Volunteer opportunities

A rare chance to experience life in a remote, beautiful Andean community, sharing your own values, skills and lifestyle with local people, and learning about theirs.
Accommodation in the community guest house or with families, according to your wishes.
Length of placement anything from a week onwards. There are 3 main types of placement: teaching, farm work, and ecotourism

Cost: all placements are free, and there are no administrative costs.  Local people decided that it is unfair to oblige volunteers to contribute towards their costs.  We only ask that you show simple understanding - for example, if  you are being treated like a prince or a princess in exchange for very little work, and having a great time, you might decide to contribute $5 - 10 towards the family's weekly shopping. Those on farming and ecotourist placements are especially asked to be sensitive in this respect, as all families here struggle to survive economically. (the government provides breakfast/lunch for those on teaching placements)   But the decision on whether or not to contribute towards your living costs is  entirely yours, with nothing asked and nothing expected.

We offer daily help with Spanish, and  horse riding lessons free of change as part of the placement.
The only qualification that we consider essential is a good – humoured attitude towards the unfamiliar (see heading "the intagtour philosophy"). There are no complicated application procedures, because every volunteer can bring something to the community, even if it is only taking 5 minutes to talk to a child.

Teaching

A range of opportunities to suit your own interests and enthusiasms: We usually work with three local schools, to give volunteers a variety of climate and teaching style:
San Antonio school has 25 children aged 5 to 11. Profesora Carmen has especially requested help in the following areas; sports, English, music, arts, mathematics and dance.  Rosario school  (Director Profesor Tilson Rueda, assistant Profe Blanca) is a friendly, well organised school where English teaching is top priority for volunteers.  La Loma school (director Cecilia Alvarez) is an energetically run school which also places priority on English, and with an additionlal request for craftwork, and "any other skills/interests that the volunteer wishes to share". In general, although English teaching is the favourite, because children are so behind in this subject, there is almost no limit to the subject you teach, the important thing is your own enthusiasm and willingness to spend time with the children.

Cuellaje village school has 270 children aged 5 to 16. Here the priority is again English teaching and other subjects are welcome by arrangement with the head teacher

Finally, adult education within the community, teaching English and/or sharing other skills. Examples: sports, craftwork, cookery, mechanics, agriculture, health care: almost any skill or interest that you may care to share would be welcome.
A basic knowledge of Spanish is necessary for nearly all teaching placements, although an English-Spanish interpreter is available.

We have provided a form for potential volunteers  /Fill form online.
Those who do not like such forms can send us an email contact us. or you can contact the project coordinator direct at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

How to get to San Antonio valley and farm

The nearest town is Otavalo, which itself is about 2 hours from the capital, Quito. (Otavalo hosts Latin america biggest arts and crafts fair every Saturday, and is well worth a stop-over.)

From Otavalo by bus to the village of Cuellaje is a journey of 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours along a dirt road that winds its way through the mountains. There is one bus a day, which leaves at 1pm from Otavalo bus terminal, and is run by a company called Transportes Otavalo. (On Fridays there is an extra bus, which leaves at 9am).

The bus is often full, and it is well worth buying your ticket several hours, or even a day, in advance, to make sure of a seat. Note that weekends are especially busy times for this journey. The route is often spectacular, and sometimes hairraising, but is not in fact dangerous. The cost is $2.50.

We offer to accompany visitors from Quito airport, town center, or from Otavalo. Please contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details. 

2 Days: Culture and Cloud forests

Day 1: Local people and their way of life

8-9 am  Leisurely breakfast, accompanied by hummingbirds and clucking hens, followed by a short walk through the woods to meet your first guide for the day, who will show you the dairy farm and help you to hand milk the cows and make cheeses. Photo opportunities abound!

11am  Meet your next guide, who will take you on horseback (or on foot if you prefer) to a nearby organic vegetable farm.  After an excellent lunch served at the farm, skillfully prepared by Marcela Torres using organic, home produced ingredients, you will enjoy a really first-class demonstration of the pleasures and perils of producing abundant, quality food to feed the whole family.  We are proud to place emphasis on ‘hands-on’ practice rather than just demonstration, and are confident that you will thoroughly enjoy your visit to this farm.

2pm  Brief but fun-packed visit to the community trout farm, where you will take part in the organized chaos of sport fishing, Ecuadorean style!

3pm  A fine conclusion to the day`s activities; you are treated to a guided tour of the trees, birds and wildlife in the beautiful cloud-forests adjoining the guest houses, before returning to a supper of trout, grilled over a wood fire.