On weekends, students usually look forward to escaping the metropolis of Quito and visiting some of the beautiful nature outside of the city for weekend activities. Vida Verde has years of experience in organizing weekend trips and our options have grown to be quite extensive. The following is just a selection:
Baños is a small tourist town about 3 hours by bus from Quito. The town is located in a valley and is surrounded by the Andes Mountains. It is best known for its numerous extreme sports and adventure activities such as zip lining, rafting, bungee jumping and canyoning. Many students rent bikes and spend the day biking to the Pailon del Diablo– a spectacular waterfall. After an adrenaline filled day, students can relax by floating in the famous natural hot springs of Baños.
Our students typically stay at the Plantas & Blancas Hostel which offers economical and safe accomodations.
Check out Baños on Lonely Planet to see why it is one of our favorite weekend activities.
Mindo is a village in the middle of the cloud forest, about 1 ½ hours north of Quito. It is known for its extraordinary nature and outdoor activities. Visit a butterfly garden, take a tour of a chocolate factory, taste extremely strong and fresh ginger ale, go tubing, hike to a chain of waterfalls and much, much more.
Check out Mindo on Lonely Planet.
Travel about 3 hours from Quito and visit Quilotoa. This wonder of nature is a beautiful lagoon that formed in the crater of a nonactive volcano. Locals believe that the lake has no bottom, extending to the center of the Earth. Quilotoa offers various hikes. Most students prefer to take the zigzagging trail down to the bottom of the crater, but more adventurous students will inevitably hike the 6 hours around its circumference. Either way, be sure to bring layers of clothing that are both wind and water resistant. The weather can change quite rapidly from hot and sunny to cold and windy.
Check out Quilotoa on Lonely Planet.
For the most adventurous students, Cotopaxi is the most exciting challenge that Quito has to offer. As one of the highest active volcanoes in the world (almost 20,000 feet), hiking Cotopaxi is truly a once in a lifetime experience. Choose between a day hike that will take you halfway up the mountain or a two day hike that will take you to the top. Either way, Vida Verde will put you in contact with some of the most experienced guides in the area, who will travel with you and provide food and shelter.
Visit this site to learn more about Cotopaxi.
Otavalo Market
Hot Springs at Papallacta
Pasochoa Cloud Forest Reserve
Download our brochure for the activities we offer our students over a weekend.
Vida Verde was an exceptional experience for me. The school was welcoming and friendly. The professors were very impressive, they quickly discovered what I knew, or rather what I didn´t know, and pushed me very hard to study and practice new material. The classes were well structured and fun, and my Spanish quickly improved.
My name is Jennifer Cumming. I am a Canadian that travelled to Quito this year to study Spanish.
I want to thank all of you for your valuable collaboration for 7 years! It is an honor for me to work with the best teachers.
Like many students travelling to Ecuador I have chosen Quito as the ideal place to combine a Spanish language course with my volunteer work. I decided for a tuition at Vida Verde in order to enhance my knowledge in Spanish in a short time and to apply it in a proper manner at my volunteer foundation CENIT.
