Trail in La ArenillaMorningCommunity work
About four hours on the project the community defined: tree nursery and reforestation, agroecological farm, trails, citizen science or communications for the organization.
VolunturismoECOTA
Volunturismo ECOTA
New · A pioneering model in Panama
Learn wherethe communityteaches.
Service-learning programs in rural communities of Panama, designed and led by the communities themselves.
Volunturismo ECOTA is a pioneering model in Panama: volunteering and community-based tourism in one experience, led by the communities themselves.
You come to learn from the people who care for this land, to work alongside them and to leave behind something the community itself asked for.
The community as a classroom
Five commitments anyone can verify
- 01
The community designs and decides
Every program starts with an agreement with the community organization. It defines the work, how many people it hosts, when, and under which rules.
- 02
The community teaches
Hosts, guides and knowledge holders are community educators, and they are paid as such.
- 03
Transparency
At the end, every participant knows how much of their fee the community received and how it was invested.
- 04
Knowledge stays in the territory
Maps, inventories, photographs and research are delivered to the community first, and the community decides whether they are published.
- 05
A contribution you can measure
Each group leaves a concrete outcome: a marked trail, a tree nursery, a bird inventory. It is recorded in the student's passport and in the community's report.
A day in the community
Working with your hands, learning with all your senses
Trail in La ArenillaMorning
River in La ArenillaAfternoonCommunity-based tourism
Guided walks, the river, traditional cooking, coffee and local history, told by the people who live it.
La Arenilla, CapiraEveningLiving together and reflecting
Meals prepared by the community, conversation and a short space to put what you learned into words.
Host communities
Three communities lead the way
They are the first from the ECOTA Network. More communities from across Panama will join over time, each one when it is ready to host.
Cirí Grande, Capira · West Panama
La Arenilla
Its waterfall is the heart of the place. Mountains, river and coffee, and an agro-ecotourism organization that opens its trails, its farm and its cabins.
North Panama · Chagres National Park
Quebrada Ancha
Forest, streams and waterfalls, and a community organization that cares for its territory.
Emberá community · Gatún River, Colón
Ella Drúa
An Emberá community on the banks of the Gatún River that shares its culture, its forest and its river, guided by its traditional authorities.
Quebrada Ancha
La Arenilla
Quebrada Ancha
Ella Drúa
La Arenilla
Ella Drúa
Quebrada Ancha
La ArenillaPackages
For every academic stage
7 to 10 days
Short university program
For summer, winter or spring-break courses. One group, one community, one impact outcome.
14 to 16 days
Two-week program
More time in the community plus a community-based tourism route across the country.
4 to 12 weeks
Field practicum or research
For graduate or senior students, with a community mentor and an academic advisor.
A weekend or a week
Individual stays
For people who come on their own, from Panama or abroad.
See the details of each package: what is included, what it costs and how to book.
See packages and pricingWelcome kit
You arrive with your Volunturismo ECOTA kit
Every participant receives a kit of ECOTA-branded items for their stay, included in every package.
- 01Volunturismo ECOTA T-shirt
- 02Reusable water bottle
- 03Field notebook and pencil
- 04Tote bag
- 05Sun cap
Transparency
You will know what the community received
Along with their certificate, every participant receives a simple summary: how much of their fee reached the community and how it was used. Payments always go to the community organization, never to individuals.
What the community received
Paid to the community organization
Lodging with host families or in a community space
Meals prepared by the community
Community guides and educators
Contribution to the community fund
Verifiable by QR code
We care for everyone
Safeguarding comes first
Adults only
Every participant is 18 or older.
Background checks
Reviewed before travel and never stored.
Travel insurance
Including medical care and evacuation.
Pre-departure training
Online training path and signed Safeguarding Policy.
On-call support
An ECOTA staff member available 24 hours a day.
Community rules
The community decides who enters its territory and how.
For universities
Let's build a program with a community
We design each program together with your university and the host community organization.
- Learning outcomes and academic credit agreed with your faculty
- Service project defined by the community
- Joint certificate from ECOTA and the community organization, verifiable by QR
- Risk management, safeguarding and 24-hour support
- Group report including the impact outcome
La Arenilla, CapiraIf you are coming on your own
Individual stays open later
Leave your details and you will be the first to know. If you live in Panama and want to get involved now, ECOTA's volunteer program is open.
Visit ECOTA Voluntariado