Peru
| country: | Peru |
| location: | Inca Trail |
| trip type: | Moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | This trip is no longer operating |
| price: | From £1325 (21 days) excluding flights, plus minimum donation £195 and local payment US $265. Discount of £115 for those not trekking the Inca trail. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Exploring the sights of Peru, including the parched coastal desert, the high Andean mountains, the dense Amazon jungle plus a wealth of ancient ruins, along with working on a remote village volunteer programme in the beautiful Sacred Valley area, make this trip an all-time best!
Helping the families of Inca Trail porters to improve village facilities, volunteers will be absorbed into the everyday life of a small community.
An optional trek along the famous Inca Trail and visits to ancient ruins, lost cities and bustling markets offer great contrasting experiences to make this the ultimate Peruvian adventure!
The Volunteer programme: Many communities around the Sacred Valley area have no toilet facilities of any kind, resulting in pollution of the fields and water supplies and causing a threat to the health of the villagers. Working alongside local families, volunteers will be building compost toilets in these villages. Work will involve mixing and laying cement, building the bathroom from wood and straw plus adding a roof and windows. Volunteers will be able to see their work through from start to finish - a very rewarding experience!
Helping the families of Inca Trail porters to improve village facilities, volunteers will be absorbed into the everyday life of a small community.
An optional trek along the famous Inca Trail and visits to ancient ruins, lost cities and bustling markets offer great contrasting experiences to make this the ultimate Peruvian adventure!
The Volunteer programme: Many communities around the Sacred Valley area have no toilet facilities of any kind, resulting in pollution of the fields and water supplies and causing a threat to the health of the villagers. Working alongside local families, volunteers will be building compost toilets in these villages. Work will involve mixing and laying cement, building the bathroom from wood and straw plus adding a roof and windows. Volunteers will be able to see their work through from start to finish - a very rewarding experience!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Lima - Arrive in Lima |
| Day 2: | Cuzco - Volunteer programme - Today we take a flight to Cuzco and transfer to our volunteer programme. (BD) |
| Day 3-6: | Volunteer programme - Four days at a rural village near Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, working alongside the families of porters to improve facilities. We team up with the locals and after an assembling demonstration from our project co-ordinator we set about building some compost toilets. In the evenings we enjoy locally cooked food and there are opportunities to participate in Quechua (local dialect) language lessons (BLD) |
| Day 7: | Cuzco - Leave the volunteer programme and head back to Cuzco. (B) |
| Day 8: | Cuzco - A free day for you to explore this intriguing city. (B) |
| Day 9-12: | Inca trail (or free time) - We set off on the four day Inca Trail, over high mountain passes through striking scenery, visiting local ruins along the way. On Day 12 we reach the awesome ruins of the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. We then return to Cuzco by train. For those not wanting to trek, there is free time in Cuzco before a train ride to Aguas Calientes from where we visit Machu Picchu. (Meals included on Inca Trail trek only. Days 9-11 - BLD, Day 12 - B) |
| Day 13: | Sacred Valley - A full day excursion to the Sacred Valley. (B) |
| Day : | Puerto Maldonado - Fly to Puerto Maldonado in the jungle and then travel by canoe up river to our lodge in the Amazon. (BD) |
| Day : | Puerto Maldonado - We spend today exploring the rainforest, both on foot and in canoes. Our local guide will be able to explain about the fauna and flora of this delicate ecosystem and there are chances to spot some of the local wildlife including monkeys and caimans. (BLD) |
| Day 16: | Cuzco - Today we leave the jungle behind and fly back to Cuzco where the rest of the day is at leisure. (B) |
| Day 17: | Puno - Take a bus journey across the altiplano and cross La Raya pass (4,321m) before descending to Puno, which we use as our base for visiting Lake Titicaca. (B) |
| Day 18: | Lake Titicaca - Heading out to Lake Titicaca, we stop at the floating reed islands of the Uros Indians. We then make our way to Amantani and Taquile, traditional islands without modern facilities, home to the Aymara and Quechua Indians, to spend the night in local homes and learn more about the lives of the people here. (BLD) |
| Day 19: | Puno - Head back to Puno, the rest of the day is at leisure. (B) |
| Day 20: | Lima - Travel to nearby Juliaca and fly back to Lima, where we have time for any last minute shopping or sightseeing. (B) |
| Day 21: | Lima - Tour ends. (B) |
avoid disappointment - book your Inca Trail holiday in time
Over the last few years, the Peruvian government has imposed increasing restrictions on tourism on the Inca Trail in order to protect it from overuse. The aim is to minimise ecological impact and erosion, mainly by having limited access and improving the quality of the operators. There are now only a very limited number of trekking permits available - 500 per day (around 200 for travellers and the rest for staff) - and they are being issued on a first-come-first-served basis. In order to avoid disappointment we recommend booking well in advance (up to a minimum of 3 months in peak season), unless you are extremely flexible over your travel dates.how this holiday makes a difference
 The houses around the Sacred Valley currently have no toilet facilities of any kind, resulting in pollution of the fields and water supplies and other related health risks. Most of the village inhabitants are subsistence farmers and many augment their income by working as cooks and porters on the Inca Trail and other routes in the area. Villagers expressed a desire for dry composting toilets after hearing about their potential for creating manure, and we are helping them to achieve this. Working alongside members of the community, we will be assembling specially designed compost toilets in an effort to reduce pollution levels in the area. |
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. |