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Facts - Africa and Asia Venture

Facts

General

Ecuador is a little country with loads to offer - don't be fooled by its size!  The Amazon, the Andes, the Pacific and the Galapagos...volcanoes, hot springs, cloud forest and a wonderful array of friendly people (population of 14 million).

Ecuador is relatively safe, although in urban areas you should use the same precautions you would in any unfamiliar city: don't wear expensive jewelry or flash a full wallet around, and only take cabs that hotels or tourist-friendly restaurants order for you. In Quito, be alert to the parts of the city you wander through - especially at night.  The same goes for choosing where and when to use the ATM machines - avoid using them late at night or in deserted areas...no different to what you'd do at home really, is it?

Ecology & Environment

Overview: In the Ecuadorian Amazon, which represents just 2% of the whole basin, live one-third of all the bird species in the entire Amazon region, and 10 percent of all the tree species on earth. Ecuador boasts one the highest levels of bio-diversity in the world. For example one hectare of lowland rainforest can contain as many frog species as in all of North America; one tree can contain more ant species than in all of the British Isles combined; and of the world's known bird species (about 9,000), pint-sized Ecuador is home to over 1,500.

Weather

There are nine different climates in Ecuador!  One is dry, three tropical (wet, monsoon and savanna), three meso-thermic (wet, semi-wet and dry) and the "paramo" (alpine tundra). The ninth climate is that of the Galapagos Islands. Altitude and sea currents dictate the climate, which is tropical along coast and in the Amazonian jungle lowlands , becoming cooler inland at higher elevations.  In the mountains, the rainy seasons are from March to June and from October to December.  In the Amazon, it is uniformly rainy throughout the year. The topography of the Andes causes climactic changes in the mountain region; as you go higher, it gets colder by about -4.70 C for every thousand metres.

Electricity

American plugs/sockets are used so bring adaptors, as required

Money

The currency is entirely US dollars, although you will be given change of less than a dollar in the old currency coinage.  This is fine - use it for tipping!  Visa and MasterCard work, although Visa is more common.

Cuisine

You may not be able to bring yourself to try the incredibly popular 'cuy' (guinea pig) but the alpaca steaks are to die for!  Fruit juices are fantastic and vegetarians will love the ilapingachos (Andean potato and cheese pancakes).  

Ecuador Rainforest Conservation Itinerary 

Ecuador Rainforest Conservation Dates and Costs

Useful Stuff to know about volunteering in Ecuador.

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