Hiking and biking through stunning Baños

Early morning we two interns from Gulliver caught the taxi to the Quitumbe Bus Terminal in the southern part of Quito. Even Saturdays before seven o`clock we found us stuck up in traffic.  However, we were lucky to get a bus 10 minutes after arriving at the station and heading off to Baños. After this 3,5 hours ride we found ourselves in the...

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Climbing beautiful peaks of Illinizas

The Illiniza is a non active volcano approximately 55km (34mi) in a southwestern direction from Quito. There are actually two summits the Illiniza Sur which is about 5348m (17545ft) high and with a glacier on its top.   Compared to the southern summit is the Illiniza Norte with its 5126m (168179ft) not that high and therefore there is only rocks...

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Between waterfalls, soccer and brownies: lovely weekend in Mindo

As an intern from Gulliver Expedition which is actually a tour operator in Quito it is possible to go on several trips they offer. I took the chance by heart that we had a 3-days weekend because of the Indepence Day of the biggest city in Ecuador Guayaquil. If I haven’t had to leave my passport in the General Office of Migration I could have gone...

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Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

The Yasuni National Park is located in the western part of Ecuador and the richness in species is nowhere bigger than here. Even the USA and Canada together doesn`t have a biodiversity like this part of the ecuadorian rain forest has. And unfortunately under this reserve are some huge oil resources to drill. With an approximate amount of $ 7 bn...

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Getting out of breathe - in 10 minutes

After one week after arriving Quito I was very pleased to spend a day out of the city and breathe some wonderful clean air high up in the Andes during the Quilotoa Tour. I arrived with swiss punctuality at 6:45 at the meeting point Plaza Foch and 90 percent of the other participants were already there. Everyone sitting in the bus and waiting for...

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Living in Ecuador in a Nutshell

Dear travellers, students abroad or just a common blog reader, being in a country, which is not your home country or the place you grew up, can and will always turn into a great adventure. Ups and downs, new friends, strange language, other culture, getting lost and yet always finding your way back again, random chats with everyone, other currency, friendly locals, gringos, I could go on forever. I found a site by chance, made by some students in Quito from abroad. It may tell you, or give you just an idea of how it is to live in Quito,...

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Saving río Jatunyacu - with loads of fun

On 1. June 2013, around 280 happy people got together and made it happen: a massive rafting event to bring attention and protection to the río Jatunyacu in Tena.  It sounded cool, so we joined them. Of course. Located in Tena, Río Jatunyacu is one of the few rivers in Ecuador which are clean and accessible to tourists. This makes it a perfect...

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Walking the streets of Mindo

Last saturday we arose in the middle of the night to catch an early bus to "Mindo lindo". Armed with hiking boots, water and a lot of sandwiches we took our seats in the bus and woke up two hours later surrounded by lush forrest and low hanging clouds. As soon as you're stepping out of the bus you breathe humid and heavy air and your clothes...

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Semana Santa the Ecuadorian Way

Eastern and the holy week (semana santa) is the holiest and most important holiday in Ecuador. In Quito it's celebrated with a huge parade through the narrow streets of the old town, el centro historico. The parade is held on viernes santo, holy friday, and Quito's town centre turns into a purple mass. Thousands of citizens walk the procession...

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New Blog for Gulliver Expeditions

The host of our previous blog, posterous.com, is closing down at the end of this month. So the interns of Gulliver Expeditions were working on a new blog to tell their stories, show their pictures and to share their experiences of Ecuador. Here it is! Have fun searching through our blog, enjoy the stories and let the pictures inspire you for...

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Three Great Months in Quito!

After 3 months of living and working in Quito I am now off to see more of this fascinating country. Within these three months I have seen a lot of the Ecuadorian highlands! Whether tours with Gulliver to Quilotoa, Cotopaxi, Otavalo or weekend trips with the other interns to Banos, Mindo or Cuenca; it’s been a great adventure filled with fun and many,...

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Baños - a fine city.

A short story about my first days in Ecuador... It all started with the plane landing on Ecuadorian soil in Quito. I arrived at the new airport Mariscal Sucre in Quito and got picked up by two drivers from Gulliver. They both gave me a kiss on my right cheek, and two minutes later I found myself in a van, surrounded by traffic and honking cars,...

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Mindo Lindo - High Adrenaline Chocolate Party

After a rainy week in Quito two friends of mine and I decided to go to Mindo over the weekend. So on Saturday morning we hopped on the first bus and arrived after 2,5 hours and a flat tire in the warm and sunny Mindo. We immediately started our search for the ultimate adventure and ended up in the small office of one of the numerous...

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