Frequently Asked Questions

Most but not all of the voluteer programs listed on Ecuador Eco Volunteer charge a small fee in exchage for accommodation which keeps them sustainable. Ecuador Eco Volunteer itself does not receive any money from voluteers or from the volunteer programs listed and is purely a free service to help good causes get a little extra traffic.

All accommodation is included in the price of the Volunteer Programs between Sunday Night to Friday. On the weekend Volunteers get free time to travel Ecuador which is not included. Fortunately Ecuador is very cheap and accommodation will cost you between $5 to $10 per night in your average hostel

Unless otherwise stated Food is not included. Fortunately however food is very very cheap in Ecuador and an average lunch which comes with a soup, a plate of rice, chicken, and vegetables, and fresh juice costs between $1.50 and $3.00 depending on the city.

The volunteer programs do have kitchen facilities available where you can prepare your own food which can be found very cheap in the supermarkets scattered around the country. You will be given advice on where and what to buy when you get to Ecuador

While Ecuador is not the holy grail for vegetarians like India you will love all of the fresh, organic fruits and vegetables available from the local markets. As most of the volunteer work programs do not include food you should have no problem preparing nutritious vegetarian meals in the kitchen facilities provided.

As mentioned above the volunteer work programs normally run between Monday to Friday so you get the weekends free for leisure and travel time to explore Ecuador. Working on the weekend is to the discretion of the program coordinator.

What can’t you do? The great thing about Ecuador is that its small size and incredible geographic biodiversity means its easy to travel around the country. You can wake up in the morning deep inside the Amazon rainforest and after a five hour bus ride later be climbing 6,000 meter volcano in the Andes.

Volunteers have to make their own way to the volunteer programs which are located around the country. Fortunately travel in Ecuador is very cheap and it is a relatively small country compared to Argentina, Brazil, or Colombia.

Traveling around Ecuador is easy and very cheap because of the government petrol subsidies. As a rule of thumb a one hour bus ride in Ecuador costs $1 USD. The three and an half hour bus ride from Quito to Riobamba for example costs $3.75.

Of course! While some of our volunteer programs require a basic or intermediate level many others require little or no Spanish at all.

Ideally you should learn basic Spanish before you come to Ecuador to increase your ability to interact with locals once you get here. There is a fantastic free online community where you can learn Spanish (and many other languages) called LiveMocha.  Audiobooks like the Pimsleurs Essential Spanish are also fantastic ways to learn in your home country

Another highly recommended Spanish School in Quito is La Lengua. The administrators at this school also help out with the fantastic volunteer program at Foundation ASONIC (Asociation of Parents Whose Children Have Cancer)

Ecuador gives the most nationalities an automatic 90 day visa when they enter the country without having to apply. Check out the blog for more advice!

Befofe your initial 90 day period in Ecuador is up, you can apply for a 90 day extension. The application is $50 + $400 visa fee.

Extension Requirements 

Ecuador is one of those amazing countries where you be surfing on the beach in the morning and walking on snow in the afternoon. Make sure you pack warm clothes for winter along with summer and beach clothes for when you are in the hot humid Amazon or chilling out on the beach.

Yes. We can arrange an Airport Pickup where we wait for your plane to arrive at Quito Airport and personally drive you to Riobamba for $120.