09/09/2010

Gap Year Adventure Travel & Volunteering in Peru

Take a gap year in South America and consider working, volunteering or taking a tour in Peru! Gap years in Peru are popular, whilst a tour and trek to Machu Picchu is one of the best things you will ever do! You could volunteer on gap year conservation and community projects in Peru.

Peru Gap Year Travel Information

On a gap year hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, it really is one the highlights of the world. There are several treks which you can take in Machu Picchu, including classic trail trek and also the Salkantay or Lares treks.

Gap year tours to Machu Picchu are absolutely unbelievable; a trip to this City in the Clouds is an ancient and awe-inspiring part of any South America gap year tour.

Cuzco is the outdoors capital of Peru has some amazing architecture, try to explore some of the colourful surrounding markets. Cuzco is surrounded by the Sacred Valley of the Incas and offers a wide range of activities to explore the region. Visit Lake Titica which is very relaxing.

The Ballestas Islands in the Paracas National Reserve, visit the rare and exotic sea birds and mammals that inhabit these islands. Visit one of the world's great archaeological mysteries The Nazca Lines. These huge figures and shapes, carved into the desert floor are best viewed from the air - South America gap year travel is not complete until you have seen these unbelievable ancient mysteries.

Below we feature organisations who offer gap year work, volunteer, travel opportunities in Peru...

GTE Volunteers is a Peruvian based vacation and social travel organization. They offer purpose based travelers affordable, unique, and life-changing gap year adventures in Peru. They also have a NYC office.

Gap Year Internships in Peru

Internship Program work with volunteers, usually students, researchers, and explorers with projects in mostly every field like health care, journalism, women’s issues. Internship Program work with volunteers, usually students, researchers, and explorers with projects in mostly every field like health care, journalism, women’s issues, culture, sustainable development, and business, to create a customized experience.

Programs run from 2-12 weeks of customized internship opportunities; GTE Volunteers craft an internship projects in nearly any area you wish with our network of non-profit organizations. Continue a lifetime of learning and self-improvement – arrange your internship with GTE Volunteer and today.

Peru Gap Year Conservation Projects:

For volunteers this will be a unique opportunity to participate in a hand on conservation project. Volunteers will work in reforestation activities and monitoring birds and other endangered species. Volunteers will join our local partner whose mission is to conserve the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest in the Peruvian State of Madre de Dios. For a long time, communities in this area have applied slash and burn agriculture method, which has prompted a deforestation effect in the ecological reserve. You will help to reverse this situation by promoting sustainable models of forestry, agriculture by working hand by hand with local communities and grass roots organizations.

Gap Year Tours and Treks in Peru:

Inka Trek: This is Peru's most sought-after trek for its breathtaking panoramas, vast ecological diversity, and well-preserved archeological sites. Following the ancient stone path, we traverse high mountain passes and walk through ecological areas ranging from high Puna Desert to Andean cloud forest and subtropical jungle. Throughout the journey, our professional guides will point out the native flora and fauna and explain important facts and legends about the magnificent Inca civilization.

The Humanity Exchange mission is to provide an impactful exchange experience for volunteers and interns, while contributing to development in partnership with local communities.

Gap Year Leadership for Street Youth Worker in Peru: Educational activities are set up to complement the school curriculum of minors. Examples are activities of cultural exchange with the international volunteers, and workshops focused on good behaviour, sports activities, and the acquisition of new skills. Here, volunteers will work approximately 1 to 2 hours per day, usually in the afternoons.

Peru: Gap Year Camp Supervisor: Once a year, while winter takes hold of the northern hemisphere, you can volunteer as a camp supervisor at a summer camp near Lima. The summer camp provides a positive environment in which children can laugh, learn, play and just be kids.

This special program has been developed to offer children and adolescents a set of activities in order to make good use of their free time over the summer period. Children and youth are constantly engaged during their vacation by doing workshops, cultural and recreational excursions, camping, and other recreational activities.

BUNAC offer a gap year volunteer Peru programme which places enthusiastic participants in community-based projects on the outskirts of Lima in Flores de Villa. If you're looking to experience life in South America, Peru is a great place to start as it offers a colourful, vibrant way-of-life, and borders many other countries that offer unlimited travelling opportunities throughout your experience.

You'll travel to Peru on a group flight and on arrival will spend three days taking part in a worthwhile and enjoyable arrival orientation. Once you have completed the orientation you'll move on to your placement for either 2 or 3 months. Placements are developed according to your own experience, skills and interests. You will work at the Flores de Villa community based project located on the outskirts of Lima. In the past, gap year placements in South America have included education, childcare, health centre-based work and construction. A basic level of Spanish is required.

WAVA provide adventure gap year travel in over 20 countries and 50 destinations around the world including Peru and South America including gap year, career break, volunteer work, paid work, teach English and language assistants.

Gap Year Orphanage Programs: Supporting the full time staff, assisting the teachers with formal education and of course supporting the children. In addition to your teaching activities during the day, you'll play an active role during meal times and in the evening, helping to keep the children occupied and busy.

Gap Year Medical clinic Programs: For suitably experienced volunteers, there are opportunities to support the staff at the medical clinic. The clinic is equipped to deal with most minor conditions, including dentistry, dealing with approximately 20 to 30 patients per day. Volunteers can also assist with the health campaigns that the medical clinic runs. The clinic is open Monday to Friday and is staffed by two fulltime nurses; the Doctor and Dentist visit twice a week. As well as being an orphanage, a school and a medical center, the center also teaches the children practical skills such as carpentry and agriculture. The center has its own small farm where they grow their own vegetables. The center is also supported by a Christian non-governmental organisation.

Gap Year Volunteer at the Neurological Institute Peru: Irrespective of your level of experience of working with disabled children, there is a very valuable role for you to play at the Neurological center. Daily activities involve assisting with the children physical therapy, stimulation exercises, feeding and of course providing love and attention that is so vital in a child's early years.

With EIL you can provide important healthcare and information to a community in Lima, Peru.

This programme provides the opportunity to not only visit one of the most beautiful and interesting countries in the world, but to make a difference in the lives of its people. Peru is a nation with a rich history, from the ancient civilizations whose ruins still remain to the growing modern society it is today. This is a chance to work at a medical centre, treating members of the community and helping to improve the welfare and healthcare in the capital city of Lima. Whether you aspire to a career in medicine, or simply want to make an impact on people’s lives, this is a wonderful programme.

The centre focuses on non-specific care to all meClinic, Perumbers of the community, and volunteers will get hands on experience working with the nurses and the doctors of the centre. Participants will also go out into the community and teach important information regarding how to prevent certain diseases and give care to those who can not come to the centre. The main responsibilities include providing primary care and health information to patients and families during regular medical centre hours, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 1 PM. The center sees approximately 30 patients per day. Volunteers can visit patients in their homes to provide the health information mentioned above, or teach them first aid skills and assist doctors and nurses. They will also have the chance to teach English to the centre’s staff members.

Once volunteers are comfortable in their surroundings, they will also have the opportunity to present a proposal for a workshop or work to be done during your programme.

Volunteer Activities May Include:

* Provide care to all members of the community
* Assist doctors and nurses
* Teach people about disease prevention
* Administer care to those unable to come to the centre
* Teach English to centre staff members
* Teach first aid to the community
* Present a workshop to be taught in the centre

With Travellers Worldwide
you can gain Hands-on Conservation & Community Development in the Amazon Rainforest. Experience life in the Amazon Jungle, working on a variety of projects.

This multi-activity project is an opportunity to live and work in the greatest jungle in the world - the AMAZON! On this project you will ...

• Visit one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world
• Experience life in the Amazon jungle
• Trek through the rainforest
• Live in a beautiful, traditional lodge
• Participate in important conservation projects
• Train with experienced guides and conservationists
• Understand survival issues for rainforests and endangered species
• Contribute towards scientific research
• Explore a variety of different ecosystems
• Adventure through mountains, rivers and forests

Projects-Abroad offer Gap Year Volunteering Projects and Internships in Peru and South America.

Peru, which is five times the size of the UK, was shaped by the Incas and the Spanish. Hispanic and Amerindians live, for the most part, in harmony, and Spanish and Quechua are both spoken in the markets of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, as well as in Lima. The mysterious and magnificent lost city of Machu Picchu attracts tourists, archaeologists and historians alike. Incan ruins are everywhere; you will find they even form part of the structure for modern day buildings! With an extensive Pacific coastline, a vast area of Amazon rainforest and the magnificent Andes, Peru provides an opportunity for you to experience much of what South America offers within just one country. Wildlife, beaches, historical sites and the most beautiful mountains in the Andes range are found in abundance. There are also interesting cities, full of colonial history, especially Cuzco, which is an archaeological paradise.

The following projects are available in Peru with Projects Abroad: Teaching, Conservation & Environment, Care, Sports, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Midwifery, Spanish Language and Inca Projects. These are available for anyone interested in volunteering in the developing world; whether you are on a gap year, a summer placement, or a career break.

Gap Year Volunteer work opportunities in Peru:

Volunteer at Macho Picchu Projects Abroad Peru has its office in Urubamba, a town in the heart of the Sacred Valley. There are voluntary placements in many of the small towns within the region, the people of which are keen to welcome volunteers to their communities. Our unique Inca project is based in Huyro, about three hours from Urubamba.

If you want to work in the rainforest, our Conservation & Environment project is an hour's flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado, followed by a two-hour boat trip up the Madre de Dios river - it's a jungle adventure just to get there! Our host families in the Sacred Valley may live in houses with walls built by the Incas or, if you're volunteering in the Amazon rainforest, you'll live and work in our own Taricaya Lodge where you'll be living alongside playful spider monkeys.

Gap Year Travel and Tourism in Peru:

Leading a religious ceremony Peru is the perfect place to immerse yourself in South American life while you're volunteering abroad on a gap year. In the towns you can sample local brews like Pisco Sour or Cusquena and you may even find yourself celebrating your birthday with Cuy - guinea pig - as the main dish! From Urubamba it's easy to visit Cuzco and Machu Picchu. You can also go rafting on the Urumbaba River or see traditional Andean theatre and dance. If you're seeking thrills of an adrenaline-driven nature, venture into the Andes, which offer some of the best mountain-climbing and trekking opportunities on the planet. Take a weekend trip to explore the enigmatic Nazca Lines, or enjoy a boat ride on Lake Titicaca: the world's highest lake.

Puerto Maldonado is a dynamic young town, home to 25,000 people. On your days off from the Rainforest Project, as well as taking the boat back to enjoy life in a frontier town, you may have the opportunity to take a river trip to the Sandoval lake, where you can enjoy fishing, wildlife watching or just meeting with the locals. Although Peru is a great gateway to the rest of South America, there are so many rich things to see within the country itself that you may not ever want to venture over its borders! It's a magical melting pot of different cultures, stunning scenery and bio-diversity.

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