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147 Gap Year Programs in South America
CIEE High School Grads Abroad
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Your First Year Abroad program in Buenos Aires lasts 12 weeks and is designed for students from all academic backgrounds. You will enroll in a combination of CIEE courses and courses taught online through CIEE’s global academic partner, Arizona State University (ASU). Enhance your experience with co
See All 2 ProgramsInternational Volunteer HQ [IVHQ]
9.56
816
At International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ), we unite people from over 96 countries who want to make a meaningful difference while exploring the world. With 300+ projects in 40+ destinations, IVHQ offers the widest selection of volunteer programs globally from Teaching and Childcare to Wildlife Conservatio
See All 26 ProgramsThe Intern Group
9.49
61
Experience Medellin, Colombia’s most innovative city, through an international internship designed to advance your career. This program combines hands-on professional experience, global networking, and cultural immersion, giving students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals the skills a
See All 3 ProgramsGoEco - Top Volunteer Organization
9.63
41
GoEco is one of the world’s top volunteer organizations, with award-winning and ethical programs selected by sustainable travel experts. Since 2006, tens of thousands of volunteers have taken part in projects and internships worldwide, focusing on wildlife and marine conservation, education, and med
See All 17 ProgramsMAXIMO NIVEL
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In three of the world's most beautiful countries—Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Peru—Maximo Nivel offers its unique Native Spanish Program. Join our "Country Jumper" program and begin your GAP Year in one of our countries and then jump to another and another. Experience different aspects of each countr
See All 3 ProgramsSemester at Sea
9.62
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Unlike traditional study abroad or tourism experiences, Semester at Sea offers a unique opportunity for deep, authentic engagement with countries and cultures around the globe. It's more than just the adventure of a lifetime. It's a transformative experience that will give you a global perspective t
See All 2 ProgramsSeamester Study Abroad at Sea
9.76
51
Seamester is the educational adventure of a lifetime! For more than 40 years, we have offered unparalleled educational voyages where students spend a semester at sea sailing between islands, countries, and even continents. We design our programs to provide engaging learning experiences with real out
See All 3 ProgramsGapforce
9.22
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Visit two of South America’s most iconic countries—Peru and Ecuador—and discover the lost lands of the Incas! Start your adventure in South America with intensive Spanish lessons, then step up the adventure with an epic trek across the Andes to Machu Picchu on the remote Salkantay route—over icy m
Pacific Discovery
9.52
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Discover the soul of South America on a 10-week journey through Peru and Ecuador that blends adventure, purpose, and connection. Hike through the Andes, explore the Amazon, and immerse yourself in rich Indigenous cultures and living traditions. This program goes beyond travel; you’ll engage in hands
Mente Argentina
9.94
17
The Mente Argentina Ultra Intensive Spanish Program is designed for participants to learn Spanish quickly while experiencing the enigmatic city of Buenos Aires. Spanish classes are taught in an innovative and creative way by integrating class coursework with cultural activities and excursions. Any
See All 3 ProgramsIntercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI)
9.79
70
Volunteer at the Galápagos National Park and get the chance to assist at the tortoise breeding center. You will be a member of the research and zookeeping staff. Take responsibility for taking care of and measuring the shells of tortoises for their growth charts, as well as informing tourists of rul
See All 4 ProgramsHigh Mountain Institute
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Traveling through Patagonia, Colorado, and Utah, you'll develop your backpacking or rock climbing skills, leadership style, and personal environmental ethic. You'll investigate critical local issues and volunteer as an environmental steward. Living with a small group of peers and instructors, you'll
Where There Be Dragons
9.67
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The Central Andes is a region full of superlatives, existing at extremes. From sparkling glaciers to lush tropical forests, this Gap Year program takes you through a dizzying tapestry of landscapes and cultures, exploring the links between land and people, past and present. The ancient Land of the I
Linguistic Horizons
9.64
28
Intern abroad with Linguistic Horizons in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru! We are located at the foot of the Andes mountains between Cusco and Machu Picchu! This program is ideal for those who want to go off the beaten path to have a truly immersive experience. You'll improve your Spanish, exp
See All 3 ProgramsVolunteer World
8.76
17
Looking to apply your talent and expertise to a good cause? Find a program that matches your interests and skills through Volunteer World! We are the largest volunteer abroad comparison platform around the globe, enabling you to seek and compare offers from major travel agencies as well as smaller g
See All 10 ProgramsEl Terreno
9.63
16
Join this hands-on internship and help low-income Indigenous communities revive ancestral building techniques to create sustainable housing for all. THE CHALLENGE Before the construction of industrialization, Andean communities built with rich clay soils. Globalization shifted practices to single-s
See All 12 ProgramsGreenheart Travel
6.25
4
Greenheart Travel's high school abroad program in Argentina offers you a great opportunity to spend your summer, trimester, semester, or academic year as an exchange student while living with a local Argentinian host family. It promises full cultural immersion, allowing you to practice your Spanish
Intern Abroad HQ
9.18
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Are you a student or young professional looking to enhance your career prospects through international work experience and hands-on learning? At Intern Abroad HQ, we help students and young professionals turn career aspirations into reality. We organize affordable internships in 20 destinations ac
See All 5 ProgramsGapGuru
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Discover Peru: Make an Impact in the Sacred Valley Immerse yourself in life in Urubamba, Peru, and make a real difference through a meaningful community-based internship. Working alongside the FutureSense Foundation, you’ll support local education initiatives and contribute to long-term, sustainabl
Avalon Farm
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Explore. Learn. Lead. Join Avalon Farm’s Young Leaders in Pursuit of Happiness (YLPH), a gap year program based in the picturesque Mantiqueira Mountain Ridge in Carmo de Minas—a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. Step into a transformative experience that blends cultural immersion, leaders
A Guide to Gap Year in South America
Best Countries
The most ambitious gapper may hit all twelve South American countries! But if you don’t have time, we’ve picked two that should top your list.
Peru. South America gap years in Peru are filled with nature. Take a hike in the green and lush Amazon jungle or scramble around the rocky landscape that surrounds Lake Titicaca. But the height of the gap year in South America (11,000 feet!!) is the city of Cusco. Once a great Inca empire, Cusco is known today for its handicraft markets and hilly colonial cobblestone streets—and, of course, the nearby Machu Picchu. This lost city of the Incas is truly an icon of pre-Columbian civilization and not to be missed on gap year programs in South America!
Argentina. In Argentina, some gappers work on conservation projects in the rugged Patagonia desert. Others settle in Buenos Aires to live in the “Paris of South America,” a city known for art and fashion. The Portenos, as Buenos Aires residents are called, consider nightlife a true lifestyle. If you get thirsty from all that dancing, visit the must-see landmark, Iguazu Falls—the earth’s largest waterfall system.
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Luisa Rulfo
Baret Scholars
What inspired me to go abroad was a mix of restlessness and curiosity—a need to understand the world beyond my small orbit. I always sensed that life ...

Alisa Regassa
Tidelines Institute
I knew that Alaska was a place I'd wanted to visit—and visit meaningfully. I saw this opportunity, and it seemed like it was the perfect time and plac...
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