Itinerary

DAY 1
Arrive in Quito and transfer to Hotel. Relax, Call home.

DAY 2
8:00am Breakfast at restaurant run by a cooperative of Amazonian artists that
sell fair trade crafts and organic chocolate beans in their restaurant
and abroad in order to promote sustainable development, rainforest
conservation, and preservation of indigenous cultures. Presentation by
a compañero or compañera about the cooperative.
Orientation: Review of itinerary and discussion regarding socially
conscious travel. The group will also discuss the socio-political,
cultural and historical aspects of Ecuadorian reality.
10:00am Visit a community that works to protect the cloud forest. This
community is an hour and a half away from Quito, half an hour from
the monument of the “Mitad del Mundo” (Middle of the World).
Presentation by a community leader about their current projects.
Lunch prepared by the tourist community enterprise.
Short walk and visit to town.
5:00pm Back to Quito
6:30pm City tour of old colonial town
8:00pm Free night to rest or just to relax

DAY 3
7:00am Breakfast at the hotel or café
8:00am Leave for the town of Salinas in the Province of Bolívar
1:00pm Arrive in Salinas. Salinas is the best example in Ecuador (and
probably in a good portion of the planet) of sustainable development.
This community is made up of several small communities and has a
population of about 10,000 people.
3:00pm Visit the community enterprises and learn how they have improved the
quality of life for the local population, slowed the migration of youth to
the cities, created jobs, reforested the area, and improved eating and
nutritional habits.
7:00pm Dinner
Stay at a hotel run by the youth group in the community or in a hotel
across the street, depending on availability.

DAY 4
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Continue visits with the different community enterprises
12:30pm Lunch
1:30pm Leave for Quito

DAY 5
8:00am Breakfast at the hotel
9:00am Meet with an ecological direct action group. Watch presentation about
the ITT project, a government-sponsored initiative that is trying to
collect national and international support to keep the oil underground
to preserve the amazing biodiversity of the Yasuni National Park.
1:00pm Lunch
2:00pm Afternoon meetings with environmental speakers

DAY 6
7:00am Breakfast at the hotel, briefing about the itinerary of the day
7:30am Leave for Intag via Otavalo
12:00pm Lunch in Otavalo
1:00pm Leave for Apuela
3:30pm Arrive at Apuela. Rest, enjoy the cabins, relax, explore the cloud
forest, swim in the pools, rest before the evening presentation.
Listen to a talk presented by Intag community leaders currently
struggling against the Ascendant Mining Company from Canada.
Cultural Activity organized by a local youth group.
Overnight stays at cabins run by a community tourist project.

DAY 7
8:00am Breakfast in Apuela
9:00am Leave for Cotacachi
11:30am Arrive at Cuicocha
12:30pm Lunch by the sacred lake of Cuicocha at a restaurant that features
traditional food from the region.
3:00pm Visit the Municipality of Cotacachi, an example of participatory
government. This particular municipality has been internationally
recognized for its ecological sustainability, as well as its lack of
illiteracy.
4:30pm Leave for Quito
6:30pm Arrive at Quito
7:30pm Talk with an organizer in charge of the case against Texaco by
Northern Amazon communities
Dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant
Overnight at a local hotel

DAY 8
6:30am Check-in at airport
7:30am Flight to Coca
8:00am Arrive at Coca
8:30am Breakfast at Hotel La Mision
9:30am Leave for the toxic tour organized and lead by an organization that
works to make Chevron-Texaco accountable to the communities that
have suffered years of contamination.
3:30pm Lunch in town
4:30pm Check-in at airport
5:30pm Leave for Quito
6:30pm Arrive in Quito
7:30pm Dinner in Quito
Overnight at Hotel Jardín del Sol

DAY 9
7:00am Breakfast at the hotel
8:00am Leave for Puyo by bus. It is a five-hour trip, but we will probably stop at
the nice little town of Baños to have lunch and relax.
Arrive at Puyo. Talk with the leader of a confederation of indigenous
people about the extraction industry and the different indigenous
positions around this issue.
Dinner and rest at Hotel Las Florés

DAY 10
All the events in Sarayacu depend on the availability of leaders and
the socio-cultural-political events that are happening at the time in the
community. Sarayacu is new to tourism and they do not want
Sarayacu to become a tourist spot. They want to share their struggle
and offer their hospitality for you to enjoy the rain forest, so keep this in
mind.
7:00am Breakfast at Hotel Las Florés
8:00am Leave the hotel to go to the Aeropuerto Río Amazonas in Shell. Depart
for Sarayaku by plane. (20-minute flight)
9:30am Arrive in Sarayaku.

DAY 11
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Reflection meeting
9:00am Sarayacu Program: After breakfast, take part in a round table with
indigenous leaders of different communities. Learn the history of the
Sarayacu resistance, watch a video presentation, and watch
presentations of alternative proposals for Sarayacu.
12:00pm Lunch
Visit different educational centers for grade school, high school, and
university.
Return to lodging.

DAY 12
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Reflection meeting
9:00am Sarayacu Program: Experience what it is like to work in a minga, or
work brigade. Plenty of time will be provided to spend time with our
guides, host families at the lodge, and the local community.
Tour evaluation, feedback for future delegations

DAY 13
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Walk to the airfield 50-60 minutes.
9:00am Leave for Puyo.
11:00am Return to Quito
1:00pm Lunch in Baños or Tena
8:00pm Goodbye dinner at a nice restaurant in Quito

DAY 14
Departure

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