Volunteer adventure travel package

The Peru's Challenge Program is different from most volunteer programs as it offers a complete volunteer and travel package.

Each package is designed to offer you the opportunity to affordably travel in South America while contributing directly to local communities and creating real opportunities for the children of Peru. It is the best way to truly experience and understand a country.

For families wishing to volunteer, please see our family volunteering package.

You can choose from the following placements:

• Serpent (four weeks)
• Puma (eight weeks)
• Condor (twelve-weeks)

The serpent, puma and condor are considered sacred animals to the Inca civilisation.

An explaination of their significance will be given to you during the tour to the Sacred Valley which is included in the package.

During your placement, the Peru's Challenge Program organises Spanish lessons, excellent tours around Peru and other fun extras so that you get to experience everything that Peru has to offer. See below for a description on all the great inclusions for each package.

PROGRAM START AND FINISH DATES

*The four-day Inca Trail for these months is very popular. Volunteers must book and

   pay for the Inca Trail at least two months in advance to ensure a spot.

What's included

COSTS

Details of what Is included

In Lima:

• We will organise an airport pick-up from Lima airport to your accommodation in Miraflores, Lima, where you will stay for two nights.
• The following day you can relax after a late breakfast and then enjoy an afternoon tour of the city of Lima. The four-hour tour of 'The City of Kings' showcases both the colonial and present day modernity of the city. You will visit the "Plaza Mayor" and the beautiful Plaza San Martín, the church and cloister of San Francisco and the Lima Cathedral where lies Francisco Pizarro, the Conqueror of Peru. The tour will continue through the traditional areas of Lima - San Isidro and Miraflores, stoping at the Olives Park, Parque Central (Central Park), and Parque del Amor (Park of Love). The tour ends with a magnificient view of Pacific Ocean from the Miraflores cliffs at sunset.
• The next morning, you will be transferred from your accommodation to Lima airport for your flight to Cuzco. Your ticket is a pre-purchased e-ticket so all you have to do is show your passport at the check-in counter and pay airport tax.

In Cuzco:

• A Peru's Challenge representative will meet you at the Cuzco airport and transfer you to the volunteer house.
• Accommodation in our private volunteer house is two people per room. If you would like a single room, you must pay an additional $650 per month.
• The house is a comfortable six bedroom house with a fully equipped kitchen, hot water showers, garden area with hammocks and 24-hour security guards. It is close to food markets, an internet shop and laundry service.
• We also have an apartment available with three bedrooms for families or those not wanting to live with the group. Cost is an additional US$650 per month for the entire apartment.

Tours:

• You can choose from the four-day trek along the ancient Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, or the two-day train trip to the Machu Picchu ruins. The trek includes tents, camping equipment and food. All tours include an English speaking guide. If you cancel the four-day trek and change to the two-day train tour within 90 days of your placement start date, you will have to pay for the new tour as we lose 100% of the fee for the Inca Trail.
• The two-day trip to the Sacred Valley of the Incas includes private transportation for our group with an English speaking guide for the duration of the trip. Visits to the main weaving village of Chincero, the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo and the agricultural and religious Inca ruins of Pisaq, including time to shop at the famous Pisaq textile markets.
• The orientation tour of Cuzco will be organised in your first week to show you where are the banks, post office, good supermarkets and local markets are.
• The Cuzco tourist ticket valid for ten days which allows entry into museums and other tourist sites around Cuzco.
• The horse riding trek includes an English speaking guide and visits to the Temple of the Moon, Sacsayhuman and other Inca ruins above Cuzco.
• The three-day trip to Lake Titicaca includes: private bus transport, a guided tour of the floating Islands and the Islands of the Uros people, including an overnight home-stay on one of the islands.
• The three-day trip to the Amazon Jungle includes return airfares from Cuzco, all accommodation and meals and an English speaking guide. An additional nights stay can be organised for US$100.
• We can also organise optional one and two day hikes through the Andes Mountains visiting villages whose communities still live as the Incas did, and other great tours including: mountain biking, white-water rafting, bungee jumping and paragliding to name a few.
• We can also organise other tours around Peru and South America including trips to the Nazca Lines, Arequipa, Galapagos Islands and Iguazu Falls.

Spanish:

• Each month, volunteers participate in a Spanish course at beginner, intermediate or advanced level with no more than four students per group. All learning materials are supplied.
• Individual lessons can be arranged at an additional cost of US$5 per hour.

Extras

• During each month, optional Peruvian dance and cooking classes are organised.
• Peru's Challenge volunteer t-shirt .
• Welcome or leaving dinner at a typical Peruvian restaurant.
• In-country orientation of the Peru's Challenge projects that you will be working on with skills matching.
• Access to a volunteer representative at all times during your placement who speaks Spanish and English.

• Project development and administration costs.

What's not included

International airfares to and from Peru:

Volunteers must organise their own travel to and from Lima or Cuzco Peru.

Travel insurance:
It is a requirement of volunteers to organise their own travel/medical insurance. Often your travel agent can organise a 10%-15% discount on travel insurance when booking your flights.

Tourist Visa:

On arrival at Lima International Airport residents from most countries will automatically be given a free tourist Visa valid for 90 days. Please check with the Peruvian Embassy to ensure residents from your country are automatically given a Visa on arrival.

Food:

Volunteers are asked to pay for their own food due to the variety of specific meal requirements for some volunteers.

• Cuzco has a great supply of top quality fresh produce and a range of restaurants.
• The volunteer house has good cooking facilities and is close to shops and markets making the preparation of good food very easy.
• Cost of buying food and preparing three meals a day (eggs and toast for breakfast, soup and a sandwich for lunch and meat, vegetables and rice for dinner): US$20 - $30 per week.

DON'T WANT TOURS?

For those that have travelled to Peru before and do not want to take part in our tours program, you can pay US$350 per week (minimum two weeks) for the following program:
- Accommodation in the volunteer house or with a local family
- Peru's Challenge t-shirt
- Project development and costs
- Orientation of projects and skills matching
- In-country representative available 24 hours a day, seven days a week who speaks English and Spanish
* These positions are limited. Send an email to volunteer@peruschallenge.com if you are interested.

Why pay to volunteer?

Most not-for-profit organisations that run international volunteer programs rely on volunteer contributions. You may ask why we charge a fee for you to work for free.

The answer is simple: We have limited resources and cannot subsidise your costs. Approximately 40% of each volunteer contribution goes directly towards project development, 5% towards general and administrative costs, and the remaining 55% towards the volunteer travel package.

Please also keep in mind our costs for: the process of recruiting and interviewing volunteers, developing marketing materials, answering phones, emails, sending information, developing and maintaining this website, maintaining our office and staff in Peru, buying materials (for buildings, schools, health clinics, water systems), legal and accounting services and bank fees.

Peru's Challenge works hard to keep costs to an absolute minimum through strong relationships with leading operators offering great discounts on services. We encourage you to 'shop around' before you commit to our placement to ensure you are completely satisfied with what you will receive.

Normally, when travelling in South America you need to budget for approximately US$100 - $140 per day to pay for tours, Spanish lessons and accommodation.

Join the Peru's Challenge Program and you will do all of this while also directly helping local communities for approximately US$40 per day (depending on which program you join).

We believe that you will not find a better option. By joining the Peru’s Challenge Program you will travel and experience the best that Peru offers, while also directly living and helping the communities in which you visit.

If you have any questions, please email volunteer@peruschallenge.com

On this page you will find information on:

• Start and finish dates
• Volunteer & tour package
• Costs
• No tours package
• What's not included
• Why pay to volunteer

Street in Pisaq

Horse riding to the ruins above Cusco

Local lady and her llama

Pete on top of the Moon temple

Lake Waqupay

Volunteers at the Sun-gate Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Kids at Juandar

Inca and Spanish buildings at Chincerro

Sacred Valley of the Incas

Main catherdral in Cusco

Will on top of the world

Walking to the Inca Gates

The ruins of Sacsayhuaman

Fresh fruits of Cuzco

Playing with the kids of Larapa

Terraces of Machu Picchu

Cath and Em enjoying the view at Pisaq

Fresh market food in Cuzco