Hiram Bingham
100 years ago, Hiram Bingham rediscovered the lost Inca City of Machu Picchu and almost instantaneously he and National Geographic magazine moved this Wonder of the New World into top spot on everyone’s “must do” travel list.
How would you like to make discoveries of your own in Peru? Projects Abroad sponsors the Inca Project, where volunteers work on archaeology projects mapping Inca ruins, or live with a Peruvian family while they work on Community Development Projects.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty excitingl to me!
Projects Abroad, one of the more respected of the organizers of volunteer programs, started offering English teaching in Eastern Europe for College Students taking a Gap Year to travel and volunteer. They have expanded to 26 countries around the world, and the people who go on their volunteer trips now range from 16 to 75–definitely not all college students. And their projects range over such a wide spectrum that you are sure to find something that interests you.
Not only will volunteers be doing good in Peru as they celebrate the 100th (re) birthday of Machu Picchu (See our review of Turn Right at Machu Picchu, a book about the rediscovery), but they leave free time on weekends to explore Inca sites in the region as well.
People in Peru, Photo courtesy of Projects Abroad
As for the details, you can learn much more at their website, but here’s their description of the location of the Peruvian projects:
Inca Projects volunteers are based in Huyro in the La Convencion province. Huyro is about a three hour journey from our main office in the Sacred Valley and has an internet cafe and many small shops. The work that volunteers are involved in consists of three main areas; archaeology, community work and expeditions. Volunteers live in a community house close to the centre of Huyro with a family of Projects Abroad staff that will cook and look after you. Volunteers are very much part of the Huyro community.
For the more adventurous type, here’s another option:
If you want to work in the rainforest, our Conservation & Environment project is an hour’s flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado, followed by a two-hour boat trip up the Madre de Dios River – it’s a jungle adventure just to get there!
Your cost ranges from $2445 for two weeks to $4745 for three months, with add-on months possible. That covers all food, housing, transport from and to airport, insurance and training. You will pay your own plane fare.
I think gap year volunteering abroad and volunteer vacations are a wonderful idea. And what could be more exciting than helping archaeologists in Peru this year?
Courtesy of Projects Abroad Inca Project
Have you done a volunteer project, either as a gap year or a volunteer vacation? Would you like to do one in the future? What kind and where would you choose?
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About the Author:
A freelance writer who loves to travel. When she is not traveling she is reading about travel. When she is not reading or traveling, she is sharing with the readers of A Traveler's Library, recreating her family's past at Ancestors In Aprons. She writes frequently for Reel Life With Jane and other websites. Also co-author of a biography, Quincy Tahoma, The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist. Contact Vera Marie by e-mail.
Vera Marie Badertscher – who has written 684 posts on A Traveler's Library.
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Tags: BlogSherpa, Gap Year, Inca Project, Machu Picchu, Peru, Projects Abroad, volunteer vacation
I love the idea of voluntouring and hope to do it when I have the freedom to take longer trips. How wonderful to think you can do it in a place as magical as Peru! Thanks for the information.
Melanie Haiken would like you to read..5 Foods to Help You Sleep
Very interesting post! My brother is getting married to a Peruvian Citizen and we are planing our trip to attend the wedding in Lima. This article is great for us to know a little history of Peru and the Inca project.
Sailor would like you to read..Celebrity Silhouette and European Cruise
And, Sailor, did you notice that the author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu is married to a Peruvian? Enjoy your trip!