Further Information
Volunteer Education Project for Impoverished Children in Ecuador

About Otavalo:

Otavalo has been one of the most important textile markets and trading posts in the Andes since 500BC. It is situated at the foot of the Imbabura volcano, next to the San Pablo Lake, with the Cotacachi volcano looming in the distance. Today, with a population of under 30,000, Otavalo’s paved streets are teeming with colour, especially as the indigenous people descend to sell their wares in the Plaza de Ponchos. There are several internet cafes, bars and restaurants to relax in, and beautiful parks to sit and watch the world go by, listening to local folkloric pipe music and marvelling at the traditional dress still worn today by the majority of the population.

The Spanish Classes

Spanish classes are ESSENTIAL for those Volunteers with no previous Spanish experience and highly recommended for those who want to brush up on their Spanish language. For those taking Spanish classes, you have forty hours of one-on-one Spanish classes, which are flexible to your level and start from basic to advanced. The lessons take place in an excellent spanish school in the centre of Otavalo. The classes are structured to give you everyday conversation and grammar, and also an insight into the type of Spanish you will need to teach the lessons. You will be taking 5 hours spanish lessons per day from Monday to Thursday for 2 weeks. Fur week volunteers may be asked to do 6 hours a day for the first week, and 2 hours a day after school has finished in their community for the second week. This is to allow them 3 weeks of work in the community, rather than only 2.

Adventure Activities:

The excursions organised by GVI (at a small additional cost-see dates and costs for more information) are a weekend with the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation in the quaint town of Mindo, which sits in the cloud forest on the western slope of the Andes Mountains and is home to over 350 bird species. This trip includes an overnight stay (including breakfast); an exhilarating white water tubing trip down one of Mindo’s gorgeous, churning rivers; a visit to a local hummingbird garden and a breathtaking canopying trip.

There is also a day on horse back and trekking (or just trekking if you prefer) through the perfect green countryside of an indigenous community called Taxopumba, south of Otavalo, to an amazing hidden gem of a waterfall, yet to be discovered by the package tourists.

There are also plenty of other great places to see within a 5 hour drive of Otavalo, including the Amazon rainforest, the Ecuadorian Coast, a rooftop train journey in the mountains around Riobamba and numerous other adventures. There are areas for hiking, active volcanoes to visit and climb, and natural hot pools to sit and soak in.

Additionally, in your own time, there are plenty of opportunities for cultural tours, museums, volcano hikes, yoga and cookery classes, which have proved very popular with previous volunteers and also relaxing spas for those wanting to pamper themselves at the weekend after a hard week’s work!