Description

Not sure what to do with your summer? don't fancy taking a full Gap Year? Well, what about an unforgettable six week adventure? No other country can lay claim to over 3000 annual festivals. Few areas on our planet boast as rich a biodiversity. A cultural melting pot, its people simply can't be summarised in any travel guide. Peru is a country you must experience if you want to comprehend exactly what makes it such a colourful yet profound part of the world. We can't hope to convey the full depth of the experience here, but we can tell you that this venture absolutely makes the most of the mind-boggling variety and unparalleled potential for serious adventure that the whole region offers.

Cultural Orientation & language School (Weeks 1-2)
After flying from Lima to historic Cusco, you'll stay with a Peruvian family, drinking in the culture, food, art and of course the Spanish language. Your language school classes take place in small intimate groups during the mornings only, leaving your afternoons and evenings free to explore. Because the school also teaches English to local children, they are able to show you around their hometown, allowing them to improve their English and you to improve your Spanish. Your weekends will include white-water rafting in the stunning Sacred Valley, mountain biking through the high Andes or relaxing in natural hot springs.

Volunteer Project (Weeks 3-4)
This venture gives you the opportunity to be part of a community development project in the high Andes. Join the Quechua people in their ongoing fight to conserve the rare indigenous polylepis tree. Get involved with a reforestation scheme or help to build a community centre for the village. You'll be working directly with local people on small-scale, practical-outcome projects that give you the chance to put your new Spanish skills into practice as you make a measurable difference to the community you've learned from.

Adventure & Exploration (Weeks 5-6)
Time for a 9 day trek to Machu Picchu. Keep an eye out for elusive pumas, as well as darting humming birds, delicate wild orchids and the spectacled Andean bear. Other areas in this region have become popular with hordes of trekkers, so we're careful to take a different route to the "lost city" of the Incas. One of the most magical moments of the venture is saved for last, as your group watch the sun come up over the ancient citadel. Finally, we return to Cusco for the homeward flight to Lima.

Highlights

- The lost city of Machu Pichu
- Cusco
- Spanish language school
- Conserving the Polylepis tree
- White-water rafting
- Hot springs
- Helping street children
- Live with a local family
- Mountain Biking
- Lima
- Andes Mountains

Travel Types

• Off Road / 4X4 Driving
• Camping
• Canoeing
• Cycling (Mountain)
• Hiking
• Homestay
• Native Culture Studies
• Overland Tours
• Rafting
• RainForest Tours
• Trekking
• Volunteering
• Language Immersion

Cost in US$:

USD3,500 for 6 weeks

Program Fees Include:

All food, accommodation, language tuition, cultural orientation, expedition activities and transport throughout the Venture, Inca Trail permits, guide and porters.

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of maximum of 16

Application Process Involves

• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

7 days

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

VentureCo Worldwide's Mission Statement

To travel to adventurous destinations is a privilege: the opportunity to work closely with indigenous communities is a revelation: the experiences you earn and memories you return with will become part of who you are. In 1999, a group of people came together to found a travel company for all those who believe that travelling is about more than simply flying to a foreign country. VentureCo was created out of a need to get under the skin of the cultures we encounter, for those who seek to genuinely understand our world and the part we play in it thorough a spirit of adventure, exploration and cooperation. VentureCo was set up by current directors Mark Davison and David Gordon. A chance conversation between Dave and Mark in a back street ceviche bar in Quito, Ecuador in 1998 gave rise to the idea of combining our experience and creating VentureCo.

Year Founded

1999