Helping and Traveling 3

Helping and Travelling 3 is a 24 days program where you will have the opportunity to experience the most interesting tours in Cusco and Machu Picchu and the gratitude to help other in need!

Program Description:

1st week

Day 1: SUNDAY- ARRIVAL IN CUSCO

Upon arrival to Cusco, we will be waiting at the airport and take you to your accommodation and you will have a small briefing about your itinerary in Cusco including important information about the security, time, money, and also some recommendations for places to go. After this you can accommodate and meet your family.

Night at host family in Cusco.

Day 2: MONDAY – BEGINNING OF VOLUNTEERING

Today is the first day of volunteer work, which we will meet in our office at 9am  for guidance on placement and any important extra information. Then we take you to your volunteer work, where we present your volunteer coordinator. You can start working that day.

Afternoon: Cusco City tour

In the afternoon around 13:00, we will meet at our office and take you to meet your group to start your visit to the city. This tour lasts 4-5 hours visit some important places of the city like the amazing Cathedral, the Temple of the Sun, the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the thermal baths of Tambomachay, and other Inca ruins are just a few minutes outside the city. The tour will end around 18:00h at Plaza Regocijo (2 blocks from Cusco’ main square).

Night at our host family in Cusco.

Day 3-6: TUESDAY TO FRIDAY – VOLUNTEER WORK

Volunteer work in their chosen project for about 4 hours a day. Depending on your chosen project it might be in the afternoon or in the morning.

You will have the other half of your time to go on excursions and explore Cusco and its surroundings or take Spanish classes which can be arranged at our office.

Night at host family in Cusco.

Day 7: SATURDAY – SACRED VALLEY TOUR TO AGUAS CALIENTES

Pick up from your hotel at 7:30 in the morning to start our tour to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. You will visit the colorful market and the impressive ruins of Pisac, then we will continue to Urubamba, where you will enjoy a buffet lunch (included). After lunch we will continue to the fortress of Ollantaytambo to observe and walk among the architecture that has been impeccably preserved.

In the afternoon we will take our train to the city of Aguas Calientes. Upon arrival, reception at the train station and transfer to the hotel.

Night hostal in Aguas Calientes.

Day 8: SUNDAY – MACHU PICCHU TO CUSCO

In the morning after breakfast, we will meet our expert guide. Together you will take the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu that lasts 25 minutes.

Upon arriving in Machu Picchu, you will enter the site (do not forget to have your passport stamped!) And your guide will give you a tour of the citadel for 2 hours. After your guided tour, there will be free time to explore.

After exploring Machu Picchu, you will go down by bus to Aguas Calientes. Then you can enjoy the restaurants, explore the town, or relax in the thermal baths.

In the afternoon, we will return to Cusco by train, four hours after leaving, you will arrive in Cusco.

Night at host family in Cusco.

2nd Week

Day 9 – 13: MONDAY TO FRIDAY – VOLUNTEER WORK

Volunteer work in their chosen project for about 4 hours a day. Depending on your chosen project it might be in the afternoon or in the morning.

You will have the other half of your time to go on excursions and explore Cusco and its surroundings or take Spanish classes which can be arranged at our office.

Night at host family in Cusco.

Day 13: FRIDAY – EVENING BUS CUSCO TO AREQUIPA

In the evening , you will take your bus from Cusco to Arequipa. The journey will take about 10hours and you will be arriving in Arequipa around 6am.

Day 14: SATURDAY – AREQUIPA

Saturday morning upon arrival in Arequipa you will be transported to your hotel and will have the morning free to rest or start exploring the city.

Afternoon: Arequipa City tour

In the afternoon at 1:00pm you will go on the Arequipa City Tour. This tour lasts about 5 hours and you will visit the most popular neighborhoods and churches in the city. You will be back in your hotel around 6:00pm and will have the evening free to enjoy a nice dinner.

Night at Hotel

Day 15: SUNDAY – COLCA CANYON – RETURN TO CUSCO

In the morning, around 2am we will pick you up from your hotel for the Colca Canyon bus tour which lasts about 10 hours. You will visit different towns along the way and you will be able to take pictures of the condor (the largest flying bird in world).
You will be back in Arequipa around 5:00pm and then will take the bus back to Cusco and arrive early Monday morning.

3rd Week

Day 16 – 20: MONDAY TO FRIDAY – VOLUNTEER WORK

Volunteer work in their chosen project for about 4 hours a day. Depending on your chosen project it might be in the afternoon or in the morning.

You will have the other half of your time to go on excursions and explore Cusco and its surroundings or take Spanish classes which can be arranged at our office.

Night at host family in Cusco.

Day 20: FRIDAY – EVENING BUS CUSCO TO PUNO

In the evening , you will take your bus from Cusco to Puno. The journey will take about 7hours and you will be arriving in Puno around 6am.

Day 21: SATURDAY – LAKE TITICACA TOUR DAY 1

Upon arrival in Puno, pickup from the bus station. Your tour to the Lake Titicaca will start at 7:00am. After boarding the boat, you will be taken to the floating island of Uros and then to Amantani Island, where you will stay with a local family for the night. Here you will be able to attend a local party where you can dress up in traditional clothing and spend time getting to know your host family, the locals and the friendly island culture.

Night in host family

Day 22: SUNDAY – LAKE TITICACA DAY 2 – RETURN TO CUSCO

In the morning you will continue with your journey and sail to beautiful Taquile Island where you will visit for 3 hours and enjoy the beautiful scenery and where you will also eat a traditional lunch.
After walking around the island for a few hours you will return to the boat that will take you back to Puno where you will have some free hours to explore the city and have dinner. At 10:00 pm you will take your bus back to Cusco.You will arrive in Cusco on Monday early morning.

4th Week

Day 23: MONDAY – ARRIVAL IN CUSCO

Arrival in Cusco, and rest of the day off to explore Cusco and buy last souvenirs!

Night at host family in Cusco.

Day 24: TUESDAY – LAST DAY!

Departure day! Checked out is at 10am.

** Options of projects in Cusco:

• -Kindergarten
• -Sport Education
• -Animal care
• -Children with disabilities

• Volunteer placement in your preferred project
• Volunteer project management and administration for your selected program length
• Program and Safety orientation
• Volunteer Certificate
• Airport pick up upon arrival
• Pre-departure support
• Transport to volunteer project the first day
• Volunteer Project for 3 weeks in Cusco (Mon-Fri)
• Accommodations in host family in Cusco for 17 nights
• Accommodation in hostal in Aguas Calientes for 1 night
• Accommodation in Arequipa for 1 night
• Accommodation in Amantani Island for 1 night
• Cusco City Tour
• Sacred Valley Tour
• Machu Picchu Tour (2 days / 1 night)
•  Arequipa & Colca Canyon Tour (2 days / 3 nights)
• Arequipa City Tour
• Colca Canyon full day tour
• Night buses Cusco-Arequipa-Cusco
• Lake Titicaca Tour (2 days / 3 nights)
• Visit to the Island of Uros, Amantani and Taquile
• Night buses Cusco–Puno-Cusco
• Mobility for all the mentioned tours.
• Guided in Spanish or English language
• Entrance fees to the ruins of Cusco (Sacsahuaman, Qenqo, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay)
• Entrance fees to the ruins of the Sacred Valley (Pisac and Ollantaytambo)
• Entrances to Arequipa City tour
• Entrances to Colca Canyon
• Entrances to Machu Picchu
• Bus ticket: Aguas Calientes-Machu Picchu-Aguas Calientes.
• Round trip train tickets in touristic service.
• 24/7 support from our staff in Peru

*Volunteers from this program may apply for a program extension if they wish to stay longer.

Accommodation

Volunteers will stay in a homestay where they will live with a local family. Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other. We highly recommend staying with a family; that way you will also learn the Peruvian way of life, meet local people, eat typical food, speak the language (Spanish) and engage in local customs and traditions.

Volunteers will be sharing bathroom and common areas with other volunteers and members of the family.

Accommodation is from Sunday to Monday, check out at 10:00am

**Volunteers arriving before or staying after the schedule dates on the itinerary, will be charged US$25.00 per extra night at accommodation.

Food & Beverages

2 meals are included (breakfast and dinner). Volunteers can expect to experience a variety of flavors and meals during their experience as Peruvian food is diverse. We will be glad to let the family know if you have special eating needs. Please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you.

Arrival in Cusco!

Once you arrive in Cusco, please pick up your bags and then step out of the airport. Our PEVolunteer representative will be waiting for you there with a sign that has your name written on it.

The first day of volunteer’s program (normally Sunday) is upon arrival in Cusco, Volunteer will be pickup from the airport and then transfer to our host family. Here volunteers will have the day to rest and acclimatize.

First day! Your Introduction

Volunteers orientation will begin on Monday at around 9:00 am at our office in Cusco and will be conducted by our staff. It will cover everything you need to know for your volunteer placement in the city including an introduction to Peru, Peruvian customs, Spanish Classes, rules and expectations, safety, travel opportunities in Peru, and an introduction to your project and placement.

The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing.

Once our orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their projects usually by public bus, with some exception of some walking distance projects. Upon arrival, Volunteer will be introduced to projects Directors and can start working at the same day.

While our programs are flexible and can be fit to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows:

Monday to Friday:

7:30 AM – Breakfast with host family
8:00 AM – Volunteer leaves to the project
8:30 AM – Arrival at the project, beginning of Volunteering
1:00 PM – End of project
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM  Lunch (free time)
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Free time
7-7:30PM – Dinner with the host family

**The volunteers on afternoons are free to visit and explore the city, or can chose to take Spanish classes which can be arrange at our office.

– The minimum age for volunteers is 18 years old unless traveling with family members over 18 or their school.

– No previous volunteer experience or other qualifications are necessary as all skills are useful in our projects.

– We do require volunteers to be aware that they will encounter cultural differences in Peru, which they must be prepared to respect.

– Our volunteers must be willing to engage in their project and be open-minded towards the dissimilarities they may encounter.

– Step one, fill out our application by clicking “Apply Now”. Make sure to add info@pevolunteer.org to your email safe list to ensure receipt of our response.

– A no-refundable, no-transferable payment of US$250.00 must be paid at time of booking.

– After reserving your place please book your flight and send us your flight information so we can schedule your airport pick-up. Also, visit your doctor for any vaccinations you may require and do not hesitate to ask us any questions that you may have.

– Upon receipt of your details you will be sent our in-depth pre-departure brochure full of indispensable tips regarding preparation and packing, your destination and its customs, your accommodations, travel requirements and suggestion.

– The remaining total is due 10 days before the start of your program.

– Join us Helping and Traveling in Peru!