Andes Adventure

  Peru

• Cusco: 
Cusco
• Lima: 
Lima
• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Huaraz,  Machu Picchu,  Incan ruins

Dates: Please enquire

Description: Not sure what to do with your summer, don't fancy taking a full Gap Year well what about an unforgettable six week adventure.
No other country can lay claim to over 3000 annual festivals. Few areas on our planet boast as rich a biodiversity. A cultural melting pot, its people simply can't be summarised in any travel guide. Peru is a country you must experience if you want to comprehend exactly what makes it such a colourful yet profound part of the world. We can't hope to convey the full depth of the experience here, but we can tell you that this venture absolutely makes the most of the mind-boggling variety and unparalleled potential for serious adventure that the whole region offers.

Cultural Orientation & language School (Weeks 1-2)
After flying from Lima to historic Cusco, you'll stay with a Peruvian family, drinking in the culture, food, art and of course the Spanish language. Your language school classes take place in small intimate groups during the mornings only, leaving your afternoons and evenings free to explore. Because the school also teaches English to local children, they are able to show you around their hometown, allowing them to improve their English and you to improve your Spanish. Your weekends will include white-water rafting in the stunning Sacred Valley, mountain biking through the high Andes or relaxing in natural hot springs.

Volunteer Project (Weeks 3-4)
This venture gives you the opportunity to be part of a community development project in the high Andes. Join the Quechua people in their ongoing fight to conserve the rare indigenous polylepis tree. Get involved with a reforestation scheme or help to build a community centre for the village. Youll be working directly with local people on small-scale, practical-outcome projects that give you the chance to put your new Spanish skills into practice as you make a measurable difference to the community youve learnt from.

Adventure & Exploration (Weeks 5-6)
Time for a 9 day trek to Machu Picchu. Keep an eye out for elusive pumas, as well as darting humming birds, delicate wild orchids and the spectacled Andean bear. Other areas in this region have become popular with hordes of trekkers, so we're careful to take a different route to the "lost city" of the Incas. One of the most magical moments of the venture is saved for last, as your group watch the sun come up over the ancient citadel. Finally, we return to Cusco for the homeward flight to Lima.

Highlights:
*The lost city of Machu Pichu
*Cusco
*Spanish language school
*Conserving the Polylepis tree
*White-water rafting
*Hot springs
*Helping street children
*Live with a local family
*Mountain Biking
*Lima
*Andes Mountains

Cost in US$: USD3,500 for 6 weeks

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Peru Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of maximum of 16

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Year Founded: 1999