Ladies Adventure Retreat Cotopaxi Ecuador

      Cotopaxi, Ecuador

      JA
      JUMP Adventures
      • Email address verified
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      48 reviews
      Feb 12 - 16, 2019
      Group size: 5 - 11
      Ladies Adventure Retreat Cotopaxi Ecuador
      Cotopaxi, Ecuador

      JUMP Adventures
      • Email address verified
      • Facebook verified
      • Twitter verified
      48 reviews

      Feb 12 - 16, 2019
      Group size: 5 - 11

      About this trip

      Connect with other adventurous females ready to do some exploring, both inside and outside. 

      • Participate in transformative personal exploration workshops as we prepare for life’s leaps (see below)
      • Share and interact with other women who travel
      • Take a horseback ride, “chagra” style (did someone say assless chaps?), with views of Cotopaxi Volcano
      • Learn to cook Ecuadorian cuisine
      • Hike to the refugio on Cotopaxi Volcano (15,953 steps closer to the moon!)
      • Go mountain biking in Cotopaxi National Park (optional)
      • Practice morning meditation/yoga/writing (optional)
      • Experience an advanced high ropes course
      • Leave with new life tools, aspirations, and friends

      2018 Participant Testimonials

      "I want all the women in my life to have this experience, because it was so transformational." - Jenn


      "You pull in a very specific audience, and we all fit together so perfectly. It makes me excited to attend another Traveling Jackie retreat/adventure trip!" - Alicia


      "I feel like I will always be part of this group, and I am so grateful for the experiences and lessons I have learned." - Miranda


      "All the women got along and supported each other... Women empowering women is an amazing thing." - Amanda

      Craft Your Net, Take Your Leap

      A skill-building workshop in leaping with the right tools to catch yourself.


      We’ve all heard it: “Leap and the net will appear.” While this well-intended proverb encourages us to be brave and take risks, it also blindly suggests that something or someone else will magically catch us when we do. Excuse me as I call bullshit.


      In 2015, I chose to take a leap and change my life. I had a husband, an apartment, and a beautiful dog, in a place I called home. My leap catapulted me straight into a nomadic life as a solo female traveler.


      In trying to adapt to my new reality, I wandered the world aimlessly, wondering more than once when my proverbial “net” would show up.


      It wasn’t until many months later that I realized no one and no thing was going to catch me. I had taken control of my life when I made the decision to take my leap. Likewise, it was up to me, and me alone, to catch myself.


      Through months of reflection, observation, challenge, and practice, I learned what it took for me to craft the net that would eventually catch me and start me on the long journey back up.


      I still carry this incredible life tool with me. It’s easier for me to find the courage to take leaps now (big and small), in my personal life, my work, and my travels, because I trust that my net is ready, even for the most challenging times.


      Who or what else can I count on if not myself, especially as I travel the world alone?


      As I crafted my net, moving from place to place across the world and back, I took notes. I wrote post after post of what I learned along the way, and I came up with practices to help me define exactly what my net was made of and how to let it catch me when I need it. 


      I continue to grow stronger and more courageous because of what’s inside my net.


      The beauty, and perhaps the reason for the painful path I took, is that what I learned isn’t exclusive to me. It applies to everyone. So, armed with courage and faith, I am sharing these practices, tools, and resources that make up my net, with you.


      If you are a female who has taken a leap, or if you plan to take a leap, to make a change in your life (big or small), this retreat is for you. Together in Ecuador, we will explore what it looks like for each of us, collectively and as individuals, to create our own nets, to prepare for any leap.


      As we dig inwardly, we will also challenge ourselves outwardly. Each day, in between group discussions and home-cooked hacienda meals, we will participate in the adventure activities listed above.


      We’re going to the highlands of Ecuador because I want to take you out of your comfort zone. I’m in the arena of personal development and challenge, and international travel expedites that journey. I want to help you see that you can take a courageous leap and catch yourself too, even if it starts with traveling to Ecuador.

      What’s included

      • Accommodations
        When you see the cozy rooms at Hacienda El Porvenir, you'll never want to leave! All rooms include private bathrooms and hot water, rates are based on double occupancy. Single occupancy supp $400.
      • Meals
        The hacienda has its own kitchen, with homemade recipes and a family style dining room. Meals from lunch on Day 1 through lunch on Day 5 are included. Beer and wine available for purchase.
      • All Activities
        All listed activities: hike, horseback ride, mountain biking, cooking class, and ropes course are included. Spa services on site are available but not included in price.
      • Transportation
        Private transportation to and from Quito to Hacienda El Porvenir is included on Day 1 and Day 5.

      What’s not included

      • Airfare
      • Travel Insurance
      • Gratuities
      • Personal Expenses
      • Meals outside itinerary
      • Alcoholic beverages

      Available Packages

      Trip Price
      $1,995

      Available options

      Your Organizer


      JA
      JUMP Adventures
      48 reviews
      Jackie Nourse (Traveling Jackie), a long-term solo traveler, podcaster, and blogger, initially founded JUMP Adventures to travel through the most epic corners of the planet with her listeners and readers OFF-line, IN-community. Since 2016 we've hiked in the depths Patagonia, camped under the stars with Bedouins in Jordan, biked the islands of Croatia, and much more. Take the leap with us as we continue to explore the world off the beaten path, push ourselves, and discover what we're capable of, together.

      Reviews

      Trekking the "O" circuit with 9 friends, new and old over 9 challenging, awe-inspiring magical days was the adventure of a lifetime made possible by Jump's planning to fit the capabilities of the group and especially local lead guide Christian, veteran 30-year Patagonian Anne (both are revered among the guiding community, and known as Leyendas - the Legends) along with the advance work of good humored right-hand porter Miguel. Several of our group are accomplished through-trekkers and mountaineers, but for myself and two others, this was our first multi-day hike, and first using hiking sticks and carrying 20-25lbs. packs prior to the few months of training before this trip. The coordination and thoughtful planning from the moment we were met at tiny Puerto Natales airport revealed itself more fully as our odyssey unfolded. Day 1 we were eased into Patagonia seeing guanacos (think giant llamas) and falcons along the road to Torres del Paine National Park with a stop at a thundering waterfall. Staying in the national park lodge the before a short but somewhat strenuous 'out-and back' hike to The Towers for which the park is named. Parting with everything we would not be carrying on our backs for the next 7 days, we disconnected from 'the grid' and could have left our phones behind too were they not our cameras. The overall plan followed a 'hard day' of 9+ hours hiking across more difficult or 'undulating' terrain alternating with a lighter day of flatter/shorter 6 hours or less of hiking. Following each morning's briefing of our up and down route our group adopted the team name The Undulators :) We also progressed from the luxury of a hotel complete wine list and omelette station to pre-set platform tents (including pads and sleeping bags we gratefully needn't carry nor pitch throughout the trek), on to remote rustic campsites at refugios with limited electricity hours and occasional hot water. Late summer at this high latitude meant sunsets after 9:30pm. Pristine glacial streams every mile or two meant never needing to carry more than 20oz. of drinking water. The biggest day starting in pre-dawn darkness from primitive refugio Los Perros, to the high windy John Garner Pass to connect to a major glacier and multiple hours of steep descent was the deepest point into our journey. My most treasured quiet moment was sharing a yerba máte (South American tea-like ritual) entirely in quiet Spanish with Miguel and Christian in the pre-dawn dark before our team assembled to set out for the high pass. Rest day taking a boat on the glacial lake and fitted with ice-climbing gear with BigFoot glacier guide service to explore crevasses from the top of Grey Glacier (actually the most mystical blue I have ever seen) surpassed all expectations. Christian and Anne quietly imbued us all with their love, wonder and true sense of place of Magellanic Patagonia, its geologic and first peoples history, recent wildfires and glacier recession, unique fauna, wild orchids and breathtaking weather and mountainscapes. We became inconsequential specks of nature amid occasional 60 mph winds and UFO-like lenticular clouds while traversing other-worldly moraine fields, beneath towering avalanching rock spires and unspoiled lakes absent any trace of humanity other than the reassuring orange blazes marking the Circuit that only 3% of park visitors are privileged to experience. Christian's reassuring confidence tending to blistered toes plus special surprises like a mid-hike whiskey toast over an iceberg fragment or pre-dinner 'cocktails' charcuterie board at remote refugios added to the rich vistas of this truly wild place. Words can't describe. Not everyone will opt for, nor could many of my friends and family even complete the physical demands and mental toughness of trekking the 90 miles of the Circuit, but for me it set a new bar for what adventure travel can be. Thank you Jackie, Christian, Anne and Miguel!
      By John T for (CUSTOM) PATAGONIA: Torres del Paine "O" Circuit on Mar 06, 2024
      MD
      This trip had everything! The mountain biking was absolutely thrilling. Playing face to face with sea lion pups, OMG. Kayaking in the most amazing turquoise waters. And the people! Our group bonded immediately. We have created new life long frienships. And our guides were the best. They not only kept us safe on all of our adventures, but taught us about the environment, the culture, and salsa moves. And they too are now friends. And the food good not have been better. The only downside of the entire trip was having to leave Baja and my new friends.
      By Michael D for BAJA SUR on Mar 05, 2024
      BAJA SUR - This trip had it all - Mountains - Crystal Blue Water - Adventure - Gorgeous Sunrises and Sunsets - Farm to Table Meals that were so delicious - Mountain Biking - Hiking - Mule & Horse Riding - Swimming with Sea Lions - Snorkeling - Kayaking - And just the best group of people to travel alongside - This was our first trip with Jackie and Jump Adventures and I can't wait to travel on another trip planned by Jackie. She found the best guides, the best locations and the accommodations were so unique and beautiful. This trip will always hold a special place in my heart and memory for all the fun, special moments, special people and special experiences we had.
      By Nancy R for BAJA SUR on Mar 04, 2024
      or
      I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate another turn around the sun than with the incredible Jump Adventure crew!!! And what a special place to celebrate a birthday, Baja California Sur has it ALL. What a magical time and as is the norm on these adventures - strangers became family within hours of knowing each other. Jackie and Jump Adventures, curate an environment where people can and do bring their best in every way. There were so many incredible moments and one that I will always cherish is mountain biking (for the first time ever!) on the single track Santa Rosa trails in La Paz. Lead by our incredibly talented guide Diego Arias, we rode an adrenaline packed 13 mile route for approx 2.5 hrs through the mountains, passing cactus, cliffs, hitting sand, rock and even water as we ascended to the base finding a hidden oasis with beautiful palm trees and a small stream. I will be FOREVER PROUD of every single person who completed this ride, it was challenging in more ways than one and yet immensely rewarding. So thankful for everyone on the trip, from our amazing guides Seb + Felipe, the wonderful staff at the Ranch, our camping guide Bernardcha, the staff running the camp, the fellow "Jump Adventurers" and especially a fellow birthday twin who also decided to do something crazy for her bday :) What a swell crew! I cannot wait to see you all on the next adventure...so what are you waiting for?? Take the LEAP!!!
      By olivia r for BAJA SUR on Mar 03, 2024
      CV
      WOW!!! Where do I even begin... Torres del Paine was stunning and the trip was expertly planned. Our team was able to complete both the O and W circuit and had some of the top guides in the area, if not *the best* guides in the area. Every day the trip had small surprises that increased the enjoyment of the trip and kept me excited and wondering "what's next"? Each evening our group was given priority in many of the refugios and we were able to take advantage of all that the trail had to offer. I will definitely recommend Jackie and Jump Adventures to other adventurers and I hope to do more Jump trips too! I have no suggestions for improvement at all, the trip was fantastic and more fun in all ways than I was anticipating. Do this trip!
      By Clint V for (CUSTOM) PATAGONIA: Torres del Paine "O" Circuit on Feb 29, 2024
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      References

      Traveling with Jackie is awesome! Not only does Jackie do a fantastic job organizing her trips, getting to travel with someone you look up to is inspiring. I'll definitely be signing up for more of her trips in the future.
      By Anastasia L on 25 Feb, 2019
      Awesome experience and people, would highly recommend!!!
      By Shawn D on 25 Jun, 2018
      Jackie is an excellent retreat leader. I went with her on her women's adventure retreat in Ecuador, which she packed full of amazing activities in a gorgeous setting. The experiences she planned were unique, once-in-a-lifetime-level ones! With her trips, Jackie has thought about all the details so you don't have to. The Ecuador retreat was extremely well organized and well-run. Thanks, Jackie, for making my experience in Ecuador so magical!
      By Jackie F on 19 Feb, 2018
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