Question 1

When should I arrive in Quito?

Accepted Answer

BYU, and FLAS students should arrange to arrive in Quito on the evening of Saturday June 11.   Around 11:30 PM or after the last student flight arrives that evening a chartered bus will take the group to the hotel.  If you arrive well after midnight or earlier in the day you must arrange and pay for your own transportation to the hotel.   ​ A chartered bus will take the group to the Field School location at Iyarina, near Tena, on Sunday morning June 12.   Classes will begin on Monday morning June 13, 2022.

Question 2

What is the address of the hotel we stay at in Quito?

Accepted Answer

We will send out the hotel address well before the June 11 arrival date.

Question 3

How do we get from the airport to the hotel?

Accepted Answer

Question 4

What happens if my luggage does not arrive?

Accepted Answer

If for some reason your luggage is delayed  the airline will deliver your luggage to the Field School in the Tena area only if you sign a release.    You must go to the airline desk and sign a release before leaving the airport.

Question 5

What happens if I miss my flight or miss the chartered bus?

Accepted Answer

Students sometimes miss the bus to the Field School because of delayed flights or other complications in their individual schedules.  If this happens students should contact the Field School Director Tod Swanson. Dr. Swanson's Ecuadorian cell phone is  011 593 98-546-9658 when calling from the  US; or 098-546-9658 when calling from Ecuador.  You can also email tod.dillon.swanson@gmail.com.  Students are responsible for covering the cost of the alternative arrangements.   The cost of a taxi from Quito to Iyarina is approximately $120.   The cost of a public bus ride from Quito to Tena is about $7.  The cost of a taxi from Tena to the Field School at Iyarina Lodge is $10.

Question 6

What time will the chartered bus get me to the airport on the day we depart?

Accepted Answer

On the departure date a chartered bus will drop students off at the Quito airport at approximately 6 PM.  The airlines like you to be at the airport 3 hours prior to international departures.  This means that you should book a departing flight that leaves after Quito after 9PM.   Pitt in Ecuador June session students should book return flights that depart after 9 PM on June 29. ​ Pitt in Ecuador July session students should book return flights that depart after 9 PM on June 29.   BYU and FLAS students should book return flight that depart after 9 PM on July 20     If you leave before that time you will need to arrange your own transportation to Quito from the Tena area.  The chartered bus leaves from the field school in the Tena area and returns directly to Tena from the airport without  proceeding on into town.  Thus students or faculty who choose to stay longer on their own will have to arrange their own transportation from the airport into Quito or their continuing destination. ​ Because the bus drops the group off at the airport at 6PM no evening meal is provided on the departure evening.  There is a Kentucky Fried Chicken, TGF Fridays, Steak Houses, etc. in the food courts at the airport.

Question 7

What should I bring?

Accepted Answer

Laptop camera flashlight   Clothing: 5 pairs of pants 5 shirts or blouses 1 swimsuit 1 warm jacket 8 pairs of socks 8 pairs of underwear  1 pair tennis shoes  1 pair of flip-flops   Documents: passport & copy vaccination certificates    Supplies: anti-bacterial wipes aspirin/ibuprofen insect repellant pens, notebook sunglasses water bottle ​

Question 8

What shots do I need?

Accepted Answer

A yellow fever vaccination is required for entry into the Yasuni National Park.  (Pitt in Ecuador students will visit the Yasuni Park during the July Session only.)  No vaccinations are required for entry to  Ecuador.   Malaria is not a threat in the Field School area.  However it is endemic in parts of the Ecuadorian coast.  Students should consult Center for Disease Control Information on Ecuador and their doctors. ​ Iyarina is approximately 8 miles (17 kilometers) from the Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra State Hospital): 62 886 302;   There are also several pharmacies in Tena.    Farmacia "Yolita": 62-886-467   Iyarina provides bottled drinking water. Tap water for bathing comes from a small stream falling from jungle hills above the Field School. Although the water is clean it should not be used for drinking.   Standard safety precautions are observed in the preparation of food. Fruits and vegetables are soaked in iodine to kill bacteria. Nevertheless students who stay for an extended period of time also eat in town in a variety of settings.  It is not uncommon for visitors to experience some intestinal problems.    Several species of poisonous snakes are present in the environs.  Visitors should exercise due caution and use a flashlight while walking outside at night. During its 13 years of operation no Field School visitor or staff member has been bitten by a snake.  ​ Although there are few mosquitoes the Field School provides mosquito nets in the rooms should visitors care to use them.  There are however tiny noseeums and chiggers active during the day. These insects tend to bite around the ankles. Although some visitors have no problems others become uncomfortable from itchy bites. The best defense is to wear lightweight pants tucked into socks.

Question 9

Is there a laundry?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we do provide laundry services at an extra cost.

Question 10

Is it safe to travel to Ecuador?

Accepted Answer

Please check  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html

Question 11

What is the official currency of Ecuador?

Accepted Answer

The official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar.

Question 12

Can I use ATM machines in Ecuador?

Accepted Answer

There are ATM machines in the nearby town of Tena.  Students frequently go in to Tena on weekends.

Question 13

Is there internet at the Field School?

Accepted Answer

At the Field School Wi-Fi is available to faculty and for classroom use 24 hours a day. Students have access to Wi-Fi 3 hours per day.  There are many internet cafes in Tena that students can use for additional hours of internet access. ​

Question 14

Will I be able to call home?

Accepted Answer

There is good cell phone connection at the Field School.  Students can purchase a US plan that allows for inexpensive calling from Ecuador.  Students can also call from pay phones in Tena or use Skype from internet cafes in Tena.