how to get 400-kg of items to the Children of Ecuador, just as well OLA has the right man for the job.

Well I wish that all those who are helping with this fund raising event could be with us here for a day or two to join in as I know that giving money doesn’t feel like you are doing much & not to mention the fact that you are also missing out on seeing things happen but let me reassure you all that without your help all of the people here would feel let down . So thanks again and wish us luck.

Please pass on this link so that many more can make a donation, in order to make a difference.

If you cannot make a paypal payment please contact OLA and we will find another way!

These kids live in a small town called Tonchigue, which is a coastal town in the suburbs of Esmeraldas, the poorest province of Ecuador. What we at OLA are hoping to do, is provide at least 2,000 children with a small bags of goodies.

Each bag will cost only $0.90 or £0.43 to provide and will contain a handful of sweets, a toothbrush and colouring pencils. We already have some very generous backers inside of Ecuador and will be highlighting these companies at a later date. We would also like to add that we will keep you up to date via this blog showing how this event unfolds with visual imagery.

Our first charity raising event will take place this coming Sunday, 11th November. OLA members will be running 11km around Quito, the second highest capital city in the world at a soaring 2,800 meters / 9186 feet.

If you would like to help us and make a donation please get in contact with us!! Remember that all money donated will go straight to the children and won’t be eaten up in paper work.

For just £2 or $4 you will be making 5 children’s Christmas. For all donations made, OLA will add a $1 to your donation.

Jon or Joe