Vilcabamba Ecuador
Cabañas Rio Yambala & Las Palmas Ecolodge

For the past 18 years we have been dedicated to promoting ecotourism in the Vilcabamba area, a tourism compatible with the area and benificial to the local community and ecology. Details

We are looking for volunteers to help us realize these aims. We offer free accomodation in exchange for 4 hrs. work a day.

Volunteer projects:

At Cabañas Rio Yambala

vilcabamba Construcion & Maintenance

General maintainence and improvements around the cabins, where you can get experience in working with local building materials and customs. including:

Interior decorting, Improving Trails, Building stone walls, Constructing another eco-cabin, Improvments to volunteer accomodation - gardening & decorating.

vilcabamba Marketing and Promotion

vilcabamba ecuador Farm Work

Continue planting and carin for fruit trees and ornamental gardens.
Work includes preparation of planting areas, composting, weeding etc.

Start an organic vegetable & herb garden.
Work includes clearing & preparation planting areas, planting, composting, weeding etc.

Start a plant & tree nursery for reforestation

vilcabamba Ecotourism

Most of these projects require experience and a longer commitment.

Organise and digitalize plant samples collected in a previous study.

Extend and improve our trail system in the Rio Yambala area. This would involve checking and correcting current instrucions for our hikes. Taking photos along the trails. Marking trails where practical and necessary. Investigating and documenting new possible hikes.

Make self guided nature trails, lists of the local flora and fauna; birds, butterflys, orchids, wild plants & flowers, insects etc., the ultimate aim of which is to present the information to visitors with brief layman's descriptions and small digital photos.

Improve accessibility to the area i.e maintain and improve roads, trails & bridges.

At Las Palmas cloud forest reserve

Bee keeping; Help develop an aipary at Las Palmas, an ecoagro project, aimed at keeping Las Palmas sustainable.
Improve accessibility to the area i.e roads, trails & bridges
Reconstruct and improve the eco-lodge at Las Palmas.
Compile lists of the local flora and fauna; birds, butterflys, orchids, wild plants & flowers, insects etc., the ultimate aim of which is to present the information to visitors with brief layman's descriptions and small digital photos.
Develop a self guided trail system and/or nature trails on the Las Palmas reserve. .
Constuct a second tree canopy tour which can be more easily visited in a day from the cabins.
Create hides and lookouts at Las Palmas for bird watching.
Starting a nursury of native trees for a tree planting project in the Yambala valley.

OTHER
vilcabamba ecuador

Working in a restaurant
vilcabamba ecuador

Make a copy of our relief map for the tourist office in Vilcabamba.
vilcabamba ecuador

Collate a library of information on the Vilcabamba area, it's history, local herbal remedies etc.

Help one of our neighbours with a son with Downs Syndrome.

Volunteers will be expected to work an average of 3 to 4 hours a day, 5 days a week in exchange for accomodation in our vacation cottage , a two bedroomed house beside the river, with kitchen, bathroom, hot shower and garden , or at Las Palmas refuge, on our cloud forest reserve.
Cooking facilities are provided, but volunteers must provide thier own food, either individually or collectivley.
Some projects require experince.
We ask for a 1 to 2 week commitment for some projects, longer for more involved projects.

Contact: rio_yambala@yahoo.com
Tel: 091062762
(Best to call betweem 11a.m. and 4p.m.)

vilcabamba

Vilcabamba EcuadorCabañas Rio Yambala & Las Palmas Ecolodge

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Vilcabamba Ecuador
Cabañas Rio Yambala & Las Palmas Ecolodge