Lodging and Free Time

If you select the week program you will stay at the hacienda Picalqui. For those choosing volunteer programs of longer duration you may spend time at the hacienda Picalquí and/or with a family in the community of your choosing. If you have chosen the communities of Pedro Moncayo, you have the option to work in the communities but stay at the hacienda Picalquí.

Hacienda Picalqui : here we have private rooms with access to hot showers. We cook healthy meals, using ingredients harvested from our own land. To relax we have a football pitch, ping-pong, volleyball and basketball as well as scenic walks around the hacienda.

Community families : here you will experience the riches of country life. You will have a private room and naturally you will share the household equipment. Living conditions vary between the different communities: The toilet is often located outside of the house and in the most rural cases, washing water may only be available from a stand pipe, although many houses have showers or even access to rivers for bathing. The señora of the house will cook food, generally harvested from the land, and in some cases over an open fire.

Bedding is provided at both the hacienda and the communities.

Free time

We would like you to work the same hours as the locals, an average of 4-6 hours a day, Monday to Friday (this depends on the community, the time of year and also the weather!). The locals often work Saturdays, and if you like you can too, as we encourage that you spend as much time as possible with the family, to improve the relationship for everyone's benefit and enjoyment.

For relaxation there are many possibilities, from hanging out with the family to extended treks through the local countryside, alone or with new friends (the campesinos are the best guides for these areas!).

In the Pedro Moncayo area you are in easy reach of the beautiful lagoon Mojanda, lakes San Pablo and Cuicocha, volcanoes Fuya Fuya, Imbabura, Cayambe and Cotacachi, the ruins at Cochasqui, Otavalo and its famous craft market or Quito. All of these captivating attractions are less than an hour and a half by bus from Picalquí.

Intag is a little more isolated, the cities of Otavalo and Cotocachi being three hours away by bus. Intag offers a tranquil and verdant environment, where you can walk or horse ride along trails in beautiful sub-tropical forests, where you can bathe in the rivers or visit the thermal springs in Nangulvi.

In Columbe you can ride on horseback to the paramo or visit the famous markets of Riobamba or Guamote. The famous Devils Nose train ride is within easy reach, as are the stunning lagoons of Atillo and Ozogoche. With a bit more traveling you can hike the foothills of Chimborazo, at 6310 metres, Ecuador's highest mountain.

As Puyo is on the edge of the jungle it has a well developed tourism network, ranging from orchid gardens and animal rescue centres, to waterfalls and jungle treks. Baños, a major tourist destination and home to the active volcano Tungurahua is just one hour away by bus, and Tena just 2 hours.

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