Yomps, Adventure Travel Experiences

Inca Trail and Volunteering in Peru
Full Itinerary

Learn Spanish, help a South American community, visit the spectacular Machu Picchu, see the floating islands of Uros, witness amazing wildlife, trek, ride horses, kayak across the highest lake in the world, and explore a fantastic country having the experiences of a lifetime!

Peru

Weeks 1 and 2 - Explore Colca Canyon learning Spanish, seeing condors, and living in a community to build a community centre

Peru is a country with a fascinating history and spectacular landscapes, home to the world’s first civilization, lush diverse scenery, unique architecture, and a colourful and vibrant culture. The Peruvian Andes offer some of the most beautiful landscapes in South America, combining Inca temples untouched by the Spanish Conquestadores alongside the charms of Spanish colonization.

Here we will begin our adventures with a five day trek and horse back expedition in one of the deepest canyons in the world, Colca Canyon. The name ‘Colca’ refers to the small holes that are dotted in the cliffs of the valley, and were used to store food by the Incas. Indeed, all along the canyon traces of the Incas can still be found in the colourful ancestral traditions maintained by the local people, notably visible in the step terraces cultivated on the lands. Trekking through the canyon we will take time to enjoy the hot springs, magnificent scenery, and plethora of flora and fauna. We will journey to one of the best condorias in the area where we can witness the largest birds in the world – the condors. We will be able to see these huge must-see birds in all their majestic beauty at fairly close range, as they soar gracefully on the warm pockets of air in the canyon. All along the trek our Spanish teachers will keep us informed, entertained, and provide us with a great knowledge of the Spanish language in a way that is a far cry from learning grammar in a classroom! By spending a few hours a day with us and offering any help we might need at any point, by the time our trek finishes we will have fantastic expertise to communicate with the local community at our volunteering project.

Colca Canyon will continue as our home as we live and work with local families to help build a local community centre in one of the most enchanting areas of the Andes. The surrounding villages have very little, so we will fund the project and supply the materials and manpower to build a lasting community centre. It will benefit all by being part of an ongoing, long term volunteer initiative, and will culminate for us in a huge community party to ‘christen’ the new building. Celebrating with our new friends will complete what will have been a ram packed fortnight of exploration and adventure – and that was only for starters!

Peru

Weeks 3 and 4 - Lake Titicaca expedition to visit the floating islands of Uros, and a trek through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Machu Picchu

Heading to another must see destination in South America we will journey to Lake Titicaca - the highest navigable lake in the world. Travelling in traditional fashion will see us trekking (on foot and on horse back), kayaking, and camping, on the shores of the gorgeous lake surrounded by snow capped mountains. Entering Bolivia (the ‘Tibet of the Americas’), we will visit the floating islands of Uros, which include Isla del Luna and Isla del Sol. These islands are part of 42 floating reed islands that were originally created by Uros to escape the Inca who dominated the mainland at the time. Made completely from totara reeds and anchored with ropes to the bottom of the lake, the islands really are uniquely wonderful and a fantastic place to visit. From the place the Uros tried to escape the Inca we will then head to our final destination and the place where the legacy of the Incas is found at its most spectacular and beautiful – Machu Picchu.

Heading back to Peru through the world famous and delightful Andean town Cuzco with its colonial and Inca sites will take us to explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will spend four days following in the footsteps of the ancient empire through the most impressive views in South America (if not the world). Journeying past snow capped mountains, richly forested valleys, and numerous Inca temples will take us to the breath-taking Machu Picchu ('Lost City of the Incas'). A UNESCO World Heritage site which is located at 7,970 ft on a mountain ridge at the end of the Inca trail, Machu Picchu is a wonderous and dramatic location to visit. Forgotten for centuries from the outside world, the pre-Columbian Inca site is amazingly well preserved and untouched, described by Chilean poet Pablo Naruda as ‘…a trip to the serenity of the soul, to the eternal fusion with the cosmos… a resting place of butterflies at the epicenter of the great circle of life.’ Comprised of 140 constructions, including temples, fortresses, parks, and terraced gardens with a distinct architecture found no where else in the world, Machu Picchu is the perfect place to finish our four week South American extravaganza. At a place that truly shows mans achievements, you will be able to reflect on your own achievement of completing a trip which was challenging and often hard work, but completely rewarding, awe-inspiring, and containing the adventures of a lifetime!