Ecuador Crash Course

Quito/Cotacachi/The Coast/Cuenca in 10 Days

Ecuador Expat Journey — Price of Tour — Sample Itinerary — Booking Page — Testimonials — Our Staff

The Ecuador Crash Course takes you to many parts of this diverse country, including all of the “expat hot-spots”, while helping you with learning to speak basic survival Spanish and to become familiar with the culture, customs, and politics of Ecuador. Your tour guides are expats who have combined experience of more than 30 years living in Ecuador. Professional and bilingual Ecuadorian guides join us along the way.
Itinerary Details

Excursion Includes:

Airport pick up on arrival in Quito
Private van/bus and some public transportation
Expat bilingual guides. Ecuadorian bilingual guides
Knowledgeable guest speakers
Daily Spanish and culture sessions
Breakfast for all 10 days
Lunch for 2 days in Quito and several other meals along the way
Lodging (10 nights)
All entrance fees
Above points of interests

Excursion Does Not Include:

Transfer back to the airport after the tour (can be arranged)
Return flight from Cuenca or Loja
Lunch and dinner during the 8 travel days (for flexibility, we will have participants buy lunch and dinner….budget $3-8 per meal)
Personal spending and/or tips
Beer, alcohol, and other personal beverages

2023 Tour Dates

Jan 20 – 29, 2023 – include Loja/Vilcabamba (L/V) to Feb 01
March 24 – April 02, 2023 – include L/V to April 05
June 16 – 25, 2023 – include L/V to June 28
September 08 – 17, 2023 – include L/V to September 20
November 09 – 18, 2023 – include L/V to November 21

PRICES FOR 2023

$2800 – BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
$1600 – BASED ON SINGLE/PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION

Extra fees may be incurred when booking the 4 day Loja / Vilcabamba extension as per below:

Loja/Vilcabamba 4-day extension: $550 double occupancy, $325 single occupancy **

(** 3-day Extension option is available if needed – Contact Us for additional information)

For booking and itinerary details

Our Staff

One of the greatest strengths of Ecuador Expat Journeys is our team. Dedicated professionals from different backgrounds…Ecuadorian and American… all with years of experience in helping foreigners in their adaptation to life in this beautiful and fascinating country.

Sarah Dettman

Sarah is a Registered Nurse who has made Ecuador her home for 28 years. Sarah first came to Ecuador as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1982, working in a rural health clinic in Southern Loja, Ecuador. For 20 years she served as a Peace Corps Medical Officer, coordinating health care for Peace Corps Volunteers living in Ecuador. Sarah is a regular speaker at Ecuador International Livingconferences and also works as a consultant for several travel and education programs, including World Teach, School for International Training and Brethren Colleges Abroad. Sarah is married to an Ecuadorian and has 3 daughters.

Jonathan Hall

Jonathan was born and raised in Ecuador. His parents, who are volcanologists from the USA and head up the busy Ecuadorian Geophysical Institute, came over 40 years ago and never left. Jonathan has dedicated his life to showing Ecuador off to the world and organizes all kinds of excursions for families, university groups and others. Having lived in both Ecuador and the USA, he has a wealth of knowledge of Ecuador and understands the needs and expectations foreigners expect. With his 15 years of experience in tourism, he will definitely make sure you see and experience the diversity Ecuador has to offer.

Susana Pico de Silva

Suzie is a native Ecuadorean from Quito. She works for the Interamerican Foundation, an NGO which provides funding for community development projects in Ecuador and recently completed her Masters Degree in Human Talent Management. Suzie worked for over 25 years in Peace Corps/Ecuador as a Spanish facilitator, cross cultural coordinator and finally as Director of Training. Suzie has traveled worldwide as a training consultant for Peace Corps, Elder Hostel, International Voluntary Services and other organizations. Suzie is married and has one teenage son.

Roger Lurie

Roger’s background is in organic farming, community gardening, and construction. He came to Ecuador in 2007 at the age of 52 as a Peace Corps Volunteer. For 2 years he worked in the Chota Valley in Imbabura Province, helping local farmers minimize their use of farm chemicals. Since completing his PC service Roger has worked in several other rural communities, notably Salinas de Guaranda in Bolivar Province. In 2011 he bought a small farm in the northern mountains of Ecuador, where he spends his free time planting fruit trees, tending his garden, and remodeling an old adobe house. Roger has 3 children who all love Ecuador.

Lynnda Glen

Born and raised on the west coast of Canada. I was a corporate executive for over 20 years. When I was down-sized two days before our first trip to Ecuador Dec 2012 with Ecuador Expat Journeys, we took that as a fortuitous sign. What had been planned as an exploratory trip to maybe relocate 10 to 15 years down the road, suddenly turned into ‘why not now?’.

With my husband David, we landed at our new home in Cuenca, in time for the celebration of Carnaval 2014. And when EEJ asked if I would help with the communications, I was more than happy to jump in.

The adventure continues.