Volunteer in the Galapagos Islands
Volunteering in the
Galapagos is a cheap way to see the famous
islands and their unique wildlife, you might think - better
than a bargain tour
or economy Galapagos cruise, you'll get subsidised or discounted
flights to the Galapagos as a conservation volunteer.... perhaps even
free!
Working
holidays in the Galapagos are actually rather
different. The islands are far off the Ecuadorian coast;
shipping supplies in is costly and flights are not cheap.
Volunteers
can unwittingly introduce destructive new species and accidentally harm
island habitats. The Galapagos environment
needs protection and money from tourism (and volunteering) is
what funds
this.
Galapagos volunteer
opportunities do exist and can
be very
worthwhile. However, Galapagos volunteering is not cheap.
You'll
almost certainly
have to contribute to project costs.
A return flight from Europe to Quito or
Guayaquil and on to the Islands will
probably
cost at
least £1000/$2000. Once there, everything
is
around twice as expensive as on the mainland, so you'll probably get
through
another £600/$1200 in a month.
And that's without any kind
of Galapagos cruise or tour,
though of course you will see some of the unique wildlife and most
volunteer opportunities will give you some free time in the islands.
If conservation of
the Galapagos Islands' unique
ecosystems genuinely interests you, and you can afford
to volunteer, search around to find the best volunteering
experience for you, considering your skills,
experience and interests. (Do spell it correctly when
searching: it is not Galapogos, Galopogas, Galopogos
nor Golopagos but GALAPAGOS, and the islands are in ECUADOR, not
Equador....)
Read more about volunteering in Ecuador and check
CRACYP's volunteer
opportunities in Ecuador. If you're based in the
USA, try www.globalroutes.org.
Be prepared to do manual work under tough conditions on some
Galapagos conservation projects and working holidays.
Note that Spanish is spoken in the Galapagos Islands -
volunteers may need Spanish language skills to participate in some
projects.
If Galapagos Islands
volunteering is
beyond your budget, you could make your money go much further by
volunteering in mainland Ecuador - see
CRACYP's Ecuador
volunteer
opportunities for some bargain options.
You may be surprised at
the diversity you can experience there: wildlife,
birds,
flowers, volcanoes, beaches, snow-capped
mountains and over 20 different ethnic groups. There are
many opportunities to
volunteer on conservation projects throughout Ecuador, though you will
need to speak at least a
little Spanish to get the most from your volunteering experience.
Volunteering with
CRACYP's community
ecotourism project in the tropical foothills of the
Andes is a very economic option in
a beautiful and unspoilt part of Ecuador, provided that you have some
Spanish language skills.
Volunteer
for Green Progress in the Galapagos Islands
No free flights, not a
cheap alternative to a Galapagos cruise,
but volunteering for genuine sustainable
development, conservation and reforestation with CRACYP, on a working
holiday protecting the
unique environment of the Galapagos Islands.