Peru/Ecuador 4-Week

The group flies together into Lima, transfers to Cusco, and takes a bus to Urubamba. We settle into our B&B for introductory activities, including a team scavenger hunt that gets the group speaking Spanish and working together.

The group will stay together at a centrally located lodge while we get to know the locals through service projects and adventure activities. An incredible day of rafting on the Urubamba River will provide further opportunity for team building and fun.

Time to transition to our homestay families in Urubamba. For the next week, our friendly and hospitable host families will open their hearts and homes to us; you will quickly feel like part of the family! As most of the families do not speak English, your Spanish language skills will improve daily. While meals, evenings, and weekends are reserved for homestay family time, our group gathers daily to work on projects. We will collaborate with our host community and local schools on projects they deem necessary. Previous projects have included constructing playgrounds, building a community center, painting a school classroom, and working with local youth on educational activities. We spend our afternoons exploring the region, hiking, learning local arts and crafts, and engaging in cultural activities with new local friends. On the last day, we throw a final fiesta to celebrate our hard work and thank our new friends and families.

We arrive by train at 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 finish this adventure of a lifetime in Peru!

We spend our final day in Peru souvenir shopping and exploring important cultural highlights in Cusco. Then we're off to our second destination, Ecuador!

A short flight from Quito takes us to Guayaquil and directly on to the Capital of Paradise, the Island of San Cristobal. After settling into our cozy hotel, we'll visit the Galapagos Interpretation Center to get oriented to the geography, history, and wildlife of the archipelago. Our guides accompany us on boat rides each day where we'll encounter an amazing diversity of marine and terrestrial species. Later, we travel to Isabela and Santa Cruz where we will enjoy snorkeling in the radiant green waters while sea turtles gracefully swim by and sea lions frolic around us. White sand beaches, sunbathing seals and panoramas of lava rocks await you!

We return to Quito to explore some of the sights, tastes and sounds of this lofty city. Our final night is spent back at our Bed & Breakfast where the group will enjoy a celebratory final dinner. The next day, we fly back to the United States. Our friends and family greet us when we arrive to share our new experiences. It is the end of a trip, but a beginning to a new awareness about yourself and the world. Very few destinations boast the geographic and cultural diversity contained in Peru and Ecuador. Join us for the ultimate South American adventure!