For students currently in grades 9–12
Special programs & collaborations
Custom Programs

Looking to create a custom program or collaboration?

Travel programs with the Smithsonian Institution for grades 8–12

Challenge yourself academically at the world's most prestigious universities

Non-profit organization offering student travel scholarships

High school youth summit focused on public health, climate change, and equity

columbia-climate-school-icon

Campus-based climate change program for grades 9–12

Ecuador & the Galápagos

Highlands, Kichwa Culture, & Island Biodiversity

June 29 — July 22
July 9 — August 1
$7,990 + airfare

Ecuador & the Galápagos

Highlands, Kichwa Culture, & Island Biodiversity

June 29 — July 22
July 9 — August 1
$7,990 + airfare

Live in Ecuador’s Andean highlands on this summer service program. During your student travel program in Ecuador, join members of a local Kichwa community in meaningful service projects—lend a hand with light construction work, participate in water access initiatives, or help with the local harvest. Then, explore the otherworldly landscapes and extraordinary wildlife of the Galápagos Islands, home to giant tortoises, lava tunnels, equatorial penguins, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies.

• Join a community-wide minga to refurbish a town building
• Ride horseback at the base of Cotopaxi Volcano
• Join local contacts during the annual Inti Raymi celebration
• Snorkel with sea lions in a sheltered Galápagos bay
“I now step into life with a ‘go for it!’ mentality that I gained from this trip.”
—Yara A., Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, Pittsburgh, PA

Itinerary

This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.

Departure — Travel Day

Meet your fellow high school student travelers and one or more of your leaders in Miami and fly together to Quito, Ecuador. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.

Quito — 2 days

Spend the first days of this summer program exploring Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. Get to know your leaders and fellow students, take a guided walk around the Old City, ride the teleférico up the Pichincha Volcano, savor rich Ecuadorian coffee in an outdoor café, and participate in an in-depth program orientation.

Host Community — 10 days

Travel by bus to our host community, home to about 500–1,000 people, located in the central Andean highlands north of Quito. Experience local culture and everyday life as you work with local contacts to complete several community-determined volunteer projects. Lend a hand constructing a community center, harvest crops, or organize a summer camp for local children. In the afternoons and evenings, play pick-up soccer with Ecuadorian friends, practice your Spanish, hike into the hills surrounding your community, or take part in an Inti Raymi celebration. Take a day trip to the nearby town of Otavalo and explore the renowned outdoor market featuring embroidered textiles, handwoven alpaca blankets, art, jewelry, and more.