Overview
Be a part of the Summer Volunteer Program in Peru with Volunteering Solutions and make your Summer Break worth cherishing! Engage in some meaningful volunteer work to make a difference in the lives of the people and head out for weekend excursions with your fellow volunteers to Machu Picchu in Cusco, navigate the Titicaca Lake in Puno and visit the beautiful countryside of Arequipa.
This program is particularly convenient for volunteers who do not have enough time to commit and are looking for 2 weeks volunteering opportunity that would comprise the best which Peru has in store! This program is perfect for college and university students, as well as solo travellers, backpackers, and families who are keen to experience something different.
Still, you have a query? Enquire now
Program Requirements
Volunteers must be 17 years or older at the time of joining the project. Participants should have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. Volunteers need to be flexible, open-minded and have a passion for working with children. You should also be proactive and have the ability to take initiative All volunteers must provide a clean criminal background check report prior to joining the program. A parental consent form shall be required for Under 18 participants joining the program. A beginner-intermediate level of Spanish would be an added advantage for the participants in the program.
Itinerary
Day 1,Sunday: Cusco airport pick up and transfers to volunteer residence or host families to unpack, orientation and walking city tour.
Day 2, Monday to Day 5, Thursday: Intercultural projects in Cusco
Our Social projects seek to contribute to the development of the poorest families in our population, principally in poor rural areas and marginalized urban areas for them to attain integral human development, which translates into better living conditions in harmony with nature. Volunteers will be working in rural nursery schools where there is just 1 teacher for 30 little kids aged between 3 and 5 years old. During those two weeks, you will be helping four hours daily from Monday to Friday. You will provide care, love, and attention for these children as well as assisting the Peruvian staff at the projects.
Day 6, Friday: Sacred Valley tour connection to Aguas Calientes
Discover the Sacred Valley of the Incas - go on a guided tour to visit the beauty of Pisaq, Ollantaytambo ruins, and small towns around followed a lunch in a traditional Inca restaurant. Then take the Train at Ollantaytambo to overnight in Aguas Calientes town to visit Machu Picchu Sanctuary the next day.
Day 7,Saturday: Machu Picchu Tour
Machu Picchu is a trip to the serenity of the soul, to the eternal fusion with the cosmos; where we feel our fragility. It is one of the greatest marvels of South America. A resting place of butterflies in the epicentre of the great circle of life.
Early in the morning, you will depart from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu sanctuary by 15 minutes bus up; the guided tour will guide you for 2 hours at the Sanctuary. Then you will be free to explore Machu Picchu with you. You will back in Cusco around midnight.
Day 8, Sunday: Arequipa bus station pick up, transfer to accommodation, unpack, breakfast, and enjoy the countryside tour in the morning.
Day 9 Monday to day 11 Wednesday: After breakfast your local coordinator will take you to a day care center for kids in need. You will assist the care giver to fee the babies, to play with them, to teach to walk and paint. Volunteers are free in the afternoons to explore the beautiful city of Arequipa.
Day 12, Thursday: Enjoy the Titicaca Lake and experience the Andean life
You will visit the Uros floating island, then, you will navigate the Titicaca Lake to arrive to Amantani Island. You will share a typical and organic lunch with a family, after it, you will be able to participate in intercultural activities until dinner time. After dinner, you will participate in a traditional Andean dance!
Day 13 Friday: Good morning!! Taste a typical breakfast with the family to depart to Taquile island. We will walk to the village where we will enjoy lunch at one of the local restaurants. We are going to arrive to the port around 16:00 hrs.
Day 14 Saturday: Goodbye Cusco
You can spend your last day saying goodbye to your new Friends or visiting the city of Cusco and shopping or continues traveling around Peru.
Important note
- Cusco is a Catholic city, so there will be local festivals during the months of May till July.
- All participants for the Summer program must send us by e-mail their passport copies and ID students card to peru@volunteeringsolutions.com as soon as the booking confirmation is received.
- The visitors' entrance tickets for the Sacred Valley tour is not included in the program fee. This visitor entrance ticket you will need to buy at the Local Government office to visit museums, cultural centers, and archaeological sites.
Living
A 2-week long summer volunteering and travel project that blends meaningful volunteer work along with exciting weekend excursions to the marvel that is Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa.
Airport Transfer
Volunteers are picked up from the Cusco Airport by the local coordinator or representative. Those volunteers who are already in Cusco will be picked up at a meeting point decided beforehand. When arriving in Arequipa from Cusco, volunteers are picked up from the bus station and transferred to the homestay.
Accommodation
Volunteers are provided accommodation with a host family in both Cusco and Arequipa. While on the Sacred Valley tour, accommodation is provided in a hostel.
Orientation
On the first day after arrival, orientation will be provided by the local staff. Areas like culture, greetings, locations, transportation, safety, and volunteer placements are given during the orientation. The orientation will be given by the local staff in Peru.
Meals
Volunteers are provided with three cooked meals a day (Monday- Friday) at the Volunteer residence. Meals usually consist of beans, meat, local vegetable and fruits, natural juices according to the season, etc. Principle meals in Peru are breakfast and lunch, dinner is pretty light.
During your Free Time
Volunteers are free to visit and see places or do shopping during their free time. While in Cusco and Arequipa, volunteers can explore the city in the evening after the placement or spend time with the host family as well.
Program Cost
Please Note: -An application fee of $229 is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment. (A 4% international banking fee is charged at the time of payment)
What are you Paying for?
Cusco:
- Airport, bus station or hotel pick up
- Orientation and walking city tour
- Accommodation in shared rooms in a homestay
- Childcare project
- Meals Monday to Saturday
- Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour: (Guide and touristic bus for the Sacred Valley tour, train tickets from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and return, accommodation in a hostel, round trip bus ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Pichu sanctuary, entrance ticket to Machu Pichu sanctuary and guiding for 2 hrs at the sanctuary, lunch at Sacred Valley)
Arequipa:
- 24/7 support from local coordinators in Arequipa
- Bus station pick up and transfer to accommodation
- Country side tour
- Accommodation in shared rooms in a homestay
- Childcare project
- Wifi
- Meals
Puno:
- Bus station pick up in Puno
- Transfer to Titicaca port
- Transportation to visit the Uros, Taquile and Amantani islands
- Lunch, dinner, and breakfast in Taquile island
- Certificate Of Completion (Upon Request)
What's NOT included?
Cusco
- Meals on Sundays and during tours
- Accommodation on Sunday night when you back from Machu Pichu
- General Entrance Ticket to visit the archaeological sites at the sacred valley
- Private bedroom in Aguas Calientes hotel
- Local transportation
- Drop off to airport and bus station
- Bus ticket for Cusco to Arequipa
- Accommodation the 14th day
Arequipa
- Entrance tickets to visit the countryside of Arequipa (10 PEN)
- Meals during the tour (lunch)
- Local transportation to go to the project
- Drop off to Arequipa bus station
- Bus ticket Arequipa to Puno
Puno
- Breakfast the 1st morning
- Entrance tickets to visit the islands (30 PEN)
- Drop off from the port to the bus station or hotel
- Accommodation before and after the 2days/1 night tour in Titicaca lake
- Bus ticket from Puno to Cusco
- Bus station pick up in Cusco (coming back from Puno)
Program Dates
| Months | 2023 |
| May | 28 |
| June | 111825 |
| July | 020916 |
| August | 061320 |
FAQ's
Connect with Past Volunteers
We encourage volunteers to get in touch with former Volunteering Solutions participants and also other program participants joining our projects. You are recommended to join the Volunteering Solutions Facebook Page or Facebook Group to connect with other participants and our team.
To read alumni interviews from past participants, visit the Meet a Volunteer section on our website.
Accommodation and Living
Your country coordinator will take you to your placement location and introduce you to everyone after giving you a basic orientation about the program, city, culture etc. You will also be narrated about the directions to the project location from your accommodation and the modes of transport which you can use.
Volunteering Solutions arranges accommodation for volunteers in homestays or with host families in Peru. The accommodations are simple and have basic amenities.
Three meals are provided in a day of which the lunch is the specialty of Peruvian families. The food is tasty, hygienic and nutritious, suited to all volunteers. The volunteers should note that the food is provided from Monday to Saturday of each week. On Sundays, volunteers can eat at nearby eateries or find out good restaurants as per choice.
Yes – please do ensure that you inform the local team about your food preference and they can make sure to provide you with the best food! Also, please do mention your specific food preference in the application form as well.
You can change your money at any bank or at the airport by showing your passport. There are ATMs located all around the city. The market areas around the project location also have ample ATMs and money exchange counters.
Depending on your project placement, you may get free evenings and weekends. You can utilize this time to visit local markets and other places around your project location.
Places like Barrio de San Blas, Hatton Rumiyuq, Convent and Church of La Merced and Cathedral of Peru have been declared as a World Heritage Sites by UNESCO and must be visited by volunteers during free time and weekends. Of course, we also arrange for tours to Macchu Picchu.
Volunteers are also free to plan quick getaways and explore Peru. We also arrange programs for groups in Tambopata Rainforest areas and the country coordinator can be contacted for the same.
Your program fee covers mostly all the major expenses when you arrive in Peru except your personal expenses. You will need to cover your personal expenses, such as bottled water, local transport, telephone, the internet, shopping, sightseeing etc. However, you should carry around $70-80 per week for your basic personal expenses. However, this amount can vary and you would need a higher amount if you go on different weekend trips out of town.
Flights and Visa
All participants joining the volunteer projects in Peru need to apply for Visa at the nearest Peruvian High Commission in their city. Along with the Visa application, you need to attach the required supporting documents. We provide volunteers with the necessary supporting documents for their Peruvian Visa application. More information shall be provided after you become a Volunteering Solutions enrolled participant.
The Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) in Cusco is well connected with all major airports across the globe and flights are easily available. American Airlines, US Airways, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, Emirates Flights are some of the popular airlines.
Health and Safety
Peru attracts travelers from different parts of the world and is generally safe. However, we recommend all volunteers to take necessary precautions against thefts and robberies. Also, seek permission from your coordinator before venturing out alone in the evenings.
Volunteers can also look up resourceful sites like Lonely Planet to gather more information about Peru and its general atmosphere. You are also recommended to follow the safety guidelines provided by the in-country coordinator during Orientation Session.
We recommend you to consult your physician or travel doctor before traveling to Peru. However, we recommend you take general vaccinations like
Hepatitis A and B
Typhoid
Yellow Fever
Diarrhoea
Yes, for all volunteers it is mandatory to have a travel medical insurance. To provide the best option to our participants, we offer comprehensive insurance coverage in collaboration with a leading insurance provider.
FAQ's Application and Program Details
After you complete your application, your personalized ‘My Account’ will be activated.You will need to upload your CV/Resume along with your photo in the same. Our backend team and the placement site takes around 10-12 working days to review your application. After we review your CV and documents, your booking will be confirmed and booking confirmation will be updated in your ‘My Account’. Some projects need a mandatory criminal background check and the same is mentioned in the project info of your program. Approval of your application depends on your qualification and eligibility criteria for each project.
We encourage our participants to volunteer in a group. We take special care for providing you a placement and also customize your itinerary to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for. Also, we can design special group programs for groups of 5 or more. Our programs are designed to be safe, affordable and offer a great group volunteering experience to the volunteers.
In our experience of more than 12+ years we have enabled and facilitated volunteer program placements for college groups, university groups, high school groups, group of families, group of couples as well as groups of colleagues.
Yes, we will provide you with the Certificate after successful completion of your program. The certificate is provided on request.
If you are planning to come for multiple programs during your trip, you will have to pay the application fees just once. Your application fee is valid for a year's time (from the date of applying). You will not have to pay the application fees again if you come within the mentioned time frame.
For our returning volunteers, $50 discount is provided for the application fee for their next Vol Sol program.
Volunteers usually work for 5 to 6 hours a day, for 5 days a week, depending on their program. You will have the weekends to explore Peru. However, volunteers need to be flexible, open minded and understand that work requirements can alter any time.
The minimum age requirement for the programs in Peru is 17 years. For the Medical program, volunteers must be 18 years and above.
He/she should have the flexibility to adjust to a new environment and culture.
Volunteers should have a basic/ intermediate knowledge of Spanish Language.
For Medical Program – Pre-Medical , Medical and Nursing students as well as Medical Professionals are welcome to join. Participants with other qualifications in the medical field such as CAN, EMT can also join the program.
The participant should be in good health.
All volunteers need to arrive in Cusco, Peru, for the Peru programs on the starting date of their project.
Volunteers are picked from the Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco by the in-country coordinator or representative. Accommodation is provided in a homestay or with the host family.
A short orientation is given after arrival about the city, placement, safety precautions. The volunteers are also taken for a short tour of the city before the commencement of the program. However, the tour is dependent upon the arrival time of your flight.
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