Volunteer in Ecuador

Programs start from $1,140 for two weeks at the Amazon rescue center, deposit included, with the Quito program priced from three weeks. Fees cover your accommodation, the meals listed for each program, airport pickup, orientation, placement and 24-hour support; each program page shows the full week-by-week total. Flights, insurance, the Quito–Puyo bus, return transfers and personal spending are extra.

Most nationalities — including UK, EU, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders — can enter Ecuador visa-free for up to 90 days as tourists, which covers standard volunteer placements. Your passport should be valid for six months beyond your return. We confirm the requirements for your nationality after you apply.

With sensible precautions and up-to-date local advice, yes. Our Quito hostel is a well-known, staffed base near the Old Town, the rescue center is a self-contained rural site, and the coordinator briefs you on which areas to avoid, when to use taxis and how to keep valuables safe. Check your government's current travel advice for Ecuador before booking; our team monitors conditions and adjusts plans if needed.

18 on both programs. There is no upper age limit, and a clean criminal background check is required before you start.

The Amazon animal rescue program runs from two to twelve weeks and the Quito children and community program from three to 24 weeks. Both start on Saturdays throughout the year; the next available start is 26 Sep 2026.

In Quito, in a dorm at a popular backpacker hostel on a hill near the Old Town with city and mountain views, a 20-minute walk from the project. At the Amazon rescue center, in shared on-site cabañas for up to 17 volunteers with shared kitchen and bathrooms and a social area with hammocks — after a first night in a central Quito hostel.

Partly. In Quito, lunch and snacks are provided at the project on working days; breakfast and dinner are your own, using the hostel kitchen or nearby restaurants. At the Amazon rescue center all meals are provided on weekdays and volunteers cater for themselves at weekends.

Yes. Our staff or the in-country coordinator meets you at Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) in Quito and takes you to the hostel. Amazon volunteers are also transferred to the bus station for the trip to Puyo (bus ticket at your own cost). Return transfers to the airport are not included but can be arranged.

Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for the Amazon region and a certificate may be required if you arrive from a yellow-fever country; hepatitis A, typhoid and routine vaccinations are commonly recommended, and mosquito precautions matter around Puyo. Quito's altitude (2,850m) can cause mild symptoms for a day or two. Check NHS Fit for Travel or the CDC and see a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you travel.

June to September is the driest and sunniest period in Quito and the Andes; the rest of the year brings afternoon showers. Puyo on the Amazon fringe is warm, green and wet in every season. Programs run all year round.

For the Quito children and community program, yes — an intermediate level of Spanish is a requirement, because you work directly with the children and local staff. The Amazon rescue center has local staff support and English-speaking volunteers join every week, though basic Spanish makes daily life easier everywhere in Ecuador.

Layers for Quito's cool, changeable Andean weather (warm jacket, rain jacket, sun hat), rubber boots or sturdy shoes, old clothes and gloves for the rescue center, strong mosquito repellent for the Amazon, sunscreen for the altitude, a headlamp, a refillable bottle, a small zipped bag for valuables, a first-aid kit and any regular medication. Quito volunteers can bring games, art supplies or books for the children.