About us

About True Ecuador Travel

True Ecuador Travel is registered in Ecuador as a limited company, functioning as a travel agency and tour operator. The three directors are also founder members of Fundación Yanapuma, an Ecuadorian non-profit NGO, and Yanapuma Spanish School

True Ecuador Travel acts as the travel arm of these entities, organizing all travel and accommodation details related to receiving individual students and volunteers as well as volunteer and other groups. As a travel agency that is a limited company we offer the legal standing and trustworthiness that our clients expect and require for their programs in Ecuador.

 

Our Mission

The mission of True Ecuador Travel is to create experiential learning opportunities for inquiring minds, through programs that explore the cultural and biological diversity of Ecuador's 4 regions – the Amazon rain forest, the Andean sierra, the Pacific coast and the Galapagos Islands.

Our history

In September of 2006 Fundación Yanapuma was formed by a group of Ecuadorians and non-Ecuadorians with the mission to promote sustainable development among indigenous and marginalized communities in Ecuador. We also set up a Spanish school at the same time as several of the founders were Spanish teachers. The Spanish school began to generate income that we could use to carry out our first development projects. In the following years we added a volunteer department, placing volunteers in grass-roots projects that we were partnered with. Both the school and the volunteer activities continued to grow over the years until we opened a second Spanish school in the city of Cuenca in the south of Ecuador.

Our model is based on the concept of "social entrepreneurship," generating income from our own economic activities to invest in local development projects. These funds are fully leveraged by applying for additional financing from international organizations dedicated to promoting development.

Our Growth and Success

Since our inception in 2006 we have developed a successful Spanish school with two branches - in Quito and in Cuenca - along with a thriving volunteer department that receives individual volunteers and groups for a wide variety of programs and projects throughout the year. We have also developed a productive non-profit NGO that carries out projects all year around with the aid of funding from external organizations in addition to our own funding. You can read more about the work of the foundation on our foundation website.

What We Offer

  • A full-service travel agency to book all your programs and adventures in Ecuador
  • A dedicated team of staff, counselors and coordinators to help in the planning and to make all the necessary arrangements
  • Links, contacts and partnerships with a wide range of vetted local, grass-roots projects and organizations
  • A network of reliable and well-vetted operators and agencies providing adventure and activities around Ecuador
  • An established record of working with international students, volunteers and academic and other organizations for over 8 years
Contact True Ecuador Travel