home about us reviews videos travel tips travel services eco shop ezine blog contact us

Inca & Amazon gap years & career breaks

country:Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
departures:2008: 23 Oct
2009: 8 Jan, 29 Jan, 26 Feb, 19 Mar, 26 Mar, 30 Apr, 25 Jun, 16 Jul, 3 Sep, 8 Oct, 5 Nov, 26 Nov
2010: 14 Jan, 18 Feb, 18 Mar, 13 May, 17 Jun, 15 Jul, 12 Aug, 9 Sep, 21 Oct, 2 Dec
price:From £4395 (15 weeks) excluding flights, from £5285 including flights from the UK. Local Payment of £595
 
the amazing things you'll be doing
Travel through Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia for twelve weeks of Volunteer Projects, Spanish lessons, adventure activities and wilderness exploration.

Three phases make up our trip:
1. Cultural Orientation and Learn Spanish
2. Live and work with a remote Inca community!
3. Explore off the beaten track on the trail to Machu Picchu

Highlights Route map for Inca and Altiplano holiday
  • Three weeks of 1-to-1 Spanish tuition in Ecuador and Peru along with cultural introduction
  • Community development projects in Ecuador and Peru, work with the people and live a foreign culture.
  • Two high altitude expedition treks in the Andes
    Exploring the Atacama Desert in Chile
  • 4 x 4 jeep crossing of the Uyuni salt flats
  • Amazon wildlife and jungle exploration in Bolivia
  • Adventure activities including mountain biking, surfing and white-water rafting.
  • New friends and the time of your life!
This is an all-inclusive trip, with full support and a range of services provided before, during and after the trip.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Puerto Lopez Community Project: Through out the day you will be involved in light construction work, located in one of the day care centres in a near by village. Tasks could involve digging foundations, mixing cement, building walls and constructing timber frame works etc. You will be involved with the young children and you may get the chance to spend time teaching them. During in this project you will be staying in our house located in Puerto Lopez itself. This is basic and gives you a real idea of Ecuadorian life, whilst indicating our intentions to the locals. Which are to be a part of their community for a long time.
day-by-day itinerary
Week 1-2:Cultural Orientation Ecuador: Spanish lessons in Quito. One to one or group Spanish tuition. Weekend visits to indigenous markets and expedition skills training.
Week 3-4:Community Development Project Ecuador: Puerto Lopez. Constructing classrooms and day-care centres in nearby villages. Accommodation in our Field centre.
Week 5:Expedition Ecuador: Amazon Jungle and Pacific Coast. White water rafting on the River Napo before crossing into Peru and the surf beaches.
Week 6-7:Community Development Project Peru: The Andes. Installing trekking and camping facilities in highland villages along The Great Inca Road. Creating an income for struggling communities.
Week 8:Expedition Peru: High Altitude Trek. 5-day trek along the Inca Naani section of the Great Inca Road, self supported camping accommodation.
Week 9:Expedition Peru: Lima to Arequipa and the Nazca Lines. Wildlife, the mysterious Nazca lines and colonial splendour in Arequipa.
Week 10:Expedition Chile: The Atacama Desert. Enter Chile at Arica and travel to the desert oasis, activities include horse riding, sand boarding and the eerie “Lunar Valley”
Week 11:Expedition Bolivia: The Uyuni Salt Flats and Potosi. Take a jeep across the Uyuni Salt Flats before arriving in the highest city in the World, Potosi.
Week 12:Expedition Bolivia: Andes to Amazon. Cross the Altiplano to La Paz and trek from the Andes to the Amazon before going on a jungle wildlife safari.
Week 13:Expedition Peru: lake Titicaca and Cusco. Cross the highest navigable lake in the World before travelling through the Inca heartlands to Peru.
Week 14:Language School refresher course Peru: Cusco. Spanish tuition at Amigos language school. Assist with the Amigos street children project and live in family homestays.
Week 15:Expedition Peru: The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. A 5-day trek through stunning Andean landscapes to Machu Picchu.
how this holiday makes a difference
This venture supports the Puerto Lopez Volunteer Project and the Great Inca Road Project. As well as our guides you are also accompanied by local guides and project partners. Groups are kept to a maximum of sixteen people, big enough to help the local communities, but not big enough to have a negative affect themselves. Back in the UK we also have our own environmental policy and we believe this is where responsible travel should start, prior to departure.

It is simple things that help and perhaps the biggest impact in the office comes from recycling paper, as a rule where possible we print on both sides of paper and it is not until it is completely beyond use that we then send it to be recycled.

All our development projects have been carefully chosen to satisfy several criteria. They are of definable and sustainable benefit to the indigenous community and allow us the opportunity to work in tandem with the host community. Funding for the projects comes directly from the Trust. For each person that joins us, we, as a company, give at least US $400 to the Trust. 100% of the money the Trust receives is spent on the projects.

All development projects are over-seen by a resident Project Manager whose role is to co-ordinate the adventures, the funding and the project's objectives.

Tree planting, Inca & Amazon gap years & career breaksWe are committed to direct patronage within the local economies of the countries in which we operate. We pay local tutors to teach languages; accommodation throughout the adventure is in locally owned hostels or based in the project locations; and the entire expedition budget will be spent by the team at local "grass roots" level.

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.

Convert currencies