Coming from Quito you have to take the road to Los Bancos (Calacalí/La Independencia) and in La Armenia (5 km further from Nanegalito, 800m further from the gas station) you have to turn right and take the road to Pacto/Chontal/Garcia Moreno. From here it’s a 15 minutes drive to Tulipe. You'll pass La Armenia and St. Elena and then reach Tulipe. In Tulipe you have to turn left onto an unpaved road, directly after the bridge over the Rio Tulipe. There is a big wooden sign of the Chocó Andino Biosphere Reserve. From this turn-off to the reserve it is almost exactly an hour by car. The unpaved road leads you up to Las Tolas (6 km, there is a brown sign for Las Tolas). Reaching Las Tolas, a few meters into the village, there is a turn-off where you have to drive uphill to the right (there is a green sign on the corner which directs you to Ayapi-Pachijal). Driving uphill you have to keep (sharp) left and then you'll pass the church and the village. About 800 meters behind the village there is another turn-off where you have to turn left (there is a green sign which directs you to Ayapi-Pachijal). You have to follow this road for about 11km (mostly downhill) until you reach Ayapi/ “El Copal” with some houses on the left (and right). From here the road gets bumpier and it’s just 10 more minutes (1,5km) to the reserve. During rainy season you will need a 4WD for the last 500 meters or you have to park your car further up the road and we pick you up! We don’t recommend using Google Maps (or Waze) for navigation!! How to get to Un poco del Chocó (pdf) >>

Unfortunately, there is no public transport getting you all the way to Un poco del Chocó. However, the bus companies “Minas“ and “Otavalo”, which both operate from the Northern bus terminal “La Ofelia“ in Quito, have several daily busses going to Tulipe (2 hours bus ride). Let us know which bus you are planning to take and we can arrange a taxi to pick you up in Tulipe accordingly.

At the bus terminal “La Ofelia” in the north of Quito there are the two bus companies "Minas" and "Otavalo" running busses to Tulipe. The bus to Tulipe takes about 2 hours and cost 2,25 US$. Schedule Minas Otavalo 06:15 06:30 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:30 14:00 15:45 16:20 17:00 18:00 Please note that there are two different sections of the Ofelia terminal. One section is for the (blue) city busses and the other section of Ofelia is for inner provincial busses of the companies Minas, Otavalo and Flor del Valle from where your bus to Tulipe will leave.

Please contact us to arrange a taxi from Tulipe, Quito or the airport to the reserve. Coming from Quito you might be able to convince a taxi or Uber to drive you to Tulipe, but from there we highly recommend arranging a taxi with us. We know a few taxi drivers who have 4WD vehicles and know the way to the reserve (prices see below). Pick up service (max. 4 pax) from Tulipe 25 $ from Quito ~ 100 $ from Tababela Airport ~120 $

Please note that we prefer to receive new arrivals from Monday to Wednesday (not on holidays), if possible before 4 pm. If you can’t get to the reserve during those times, you should plan to stay in Tababela (near the airport) or in Quito (if you want to explore the city first). You’ll find recommendations for hostels in the travel arrangements FAQ!

If you need a visa or not for your stay depends on your citizenship and duration of stay. There are a few countries that require special visa arrangements but for most citizens the following procedures will apply: 90 days For a stay of 90 days or less, citizens of most countries can enter Ecuador as a tourist without a visa. Once you enter Ecuador you’ll get a 90 day stamp in your passport and that’s it. 90 – 180 days If you are planning to stay longer you can now extend your visa for another 90 days, once the first 90 days are expired. This can be done in the immigration office in Quito and costs 128$. 181 – 360 days For an even longer stay, you can additionally to the previously described procedure apply for a 180-day tourist visa (visa especial de turismo) which costs about 450$. Please note that most airlines won’t let you board a flight for over 90 days if you don’t have a visa, so you should arrange a “fake” return ticket within 90 day. Please consult with your Ecuadorian embassy or consulate for any further visa information.

For your stay in Ecuador and at the station we recommend you to consider arranging the following travel insurances: Health Insurance Accident/Emergency Insurance Third Party Insurance Luggage Insurance Cancellation Insurance

The following hostels in Quito have been recommended by former students and volunteers: In the New Town-Mariscal area Backpackers-Inn Posada del Maple Between Old Town and New Town Secret Garden L‘Auberge-Inn In the Old Town Community HostelMasaya Tababela (near airport) Hostal Mariscal Sucre Hostal Las Mercedes

Once you are at Un poco del Chocó we are happy to provide you with some personal travel recommendations and also can help out making a booking or phone call. But please note that we are not a travel agency and don't give travel advice via email prior to your stay.

Which vaccines are necessary for visiting Ecuador depends on how you’re travelling and on the regions you’re travelling to. You should check your tetanus and diphtheria vaccine protection and you should get typhoid and hepatitis A (and B) vaccine. You don’t need a yellow fever vaccine unless you’re travelling to the Amazon (Eastern lowlands). If participating in bird banding activities, you could also consider getting a rabies vaccine (for potential though very unlikely contact with bats). There is no Malaria at the reserve and it’s not necessary to take malaria prophylaxis pills for a stay at Un poco del Chocó. But if you plan to travel to malaria risk areas, you should bring a stand-by medication (e.g. Malarone). In any case you should ask your doctor before you go. Please note that for a stay at Un poco del Chocó we require a full immunization against Covid19! For further information check the CDC website!

It takes about 45 minutes to get from Un poco del Chocó to the next village, and that’s what it takes at least to find the next doctor. In Las Tolas there is a small health center where basic health care can be provided. The next hospital is in Nanegalito, about 80 minutes by car. For more complicated cases you have to go to Quito. We recommend getting all necessary vaccinations, bringing a good first aid kit and getting a health and emergency insurance for your stay in Ecuador.

Yes, we do have cell phone reception in the upper part of the reserve. Both major providers in Ecuador, Claro and Movistar, work fine. If you don’t have an international plan, you might consider getting an Ecuadorian Sim-Card (5-7 US$).

Yes. There is WiFi available at the station house.

Yes, we do have drinking water. Actually all our water comes from a water source in the forest or from rain water. We have different filter systems and our water is safe to drink.

Not at all. Actually most of our food is vegetarian. In the rare occasion that we cook a meal with meat, there is always a vegetarian option. We can also accomodate for vegans. If you have any other dietary requirements, please let us know.

We usually don't receive visitors on the public holidays which are listed below. If you are a visitor and you are interested in visiting the reserve on a public holiday, please contact us in advance. Public holidays 2022 January 1-2 February 28 March 1 April 15 May 2 May 23 August 12 October 10 November 3-4 December 26 Furthermore, we will be on x-mas vacation from December 24, 2022 til January 1, 2023.

There is no public power supply at the reserve. The station house is solar energy powered though its use depends a bit on the weather. On a normal day it is no problem to charge electronic devices or use a few laptops. During the night we generally turn off the electricty, which means that after dinner we use candles in the station house. There is also a generator which can be used in special cases. The electricity system in Ecuador is similar to the US. The system voltage is 110 V. You should bring a plug adapter for the American system (US, Central- and South America). Please do not use disposable batteries and use rechargeable ones. If you do not have your own fast charger you can use one from the station. But this one only charges Ni-MH batteries.

The rainy season usually starts in February and lasts until May. Although at the beginning of the rainy season we can also have some rain in the morning, in general the rainy season is characterized by a sunny or at least dry morning and (sometimes heavy) rain falls in the afternoon and at night.

Up to 26 students, volunteers or visitors can be lodged at the station house. On the upper floor of the main building, there are four double rooms with bunk beds. Next to the main building there is a new dorm building with six more rooms: five double rooms with bunk beds and one big dorm room that sleeps eight people. Four of our rooms have bunk beds with a lower double-sized mattress, so we can also host couples.