Overview
Be a part of the Summer Volunteer Program in Peru with Volunteering Solutions and make your Summer Break worth cherishing! Engage in some meaningful volunteer work to make a difference in the lives of the people and head out for weekend excursions with your fellow volunteers to Machu Picchu in Cusco and navigate the Amazon River in the Amazonia.
This program is particularly convenient for volunteers who do not have enough time to commit and are looking for 2 weeks volunteering opportunity that would comprise the best which Peru has in store! This program is perfect for college and university students, as well as solo travelers, backpackers, and families who are keen to experience something different.
Still, you have a query? Enquire now.
Program Requirements
Volunteers must be 17 years or older at the time of joining the project. Participants should have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. Volunteers need to be flexible, open-minded and have a passion for working with children. You should also be proactive and have the ability to take initiative All volunteers must provide a clean criminal background check report prior to joining the program. A parental consent form shall be required for Under 18 participants joining the program. A beginner-intermediate level of Spanish would be an added advantage for the participants in the program.
Itinerary
Day 1 Sunday: Cusco airport picks up and transfers to volunteer residence or host families to unpack and rest.
Day 2 Monday: Orientation and Walking City Tour
You will receive the walking city tour and program orientation in the morning to have the rest of the day to explore the city,
Day 3 Tuesday to Day 6 Friday: Intercultural projects
Our Social projects seek to contribute to the development of the poorest families in our population, principally in poor rural areas and marginalized urban areas in order for them to attain integral human development, which translates into better living conditions in harmony with nature. Volunteers will be working in rural nursery schools where there is just 1 teacher for 30 little kids aged between 3 and 5 years old. During those two weeks, you will be helping four hours daily from Monday to Friday. You will provide care, love, and attention for these children as well as assisting the Peruvian staff at the projects.
Day 7 Saturday: Sacred Valley tour connection to Aguas Calientes
Discover the Sacred Valley of the Incas - go on a guided tour to visit the beauty of Pisaq, Ollantaytambo ruins, and small towns around followed a lunch in a traditional Inca restaurant. Then take the Train at Ollantaytambo to overnight in Aguas Calientes town to visit Machu Picchu Sanctuary the next day.
Day 8 Sunday: Machu Picchu Tour
Machu Picchu is a trip to the serenity of the soul, to the eternal fusion with the cosmos; where we feel our fragility. It is one of the greatest marvels of South America. A resting place of butterflies in the epicenter of the great circle of life.
Early in the morning, you will depart from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu sanctuary by 15 minutes bus up; the guided tour will guide you for 2 hours at the Sanctuary. Then you will be free to explore Machu Picchu with you. You will back in Cusco around midnight.
Day 9 Monday: Iquitos airport pick up, transfer to accommodation, orientation, rest and Night walk in the jungle. Accommodation is located 45 minutes away from Iquitos downtown, navigating through the Nanay river. Volunteers are hosted in a beautiful and safe Riverside community,
Day 10 Tuesday to day 12 Thursday: After breakfast you and a local guide from an ethnic group will depart to the jungle to identify the diversity of medicinal plants used in each community and to take photos to the research on internet; our aim is to preserve this native plants and research the way it is used between native and mestizo communities. After taking pictures, volunteers make interviews to locals to get more info of the uses of those plants. In the afternoons, volunteers work in the office from 03:00 to 05:00 p.m and one afternoon is to learn how to weave bracelets and necklaces with fibers and seeds.
Day 13 Friday: Amazon, Momon Nanay rivers and Ethnic groups
It's one of the most fascinating boat journeys on earth, you will love to see the real life of families doing their daily life on the shore, kids swimming, fishermen working, farmers sailing with bananas, yucca, fruits, etc. The most beautiful time is the sunset. It is absolutely amazing. You will visit one of the best-known ethnics of the Amazon jungle, the ethnics of the Boras. Also, will visit the ethnics of the Yahuas and kukamas to participate in their dances and knowing their customs and way of life.
Day 14 Saturday: Goodbye Iquitos
You can spend your last day saying goodbye to your new Friends or visiting the city of Iquitos and shopping or continues traveling around Peru. This is your last morning at your accommodation.
Important note
- Cusco is a Catholic city, so there will be local festivals during the months of May till July.
- All participants for the Summer program must send us by e-mail their passport copies and ID students card to [email protected] as soon as the booking confirmation is received.
- The visitors' entrance tickets for the Sacred Valley tour is not included in the program fee. This visitor entrance ticket you will need to buy at the Local Government office to visit museums, cultural centers, and archaeological sites.
Volunteer Work Schedule
Duration: 2 weeks
Arrival: Sunday
Project: Intercultural Projects
Working Days: Monday – Friday – 5 days a week, 4-6 hours in a day
Weekends: Travel / Sightseeing included in Cost
Living
A 2-week long summer volunteering and travel project that blends meaningful volunteer work along with exciting weekend excursions to the marvel that is Mach Picchu, Andean Mountains, and Amazonian Jungles.
Living
When you choose to volunteer in Peru, just pack your bags and arrive at the destination with a relaxed mind. Our dedicated coordinator at the location arranges airport transfers, stay, meals and also weekend tours for you. All you have to do is arrive.
Airport Transfer
Volunteers are picked up from the Iquitos Airport by the local coordinator or representative. Those volunteers who are already in Iquitos will be picked up at a meeting point decided beforehand. The only way to arrive to Iquitos is by airplane or boat. There are direct flights from Cusco to Iquitos.
The Schedule for the airport pick up in Iquitos is from 06:30 a.m until 16:00 hrs. Please consider this timetable to book your flight.
Once you arrive at the Iquitos airport look for the logo of Volunteering Solutions and approach that person. Both of you will take a bus for 30 minutes to then take a boat for 10 minutes to arrive at the volunteer residence.
Accommodation
The volunteer residence is given as an accommodation to volunteers. Volunteers are hosted in shared bedrooms with other volunteers. Usually, there are 2 bathrooms in and cold showers in the accommodation. Accommodations are clean, airy and comfortable.
The Projects are located in a quiet town 10 minutes by boat from Iquitos.
Orientation
A half day orientation will be provided by the local staff. Areas like culture, greetings, locations, transportation, safety, and volunteer placements are given during the orientation. The orientation will be given by the local staff in Peru.
Meals
Volunteers are provided with three cooked meals a day (Monday- Friday) at the Volunteer residence. Meals in the rainforest consist of beans, boiled bananas, local vegetable and fruits, natural juices according to the season, etc. Principle meals are breakfast and lunch, dinner is pretty light.
During your Free Time
Volunteers are free to visit and see places or do shopping during their free time. In the afternoons' volunteers can visit the animal rescue center “Pilpintuwasi” which is 3 minutes by tuk-tuk, visit the houses of the ethnic groups, go fishing, take a walk around the town or visit the houses of the artisans. On the weekends most of the volunteers plan a trip to Pacaya Samiria, Zoo, go to the city to hang out with friends or shopping.
Program Cost
Please Note: -An application fee of £149 is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment.
What are you Paying for?
Cusco:
- Airport, bus station or hotel pick up
- Orientation and walking city tour
- Accommodation in shared rooms in a homestay
- Childcare project
- Meals Monday to Saturday
- Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour: (Guide and touristic bus for the Sacred Valley tour, train tickets from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and return, accommodation in a hostel, one bus ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Pichu sanctuary, entrance ticket to Machu Pichu sanctuary and guiding for 2 hrs at the sanctuary)
Iquitos:
- 24/7 support from local coordinators in Iquitos
- Airport pick- up and transfer by boat to the jungle.
- Orientation and night walk in the jungle.
- Ecological projects
- Local guide for 3 days to explore the jungle to take pictures
- Weaving with a member of the kukama ethnic
- Wifi
- Meals
- Shared room in a volunteer residence (ceiling fan, hammocks, 24/7 water, dining room)
- Navigating the Amazon, Nanay, and Momon rivers
- Visit three ethnic communities (boras, Yahuas, kukamas) alongside the Nanay, Momon, and Amazon rivers)
- Boat and driver to navigate the rivers and visit the ethnic groups
- Lifejackets and first aid kit
- 24/7 support
- 100% Financial Protection
- UK Based Support
- Certificate Of Completion (Upon Request)
What's NOT included?
Cusco
- Meals on Sundays and during tours
- Accommodation on Sunday night when you back from Machu Pichu
- Bus ticket from Machu Pichu to Aguas Calientes
- General Entrance Ticket to visit the archaeological sites at the sacred valley
- Drop off to airport
Iquitos
- Professional camera, boats, lamp, rain jackets, repellent, nylon or appropriate clothes to walk in the jungle.
- Entrance tickets to visit ethnic groups and meals during the tour (lunch), materials for weaving.
- Entrance tickets and land transportation for sightseeing tower of independence community for better observation of the Amazon River and its tributaries.
- Transportation to go to the sightseeing tower of independence community
- Drop off to airport and meals on day 14
Program Dates
| Months | 2021 | 2022 |
| May | - | 011529 |
| June | - | 0519 |
| July | 0418 | 031731 |
| August | 0115 | 07 |
FAQ's
Connect with Past Volunteers
To read alumni interviews from past participants, visit the Meet a Volunteer section on our website.
Accommodation and Living
Three meals are provided in a day of which the lunch is the specialty of Peruvian families. The food is tasty, hygienic and nutritious, suited to all volunteers. The volunteers should note that the food is provided from Monday to Saturday of each week. On Sundays, volunteers can eat at nearby eateries or find out good restaurants as per choice.
Places like Barrio de San Blas, Hatton Rumiyuq, Convent and Church of La Merced and Cathedral of Peru have been declared as a World Heritage Sites by UNESCO and must be visited by volunteers during free time and weekends. Of course, we also arrange for tours to Macchu Picchu.
Volunteers are also free to plan quick getaways and explore Peru. We also arrange programs for groups in Tambopata Rainforest areas and the country coordinator can be contacted for the same.
Flights and Visa
Health and Safety
Volunteers can also look up resourceful sites like Lonely Planet to gather more information about Peru and its general atmosphere. You are also recommended to follow the safety guidelines provided by the in-country coordinator during Orientation Session.
Hepatitis A and B
Typhoid
Yellow Fever
Diarrhoea
FAQ's Application and Program Details
We encourage our participants to volunteer in a group. We take special care for providing you a placement and also customize your itinerary to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for. Also, we can design special group programs for groups of 5 or more. Our programs are designed to be safe, affordable and offer a great group volunteering experience to the volunteers.
In our experience of more than 12+ years we have enabled and facilitated volunteer program placements for college groups, university groups, high school groups, group of families, group of couples as well as groups of colleagues.
For our returning volunteers, $50 discount is provided for the application fee for their next Vol Sol program.
He/she should have the flexibility to adjust to a new environment and culture.
Volunteers should have a basic/ intermediate knowledge of Spanish Language.
For Medical Program – Pre-Medical , Medical and Nursing students as well as Medical Professionals are welcome to join. Participants with other qualifications in the medical field such as CAN, EMT can also join the program.
The participant should be in good health.
Volunteers are picked from the Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco by the in-country coordinator or representative. Accommodation is provided in a homestay or with the host family.
A short orientation is given after arrival about the city, placement, safety precautions. The volunteers are also taken for a short tour of the city before the commencement of the program. However, the tour is dependent upon the arrival time of your flight.
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