Xtreme South America Gap Year
Highlights:
- Trekking and mountain biking in national parks
- Exploring the Avenue of the volcanoes on horseback
- Checking out Quito, crafts markets and Andean landscapes
- Doing your bit to help conserve the rainforests with conservation projects in different 2 reserves
- Brushing up on the lingo as you learn Spanish in Montanita
- Learn to surf or improve your skills with some of the best surfers in Ecuador
- Check out the historic city of Lima
- Explore Cuzco the gateway to the Inca trail
- Trek the Inca Trail and arrive Machu Picchu a world heritage site
- Discover the worlds highest lake Lake Titicaca
- Stay with Indian tribes on floating lakes
- Explore the Atacama Desert and Bolivia and salt flats
- Make friends and travel one of the worlds best backpacking route
- Loads of support and backup especially in your first couple of weeks
- Flexible travel plans towards the end
- Loads of accommodation and many meals included
Photos
Full Details
Below the order of the programmes included
- Ecuador adrenaline overload 7 days
- Ecuador conservation experience 14 days
- Quito to Guayagil Pass 7 days
- Spanish and surf 7 days
- Lima loop flexible but minimum trip time 32 days (incl Inca Trail 37 days)
- Inca trail 5 days (This you plan within the Lima Loop)
Please refer to the individual trip components below TIP: right click and open in a new tab. Note: The Quito to Guayagil Pass 7 days is not listed below but is included.
Ecuador Travel Pass£325
A flexible hop on hop off travel pass taking you from Quito to Guayagil. The perfect way to Explorer Ecuador at your own pace taking in mountings, jungles waterfalls and the Pacific coast. Easily add on Galapagos Islands tours, surfing in Spanish and are Ecuador adrenaline overload.
Spanish And Surfing In Ecuador£529
Surfing and Spanish is a wicked combination if you are heading out on a South America Gap Year. No boring classrooms, but learning Spanish on the beach. You will be staying in Montanita, a funky beach town and the capital of surfing in Ecuador. You become a great surfer as you will be taught by worlds best competitive surfing champions. No surf experience is needed.
Lima Loop South America Travel Pass£959
Our uber popular backpacker travel pass. This pass provides full transport starting in Lima through Peru, Bolivia and Chile taking in some of the most amazing aspects of the South America backpacker trail, before heading up the West Coast pass the Nasca lines to end backup in Lima. One of the cheapest cities to fly into South America. This pass works very well with the Inca Trail as you can set your trail dates well ahead.
Ecuador Conservation Experience£449
Visit cloud forests, coastal mountains, mangroves and beaches. Help protect the Amazon rainforests with reforestation projects and interact with the local Indian communities. It is all about getting back to nature with exposure to a huge range of Flora, reptiles, birds and mammals on four different diverse nature reserves. If you want the ultimate biological conservation project and want to spend your gap year giving plenty back to mother nature then this trip is for you!
Ecuador Adrenaline Overload£599
Get ready to hit Ecuador with a vengeance. White water raft along a thundering river in the Andes, explore the Avenue of the Volcanoes on horse back and get a dose of culture in the historic Quito. Action, adventure and an impressive start to any South American trip. Seven days of adrenaline!
Trek The Inca Trail£399
Trek the Inca Trail Trekking the Inca Trail is the ultimate backpacking rite of passage. An unreal journey that takes you 4 days to complete, trekking high up in the Andes in search of the lost city of Machu Picchu. Not for the faint hearted, this trail leads you through steep mountain passes, with dramatic scenery culminating in a magnificent view of the Incan Citadel, through the infamous Sun Gate.
Trip Frequently Asked Questions
Payment Schedule
Special payment conditions
On round the world bookings we can stage payment to make it easier to save, you can of course pay all at once.
Payment Schedule
- Time of booking if travelling in more than 6 months -25% deposit of the balance
- At 16 Weeks until departure – 50% of the balance
- 12 weeks before departure – the remaining 25% balance.
This ensures you have enough time to save for your flights, spending money and insurance.
How much do I need to budget?
How does the trip breakdown in terms of time?
The trip works like this:
- Ecuador adrenaline overload one week
- Ecuador conservation experience 2 weeks
- Quito to Guayagil Pass one week
- Spanish and surf two weeks
- Lima loop flexible but minimum trip time 32 days
- Inca trail five days
Total time just over 1o weeks
Title
Price
- £3099
Included
During the Ecuador adrenaline overload
• Pre departure info before you leave
• Accommodation (hostels) for the duration of the Ecuador adrenaline overload
• Meals as indicated on itinerary
• Transfer from airport to city center on day one
• Trip related transfers
• Quito city tour
• Mountain biking in a national Park
• stay in a national Park at a residency
• horseback riding in the Avenue of the volcanoes
• Quilotoa Lagoon
• Otavalo Market
During the conservation project
• Orientation meeting in Quito for the conservation project
• All accommodation for the duration of four weeks during the conservation project
• Food on the reserves (three meals a day)
• Local guides and conservation leaders in each reserve
• Full on daily activities and conservation tasks
During Quito to Guayagil Pass
• Local transport on hop on hop off bus and online travel guides with tips on actibities and accommodation
During the Surf in Spanish
• Pre departure information before you leave
• Surfing lessons (Monday to Friday and 1.5 hours per day)
• Spanish lessons in an open air environment (Monday to Friday and 4 hours per day)
• Accommodation
• All Spanish course materials
• Other excursions as mentioned in the itinerary
During the Lima loop travel pass
• Sacred Valley Day Trip
• Amantani Home Stay Two days one night
• La Paz Local City Encounter
• Salt Flats off-road adventure three day two nights finishing in Atacama
• Moon Valley Experience
• Colca Canyon two days one night
• Sand-Buggy & Boarding
During the Inca trail trek
• Pre-departure information
• Pre-departure briefing in country
• One night in Cuzco with briefing and pick-up
• Professional English/Spanish/Quechua speaking guide
• Inca Trail and Machu Picchu entrance fees
• Tourist bus Cuzco – Kilometer 82 (starting point of trek)
• Tourist train Aguas Calientes – Ollantaytambo
• Tourist bus Ollantaytambo – Cuzco
• Cuzco hotel drop-off
• Meals: 3B/3L/3D/3 snacks with typical menus
• Sleeping Mattress
• 4-man tent for 2 people
• Porters and cook to carry shared camping and cooking equipment
• First Aid kit
• Emergency oxygen bottle Spending money
Excluded
- Flights
- Meals unless stated
- Travel insurance
- Cost for visas
- Transport between Guayagil & Lima
Dates
This program is flexible you can start any time.