Gen Z Amazon Explorer

An empowering journey giving Gen Z an adventure that will help them grow into young leaders of a sustainable future.

Join us for a one-of-a-kind adventure where we will explore Ecuador, one of the most naturally and culturally diverse nations on Earth. Whether it’s eating hand-made empanadas in the bustling artisanal markets of Quito or learning farming and crafting traditions from the Quechua people, whether it’s hiking the towering Andes or rafting through the mighty Amazon Rainforest, each of us will encounter perspectives, experiences, and people that will change our lives. Sights you’ve never seen, flavours you’ve never tasted, music you’ve never heard; all of this and more awaits in Ecuador!

Why this is the perfect Gen Z Adventure

We hear it again and again: Gen Z doesn’t want a touristy holiday where fun comes at the cost of local people and ecosystems. All our Gen Z adventures are designed to be authentic, community-based travel experiences that are socially and environmentally conscious —aligning with what research shows Gen Z travellers value most. Here are just a few ways this expedition aligns with Gen Z’s values:

Authentic Community Experiences: Gen Z craves authenticity of experience, particularly through immersion in the local community. This course integrates a multi-day homestay with the Indigenous Cotacachi people which includes workshops on language, cooking, and traditional crafts.
Commitment to Sustainability: Gen Z is famously mindful of its environmental impact and wants travel options that align with its values. We use our pioneering World Bound Climate Change Curriculum, as well as work alongside the Indigenous-run Huasquila Ecolodge to practice environmental stewardship through tree-planting and organic farming volunteer experiences.
Personal Growth: Travel for Gen Z is more than relaxation—it’s about self-discovery, leadership, and gaining new skills. All of our courses incorporate leadership training, outdoor skills development, and self-reflection activities to help young people find confidence and direction in their lives back home.
Unique Adventure and Exploration: Gone are the days of cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all tourism. Our expeditions are always changing so we can push the limits of out-of-the-box itineraries. Here, we’ll raft through the Amazon, stay with Indigenous Amazonian communities, horseback ride in the Andes, and so much more!

DATES
June 25–July 10, 2025

AGES
19–25 (co-ed)

LOCATIONS
Quito (Ecuadorian capital), Otavalo (largest Indigenous settlement in Ecuador), Cuicocha (lagoon), Cochasqui (archaeological site), Cayambe (volcano), Cotopaxi, Napa River region.

PRICES (CAD)
Regular price: $5799.00 + GST
(contact us to learn about our subsidies)

Non-refundable deposit: $1000
*Prices do not include flights to and from Ecuador
*Early bird expires Jan 15, 2025

Includes:
– Pre-course check-in (zoom conference with attendees)
– Direct contact with our Duke of Edinburgh Award Centre
– 24/7 instruction & support by Fireside staff
– Most meals
– All accommodation (eco-lodge, cabins, homestay)
– Private ground transportation
– Flight coordination (flight not included) for Ecuador
– Admission into all parks
– Cotopaxi horseback riding experience
– Amazon river rafting experience
– Tree planting, organic farming, and artisan workshops and volunteer experiences

Does not include: Flights to and from Ecuador, anything not mentioned above.

More info: office@firesideadventures.ca

“Our people are protecting everyone on the planet when we protect our territories” — Unnamed Ecuadorian Indigenous Leader

You won’t want to miss these experiences

Together with our Indigenous partner Equator Face, and other partners such Huasquila Eco-Lodge, Eddyline, and others, we will explore and discover the wonders of Ecuador. Here are just a few adventures we’ll have along the way:

Explore the Amazon Rainforest, travel along peaceful rivers, bathe under glittering waterfalls, and hike the Ecuadorian highlands! All while surrounded by monkeys, manatees, sloths, and so much more!
Meet face-to-face with the wildlife of a unique ecosystem that may not live to see 2030 due to loss of habitat from climate change and deforestation. Then, deepen your understanding of these organisms’ environmental and cultural significance from experts and Indigenous knowledge keepers.
Learn traditional cooking, crafting, and even hunting skills from Indigenous Amazonian knowledge-keepers.
Travel back in time as we begin the adventure in Quito - inhabited by kingdoms and empires for 10,000 years.

Drawing on our World Bound Climate Change Curriculum

While this experience is not a World Bound expedition, we won’t be avoiding the conversation going on, both in Ecuador and at home, about climate change. This conversation will be informed by our World Bound Climate Change Curriculum, which we have run successfully in Japan, Ecuador, Italy, and the Yukon.

Don’t worry, we aren’t going to bombard you with dark and gloomy discussions of a climate change apocalypse. And no, we aren’t going to give you fluffy affirmations and take you on a journey of false hope. We certainly aren’t going to bore you with international policies that have no relevance to reality. What we’re going to do is give you what you want and need: meaningful skill-building and leadership training from outdoor leaders and Indigenous educators that will truly prepare you for real, hands-on climate activism.

We do this through our World Bound Curriculum, a set of place-based, outdoor-oriented educational modules that will inform this expedition. This curriculum is driven by our five World Bound Pillars, described below. For more detailed information about the curriculum, please visit our World Bound Curriculum page.

Gen Z Amazon Explorer (16-day)