Join us on an exhilarating ride through the high Andes of Ecuador: across vast grassy plains to remote areas between the snow-capped volcanoes, the ‘Avenue of Volcanoes’.
Accompanied by the skilled local horsemen and bilingual guides, you will have a unique opportunity to ride through stunning scenery, visited by only the local ‘chagras’ (cowhands) – with a good chance of seeing the mighty Andean condor soaring overhead and wild horses galloping through the valleys.
The magnificent Cotopaxi volcano provides the backdrop for this exciting adventure in the High Andes…….on horseback.
Ecuador is a country of outstanding natural beauty, and is one of a small group of countries that is home to the majority of the World’s species, it is however a very poor country and rural poverty is severe. The dry forest on the border of Ecuador and Peru, which once covered an area of 20,000 km, has been subject to intense deforestation and subsequent desertification in the last 50 years. Overgrazing by animals and also the use and sale of firewood and charcoal in an unsustainable manner has contributed to this ecological disaster. Bóthar is working with the people in the area to find alternative sources of supplementary income outside of firewood extraction and to manage the forests so as to sustain future livestock and successive generations that will come to depend on it. The farming of animals in an ecological and sustainable manner alleviates further environmental degradation while the use of improved stoves for cooking and boiling water will reduce the need of firewood and firewood extraction.
All proceeds from this fundraising event will benefit Bothar’s Dry Forest Development and Conservation in the Peru-Ecuador Border Area.
Bóthar is currently recruiting participants to be part of a group of up to 20 riders for this 11 day challenge which takes place in June 2009 to help raise much needed funds in support of our work. The sponsorship requirement for this trip is €4,950.
If you would like to find out more about the Ecuador Horse Trek or any of our projects, please contact us by e-mail ecuador@bothar.ie or telephone 01 4981888.
