Gen Z Amazon Explorer
Fireside's 20th Anniversary "Into The Wild" Experience

Get The Award for this trip!

An empowering journey blending Indigenous wisdom with climate education to shape 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!

Let’s be clear, this experience isn’t a tourist’s holiday where mindless fun comes at the cost of local people and ecosystems. Gen Z Amazon Explorer is a socially and environmentally conscious travel experience. It’s the chance to immerse yourself in a land of unparalleled biodiversity while confronting the unignorable effects of climate change. It’s the opportunity to stay in Ecuador’s homes, haciendas, and national parks to help and learn from people adapting to a rapidly changing world. It’s the possibility of having a challenging, authentic experience with like-minded people and returning home transformed, with a clearer vision of who you are and what you can do.

Put simply, it’s an adventure.

Become a truly global Climate Adventurer

The challenge of climate change is a global one, so a climate activist must become comfortable venturing into new environments, connecting with local cultures, and learning the languages, perspectives, and values of the people they meet. During this course, participants will learn to move between Amazonian reforestation projects, volunteer on a community organic farm, and learn to navigate environments from Quito to the Andes using rafts, horseback, and more. Along the way, they’ll spend time living with Indigenous families, learning their languages, artisan skills, and worldviews to create an authentic local connection. Participants will return home as budding Climate Adventurers with the tools they need to continue their journey as leaders of the future.

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) Early bird: $3999.00 + GST

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

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 and the Yukon. 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!

• Paddle the Yukon River and enjoy a historic canoe expedition under the midnight sun that follows the path of ancient Indigenous seasonal pahtways, gold prospectors, and more.

• Meet face-to-face with the wildlife of two distinct ecosystems 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 and Yukon knowledge-keepers.

• Travel back in time as we begin the adventure in Quito - inhabited by kingdoms and empires for 10,000 years - and finish our epic journey in Dawson City - an iconic Gold Rush town that lured some of the world’s greatest explorers, artists, and scoundrels.

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

Pillar 1: Integrating Climate Change Principles and Perspectives

• Indigenous Knowledge: Engage with Indigenous perspectives on nature through Cotachi homestay families and Equator Face guides, as well as Fireside friends in the Yukon’s Selkirk First Nation

• Intercultural: Connect hemispheres by integrating North and South American understanding of the impacts of climate change

• Economic: Learn about the intersection between climate change and the resource and tourism economy from Ecuadorian and Yukoner business owners practicing sustainability

Pillar 2: Exploring Real-world Environments

• Rainforest environments: The Amazon Rainforest and the forests of the Yukon

• Mountain environments: The Andes mountain range 

• River environments: The Amazon River and Yukon River

• Urban environments: Quito, Whitehorse, Vancouver

Pillar 3: Volunteering and Connecting within Communities

• Learn traditions, language, and crafting skills of the Indigenous Cotacachi during a multi-day homestay experience

• Volunteer on an Amazonian reforestation project

• Learn wilderness skills from Northern Canadian Indigenous communities

• Connect with youth from around the world who will be accompanying you on this adventure

Pillar 4: Strengthening Life, Social, and Leadership Skills

• Wilderness exploration skills (canoeing, mountaineering, navigation)

• Indigenous Amazonian craft skills (weaving, hunting, music)

• Cooking skills (including ‘Cooking Guinea Pigs 101’ and outdoor cooking)

• Sustainable, community-run agricultural practices

• Language skills (Spanish and Quechua)

• Leadership skills (navigation, team-building exercises, leading the canoe expedition for a day)

Pillar 5: Sustaining Climate Action through Solution-focused Approaches

• Goal-setting and life-planning activities

• Connection with sustainability activists, business owners, and more

• Membership in the Fireside Climate Ambassador community

• Membership in the Vancouver Outdoor School Youth Network

• Internships as a climate ambassador and mentor in local sustainable businesses and future expeditions