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.

 Overall purpose of volunteer project: to provide a fantastic experience of authentic Latin America for volunteers, and to build the confidence of the local children and adults in their ability to enjoy a wide range of professions, and to prosper form sources of sustainable income that do not threaten their traditional way of life.  

Cost: all placements are free, and there are no administrative costs.  Local people decided that it is unfair to ask 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  little work, and having a great time, you might decide to contribute $5 - 10 per week towards the family's weekly shopping.   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. Some volunteers commit to a placement before travelling, while others prefer to spend a few days with us, perhaps visiting local schools and families, before deciding if they would enjoy spending time in this corner of Ecuador. Both approaches are fine, this is a relaxed part of the world, where people are used to changes of plan. 

You can get an independent view of what it's like to work as a volunteer for Intagtour by visiting our blog http://ecotouristadventure.wordpress.com

Note: On the basis that most volunteers will spend a significant portion of their time in Ecuador travelling, we recommend that Intagtour volunteers enter Ecuador on a standard tourist visa, which is free.     

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 Tirson 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

Farming

Farming in San Antonio is probably comparable to what was a way a life for most in Europe or North America some 100 years ago. Most farms are small-holdings with a mixture of animals and crops. Mecanisation is rare.

Volunteers are placed with families who understand the need for patience and a sense of humour as you gradually get to grips with tasks that have largely disappeared in industrialized countries.
A wide variety of activities, for example:

A list like this does not really convey the beauty of a farming placement in San Antonio, which has very little to do with agricultural techniques and much more to do with spending time with incredibly friendly and independent people in beautiful, forgotten part of the world: you might be surprised how much more independent and capable you are than "modern"  life has led you to believe!

It is not necessary to be especially strong to succeed in a farming volunteer placement in San Antonio. Placements are open to men and women, young and old. It is necessary to be able to understand that a way of life sometimes markedly different from a western lifestyle can nonetheless be both healthy and fun.

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 write direct to the project coordinator at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Eco/Tourism

The San Antonio community is working to promote tourism, to share the natural beauty and relaxed lifestyle of the area with visitors while providing an ecologically sustainable source of income for our families. This is a fledgling enterprise and we welcome help to develop and improve our touristic facilities and attractions.

Volunteer tasks

Speaking to the community on the needs of foreign tourist or visitors, and providing feedback on the quality of accommodation and catering provided.
Improvement of the 11 organized visitors activities currently offered, and possible development of further activities.
Assisting with the creation of forest trails, and improvement of existing trails.
Assisting with the creation of an orchid garden.
Providing feedback and advice for our guides.

The local "ranger" (Ramiro Ayala) of the huge cotacachi cayapas nature reserve has requested help in carrying out a survey/inventory of the plants and animals in and on the edge of the reserve.  He offers: free accomodation in the reserve visitor centre at Cuellaje village, cooking facilities (but not food), computer/gps and transport and camping facilities. A strong interest and/or qualification in ecology, zoology or botany are needed for this project.

We would also welcome scientific reseach and field work relating to the extraordinary and little-studied biodiversity in this corner of Ecuador.  Particularly suitable is the private reserve of San Venancio, with tremendous opportunities for ecologists, botanists and zoologists. Epiphytic plants such as orchids, bromeliads, and a bewildering range of mosses and ferns would make excellent subjects for field study, as would amphibians, with new species being discovered with some regularity.  Local conservationist Angel Flores also provides excellent opportunities for those wishing to study the Andean bear. The intagtour project coordinator, Ned Cresswell, is a botany graduate.

Finally, those who would enjoy a placement with a remote farming family close to the reserve (no electricity) are recommended to stay with the Buitron family where a complete escape from  "modern life" and all its trappings is guaranteed!

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 write direct to the project coordinator at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it