Eco Volunteering & Study

Study and volunteer programs, including Spanish-language programs, are often a great way to travel in and experience a country with greater depth than most independent and package travel allows. Cultural immersion and integration with locals are the aims of many such programs, leading to a richer and more unique experience for many travelers.

Volunteering, in particular, often leads to greater culture sensitivity and cross-cultural learning experiences. Especially in a mostly poor country such as Peru, volunteers see up-close the realities of the lack of running water and electricity, the relative absence of luxuries, and simple, home-cooked foods -- not to mention local customs and traditions. These aspects of Peruvian life might be considerably more difficult to apprehend if staying in nice hotels and dining at upscale restaurants.

Most volunteer organizations are not-for-profit entities that charge participants to go abroad (to cover administrative and other costs), so volunteering isn't usually a way to get a free vacation. If you're concerned, though, ask about the cost breakdown for costs and field expenses. Any established, reputable volunteer organization should be willing to do this. Then you could always compare those costs to what traveling on your own would amount to.

Below are several institutions and organizations that work on humanitarian and sustainable development projects in Peru. Some international relief organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org) and CARE (www.care.org), accept volunteers to work crises and relief efforts. The devastating earthquake in southern Peru in 2001 was one such episode that brought hundreds of volunteers to Peru.

Volunteer Programs

Cross-Cultural Solutions (tel. 800/380-4777 or 914/632-0022; www.crossculturalsolutions.org), with offices in New Rochelle, New York, and Brighton, U.K., offers week-long volunteer programs in Peru (in Lima, Ayacucho, and Trujillo). The "Volunteer Abroad" section lists a number of opportunities for volunteering in Peru, including CARE, volunteer teaching, and environmental research. Projects Abroad (tel. 888/839-3535; www.projects-abroad.org), with headquarters in New York and a local field office in Urubamba (in the Sacred Valley), organizes several unique volunteer opportunities in Peru, including Inca restoration projects (such as the magnificent Sacsayhuamán ruins on the outskirts of Cusco), rainforest conservation, teaching and nursing. Habitat for Humanity (tel. 800/422-4828 or 229/924-6935; www.habitat.org), with a base in Arequipa (Comité Nacional Hábitat para la Humanidad Perú; tel. 054/422-724), and Volunteers for Peace (tel. 802/259-2759; www.vfp.org) also offer opportunities in Peru.

Research Opportunities

Earthwatch Institute (tel. 800/776-0188 or 978/461-0081; www.earthwatch.org) has a unique mission: It sends travelers out to work in the field alongside scientists involved in archaeology and environmental conservation. There are three Peru research and education trips: You can join a 13-day excavation of a pre-Inca site, assist with research of Peruvian macaws, or document the biology of Andean rivers. But the trips are not all work; they're a way to see a fascinating slice of the country from an insider's -- academic or conservationist -- perspective.

Spanish-Language Programs

Study Abroad International (www.studyabroadinternational.com) lists a number of Spanish-study programs in Cusco. GorpTravel (tel. 877/440-GORP; http://gorptravel.com) occasionally lists Spanish-study programs of short duration in Peru and other South American countries; follow the "Education/Learning" link on the website for options.