Amazon Waterfall Association Volunteer Co-op

  Peru

• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Rural Areas

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Dates: May to Nov. each year

Description: This is a co-op of volunteers committed to benefit the villagers in this remote zone. There is some great opportunities to explore or check out wildlife and exotic jungle plants, flowers, fruit, etc. The village is 100% behind our effort and can furnish rooms, beds, fresh food, socializing, and the region has perhaps better archaeology than the Southern Cuzco, Machu Picchu zone. Our facility will be in adobe buildings with hot showers, or camping as the trail progresses further from the village. We have expedition supplies. Our trail will go through intense jungle on a fairly level but inclined area, passing a waterfall higher than any of the Appalachans every half mile. The natives are trustworthy and friendly, so you have nothing to fear here.

There are 3 major world class waterfalls and over 15 minor super high waterfalls in this one trek that should make this the world's best ecological trek. This zone has more species of birds than N. America and Europe combined, monkeys, endangered bears, but no poisonous snakes or creatures. No shots required. This trail will pass through pristine amazon high forests along a cliff face. Location is in the tropical north Andes, so next to the equator at a mild 6000 foot altitude, every day of the year has perfect day temperatures, and a jacket for nights. This is the friendliest, best fed part of Peru, new to tourists so there are no pickpockets, beggars or scammers. The archaeology is fantastic here, one team member discovered a funeral ruins with lots of artifacts and 2 mummies just last week. Nearby Fortress Kuelap is the largest building structure of the Americas, on a mountain higher than Machu Picchu, with over 400 stone buildings inside, ---and the list goes on.

Our requirement is for volunteers to pay USD 20 per day to hire their team of 3 workers from the village. Other family members or volunteers can teach English in school or plant orchids or plants to feed the wildlife as flowering plants that our endangered spatuletail and other hummingbirds can feed on. The lodging is 40 cents per night and food under USD 3.00 per day. The natives know how to build the trail and very hard workers so hard physical work by volunteers is not essential. We prefer volunteers to stay 2 weeks or more. This project is being financed by volunteers paying them to do the hard work. Speaking Spanish is not essential but helpful. We can give international and internal travel information. Extra costs could include airport transfers, bus to our zone, tours of the zone, and drinks.

We guarantee this once in a lifetime opportunity to be the least expensive and most memorable foreign trip that you will ever make. Each week of volunteering will give you one vote in our policy making or election of officers, as this is a co-op of volunteers.

Highlights: Participating in a once in a lifetime opportunity building what will likely become the world's best ecological trail. You will be in areas where no gringo has ever gone or seen before. This zone had almost no access until recent years, as testified by all of these new ongoing discoveries, yet is probably safer than your home city. On the way you will pass through one of the world's driest deserts, and in the Lamberyeque irrigated valley, ancient kings built 120 pyramids or mounds in an Egyptian like setting as you start up the Andes. The mountain scenery would match or beat even the Rockies and any of these multiple waterfalls would be any park's focal point.

Qualifications: Basically the only requirement is to pay for your team of 3 village workers for a total of USD 20 per day. We can help or arrange internal travel for individuals or groups. The village has a small medical center and hospitals are nearby. Spanish is not required as our team can assist and workers know what to do. Any volunteer can elect to do easy jobs as teaching etc. as long as they pay for their workers team.

Cost in US$: USD 29 per day

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: We have just started but have had volunteers from UK, Germany, USA, Argentina and Peru so far. All volunteers have genuinely wanted to help the local people and preserve this pristine ecology. It seems that every one wants to return next year or the year after.

Age Range: any age as long as they pay their team

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Peru Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 4

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Amazon Waterfall Associates's Mission Statement: This is an outreach of Los Tambos Chachapoyanos. We have been building lodges for villages for over 20 years in Peru's Dept. of Amazonas to give them a sustainable tourism income as an incentive to protect their archaeology and ecology. Our project is to build a trail connecting about 18 super high waterfalls falling from the world's 2nd highest mountains into the world's greatest rainforest. Yumbilla was discovered last year and measured to be almost 3 times as high as the Eiffel Tower.

Year Founded: 1987