Trip of a lifetime !

This trip surpassed by expectations in every way possible. I was super excited when I heard about this amazing trip at my university, but no amount of information or presentations prepared me for the amazing adventures and life long friendships that I experienced during this trip.

I participated in the Pre-Medical Program for May 2015. I was blown away by the variety of things we did in 1 month. Some of the highlights during the "discover" part of the trip included horseback riding around a volcano, waterfall repelling, tubing (right to the doorstep of our hotel), surfing, hiking in the jungle, and much more. The one week of medical rotations gave me first hand experience in a hospital setting and the med tutors who we shadowed taught me more than I could have learned in any university course! One of the most life-changing parts of the trip was helping to build houses in the community. Each day was challenging and filled with hard work, but getting the chance to bond with the locals made it 100 percent worth it. The kids of community were the happiest, most loving children I had ever met and we quickly grew close with them, despite the English-Spanish language barrier.

Although every activity was amazing, the people are part of what made this trip so special. The owners of HLD, Juan and Jose, go out of their way to get to know each participant and to ensure that every activity goes perfectly. The leaders were amazing and the friends I made felt much more like family. I would recommend HLD to anyone wanting to travel Ecuador!