Station is open all year round

The Amazon Biological Station is located within a thin band of the Tropical Wet Forest connecting the Andes Mountain Range to the Amazon River Basin. It is considered one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world, known as an ‘Alpha Biodiversity Hot Spot’. The Biological Station, created in 1986, is a center for field research and education in the tropical rainforest region of the upper NapoRiver in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The station includes a reserve of 2,000 hectares, of which 70% is primary forest and the remainder is secondary growth. The activities in which volunteers will be involved include: compost and botanical garden maintenance, seed collection, soil preparation, tree nursery maintenance, data collection (precipitation, temperature, agroforestry experiments etc.), construction of trails, vegetable garden upkeep and more.

For an extra fee volunteers can enjoy the following exciting and unique activities that the Amazon Rainforest has to offer:

* White water rafting in Ecuador. The massive Andean range gives birth to scores of rivers east and west that carve their way through spectacular gorges, canyons, valleys and jungles leaving behind hundreds of miles of breathtaking world-class white water rafting.

* Travel via motorized canoe to the Quichua Museum. Learn about this indigenous group that lives in this region.

* Visit the home of a local shaman and learn about their rituals and involvement in the community. See how local plants are used for medicinal purposes and possibly see a demonstration of a cleansing ritual.

* Night-hike: No rainforest experience would be complete without at least one night-hike. This is when the forest comes alive with the activities of many nocturnal animals that cannot be seen or heard during the day. Sounds from birds, frogs and insects are a special part of the experience. This will also provide an excellent chance to experience first-hand the incredible biodiversity of the Amazon region.

The Biological Station is located on the southern bank of the Upper Napo River. It is at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level, in the Napo Province. The life zone protected by the reserve is Tropical Wet Forest according to the Holdridge system. The average annual temperature is 25ºC. It rains close to 5,000mm per year and has on average 200 rainy days. The lowest rainfall is during the months of November through January with the highest rainfall occurring between April through July. June is usually the wettest month of the year.

The closest city to the project is Tena. It is located approximately an hour away by local bus.

Volunteers will assist with the following activities:

• Work at the Amazon Plants Conservation Center. In this Center there is a botanical garden, which is a live collection of useful plants from the Amazon Basin. It includes medicinal and other useful plants. The nursery is also located in the Biological Center, for reforestation and propagation of plants, especially endangered species. The activities in this Center include: Trail maintenance; Ishpingo Botanical Gardens maintenance; New trail construction in Ishpingo Botanical Gardens; New section establishment in the Ishpingo Botanical Garden; Seed collection; Soil preparation; Tree nursery maintenance.
  

• Work at the Organic Farm. Volunteers will be helping to develop a demonstrative organic farm for the benefit of the local communities. The goal is to provide alternative food and protein sources as well as income for local farmers. The activities in the Organic farm include: Vegetable garden maintenance; Soil preparation; Compost maintenance; Pools for pisci culture of species of the area; Pool for raising charapas and caymans; Construction of areas for raising capybaras, guantas and guatuas.

• Collect seedlings and seeds for the nursery or the farm.
  

• Go to the farms of families in the local communities to help with organic methods of agriculture.

• Work on miscellaneous projects that arise.
  

• Help with the construction of new cabins and trails that are being built.

• On Sundays volunteers will participate in workshops of handicrafts with the Quichua community. The handicrafts are hats or basket weaving with natural fibers, making necklaces with seeds and carving Tagua nuts.
  

• Other activities for volunteers to participate in: Reforestation Projects either at the station or in communities and independent farms. Precipitation and temperature data collection. Several agroforestry experiments including data collection and maintenance. Personal projects only if they relate directly to the activities. Maintenance and improvement of the station and its facilities. Assist in the kitchen, especially when there are groups visiting the station. Volunteers also have the opportunity to play volleyball, indoor futbol and horseback ride.

• Another interesting activity is to visit the observation tower (33 meters), the canopy and the treehouse. Swimming in the NapoRiver is a great adventure.

There are two groups of cabins. The first group can accommodate up to 24 visitors at a time.  Guests may stay in 4 cabins,  with 3 bunk beds in each cabin. In this section there is a laboratory, with some equipment, microscopes, a computer, a video and nature films, all available to the volunteers. The second group of cabins where the volunteers are lodged has space for 15 volunteers, with 3 cabins of two rooms each. Both sections have their own set of toilets and showers in separate buildings. Nearby, in case of a water shortage, since we still depend on the rain for the water, we have two outhouses (latrines), and the river is close enough for a bath.

The dining room can feed 50 visitors. There is boiled water in a tank and coffee available for everybody at all times. It is open all day and it can be kept open after suppertime upon request. It has electric power 24 hours a day, but volunteers should expect power failures. Participants can also have their clothes washed for a minimum price in the station’s washing machine. There is a computer and internet connection that can be used by volunteers for an extra cost. In Tena there are several places where you can send e-mail or use the regular telephone.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.