La Hesperia, Ecuador 2026

Day 1

Hello from Ecuador! Today we started the day by traversing the mountains on winding roads that overlooked lush valleys. When we arrived to the base of the mountain where La Hesperia is, we were lucky enough to have a truck transport our bags, and we hiked one mile to the accommodation. Our hosts were impressed that we all had closed toed shoes and long pants, thanks to the preparation of our amazing site leads Mireia, Maddy, and Aidan. 

When we got to the accommodation, we were greeted by Alexandra, the coordinator of our volunteer trip, with lemonade and shade. Alexandra briefed us on the week and walked us around the house, letting us choose rooms and drop off our bags. Soon after, we ate a yummy lunch of fish, soup, lentils and rice, salsa, and passion fruit ice cream. We all cleared our plates - it was so yummy. 

We then got led through a tour of land, walking near all of the agricultural and livestock preservations efforts. The highlight of this was seeing all of the different vegetation across 800 hectares, along with interacting with Peggy the pig, goats, sheep, dogs, and a horse! After getting the lay of the land, we met back with Alexandra and we discussed in detail the plan for the rest of the week. 

Tomorrow we will be up bright and early to feed the animals, build fences, and retrofit an old school. We are super excited to contribute to different restoration and research center projects.

-Maddy W and Diego P

Day 2

Today was the second day of our trip. We woke up, did morning yoga led by Maddy W, got ready, and met Juan Pablo, one of the owners, at 7:30am to do morning chores for the animals. Juan Pablo showed us some of the different plant and animal species at the reserve, highlighting how diverse the landscape is and important the reserve work is. He showed us the bamboo, which we later used to build fences. He explained that they measure the length of the bamboo by having someone, Diego in this case, stand at the base and estimate how many ‘Diegos’ tall the bamboo is. We started by feeding the sheep grass which entailed putting it in their troughs. We held baby sheep which were born just 4 days ago then herded the sheep out to their pasture. We learned that only half of the sheep are led out because they were not born on the reserve and will get sick if they spend all of their time inside. Next we moved to the goat barn where we fed them handfuls of feed and cleaned and filled their water buckets. Juan-Pablo and Nancy, another employee, taught us how to milk the goats. They use the milk for soups, desserts, and other cooking on property. We had 5 EGLs try to milk and when Nancy came in after us, she got the same amount of milk in a tenth of the time it took us. We’ll be doing these tasks every day this week, so we have some improvements to make!

After we completed morning chores, we had a delicious breakfast consisting of yogurt with granola and cantaloupe, eggs, pastries with homemade jam and dulce de leche, and fresh juice. We then started our construction project for the day which was tearing down old fences and building new ones. These fences are important because they protect the crops from small animals. We also learned that bamboo fences are more sustainable and last longer than metal or wood fences. Bamboo is an invasive species, so the reserve likes to use it as much as possible. We started by carrying the pre-cut water-logged bamboo from the tree to the worksite. We used axes to make vertical slits along the hollow bamboo rings so we could open the bamboo tree flat. Meanwhile, other members of the EGL group dug holes for shorter, thicker bamboo pieces which served as posts. We put in the bamboo posts in the holes and packed it in with dirt to make sure the post was sturdy enough to last 10 years. As a team, we lifted the flattened bamboo tree and held it against the post to serve as the slats of the fence while others nailed it into place. We completed one side of the fence in the morning, took a lunch break, and continued with another side in the afternoon. We only had time to put posts on this length but will install the slats later in the week. 

The group is about to have dinner at the picnic table we eat at together each night. Then, we’ll journal and play some games this evening. One of the other volunteers asked to join us, so we’re excited to welcome her! So far we’re learning so much about La Hesperia, the owners, and other volunteers while making an impact and having a blast. We look forward to the rest of the week!

-Maddy L and Deven P

Day 3

We started today off with some morning yoga to stretch and set our intentions for the day. To start our work, we went to gather grass and feed the sheep. It was truly satisfying to have the incessantly ‘baa’ing sheep become silent once they got their food. Then we milked some goats, and walked the goats to a different pasture. We had a yummy breakfast and before we started working again our host Juan Pablo taught us how to channel energy from a tree to help wake up!

Our main job of the day was to plant living fences. These are trees that were used as fences for sustainability and biodiversity. These trees can be grown using branches that are still green and alive. We began by tilling the area, digging a trench, and putting on fertilizer. While this was happening, a group cut the branches to be planted. We had to be sure that the branches were pointed upwards and were the right size. Then we planted the branches into the ground!

We also helped make a controlled fire to burn old bamboo that they haven’t been able to clear. We made an assembly line to streamline the process which was a lot of fun. This created one of the largest fires we had seen, but with their skills, we kept it controlled. Our hosts said that the work we were able to do today would have taken them a month, which was a truly introspective moment for the group. 

Later on in the afternoon we had a coffee and chocolate workshop and went through the entire process, starting with harvesting and ending with chocolate we could eat! We learned a lot about the history and importance of both in Ecuador. We learned the work that it takes to create healthy coffee for people to enjoy.

We ended the night with dinner and heard different presentations about the research happening here since we will be participating in the research collection tomorrow. We hope to see some monkeys tomorrow!

-Harrison O and Mireia G

Day 4 

Today we woke up early and began our day by splitting into our groups for the research we’d be assisting with today. The group going up the mountain to help check the camera traps went to tend to the goats and sheep again. Besides just feeding them, they also gave them anti parasitic medicine to prevent any future issues. 

The other group went with Jemma to do point surveys to look for bird species. A point survey is essentially an observational study to analyze what types of animals—in this case, birds—are present in a certain area. Since none of us, including Gemma, are versed enough to identify all the bird species just from the calls we heard or the actual birds we saw in the trees, we used an app called Merlin to help us. We then gave Jemma the data before we had breakfast.

After breakfast, we went with the other research intern, Mae, to explore the Laguna and San Francisco trails and check for the presence of monkeys. We learned that there are about 40 monkeys at La Hisperia, but unfortunately we didn’t see any on either of the trails. Although luckily, we did get to pet the goats as we walked back. 

When lunch concluded, we joined Freddy and Nancy to help with planting yuca and beans in the farm that we helped build a fence around earlier in the week. The hardest part was digging the holes for the yuca as it required using a specialized shovel to dig deep into the soil. The planting was cut short when it started to rain but we still made a ton of progress.

At the start of the week, we were told all the cows were pregnant and were expecting to give birth that week. In the evening today, one of them finally did, and we all got to see the calf take its first steps. It was crazy to see how quickly the calf was able to walk. 

Finally we had dinner, which included fish, rice, squash soup, and beets. After dinner we listened to stories from Alexandra about crazy guests who stayed at La Hesperia in the past, and then we baked bread on bamboo sticks over a fire. We ended up hanging out and playing games with all the other volunteers at La Hesperia which was a very wholesome moment, as it was one of our goals we set during the start of the week.

-Cam I and Audrey Z

Day 5 

Today we went on a hike to one of the waterfalls on the reserve. On the way to the waterfall we stopped to talk about how the trees in the area grow extremely fast and the age of the trees cannot be distinguished by the rings due to the lack of seasons, specifically winter. The only way to determine the age of the trees is in a lab setting. We also spoke with Charlie about the unique ecosystems that are present in each of the tress. Each layer provides habitat for different animals such as the birds, monkeys, and insects. Charlie gave us a lot of insight about the importance of their biodiversity, and how if any part of the ecosystems food chain is destroyed or disrupted, the entire ecosystem could crash. Once we made it to the waterfall we went for a refreshing swim in the frigid water.

Later in the day we went with Charlie for trail maintenance, which was really interesting since we needed to destroy some of the forest to conserve the rest of it. We worked with machetes to clear away some of the overgrowth on the path to aid the visibility on the trails. On the way back we were able to see the newborn calf. They were up walking around and exploring the new world they were in. We wrapped up the day with a phenomenal journaling session.

-Justin S and Makenzie W

Day 6

Today we started the day off by feeding the sheep and taking the goats to pasture before breakfast (like usual). 

After breakfast we then went to continue doing trail maintenance with Charlie, using machetes to clear up the area around the walking trail. During the work Charlie taught us about the different snakes they have on the reserve, and that if we saw a brown snake we needed to get away from it. We also helped brush and wash the horse, as well as took her to the pasture to graze. 

In the afternoon we were taught how to make some traditional Ecuadorian dishes by the chefs Jessica and Elsa. We made empanadas, yuca tortillas, and a tasty salsa. To make the empanadas we started by rolling out the dough and shredding cheese to fill them. Then we folded them over, sealed the cheese inside and cut away the excess dough to be used for other empanadas. To make the yuca tortillas we took the yuca, mashed it up, added some oil, and then shaped them into little circles to be fried. We also cut plantain leaves off the trees and used them as wraps to bake a local trout as our main course. 

After prepping the food we had a nice journaling session, with a large focus on how much we enjoyed each other's company and how this group is a great time to be around. 

To end the day, we spent time together in the guest house living room. We chatted, played games, and strengthened our relationships with each other.

-Aidan B and Maya M

Day 7

Today was our final group at La Hesperia! We started our day as we have every other day - milking the goats, taking them to the field, and feeding the sheep. After breakfast, we filmed a few clips and an introduction for our VA video. Our main morning activity was weeding the cacao plant field since the grass and weeds grow very quickly. Nancy, the employee that took us through the weeding activity, shared that weeding this large field normally would’ve taken 3-4 days for her to complete on her own, but with a group of 12, we were able to get through it in just a few hours. 

After a delicious lunch of rice, chicken, veggies, soup, and flan, we recorded some promotional videos around the reserve for La Hesperia’s social media. Juan Pablo, the owner of the reserve, shared how grateful he is for the work we’ve been able to do and the impact we’ve had here. He said the EGL group they had 2 years ago as well as this group is the best group they’ve ever had. Everyone was extremely helpful and willing to get dirty, even when it was hot and the weather was grueling! 

We then headed over to the goat and sheep barns to feed the animals. After that, we did group journaling and had an excellent conversation about the experience everyone has had here. Tonight we’ll have a farewell dinner and a bonfire to wrap up our time here! We head back to Quito tomorrow morning for the start of post-trip!

-Maddy L, Mireia G, and Aidan B