Volunteer Peru | Urubamba
We are no longer sending volunteers to this location. Instead we will be concentrating on our Asia and Central America projects. For more information about these please take a look at our Asia and Central America project pages.
The Urubamba Valley is also known as “El Valle Sagrado de los Incas”, or the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It is a laid back valley just an hour away from Cusco with a very pleasant climate perfectly suited for farming. Ancient ruins, gentle mountain slopes and scattered farming towns define the valley. The same properties that make the valley attractive for today’s tourist were also the reason why the Inca chose this valley for their permanent settlements.
Many tourists chose to visit the Sacred Valley as part of an day tour or passing through on their way to Machu Picchu and miss out on Urubamba's charms. It is a slow town, and the friendly people take time to know your name and where you come from. It is surrounded by countryside that offers lots of beautiful camping trips and is inhabited by indigenous communities. Nearly everyone can find something here that they love.
Our partner organization is a lovely project in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, high in the stunning Andean mountains.
Volunteers participate at the Centre by supporting the teachers in their classrooms. There are three classes at the Centre, one for 4-6 year olds, one for 6-15 year olds, and one for young adults over the age of 15. In class, volunteers usually sit with an individual child and support them in the task that the teacher has set. Volunteers can also help with our speech and language therapy and the physiotherapy sessions, as well as shadow the social worker in her work with the families. The volunteer work is flexible, and we greatly appreciate volunteers with particular skills which they would like to work with. We also welcome volunteers who are willing to take initiative and come up with new ideas for the Centre
Read how your fees are spent or compare our
prices with other volunteer organisations.
View our prices in other volunteer locations's or
combine your stay in Peru with stays in other locations as part of a
combination
stay.
What you receive
- Orientation upon arrival
- Transfers from Cusco airport
- On site training
- 24 hour support
- Accommodation
Apart from our fees, you must pay for:
- Your ticket to Cusco
- Vaccinations
- Travel and health insurance
- Visa to Peru
- Food and other personal expenses
Our application process typically takes two or three weeks, but can
be speeded up if there is a need for that. When we receive the initial
application from you, we will send you our full application form.
(1) Complete the Initial Application Form:
The first stage of the application process is to fill out the brief initial application form. Upon
receiving this we will send you the full application form.
(2) Complete the Full Application Form:
Fill out the application form. After receiving this we will assess your
suitability and place you on one of our programs.
(3) Placement info:
We will return detailed placement information and an invoice. If you
accept the placement you should pay the invoice and send us receipt of
payment by email or fax.
(4) Program Fee:
The program fee should be paid to us at least 2 months before you are
due to start your placement. However please be aware that we have a limited
amount of placements, so placements will only be secured when we
have received your payment.
(5) Communication:
Once you have made your traveling arrangements you should mail your time
of arrival and the means of transportation and we will confirm pickup.
Dates for the Year 2012:
|
May: Fri 25 June: Fri 15 July: Fri 13 August: Fri 10 |
September: Fri 14 October: Fri 12 November: Fri 9 December: Fri 14 |
| January: Fri 11 February: Fri 15 March: Fri 15 April: Fri 12 |
May: Fri 10 June: Fri 14 July: Fri 12 August: Fri 9 |
September: Fri 13 October: Fri 11 November: Fri 15 December: Fri 13 |
Volunteers stay in the purpose built volunteer house which is a 5 minute walk from the Rainbow Centre. The rooms are very clean and well maintained with beds, chest of drawers and clothes hanging facilities. The showers are electric and there is also a telephone in the house.
There are basic cooking facilities in communal kitchen has a stove, sink and fridge freezer. There is also common room with comfortable couches and a small library.
Urubamba is an amazing place! It consists of around 12,000 people. It is in the Sacred Valley of the Incas at the foot of its biggest glacier, Chicon. Its size offers the volunteer an amazing opportunity to get to know to Peruvian life and culture. During your free time there are various sights of interest nearby such as Ollantaytambo, Maray, the Salt Mines (Salineras) of Maras, Puna Huanca, Pisac and Calca hotsprings.
Urubamba has several recommended restaurants offering everything from Ceviche (a delicious Peruvian seafood dish) to pasta and pizza plus the local bars offer cocktails, pub quizzes and dancing for the late hours.
Food is not included in the programme, but the volunteer house has basic cooking facilities. There is a good local market where volunteers can buy meat, vegetables pasta, rice and fruit.
There all also lots of restaurants that all offer very affordable, tasty meals.
When flying to Peru, you will first arrive at Lima airport and then need to make your way to Cuzco by air (1.5 hours) or bus (18+ hours). If flying from Lima volunteers you will be met at the airport by a member of our staff in Cuzco.
From Cuzco there are regular collectives (minibuses) to Urubamba. The journey is 1.5 hours and terminates 2 minutes from the volunteer house.
Laura previously worked in the commercial relations team at the Fairtrade Foundation in London. She holds a First Class degree in French and Hispanic Studies from the University of Birmingham, and a MSc in Globalisation and Latin American Development from the University of London. She has travelled widely in Central and South America and has a long-standing passion Latin American history, politics and literature.
Camilla is studying International Relations and Development Studies at the University of Sussex. She was born and raised in Norway, and was involved in the Norwegian Youth Board for Plan International. She has been involved with the current project in Peru since 2007, when she was fundraising with her high school in Denmark.
No visa is required for stays of less than 12 weeks. Volunteers wishing to stay longer than 12 weeks can cross the border into Bolivia and re-enter Peru to receive an additional 12 weeks.
If you are planning to work in Cambodia then you will need to obtain a police records background check before starting your placement. For details on the application procedure in your home country please take a look at: www.travel-to-teach.org/CRB-information.php
At all other locations you will be required to abide by the Travel to Teach Child Protection Policy.
Volunteers are responsible for ensuring that their vaccinations are up to date. Please visit your doctor and tell them exactly where you will be staying throughout your trip.
Courses or boosters usually advised: Hepatitis A and Typhoid.
Vaccines sometimes advised: Diphtheria, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, Rabies and Yellow Fever.
There are no required vaccinations needed to enter the country but please consult your doctor before traveling. More information is available from the WHO's (World Health Organization) travelers health information site or CDC.gov traveler’s health information.
One of the conditions of entry onto our programs is that volunteers have travel insurance. Most importantly the insurance needs to include medical treatment and repatriation in case of unforeseen accidents or illnesses. Volunteers should purchase insurance independently and bring a copy of their insurance certificate with them for their local co-ordinator to check before starting their program. Read our terms and conditions.
Read our Terms & Conditions
Download our Teach Terms and Conditions as a PDF File
Phillipa, UK""Arco Iris" or "The Rainbow Centre", I’ve never have I known a more fitting name for a school. Everything about it welcomes you and challenges you not to be happy within it's confines."
Read Phillipa’s Volunteer Story
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