High School Outdoor Education Programs in South America

Everything went extremely smoothly on my son's program in Peru with his teacher and classmates from York Prep. The greatest benefits were exposure to a new culture, camaraderie with classmates, teachers and host family. The pre-departure documents provided were excellent as well. Thank you Arcos!

This program is a great opportunity! A key benefit was staying in a foreign country and having to speak a different language. While getting sick was a challenge, I would advise future students to be mindful of what they eat and drink. I wholeheartedly recommend this program.

Arcos provided a wonderful study abroad experience! The directors were great. The overall benefits, like seeing Machu Picchu and meeting my host mom, were highlights. I wholeheartedly recommend Arcos. Be genuinely interested in the country's history and be adventurous!

I highly recommend this program for the opportunity to experience new cultures. A constructive tip is to spend more time exploring the city of Lima. Just be mindful of your food choices. This program truly has a lot to offer to see sights like Machu Picchu.

I highly recommend going to Peru with Arcos! My homestay experience was wonderful, and I absolutely loved my host mom. The activities were divese and engaging and gave a lot of insight into Peruvian culture. Overall, it was a truly beneficial experience.

TFT gave me such an incredible opportunity to experience personal growth, meet inspiring people, challenge my comfort zone, and form long lasting bonds with families and students that live across the globe from me. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I went on the Peru, Ecuador, and Galapagos service trip that I can honestly say changed my life. From working with local preschoolers, living with host families, and picking up trash from sustainable farms to exploring Machu Picchu and swimming off the shores of beautiful white sand beaches in the Galapagos, I had an unforgettable experience. All the people I had met, both in my travel group and locals, have become dear friends and people I will forever share a special bond with. TFT is one of the most amazing programs I have ever been a part of, and I am sure you will discover the same.

This summer was my favorite summer yet. I had the chance to spend a week on the Galapagos Islands and two more weeks in the numerous amazing places in Ecuador. I was able to snorkel with sea lions and sea turtles, learn about Charles Darwin's research, and help out the local community to maintain the island's sustainable practices. The Galapagos were incredible, but I could not wait to go to the Amazon! Not many people can say that they hiked through the Amazon to get to a lodge and shortly after, go piranha fishing, and top off the night with a night-walk to spot giant tarantulas. The adventure did not end there. We hiked up Cotopaxi, one of the tallest volcanos in Ecuador. The views were unbelievable! We finished off the trip but relaxing in natural hot springs, standing in the middle of the world (on the equator), and going on the best ziplining course I've ever seen. This was a truly unforgettable trip, and I have found another country to add to my list of places to re-visit!

The Galapagos easily one of the biggest and most important things I've ever done. It was beautiful and I loved everything we did and saw. We saw the most friendly and amazing wildlife in the world, and saw beautiful mountains, deserts and the ocean. The group was super friendly and helpful and taught us all about the islands. I wish I could go back because I've never been somewhere more amazing.

This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to spend a month in Urubamba Peru. This month not only let me learn the skills to help those around me, but it also shaped me into the person who I am today. The Visions program could not of been better planned and I could not recommend it more for anyone looking to go outside their comfort zone while making an impact on another community.

Visions Service Adventures is truly a once in a lifetime experience. I was able to make new friends, be culturally immersed and learn new things- all while doing community service! My trip was indescribable, to say the least. I have never experienced something so incredible before. Coming back to America, i now feel so much more aware about what is happening in the world around me. I am forever grateful to Visions for giving me such an unforgettable journey.

Over the summer, I spent 4 weeks in Urubamba, Peru to help build canals and construct a dining hall for a local elementary school. We overall had I think around 12-13 work days where we would choose to either go to the canals or the school. We would work from 9 to around 1:30 with a thirty minute lunch break. At the worksites, we would be directly involved with Urubamba's loving and appreciative community and they would be right by us helping and guiding us. Although they were much more skilled at the work, they were very appreciative and they showed it on their faces. After the long work days, we would come back to the house and debrief by showering or doing "talleres" or workshops. These workshops were either carpentry, jewelry making, pottery, or bee keeping. These workshops were one of a kind, and nothing like what you would expect in the US. In Peru, we also got to visit salt mines and ancient Incan ruins. These ruins have been in Peru since the Incas were there and the pictures you can take are breath taking. On special occasions, we would also have salsa classes where we would learn how to salsa with each other; it was special in they us participants also got to show our instructor some of our dance moves as well! The true highlight of the excursion, however, was going to Machu Picchu. Our process of going there was incredible. We spent one day going to Aguas Calientes-- the town where Machu Picchu is located. There, we went to local hot springs that had temperatures in the high 90s. The morning of the hike we woke up at around 4-4:30 AM to begin the hike. The rationality behind this is that as we hike, you can actually see the sun rise over a mountain in the distance-- the pictures were incredible. Machu Picchu itself was more incredible; the rock formation, the "temples", the alpacas. It's insane. At Machu Picchu, there are also optional hikes to where you can see Machu Picchu from a distance and see either above it or from a side view where you can see the hike up. One thing I haven't brought up, however, is "ayllu". Ayllu occurs every other day at night after dinner. During ayllu, we got to express our feelings about he last 2 days and say anything that's on our mind. Normally, heavy topics got brought up. And while this may sound bad, it was actually a good thing because it allowed for us participants to move on from our conflicts and overall live more harmoniously and peacefully. My experience in Peru was life chznging and has allowed myself to live more care free and aware.

I grew a lot on this trip. I not only learned about the real world, but I learned a lot about myself. I found a new passion for helping others that I did not know I had. Additionally I made a lot of friends, and stepped outside of my comfort zone. I enjoyed the structure and the energy of the trip. I enjoyed how everything was taken care of, and all we had to do was show up. My time in Peru was stress free and very meaningful.

Hi I’m Gaby with Mente Argentina. I did the high school program. This is my homestay. It was really nice and clean and I love it. I stayed with a woman, and she was really friendly and inviting. My Spanish improved a lot. She was very talkative. I loved it here and I will miss it.

Two of our children have been on this trip (one 3 years ago and one summer of 2017) and both loved it! They are very different individuals and the fact that both of them came home so excited is a huge endorsement to the trip leaders and experiences they gained! Kudos to Global Works!

My 14 year old son had an amazing time on this trip. This is his 2nd year with the AARC program and I recommend it highly. It was not the easiest thing for me to send him off to a foreign country but the AARC staff and counselors did a wonderful job maintaining communication throughout. He was enriched by the experience. He will be back next year for sure!

My daughter spent two weeks in Peru on Rustic Pathways. The pre-trip preparation with RP was amazing - hands down the most sophisticated and thoughtful online application process I have ever encountered. The information given was thorough and practical. My daughter was well prepared. They also provided pre-trip suggestions for her to interview people in her local community about issues related to her program. Once in country, I was never worried about her. RP kept me informed as needed and upon her return, the experience is her own - sharing pictures and anecdotes, but internalizing her experience and planning her next adventure with service and purpose. She loved this critical issues program - the emphasis on learning and helping was a grounding part of her experience. She loved being more than a tourist and Rustic Pathways certainly made this possible in a professional and exciting way.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewSeptember 12, 2017

Hi Mary! Thanks for sharing your experience and helping our global community to continue to grow. Be sure to check out our alumni opportunities (https://rusticpathways.com/alumni-association/), and do not hesitate to reach out to me at alumni@rusticpathways with any additional comments or questions! Hope to see you on a program in 2018. Best, Rachel Levin | RP Alumni Association Director

Overall a really memorable adventure during which I made great new friends and experienced Peru in a way not many other people have. Rustic Pathways enabled me to interact with the people of Peru in a way that no tourism company can provide because the Sacred Valley Service program is so much more than tourism.

Ive made some lasting relationships, going to the Galapagos was a dream, snorkeling with the wildlife there was a bucket list activity. This trip has some of the best cultural immersion experiences combined with nature. Highly recommended!!