SAGE, Studies Abroad for Global Education, in collaboration with the Center for Global Awareness welcome travelers and prospective travelers to the ...

Culture and Ecology of Ecuador tour

June 24-July 8, 2009

Welcome educators who have signed up or thinking of joining us for our fascinating tour to Ecuador. Participants will travel through the Andean highlands on a journey of exploration into the variety of cultures in this small yet wonderfully diverse country with some of the highest biodiversity in the world.

Trip Leaders:
Dr. Denise R. Ames  Center for Global Awareness
Dr. Susan Richards  University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College

Thematic Areas:
History, Andean culture, ecology, biodiversity, economic development, education, arts and crafts.

Trip Description:
Your exploration of the culture and ecology of Ecuador begins in the capital city of Quito, at 9350 ft above sea level. In and around Quito you will visit the San Francisco Cathedral; the Tambo Quinde Cloud Forest Reserve; and la Mitad del Mundo, the crossing of the equator which gives Ecuador its name. From Quito you will visit the world famous Otavalo market and the nearby indigenous community of Runatupari. Continuing north, you will visit the Afro-Ecuadorian cultures of the Chota Valley, providing an introduction to a contrasting culture form the native Quichuas of the Northern Highlands.

The second section of your adventure takes you by bus to the Southern Highlands first to Banos the gateway to the Amazon Rainforest, and then to the beautful colonial city of Cuenca, catching glimpses of Volcano Tunguragua, or Chimborazo, Ecuador's highest peak. A return flight to Quito brings an end to fourteen incredible days in Ecuador, packed with the learning about diverse ethnic groups and the very diverse ecosystems of the country. Paricipants will not only take away an incredible experience, but they will gain new strategies for teaching ethnic diversity and conservation in the classroom.