Have you got your head in the clouds?

Like the mud you’re going to get covered in on this project, Ecuador has a habit of getting under your skin and being hard to shake off. i-to-i is proud to work in collaboration with Rain Forest Concern on one of their flagship conservation and eco-tourism projects in the amazing cloud forests in the north west of the country. The smallest of the Andean countries, Ecuador certainly has a wide variety of wildlife. This area in particular is a global hotspot of diversity with over 1500 species of tropical plants, 380 species of bird as well as a variety of strange looking and even stranger sounding creatures straight out of Mother Nature’s wildest imagination.

Project details:
The Bosque Nublado Santa Lucía is a genuinely community based conservation and eco-tourism organisation, located in the mountain forests of the Choco-Andean bio region of north western Ecuador. This area is a global 'hotspot' in terms of biodiversity with over 380 species of birds in the Santa Lucía reserve alone, and an estimated variety of 45 exotic mammals including the coatimundis, pumas, and the endangered spectacled bear.

The area is a paradise for bird-lovers, including several species which are endemic to the area, such as the Plate-billed Mountain Toucan and the Toucan Barbet. A wide range of tropical species such as parrots, cotingas, guans, ant birds and colourful tropical tanagers are regularly sighted. Santa Lucía is particularly well known for the variety of hummingbirds, including species like the Violet-tailed Sylph, Booted Racket-tail and Sparkling Violet-ear.

The Santa Lucía ecotourism project was established with the help of Rainforest Concern. The natural beauty and diversity of Santa Lucía's cloud forest makes ecotourism a logical choice to provide a sustainable source of income for the community. This income enables the community to continue to conserve the cloud forest under their care, while at the same time sharing its diverse treasures with others. Part of your fee goes towards the project which supports Rainforest Concern's aims to conserve and protect a number of threatened natural habitats throughout Ecuador.

Why the project needs volunteers:
With deforestation being Ecuador's largest environmental problem, a huge effort is now being made by both national and private reserves across the country to preserve what remains. Much of the work at these reserves is dependant on having the necessary labour. That is not to say that it would not get completed without i-to-i volunteers, but it would certainly take much, much longer!

An essential part of this ecotourism project was the purchase of key parcels of rainforest for the creation of a nature reserve. This was funded entirely by Rainforest Concern as the protected land lies within the southern phase of the Choco-Andean Rainforest Corridor. With their help and that of volunteers from the British organisation Quest Overseas, Santa Lucía has been able to complete the construction of an Ecolodge with facilities for up to 20 visitors.

What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
General fitness and lots of enthusiasm is definitely needed for work on the reserve. Volunteers also need to be ready to take on any tasks that may be required of them, and to get dirty in the process!

Your role as a volunteer:
Agro-forestry, organic gardening, tree planting and assisting with our ecotourism project and other conservation projects: Agro-forestry is one of the ways that we are able to use the forest in a sustainable way. Volunteers assist with this project by clearing the undergrowth in our banana, coffee and sugar cane plantations and helping to make 'panela' (sugar). Ecotourism is likely to be the main source of sustainable income for Santa Lucia and volunteers can support this by for instance maintaining and creating new trails. Volunteers are also needed to help find out more about our forest and to enable us to better conserve it eg by gathering fallen orchids for our orchidarium and helping to identify them.
There is also the opportunity to volunteer in a new childcare centre (babies and up to 5yrs old) down in the valley and sometimes also the opportunity to work with older local children e.g teaching English and/or environmental education.

Where the project is based:
You will need to arrive at Quito International Airport (UIO)

Due its altitude and position, Santa Lucía enjoys a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and the valleys below, including the nearby villages of Marianitas and Nanegal.

The Ecolodge provides a peaceful mountain retreat from the hurry and noise of modern life. The approach to Santa Lucía, which can only be reached on foot, involves a climb in altitude of over 500 meters, and takes from one to two hours from the nearest village, so visitors should be in reasonably good physical condition. Backpacks can be brought up by mule, so that visitors can enjoy the views and birding opportunities along the way.

The Ecolodge itself is built in traditional local style using entirely sustainable harvested wood. It provides comfortable accommodations, hot water showers and a wide porch with hammocks for watching the hummingbirds and enjoying the views. The lodge is "romantically" lit by candlelight at night, though in the future Santa Lucía hopes to install a sustainable electrical system based on renewable energy.

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching or Community Development project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More  

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

What we will do after you've booked:

• Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account
• We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know
• Community Development and Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course
• Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant) or send through a reference
• We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.
• We will hound you to complete your forms and pay your final balance when they are due
• We are available for any questions you may have on 800 352 1794 or operations@i-to-i.com
• We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with final project and accommodation confirmation 21 days before you go

What you need to do after booking your place with us:

• Book your flights
• Arrange suitable travel insurance
• Fill out some extra details through our online interface:
  • application from
  • travel details
  • insurance details
  • medical information
  • emergency contacts
• Complete your police check or request your reference (where relevant)
• Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)
• Make final payment at least 60 days before you go
• Make sure you have a visa for your trip if its needed
• Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention
• Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip
• Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!
• Get on the plane!

Orientation Information

Having arrived on the Monday, you will be taken to your orientation accommodation in Quito, this will be in a comfortable homestay and likely to be a shared room with another volunteer. You will have a group orientation meeting with the in-country coordinator on the Tuesday morning, and a trip to Mitel del Mundo in the afternoon.

Travel to your placement will occur on Wednesday morning and you will start work either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday monring.

If you choose to take the language lessons add-on you will spend the remainder of the week in Quito - please contact the us for more information on what this involves. You will then start your placement the following Monday, travelling on Saturday.

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

If you have already booked but still need insurance then you may still be able to take our tailored policy. If, however it was more than a few days ago then try the links below:

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.

Early Airport Pick-up

If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to your orientation accommodation. One additional night accommodation is included in this payment; if you require more than one night please inform the team.

The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 60.00