El Poncho Ecocenter is an ecological training, course and eco tourist center. The construction of the ecocenter began 10 years ago, it was then that a few dedicated people started to put the first stones to make a dream come true. This Bio Center is located 19 km. from Cochabamba – Bolivia. El Poncho lies at the foot of the Tunari Mountain in a little village called Marquina.
El Poncho Ecocenter was consciously designed by Enrique Hidalgo under ecological and cosmological principles (Permaculture). In order to ensure that this sustainable human settlement will not pollute the environment, El Poncho has been built mainly with natural materials and uses eco friendly strategies for waste management and food production.
Thousands of people have crossed the ecocenter, some of them saying that El Poncho has made a definite difference in their ways of looking at the world, what we are doing to our planet and how to find solutions that would help us heal the wounds of greed and fear. Many volunteers and students have had the chance to share their ideas and learning from and with the local population as well.
The ecocenter has become a point of encounter of various cultures where we have shared a common dream. To build a paradise on earth out of a desert-like landscape using appropriate technology, farming organically and building with natural materials.
Today, El Poncho is functioning as an eco resort where people find rest from their busy lives and can take part of many creative and spiritual workshops. El Poncho was originally designed to receive students who would come to learn about survival strategies, how to build a different and more ecological world, to learn the Spanish language and cultural heritage of the Andean world, its music, legends and dances.
Throughout all these years, El Poncho has been the silent witness of beautiful activities and courses. El Poncho has been a learning place, a good teacher for its creator and for all those wonderful individuals who came searching for community, for a key that would open the know how to heal themselves and our Pachamama, for the knowledge of how to build without destroying life around us, how to use nature without abusing it, how to save water and recycle our wastes, how to give animals a worthy life and how to grow healthy organic food that will nurture us instead of giving us cancer. All these experiences of course, vary according to the people who at every moment inhabit he ecocenter. Many goal have been reached, but there are still many more we all together can achieve.
El Poncho is simply the dream of people so in love with life who have realized that there is more to find when it comes to studies and the way one looks at the world. Studying at El Poncho will make you appreciate simple things and if you come with the right attitude, we are convinced that your stay will be very pleasent.
Imagine yourself studying Spanish and Culture, travelling as part of the course to Lake Titicaca, Tiwanaku, Macchu Picchu, The Inka trail El Choro, to the rainforest, all of these while learning how to dance native Bolivian dances. Imagine living in an ecological center where you can relax in a hammock, take a swim, sit by the fire and sing, play beach volley or soccer, take a walk to the mountains or to the nearest "tienda", we show the best of Bolivian films every semester and organize a lot of great activities ranging from parties to extra tours to different locations... If you feel the need for more action, a cab will take you and your friends to the city of Cochabamba where you can find cafés, movies, discos, soccer games, restaurantes, museums, stores,etc.
Make of your studies an experience you will never forget. Bring the best of yourself and an open mind. Be also open for adventure and for a new culture. Bolivia is a land of great contrasts, but it is one the countries in Latin America, that has preserved well its cultural heritage.
Welcome to El Poncho Ecocenter! Welcome to Bolivia!
Yours Sincerely,
Andes Studier
