Ecuador: Tropical Entomology in Ecuador and the Galápagos

About the Program

Students of this program will visit many tropical locations, including:

• Quito
• Galápagos Islands
  
• Maquipucuna Reserve
• Las Peña
• Playa de Oro
• Otavalo
  

After on-campus orientation, the group flies into the capital city of Quito, then spends a week boating to diverse sites among the Galápagos Islands. On the equatorial mainland, students will hike the cloud forests of the Maquipucuna Reserve and explore the port city of Esmeraldas (with a visit to the strictly boat-accessible Playa de Oro) and the high-altitude historic city of Otavalo, world-renown for its handwoven textiles.

During morning and night hikes in the tropical jungle, students will capture insects with both digital macro photography and nets, bringing samples back into the laboratory to learn preservation and identification techniques.

For the students studying tropical animal natural history and behavior, the field animal behavior course emphasizes principles, methods, and techniques through observation and non-invasive experimentation with animals from the region’s unique and diverse habitats.