Peru: Sacred Valley Service and Education
High School Service Trip To Peru
Life changing service opportunities and Spanish immersion in the Sacred Valley of Peru!
Your community service trip of a lifetime will take you beyond the tourist track and into the communities of the Sacred Valley. It is here that education and community-based service projects, fascinating indigenous marketplaces, and exciting adventure activities will populate your journey. Highlighted by a breathtaking excursion to Machu Picchu, this adventure is not one to miss.
Itinerary
The group flies together into Lima, transfers to Cusco, and takes a bus into the Sacred Valley town of Urubamba. We settle into our B&B for introductory activities, including a team scavenger hunt, that gets the group speaking Spanish and working together. We take an excursion to a nearby alpaca farm, work our bargaining skills at a bustling artisan market, and prepare for our upcoming homestay through language lessons and role-playing.
Next, we immerse ourselves in Peruvian culture as we begin our homestay. While living with families, we gather daily to work on community service projects. Working alongside our host community and local schools, we delve into projects they deem necessary. Previous projects have included constructing playgrounds, producing adobe bricks for a student dormitory, painting a school classroom, and working with local youth on educational activities. We spend our afternoons exploring the region and visiting such cultural landmarks as the unusual Inca ruins of Moray.
Please see The Homestay Experience for more information on how we select our homestay communities and families!
While still in our homestays, we spend a few days visiting a local indigenous community to complete service projects while learning about a unique way of life. We enjoy hiking, playing soccer, learning local arts and crafts, and engaging in unique cultural activities with new local friends.
We hop on a train from Ollantaytambo to the small, scenic town of Aguas Calientes. Accompanied by a local guide, we rise early to behold the majestic lost city of the Incas. Nestled high in the mysterious Andes, Machu Picchu is a phenomenal and dramatic way to highlight this adventure of a lifetime in Peru!
We spend our final days in Peru souvenir shopping and exploring important cultural highlights in Cusco. We share a final group dinner in the Plaza de Armas, overlooking the beauty of Cusco at night. We all fly back to Lima.
When flights become available, please contact us for the latest airfare pricing or visit our Flight & Travel Arrangements page for more information about travel days.
Please note that this itinerary is subject to change. The internal Lima-Cusco round-trip group flight is an additional cost.
SAVE A SPACE FOR 1 Week!
Tech Free Programs:
Global Works does not allow phones/internet-capable devices on our summer programs. We believe this enhances group cohesion and allows students to be fully present to their experience.
Service Projects
Education
Construct dorms and classrooms to improve access to education for young women from low-income families in remote communities
Community Development
Build a market space in an indigenous community to increase community funds and access to goods
Environment
Plant organic gardens and participate in reforestation efforts
Children
Provide support at an underfunded school for children with disabilities
Adventure & Cultural Activities
Barter for artisan goods in indigenous markets in Pisac and Cusco
Visit the majestic Inca city of Machu Picchu
Spend a day with families in a traditional indigenous Quechua village
Explore Peruvian cultural centers
Gallery
Accommodations
URUBAMBA
Our lodge near Urubamba is a retreat center set on sprawling grounds with a lush mountain garden. Rooms are comfortable and include beds for two to six students and bathrooms with hot water. Meals are served on premises.
CALCA HOMESTAYS
Global Works has longstanding relationships with the communities where we place students and complete our service projects. Students will stay 2-3 in a home with a private room that is shared between participants. All homes have bathrooms complete with a flush toilet and a shower. Meals are prepared by the homestay families and families are trained in proper food preparation and food handling.
AGUAS CALIENTES
Nestled at the base of Machu Picchu is the bustling town of Aguas Calientes. We take a train into town and settle into our hotel for the night. Accommodations here feature clean and comfortable bedrooms in an idyllic location.
CUSCO
This former Inca capital is a tourist mecca and lodging options abound. Our choice of lodging is in a quiet, quaint hotel set back from the busy streets. It not only offers comfy rooms and ample group space, but its proceeds support a nearby orphanage which will inspire us during our stay and provide opportunities for cultural exchange.
