Neuter Campaign

tickets terms & conditions​​​​​

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• Dates:

You can attend only the neuter week before the Galapagos course (2-8 November 2025; few tickets left), only the Galapagos course (8-14 November 2025; few tickets left), only the neuter week after (16-22 November; sold out), or a combination of these!​

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• What is included in the 'Neuter Campaign' ticket?

- 6 nights in a traditional colonial hotel, view here. 'Hostal' means hotel (not hostel) in South America

- 5 days of high neutering high numbers of dogs and cats

- CE/CPD certificate

- private taxi from Quito airport to the hotel on 2Nov and return on 8Nov (or 16 Nov and return 22Nov)

- daily private taxi between the hotel and the vet clinic​

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• What is not included in the ticket?

- flights

- transport from/to locations other than Quito airport or on different dates (but we will give you the mobile number of our trusted drivers)

- food (there are plenty of restaurants with meals starting from only £2!)

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• Do you need to organise anything?

Only your flights. Ohana organises everything else.

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• What is the the program?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

First week of neutering:

2 Nov (Sunday): private taxi from Quito airport to the hotel in Otavalo (1h10min).

3-7 Nov (Monday to Friday): at 8.40am, a taxi will be waiting for you at the hotel entrance to take you to the vet clinic. You will neuter dogs and cats until 5pm, when a taxi will take you back to the hotel. At this time, we suggest you go explore the bustling town together!

8 Nov (Saturday): if you like mingling with thousands of people, visit the largest indigenous market in the whole of South America from 8am! After that, private taxi to Quito airport.

    

Galapagos course:

8-14 Nov: course details here.

    

Gap between the Galapagos course and the second week of neutering:

14 Nov pm - 16 Nov pm: on these two days, you may chose to be in the Galapagos, Quito, or in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in the mountains near Cariacu (incredible waterfalls, horseback rides and a swing with a view). We will email you our recommendations on an itinerary, hotels, restaurants etc, so you'll have no problem planning these two days.

     

Second week of neutering:

16 Nov (Sunday): private taxi from Quito airport to the hotel in Otavalo (1h10min)

17-21 Nov (Monday to Friday): at 8.40am, a taxi will be waiting for you at the hotel entrance to take you to the vet clinic. You will neuter dogs and cats until 5pm, when a taxi will take you back to the hotel. At this time, we suggest you go explore the bustling town together!

22 Nov: (Saturday): if you like mingling with thousands of people, visit the largest indigenous market in the whole of South America from 8am! After that, private taxi to Quito airport.

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• How will the neutering work?

If you are learning how to neuter: You will work on one table with another vet/vet student who is also learning. While one of you neuters, the other monitors the anaesthesia - for the next patient, you swap. Both of you will be supervised by an experienced veterinarian. Except for the first couple of surgeries, you'll be the one actually performing the procedure! Expect to neuter 2-3 animals per day, and watch another 2-3 additional procedures daily. I know you want to neuter as many animals as possible, but remember that quality is more important than quantity. I can assure you that operating with precision and care will teach you much more than trying to rush through larger numbers. If you neuter 3 animals/day, you will do 15 surgeries on your own, plus watch and learn from another 15 surgeries.

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If you are experienced in neutering or anaesthesia: you will be working independently, without supervision. On occasions, you may need to supervise the students. You will neuter a high number of animals per day.

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• I am not a vet, vet nurse, tech or student, can I join? Can I bring my partner, family or friends?

Yes! Non-vet professionals are always welcome in our courses/missions. Explore Otavalo during the day while your friend is neutering, then reconnect with the group in the evening. If you prefer, you can participate in the campaign, helping to carry animals and recover them from anaesthesia. See the prices below. The principle is the same for everyone: the ticket covers your expenses and a donation towards the sterilisation campaign.

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• Is Otavalo safe?

Yes, this is one of the reasons why we chose this town instead of Quito. 

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• What are the room options & prices?​​​

Room for 2-3 people (single beds; unless you're coming with a partner and we put you in a double bed; private bathroom):

Vet or nurse/tech confident in neutering or anaesthesia: £550

Vet/vet student learning how to neuter; and non-vet professionals: £750​​

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Private room for 1 person (one double bed; private bathroom):​​​​​

Vet or nurse/tech confident in neutering or anaesthesia: £650

Vet/vet student learning how to neuter, and non-vet professionals: £850

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Why do non-vet professionals pay more than experienced vets? Because experienced vets will be contributing their skills and time to the campaign, directly saving lives (their ticket covers only expenses). Since you won’t be putting in the same hard work, your contribution comes in the form of a donation to the local animal charity - I hope that's reasonable, since we are all here with the same goal of helping the animals.

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• Are the tickets or deposit refundable?

They are not, as we had to pay expenses in advance and these are not refundable to us. But you can transfer the ticket to a friend, so your money won't be lost! Remember that all money received will be used in the neuter campaign.

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• What are the payment options?

Google pay, debit card or transfer. A bank transfer results in more money for the animals (compared with payment via the website) because there are no fees. We can reserve a ticket when you pay a 40% deposit.

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​A huge thank you to our partners for supporting this meaningful cause: SPVS, Vetted Recruitment, Univets Global!

Ready to help the pets of the indigenous people of Otavalo?

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Carolina Albuquerque,

DVM MSc CertAVP DipECVIM-CA RCVS and EBVS Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine

Proud co-founder of Ohana Animal Charity