ECUADOR ECUADOR HOMESTAY AND TOUR 8 days / 6 nights March 31 to April 7, 2018 (Travel dates to be confirmed upon flight booking)
DAY 1: USA / ECUADOR (Saturday) Board your overnight flight to Quito, Ecuador. Quito is home to an array of beautiful cathedrals, elegant old mansions, interesting museums, squares and parks. The wonderful spring-like climate is dominated by mountains with several snow-capped volcanoes. Quito was also declared one of the most important world cultural heritage sites in Latin America by UNESCO. DAY 2: QUITO (Sunday) Bienvenido a Ecuador! A Forum Tour Representative will greet you at the airport upon arrival and help you transfer to your host families. Take some time to settle in and enjoy lunch with your families. This afternoon, meet your group at Simon Bolivar for a Quito City tour! Drive into the heart of colonial Quito and experience the charm of Independence Square with its awe-inspiring Cathedral, Presidential Palace and Archbishop's Palace. See the church of La Compañia - considered to be the finest example of baroque architecture in America. You will also see the church and monastery of San Francisco. End your tour at Panecillo Hill - an ideal location for a panoramic view of this historic capital. DAY 3: MITAD DEL MUNCO / VOLCAN PULULAHUA (Monday) After breakfast with your host family, join your group and local guide for a trip to the Mitad del Mundo - the invisible line known as the Equator. See the famous monument and stand with one foot in either hemisphere! Then, visit the Intiñan Solar Museum. Enjoy the outdoor exhibits and learn the importance of Ecuador s geographical location. Enjoy a boxed lunch at the viewpoint of the Pululahua Volcano. DAY 4: TSACHILAS INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY (Tuesday) Board your private motor coach to the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas home of the Tsáchila people. Visit the famous cascading rock waterfalls of the town. Enjoy a tasting of the local sweets and pan de yucca. Visit the local community of Tsáchila and learn the history and traditions of this tribe. Have lunch with the community. Return with your host family for dinner and overnight accommodation. DAY 5: TELEFÉRICO (Wednesday)
Today, meet your local guide for a trip to the Teleférico. The cable car lift runs from the edge of the city center up to the east side of Pichincha Volcano. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the entire city. Enjoy your lunch box! After, visit the Guagua Pinchincha Volcano one of the most active volcanoes in Ecuador. Return with your host family for dinner and overnight accommodation. DAY 6: MINDO (Thursday) After breakfast with your host family, board your private motor coach for a guided day trip to Mindo - one of the most megadiverse spots in Ecuador. It is a house for birdwatchers and many species of orchids and butterflies. On arrival, tube down the river to a spot to take the bus to the higher part of Mindo. Then, go on a canopy tour and enjoy an adventure with amazing views. Have lunch with your group. After, have some free time to stroll around the town and maybe shop in the local market. DAY 7: OTAVALO (Friday) After breakfast with your host family, board your private motor coach with a local bilingual guide to Otavalo and visit the Mercado de Animales. See rabbits, cows, chickens, and pigs, among other native animals to Ecuador. Then visit the Mercado de Ponchos, offering hand-knitted wool sweaters, colorful tapestries, wood carvings, silver jewelry, native paintings, woolen and panama hats, and much more. Stop for lunch at Cotacachi - an entire town dedicated to selling fine leather products and handicrafts. End the day with a visit to Cuicocha and admire the amazing crater lake. DAY 8: LOCAL SCHOOL / COOKING LESSON / DANCING LESSONS (Saturday) Participate in a volunteer service project. Visit a horse ranch that offers therapies to children with special needs. Help out with cleaning the horse stables, painting the area where the horses are located. Work on the maintenance of the areas where therapies are held, help with the therapies given to the special needs children and work on repairing and maintenance of the fences. Enjoy a dance class and practice Ecuador s Latin rhythm. Partake in a cooking lesson and learn earn how to make a typical Ecuadorian dish! Enjoy the last dinner with your host family. This evening, transfer to the airport and catch your overnight flight back to the US. DAY 9: ARRIVE HOME (Sunday) Arrival in the morning at your airport in the USA.
PRICE PER PERSON SHEET This is a privately operated tour - you will not be combined with another group! PRICE PER PERSON PAYMENT SCHEDULE 20+ participants $ 2,340 May 25, 2017 $ 500 15 to 19 participants $ 2,375 August 25, 2017 $ 650 10 to 14 participants $ 2,500 October 25, 2017 $ 650 January 5, 2018 Balance PRICE INCLUDES: Roundtrip Airfare from LAX to Quito Departure taxes and Airline fuel surcharges at $425 per person Associated transportation costs while in Ecuador 6 nights, double or triple occupancy with a host family in Quito (full board B/L/D) All cultural and aforementioned visits, activities, tours and admissions as per itinerary Service of a dynamic professional bilingual Forum Tour Manager with the group on tour Two free trips regardless of the group size Based on Twin occupancy at hotel during homestay PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: Meals not indicated in the daily program Tips are at your discretion these are standard guidelines - Forum Tour Manager: 5 USD per day, per person - Bus Drivers: 3 USD per day, per person ADULT AND ROOMING SUPPLEMENTS: Twin Room Guarantee Supplement $40 pp/night - Single Room Guarantee Supplement $80 pp/night Adult Activity Supplement $10 pp/day NOTES *Forum By Prometour has purchased the Student Protection Plan from Travel Insured International on behalf of all participants. Cancel For Any Reason is an available option that must be purchased at the time of trip deposit. *CFAR is not available to residents of NY* *Airlines have the legal right to increase fuel surcharges to flight tickets after bookings have been made. In the event of an increase in airline taxes and/or fuel surcharges, Forum reserves the right to update prices accordingly. Date of quote: May 5, 2017 Prices are valid until: First payment deadline Your Forum Tour Consultant: Joseph McWilliams Forum Language Experience, Forum by Prométour and Forum are all used interchangeably. Forum Language Experience is a member company of Prométour Inc.
REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS Registering for this trip is as easy as going to https://enrollment.forumlanguageexperience.com/immersion/san-juan-hills-ecuador/ The registration process will take you about 10-15 min. During, you will be asked to: provide personal information, a valid passport number (don t worry if you do not have one yet, you will be able to continue without adding that information), and to choose a payment method and payment schedule. Make sure you have your passport with you (if you have one) and to have payment method ready at the time of registering for this trip. Per the insurance company terms and conditions, if you would like to upgrade to the Cancel For Any Reason Protection Plan, you must choose it at the time of registration, and the additional fee MUST be included with your first trip deposit. The total cost for this upgrade is $25.20 After registering and your payment has been received, you will receive an email with a username and password to access your personal web account. Here, you will be able to make: future payments, modify your personal information and access documents related to your trip. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have on 1.888.282.0991. You can reach us Monday through Friday from 8AM to 4:30PM PST We look forward to having you join this wonderful travel experience! Customer Care 1281 University Avenue, Suite H, San Diego, CA 92103 Tel 888-282-0991 / 619-432-0249 ext.304 - Fax 619-432-0261 www.forumbyprometour.com