Are you fascinated by the Inca culture?

This tour through Peru is a heady mix of the ‘must see’ and the ‘rarely seen’. You’ll visit the legendary Machu Piccu, the stunning Sacred Valley and the lively cities of Lima and Cusco before venturing off the beaten track to the Lucre-Huacarpay Wetlands to assist in conservation and reforestation activities alongside a group of experts. Combining these activities with visits to some of the most stunning cultural and unique wonders of the ancient world this is a trip not to be missed.

Trip Highlights:

Day 1 - Arrival into Lima 

Fly into Lima International Airport, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your accommodation in Lima for a relaxing evening.
Includes accommodation and dinner.

Day 2 - Lima

You will begin with a brief introduction to Peru that will show you how to make the most of your stay and how to stay safe while you’re away. Then you’ll have a “get-together” lunch and an afternoon free to explore the city.
Includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 3 - Flight from Lima to Cusco (own arrangements - morning flight recommended)

Arrive into Cusco Airport, you will meet your Cusco representative at the airport and they will transfer you to your accommodation. Then you will have a short briefing about the tour and general safety in the area. In the afternoon, you will take a short walking tour of the city centre and will have the rest of the day to acclimatize.
Includes accommodation and lunch.

Day 4 to 8 - Lucre-Huacarpay Wetlands

Transfer to Lucre at 8:00 am accompanied by your project supervisor. You will be staying in a rustic lodge, with basic facilities. Each day you will be helping at the Lucre-Huacarpay Wetlands, doing conservation and reforestation activities with a group of experts. You will work approx 6 hours daily, morning and afternoon with a break time at around noon.
Includes accommodation, breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 9 - Cusco

Transfer from Lucre to your accommodation in Cusco. Day free to relax and explore the city.
Includes accommodation, breakfast and lunch.

Day 10 - Tipón and Pikillacta

Visit the beautiful site of Tipón and Pikillacta, south of Cusco. You will have the chance to try the local delicacy, “chicharrón”, before returning to Cusco. YOu will have the rest of the day free.
Includes: accommodation, breakfast and lunch.

Day 11 Cusco

You will have the morning free to explore your surrounding. After lunch, tour of the major sites in the city, the Cathedral, and the Qoricancha. Then transfer to the 4 nearby ruins above Cusco: Qenqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay and Sacsayhuaman.
Includes accommodation, breakfast and lunch.

Day 12 - Sacred Valley of the Incas

Early departure to “Sacred Valley of the Incas”. Private transport to Pisaq to visit the local market and the ruins. Stop at Urubamba town for lunch. Continuing to the town of Ollantaytambo, a unique town built on Incan ruins. Last stop at Chinchero, to visit the local market and splendid 16th century Church built on an ancient Inca Palace. Return to Ollantaytambo for overnight.
Includes accommodation, breakfast and lunch.

Day 13 - Machu Picchu

Early departure transfer to the Ollantaytambo train station where you’ll catch a train to the town of Aguas Calientes. A 30-minute bus ride to the amazing ruins of Machu Picchu follows. You will have a guided tour of the ruins and some free time which will allow you to explore on your own. Finally you will descend to the town of Aguas Calientes for lunch, and then you will head back to Cusco. You will be met at the train station of San Pedro - Cusco and transferred to your accommodation.
Includes accommodation, breakfast and lunch.

Day 14 - Cusco

A free day to rest, go shopping or enjoy the other sites in the city.
Includes accommodation, breakfast and lunch.

Day 15 - Return home

Transfer to the Cusco airport for your short flight back to Lima.
Includes breakfast.

What's included:

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you fora the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time - especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country team will arrange a pick-up for you at the airport and will conduct your orientation upon arrival. All coordination teams are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country team you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by our response team in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. We also fly in our in-country coordinators to the UK regularly for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly from the project fee that you pay us. Instead we choose to support a number of projects every year through a grant scheme for tangible long-term initiatives. In the last 3 years we have distributed over US$250,000 to our most needy projects to help them in the great work they do. 

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

What we will do after you've booked:

Orientation Information

We aim to provide you with a safe and soft landing into your destination by picking you up from the airport, giving you an orientation that helps to settle you into the country as quickly as possible. It's also the best time to ask any questions you have about your time in Peru.

You will arrive on the Arrival Date : Friday and will be met at the airport on that day (whether it is 12 in the morning or 11:59 at night. You will be taken to your accommodation for orientation, a local homestay in Lima, where you will have the first day/night to recover from your flight.

Note: If you're arriving early we can arrange a meet and greet for you. If you require this please contact us to arrange this service. If you wish to make your own way please contact Fiorella directly for your allocated accommodation in Lima.

Your orientation will take place the next morning and will introduce you to life in Peru as well as important information about staying healthy and safe and information on getting to your project. Over lunch you will have the chance to ask any questions of the team before starting work.

You should book your flights to Cusco for Sunday morning and will be met In Cusco by your host.

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

EU Customers – find out more here >>

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.

Early Airport Pick-up

If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to your orientation accommodation. One additional night accommodation is included in this payment; if you require more than one night please inform the team.

The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 17.00