School expeditions to Peru and Amazon jungle
| country: | Bolivia, Peru |
| departures: | This school trip can be tailor made to your specifications with departures throughout the year except February. |
| price: | From £2595 (21 days) including flights from the UK. Teachers go free - 1 place per 8 students. Price includes fundraising pack and support, all food, accommodation, transport, guides, activities and in-country support |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Our combination of challenging expeditions and aid work gives students the complete travel experience.
We begin with a volunteer project assisting the local communities of the Andes Mountains high above the ancient city of Cusco. The work is varied and may involve reforestation of the Polylepis tree, community centre construction or wildlife surveys. No specific skills are required as you will be assisted by local craftsmen and zoologists.
Upon completion of the project we transfer to the Inca village of Ollantaytambo for white-water rafting or mountain biking. The following day we take a picturesque 4 hour train journey to join the Inca trail. After a 6 hour walk we reach the Sun Gate where we have our first dramatic, panoramic view of the magical Machu Picchu. If you have the energy climb Huayna Picchu for unrivalled views of the city below.
A short flight transports us deep into the Amazon Jungle and we continue to our lodge by boat. We take a number of hikes into the jungle seeking out unique wildlife and exotic birds. The Amazon basin comes alive during the night so we shall go exploring with head-torches.
Before our adventure comes to an end we spend a night living with islanders on Amantani Island on the mystical Lake Titicaca, the worlds highest navigable lake. All our itineraries are fully flexible, if you would like to include a challenging trek in the Colca Canyon or a longer trek to Machu Picchu contact us for more details.
We begin with a volunteer project assisting the local communities of the Andes Mountains high above the ancient city of Cusco. The work is varied and may involve reforestation of the Polylepis tree, community centre construction or wildlife surveys. No specific skills are required as you will be assisted by local craftsmen and zoologists.
Upon completion of the project we transfer to the Inca village of Ollantaytambo for white-water rafting or mountain biking. The following day we take a picturesque 4 hour train journey to join the Inca trail. After a 6 hour walk we reach the Sun Gate where we have our first dramatic, panoramic view of the magical Machu Picchu. If you have the energy climb Huayna Picchu for unrivalled views of the city below.
A short flight transports us deep into the Amazon Jungle and we continue to our lodge by boat. We take a number of hikes into the jungle seeking out unique wildlife and exotic birds. The Amazon basin comes alive during the night so we shall go exploring with head-torches.
Before our adventure comes to an end we spend a night living with islanders on Amantani Island on the mystical Lake Titicaca, the worlds highest navigable lake. All our itineraries are fully flexible, if you would like to include a challenging trek in the Colca Canyon or a longer trek to Machu Picchu contact us for more details.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly from the UK to Lima. |
| Day 2: | Explore Lima, the Peruvian Capital with a guided tour of its historical centre and coastal suburbs. |
| Day 3: | Fly to Cusco. We catch an early morning flight over the spectacular Andes Mountains to Cusco. Arriving around lunch time we check into our centrally located hotel. The afternoon is free to explore and acclimatise to the altitude. Cusco is located at a height of 3,310m. |
| Day 4: | Explore ancient Cusco. We spend the day exploring this dramatic city learning about its architecture, history and culture on a relaxed city tour. The afternoon is spent visiting a few of the surrounding ruins such as Sacsayhuaman, a huge Inca ruin constructed with rocks as heavy as 70 tons. All our itineraries are entirely flexible; contact us to discuss your options. |
| Day 5-8: | Volunteer Project. We transfer from Cusco to our project site high in the Andes Mountains and spend the day setting up camp and settling in. The site is remote but it’s amazing how quickly the camp becomes home. The work you will be doing is very varied and no day is the same. The most important asset to have is enthusiasm and a will to join in rather than specific skills. The project is operated by ECOAN a local NGO and the idea is to promote the importance of reforestation through a replanting scheme, education and hard work. |
| Day 9: | Sacred Valley. We say goodbye to our new friends and leave the project for Ollantaytambo, a terrific Inca village in the Sacred Valley. You will have the opportunity to partake in activities such as mountain biking, horse riding or white-water rafting. |
| Day 10-11: | Inca Trail. We catch the train to the 104km marker of the Inca Trail where we join for the final ascent to Machu Picchu. We walk for around 6 hours stopping along the way to visit various Inca ruins. This amazing Inca city was lost for over 4 centuries before its discovery in 1911 and your first sight of Machu Picchu will stay with you forever. After an afternoon and morning to explore the ruins we depart by train back down to Cusco. |
| Day 12: | Cusco. The day is free in Cusco to relax and recuperate. Explore some of Cusco’s many markets and sample some Peruvian cuisine. |
| Day 13-15: | Amazon Jungle. A short flight transports us deep into the Amazon Jungle where three ecosystems collide. This area has the greatest variety of wildlife anywhere in the world. After transferring to our jungle lodge by motor boat we spend 4 days exploring the jungle. Climb above the canopy on our viewing platform, canoe around a lake looking for giant otters, visit the clay-lick of parrots and macaws. |
| Day 16: | Puno. Arriving back in Cusco we transfer to our coach to Puno located on the banks of the mythical Lake Titicaca. |
| Day 17-18: | Titicaca. Shrouded in mystery Lake Titicaca is the worlds highest navigable lake. Many of the islanders live on floating islands constructed from reeds and after a short visit to these Uros islands, we carry on to Amantani island to stay with a local family and experience the traditional way of life. |
| Day 19: | Puno to Lima. We return from the islands to Puno for a short flight up to Lima. |
| Day 20: | Lima to London. |
| Day 21: | Arrive London. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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We work alongside ECOAN, a Peruvian NGO which conducts research, conservation and community development activities in the Andes Mountains. Your assistance in constructing community centres and on a reforestation program will help to make a positive difference to the community. They will have somewhere to meet to discuss conservation issues and the impact it can have on the future productivity of their land. Your involvement in the replanting program will help to provide firewood, construction materials and medicinal plants for future generations.
The project will also help the local community to develop an alternative source of income enabling them to remain in their villages rather than drifting to the city in search of work. Birdwatchers will travel far to see such endangered species such as the royal cinclodes, the ash-breasted tit tyrant or the tit-spinetail. If these birds are provided with the necessary habitat and active measures are taken to ensure their survival, villagers may eventually be able to host visitors, taking them to see the fruits of their conservation labours and gaining some income at the same time. During the project we also conduct a conservation lesson with the local children. Caring for the environment is best taught to youngsters, so that as they grow up, living responsibly and sustainably become second nature. This is a long term goal, but the most important objective of all. Funding for our development projects comes directly from our registered charity. For each person that joins a project, we as a company, donate approximately US $250 per project week. 100% of the money the charity receives is spent on projects. To date, we have funded over 70 development projects around the world. Throughout your adventure we only use locally owned accommodation from home-stays on Lake Titicaca to Jungle Lodges in the Amazon. We use local guides and staff wherever feasible and work to preserve both indigenous heritage and the survival of fragile communities. We travel in small groups (maximum 16) which ensures we have a minimal impact on the environment, the communities and the habitats we visit. Before departing the UK you will be invited to join us on a Travel Safety weekend. Here you will be informed about travelling responsibly, appropriate behaviour and what you can do to minimise your impact. We are a carbon-neutral company using the futureforests.com calculation. This means we plant sufficient trees every year to cancel the CO2 emissions we create by flying groups around the globe. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation. We have various measures in place to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. We walk and ride to work and we recycle everything from paper to plastic to printers to coffee (makes great fertilizer). |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |