Ecuador Study Abroad
Basic Outline (a more complete agenda will be posted by October 15)
Yunguilla is a farming community, which is located northwest of the province of Pichincha, Quito canton,
district of Calacalí, takes about 20 km from the city of Quito in the foothills of the Cordillera Occidenta
The community of Yunguilla is settled in the mountains an hour outside of Quito, Ecuador.
Utopia Volunteers and Northwestern Michigan College are working to plan multiple work areas for a
group trip. The community has expressed needs in multiple areas to include: Small business accounting
(accountability support) , small banking, help building the local restaurant, marketing and promoting of
their local production, graphic designer in computer to create some logo for the products they produce.
Friday - Day 1 ; Arrive in Quito transfer to local Hostel ( really it’s a
hotel very nice) stay overnight
Saturday - Day 2: breakfast
8:30 to 10:30 Teleferico
10 am depart for Old Town excursion Quito
1pm depart for Equator excursion lunch
4pm depart for Village
Sunday- Day 3: Breakfast depart for Cloud Forest excursion ( MIndo Cloud
Forest http://www.mindocloudforest.com/mindo-information.html
Hiking & Tubing
Monday- Friday :Day 4: to Day 8: Business work begins in the village
– service work
Saturday – Day 9: 6 am get up depart for Otavalo Marketplace ( best shopping in
Quito) This will be about a 2.5 hour ride by bus so will take all day but
well worth the trip and a nice ride as well. Return to the village where we will have a community
cookout , community traditions and salsa dance lesson with approx. 80 to 100
community members . Celebration and goodbye fun!
Sunday – Day 10: depart from Quito airport
1.Quito’s Skyrail named in 2005 as the Teleférico, is the highest in South America. The
teleferico is similar to a ski lift but enclosed that takes you from the city to one of the
nearby high points of the Andes which surround the city. The Quito’s Teleferico is the
perfect place for walking or trekking into one of the main peaks of the Pichincha
volcano, Rucu Pichincha. Besides it offers one of the majors views of the city Quito.
2. Mindo Cloud Reserve - VISIT THE SUBTLE
BEAUTY OF the Western slopes of the Andes
in Mindo Ecuador You will be amazed by the
immense bird species, orchids, butterflies,
ferns, lash green vegetation and well marked
trails for discovering the Cloudforest wonders
3. Old Town Quito: Drive With its narrow streets, restored colonial
architecture and lively plazas, Quito’s Centro Histórico (aka the old town) is
a marvel to wander. Built centuries ago by indigenous artisans and laborers,
Quito’s churches, convents, chapels and monasteries are cast in legend and
steeped in history. It’s a bustling area, full of yelling street vendors, ambling
pedestrians, tooting taxis, belching buses and whistle-blowing policemen
trying to direct traffic in the narrow, congested one-way streets. The area is
magical, and one in which the more you look, the more you find..
4. Otavalo Market Place : Nestled in a valley at the foot of a volcano, Otavalo is a highland
community of indigenous locals famed for their weaving skills and colorful textiles. The local
people (Otavaleños) who sell their wares at the daily market, wear traditional clothing and
have maintained their culture, costume and identity.
Saturday is the main market day in Otavalo but a weekday visit will be less hectic and provide
more opportunity for some serious browsing. Within the market you’ll find traditional crafts,
brightly-colored textiles and traditional weaving designs plus some musical instruments and
carvings.
5. Equator tour - Don´t forget to bring your passport along if you want a special
equator stamp in it