Ecuador Mission Trip

Fly into Eloy Alfaro International Airport in Manta (MEC). The routing that has worked best for our teams is Miami to Panama City to Manta. You book your own flights.

Plan to arrive in Manta on Sunday, February 21. Manta to Canoa is a minimum two and a half hours each way, so we're not able to run airport pickups outside our scheduled windows: Sunday the 21st for everyone, and Tuesday the 23rd for medical professionals who can't come for the full week.

Not for U.S. citizens on a stay of 90 days or less. You do need a passport valid at least six months beyond your entry date (for this trip, that means valid through late August 2027) with one or two blank pages, and you may be asked for proof of return travel. Check your expiration date the day you register; airlines enforce the six-month rule, so you can be turned away in Miami before you ever reach Ecuador.

Most of a day, each way. Two of the seven days on this trip are travel days.

Adult $2,500. Youth $2,000. Each participant also raises an additional $500 toward the Canoa Village Health Clinic renovation, the Entrepreneur Center, and the medical program that serves this community year-round.

You'll receive your own fundraising link. You're welcome to raise the full amount, cover it yourself, or do some of both. We hope you'll share it: some of the people who've made the biggest difference in this community first heard about the work through a friend's link, couldn't travel themselves, and went on to fund things far larger than a single trip.

Yes, we ask that you raise a minimum of an additional $500 to help pay for the renovations, equipment, and medication being used at the Canoa Village Health Clinic. We want it set up for at least the next six months before we leave, and our combined fundraising efforts will help set that up.

Accommodation, all meals, in-country transport, and security.

Flights to and from Manta, and travel insurance, which is required.

In the event you pay for your seat and end up not being able to join us, your payment will be treated as a donation. Other contributions are not refunded. More than 30 days out, your contribution converts to a donation or a credit toward a future mission, whichever you prefer. Within 30 days, funds have already been committed on your behalf, so it becomes a donation. In either case, you may transfer your place to someone taking your spot.

Contributions are made to Aerial Recovery, which issues receipts and retains full discretion over the use of funds. If Winners Travel Foundation raises funds directly, it issues its own receipts. Passport and visa fees, personal purchases and souvenirs are not deductible. Please consult your own tax advisor about your situation.

No. Everything on the ground is covered. There are no ATMs near Canoa and very few places to shop, so if you want souvenirs, plan to buy them at the airport.

Yes, and we don't treat this casually. On every mission we travel with six to twelve fully armed, paid local law enforcement officers alongside the team. Five generals of the Ecuadorian police serve on Aerial Recovery's board and attend the mission personally to oversee security. On our August 2026 mission, we had no threats of any kind.

No vaccinations are required to enter Ecuador from the United States. Yellow fever proof is required only for travelers arriving from a country with yellow fever risk, so it may apply if you route through a third country. We're not in a position to advise you medically. Check the CDC's Ecuador page and talk to your own physician about what's right for you.

Not particularly. The medical team is in air conditioning the entire time. The project team moves in and out of it. If you have physical limitations, tell us and we'll place you on a team that fits. Nobody gets handed work they can't do.

No. Roughly half the team will not be. This mission is largely about renovating a building and bringing it to life as a clinic and entrepreneur center that will keep serving this community long after we leave. If you're not medical, we'll ask you to work on projects or join the kids team.

A team whose entire job is to play with the children and be with them, so they feel loved and safe.

Yes, and we would love that.

Ages 9 to 17 are welcome and must travel with a legal guardian.

No. Translators are provided. Spanish-speaking participants also have their own pre-trip briefing conducted in Spanish.

We handle all of the licensing paperwork. Aerial Recovery is incorporated in Ecuador and knows the process for getting your credentials approved by the Ecuadorian government. What you need to bring is a current, valid U.S. license in whatever you'll be practicing.

Yes, working alongside the physicians on the team. Be aware this is a mission clinic, not a U.S. facility. Everyone does what they can to help with as much as they can. We do our best to make sure every clinician has a translator so you can do the most good with the time you have.

Yes. If your schedule can't spare the full week, arrive in Manta on the 23rd and work the 24th, 25th and 26th. Your three clinic days are the same either way.

Not at this time.

Very nice hotels. Rooms are shared, and we pair people by gender, by friendship, or by family. If you'd prefer your own room, that upgrade is available at additional cost. Tourism in this region is still down following past disasters, so the hotels are far better than the price would suggest.

On site, typically chicken, a vegetable and rice. Dinners are at a restaurant with plenty of options. We can accommodate vegetarian; gluten-free is difficult to guarantee. Bring your own snacks and any medications you take. If you have a severe food allergy, please contact us before you register rather than after.

Yes. Service and wifi at the hotels are excellent, and we run a Starlink at the mission site. The one stretch that's unreliable is the road between Manta and Canoa.

Hot and humid. Highs around 82°F, lows around 75°F, humidity in the high 80s. February falls in the coastal rainy season, so plan on rain most days: a rain jacket and waterproof boots are on the packing list for a reason.

We send a full packing list in advance. The short version: work pants rather than shorts. Waterproof work boots. A rain jacket. A wide-brimmed hat. Strong bug spray. Sunscreen. A headlamp, work gloves, a small daypack, and a backup battery for your phone.

Optional, never required. Closer to the trip we send a specific needs list from our local staff, so what you bring is what the community actually needs rather than a guess. If you have luggage space for toys for the kids or clothing in good condition, it goes to families who have almost nothing.

No. That's not what this mission is. This is about treating people in a community that has no other access to care, and building something permanent that keeps serving them.

Some of what you see will be hard. These are children and families who've gone without care for a long time. We don't want you to look away from that. We hope it breaks your heart a little, and we hope it shows you how much you can do with your life to make a real difference for somebody else. Leadership is available if you have a difficult day. You will not be alone with anything.