Gap Year Programs in Banos,Ecuador

This was the teip of a lifetime.The other people in my group were from all over the world, yet we bonded almost imeadiately. Even though the activities, treks and itinerary were all fantastic, the 7 weeks was made unforgetable by the people. Collin, the group leader, was also extremely kind, funny and energetic the whole trip. He gave the group support whilst giving us the freedom to tailor the trip to our preferences, spend time alone or do other activities which we all really apreciated. This trip not only keeps you very engaged with the nature and culture of South America but also physically active aswell. You will be challenged mentally and physically at some point of the trip in the best way possible. I would highly recomend for any gap year students looking to get out of their comfort zones and meet new people. I am truly bonded for life with my group and will never forget the time we shared together.

Doing the South America Explorer trip was one of the best decisions i’ve made in my life! I got to experience some amazing things, like spending so much time in a foreign country, volunteering with animals for over a week which has been a longtime dream of mine, and trekking in the jungle seeing amazing landscapes!! I think my favorite activities were the white water rafting, walks around cusco, the spanish school and the chance to play fútbol at a local venue. Gaz was an amazing leader and made things fun and adventurous the entire time. I felt so lucky to have such an amazing and knowledagable leader and great group of people to travel with!! I would recommend this trip to anyone in a heartbeat. Even the harder things we did, pushed me to do things out of my comfort zone and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to experience all that we did

I really enjoyed this trip! I loved the Salkantay trek as well as the other hikes we did as it felt very accomplishing and also found it to be a really beneficial way to connect with the group. The volunteering at the animal rescue centre was definitely a highlight as it was a unique experience that I’m very grateful I got to interact with such amazing animals I would have never seen otherwise. Overall I really loved the trip and would say our guide had really made the trip as well. He really helped to me to make the most of the opportunities and I think really brought the group together.

I absolutely loved the South America Explorer trip organised by Gapforce! All the activities, food and accommodations were amazing - personal highlights include the Salkantay trek and the volunteering at the animal rescue centre. My leader, Gaz, was also incredible, from his organisational skills to his insane jungle knowledge! I would thoroughly recommend this trip for anyone who wants to explore Peru and Ecuador whilst getting to know others and visiting places off the traditional tourist trail. It also offers a combination of pre-departure support and support during the trip as well as a a certain level of independence. Overall, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so grateful to Gapforce for allowing me to experience this and create special memories!

It has been an amazing trip. I have had the best time, and enjoyed all of it. There have been such a wide range of activities, so I've not gotten bored at all, and the timings of staying at each place have been really good. Everything is organised really well, it seems really smooth, and the leader was above my expectation: a really nice, friendly man, who was also very experienced with what he does. Volunteering at the animal sanctuary was my favourite part of the trip, it was an insane experience, doing things you won't do again, such as being so close to all the animals. The trip exceeded my expectations so much, and those who came on the trip as well were so nice and friendly. The trip included so many things I wouldn't think to do if I booked my own trip, making it really good. I have had such a good time, and 100% recommend people to go on it. I will remember this forever.

Peru and Ecuador are now my absolute favourite countries, the salkantay trek was breathtaking and truly a one in a lifetime experience that you have to see- the best five days of my life. Met loads of amazing like minded people too, friends for life for sure!!

I had never been to South America before this programme, and now I feel I have thoroughly experienced what the continent has to offer. The Salkantay trek was probably the most insane 5 days of my life. Other highlights include getting to know my peers in Cuzco, and the plethora of outdoor activities in Baños.

When I was choosing my gap year program I had a checklist of everything I wanted to get out of the experience. 1. Meeting new people from around the world. Check. In my group I made friends with people from England as well as South Africa, Ireland and Martinique! It was so cool to be put in a group of people who have different life experiences and stories to share. We had lots of fun debating on the different ways to say words and exploring how our lives differ in school and social life. I was so happy with the bonds I’ve made and the friendships that will always be remembered for future travel buddies! 2. Adventure. Check. This trip was everything I could have hoped for in terms of adventure. Zip-lining, white-water rafting and bungee jumping were some key highlights that made sure, there was never a dull moment. The adrenaline rush I got from these activities was very unforgettable! I can also never forget waking up to tea at 5am in a tent ready to start our hike on the Salkantay trek up to Machu Picchu! This trek held so many cherished memories like going for a dip in the glacier water river, singing our way down a mud slide as it poured down on us and so many more! I can say that my thrill seeking was fulfilled! 3. Volunteer work with animals. Check. The volunteer work on this program was very unique and incredible. We had the opportunity to work at the Yanacocha animal rescue center which was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity! It felt good to be doing hard work feeding, cleaning pens and completing extra work around the sanctuary. The owner and volunteer coordinator made many efforts to make it a fun work environment with the other volunteers. We had chants in the mornings to pump us up for work and fun games in the evening after work was done! You could tell they loved it there and their hearts were in it for the animals! The sanctuary was filled with macaws, pumas, tayras, owls, baby racoons, toucans, ocelots, caymans, many kinds of monkeys and so many more. It was devastating leaving because of the love I developed for these animals. We also had the unique chance to go through gap forces terms and conditions for volunteering to make sure it is ethical and the animal walfare is good. From working there for a week we already knew the sanctuary was amazing and had all the right intentions and going through the paperwork verified that. We even got to release a toucan and sloth into the jungle which was an incredible experience! As I’m done the trip this volunteer experience was definitely my favourite part of the entire trip! 4. Lastly experiencing the jungle. Check. We stayed at the ecolodge Tamandua which was a close tie to my favourite part of the trip. We had an amazing view over the tree tops and spent our nights stargazing on the decking that hung over the trees. Our days were spent either walking to hidden waterfalls, making bracelets and chocolate, reading in hammocks and enjoying the peace that the jungle brings. Another once in a lifeline opportunity we had was sleeping in hammocks in the jungle! We set up the hammocks and shelter ourselves, even making one out of leaves and sticks! We fell asleep to just what you can imagine a jungle would sound like at night and woke up to the birds singing and the sunrise! I even had the opportunity to do it twice which I jumped at the chance to. As a kid I dreamed of being in the jungle and what I got from this trip was so much better! Overall all of my wishes were checked off and fulfilled way beyond I could have ever hoped! Thank you GapForce

It was a lot of fun, great combination of travelling and volunteering. Very nice atmosphere in the travel group and great leader. A lot of fun activities. You see a lot of each country and get a great feeling for every place. Definitely recommended

I absolutely loved this program! I was really scared going into it because I’ve never traveled alone before but I had nothing to worry about. Everyone I met was fantastic. They were down to earth, nice, and so much fun. I can not describe how beautiful Peru and Ecuador are, I’ve never been anywhere like it. There are definitely challenges along the way but they are very “character building” and I am so thankful for them. The trek to Machu Picchu was tough but you get so much closer along the way. Also you get to go to relax in a hot spring and go zip lining! My favourite part was definitely Yanacocha, I could literally stay there forever it was such an amazing experience. Banos pushes out limits as we went rafting and jumped off a bridge! The only thing I’ll say is that the spanish lessons were a bit of a let down. I was in the basic group and we didn’t learn anything. I heard the advanced group did a lot though. I definitely recommend this trip for everyone but especially people who wanna get out of their comfort zone and meet fantastic people along the way:)))

This trip included everything I’d hoped for, from Spanish lessons to hiking to Machu Picchu and volunteering in a beautiful animal center. Our guide Colin was amazing and went to great lengths to make our trip the most enjoyable experience. He got extra activities such as yoga in Lima and better busses for our journeys. The accommodation was great as well. Loved it!