Travel to Oxapampa, a city located in the Peruvian Amazon cloud forest, to contribute to a range of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including # 4 Quality Education, #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, #4 Quality Education, and #6 Clean Water and Sanitation.
The Oxapampa province is located on the eastern slopes of the Andes and reaches down into the lowlands of the Amazon Basin. With GVI Peru, you will get to stay in the Amazon cloud forest while contributing directly to conservation and sustainable development efforts.
Wake up in the forest, overlooking the canopy, surrounded by mountains and nature. Enjoy a cup of locally grown Peruvian coffee while listening to the sound of morning song birds and the nearby river, as you get ready for the day. This is the opportunity to develop your skills in wildlife conservation, habitat preservation, environmental conservation, and research techniques.
You’ll share a home with like-minded people from all over the world who are passionate about sustainable development – and you’ll get to make an impact on incredibly unique projects.
You will live in rustic dormitories that sleep up to eight people per room, and are equipped with electricity. The base is powered by an on-site hydroelectric plant as well as s...
We provide day transfers from the Francisco Carle Airport (JAU) in Jauja to our base in Oxapampa during the daytime, on the day before your program start date. Alternatively, yo...
Local SIM cards and pay-as-you-go credit are affordable. They can be bought in Lima If you bring a network-unlocked mobile phone with you. Your connection might not be as fast o...
All meals are provided on base and are mostly vegetarian with meat occasionally included. Ingredients consist of locally-sourced seasonal produce, including eggs, oatmeal, rice,...
Peru is famous for its unique and dramatic climate and Oxapampa is no exception. The weather is humid all year round and can be quite unpredictable at times. The average tempera...
Oxapampa is 2,200 metres above sea level so it is important to give your body time to adjust to the high altitude and follow our staff instructions while acclimating. There are ...
During your program, you’ll have the opportunity to experience a variety of the following adventure and wellness activities on a monthly basis, specially designed to further immerse you in the diversity and richness of the habitats and cultures around you.
Joining a GVI program not only allows you to collaborate with communities or work toward preserving unique ecosystems – but it also offers plenty of opportunities to explore the surrounding area or travel further to see what other parts of the region have to offer over weekends.
Field staff are a great source of advice and have helped us put together the following information on local travel options. You can choose to travel before or after your experience with GVI (subject to immigration restrictions), solidifying the lifetime friendships you’ve established on the program. Please note that the below options are not included in the program fee, and would be up to you to arrange at your own expense.
Visit the town square, where you can enjoy some modern conveniences, and spend time among local community members. There is a lovely market, a co...
Spend the weekend at Villa Rica in a beautiful part of Pasco, located just two hours from base. Here you can take a boat across the Laguna El Oconal, taking in the breathtaking ...
Vist Pozuzo, a village about three hours from the base. Here you can explore La Poza de Agua y Sal, a pool of crystal-clear water where you can swim and watch the wildlife. On r...
Take in the cascading waters of El Tigre Waterfall, also known as Catarata Rio Tigre. Viewed from a pedestrian suspension bridge over the river, this waterfall is located just 1...
Located to the north of Oxapampa you’ll find the Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park, known for its diverse flora and fauna species and rare cloud forest biome. We are situated ju...
Travel to the city of Cusco, known as the gateway to Machu Picchu. Here there are many trails available for hikers of differing fitness levels. This is arguably the most popular...
Visit the Nazca Desert in southern Peru to view the massive geoglyph designs made by the Nazca people. Created between 500 BC and 400 AD, these symbols measure between 400 and 1...
A great day trip from Lima, is a visit to Huacachina, an oasis in the middle of the desert. Swim in the lake, relax on its shores, or sandboard on the surrounding dunes.
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Peru’s capital offers an endless variety of experiences. Visit the Larco Museum, where you can view pre-Columbian artifacts, the Magic Water Circuit fountains, or the tomb of Sp...
Known as Peru’s white city, Arequipa is set between three volcanoes and filled with buildings made from white volcanic stone. The city has a unique culture, history and cuisine,...
Travel to Puno and learn how the indigenous Uros people make their own islands using dried totora reeds that float on one of the highest lakes in the world, Lake Titicaca. The U...
Engaging intimately with a new context teaches global awareness, adaptability and critical thinking – skills highly valued in the modern marketplace. Local and cultural immersion is encouraged on all our programs around the world, and will also be one of the most enjoyable aspects of your experience. Luckily, there are many different activities that you can get involved in during your free time, or before and after your program.
On our community programs, the focus is on cultural topics, while on marine or wildlife programs the emphasis is more on the environmental element. Use your evenings and weekends to explore topics like local cuisine and religion, or how sustainable development challenges are affecting local contexts.
Surrounded by high jungle scenery and located just 500 kilometres northeast of Lima, the small town of Oxapampa boasts many interesting cultural aspects. Rolling hills blanketed...
January: The Adoration of the Kings – or honouring of the birth of Christ by the three kings – is celebrated with great fanfare.
Peru has a predominantly Catholic population. However, communities still hold certain beliefs of the Inca religion. They honour the Earth Mother, as well as local spirits.
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Coffee is grown in the area, but it’s not the main crop. The most important agricultural crops are fruits such as quito-quito and sweet passion fruit, as well as squash and roco...
In Peru, there are about 50 very different and popular languages that are spoken. The majority of these languages are indigenous. The most commonly spoken, and official language...
14 Jan, 2020
If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.
We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.
Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.
When it comes to support, we ensure that each participant is provided with unparalleled, 360 degree support, from your initial contact with the GVI Family, all the way through your program, and even after, as you become part of the GVI Alumni Team.
As part of this promise, we will ensure, whenever possible, that one of our dedicated staff will be available to meet you at the airport. In most locations, we also set up a Whatsapp group to help with managing airport arrivals. We will arrange with you prior to your departure that, should you arrive in the agreed upon pick up window, a member of our staff will be there to welcome you, easily identifiable in a GVI t-shirt or holding a GVI sign and wearing a friendly smile. This means there will be someone there to greet you as you land, and from there you will be transported to your GVI base to start your adventure and meet the rest of your team.
All of our programs have short-, mid- and long-term objectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the UN SDGs. Then once you arrive on base, you’ll learn about the specific goals we have in this particular location, our various objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to be an active global citizen after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
Our main focus in Peru is creating awareness in the community around why the environment is worth protecting and educating the community on how to create a sustainable relationship between farming and naturally occurring forests. In partnership with CDS, we create working examples of sustainable living to demonstrate that community members can enjoy a good life while making use of alternative resources and income streams – in a way that respects and protects the local environment and wildlife. This assists community members understand the importance of conservation and how much it can benefit their community when done sustainably.
Peru is also known for being a popular cultural and adventure destination among international visitors. Due to this, the country has a thriving tourism industry which provides members of the local communities with employment opportunities. The ability to speak English is often a vital skill needed to access these jobs.
The fact that a large portion of the community lives in rural areas with limited resources and infrastructure often impedes their access to education. Our programs in Oxapampa also focus on assisting in the socio-economic development of the region by supporting English language learning and community development.
GVI works in collaboration with our partner, the Center for Sustainable Development (CDS), and focuses on three pillars: conservation, sustainable development education, and research. CDS is a non-profit, family-run organisation headed up by PhD biologists. In 2011 they bought the land where our base is situated and have been working in the cloud forest in Oxapampa ever since. Their objectives are to recover and protect the cloud forest, and create working examples of sustainable ways of living in order to educate and train members of the local community so that they can adopt these initiatives. The CDS team are experts in their fields and are excited to share their knowledge and expertise with you.
The main UN Sustainable Development Goals that we contribute to are Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 8:Decent Work and Economic Growth, Goal 15: Life on Land and Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals.
GVI Oxapampa long-term objectives:
1. Educate the local communities on sustainable development, the importance of the forest and how best to protect it.
2. Support the local community of Oxapampa in improving their English language skills.
3. Create an interactive learning environment through developing and delivering workshops, classes, presentations and practical prototypes.
4. Facilitate the development of rural community ecotourism in the Oxapampa region by encouraging local community members to get involved.
5. Provide an authentic experience to GVI Peru volunteers. Through training and mentorship by staff, allow participants to develop both personal and professional skills within the field of education and the community.
A GVI program is an investment in your career. No matter which you choose, you will be working toward improving your employability by mastering new social skills, gaining further technical expertise and earning qualifications in many cases. Most of our staff are, in fact, GVI Alumni, and we have helped many of our Alumni discover, move toward, and earn their own personal dream jobs. Each program includes introductory workshops, ongoing presentations, as well as on-the-ground professional support provided by our very own trained staff members. In addition, our training programs are critical for helping us to ensure the long-term impact of our sustainable development projects around the world.
Learn about COVID-19 pre-departure guidelines, base expectations, personal and area hygiene practices and what we are doing to keep you safe.
Learn about the importance of child and vulnerable adult protection best practices and how to apply them while on project.
Introduction to the history and evolution of sustainable development, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and how these related to your project work.
Learn about our country locations and further opportunities available to you during or after your program.
Learn about gender equality, skills development and examples of income generating activities.
Learn about our empowerment principles.
Instruction on the specific project objectives and skills necessary to carry out the required tasks, including research and monitoring practices.
Career paths in social and environmental impact are not as well-established as in other fields. That’s why we’ll provide our interns who have successfully completed their program with our Careers in Sustainable Development course. In this course, you’ll learn about current and emerging opportunities in a range of sectors, allowing you to make the best decision about your future.
This online course, valued at £295, is included in all internships. Full course details can be found here.
Leadership is a critical skill set for anyone looking to make an impact or drive sustainable development. Develop your own leadership style and learn how to set achievable objectives, give effective feedback and manage conflict successfully. After successfully completing the course, which you have the option of doing prior to your in-country program, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Richmond.
This online course, valued at £295, is included in all volunteering programs. Full course details can be found here.
In this course, you’ll explore the most common pitfalls of community development initiatives so that you can avoid them. You’ll also learn how to carry out community development work effectively and ethically and how local context impacts program development. After successfully completing the course, which you have the option of doing prior to your in-country program, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Richmond.
This online course, valued at £295, is included in all volunteering programs. Full course details can be found here.
We won’t sugarcoat it — traveling abroad is usually a complex process that carries an element of risk. But this is exactly why we’re passionate about providing extensive support throughout the process as well as the highest safety standards during the in-country phase. We believe that volunteering abroad should not only be impactful, but an enjoyable experience that carries as little risk as possible. This is exactly how we’ve been able to maintain our reputation as the most highly respected volunteering organisations in the sector over the past two decades.
It takes courage to book a GVI program, get on a flight, and head off to somewhere new. Volunteering offers a level of cultural immersion that typical backpacking or holidays ju...
As the saying goes: ‘Expect the best, plan for the worst’. Cliched or not, we take it to heart. This tenet is at the core of how GVI operates when it comes to promoting the heal...
The weather isn’t just a topic for polite small-talk here at GVI. We have emergency action plans in place for all scenarios. So when the weather, or other natural forces, takes ...
Once GVI has matched a participant to a program that suits their passions and goals, our team aims to set the right expectations for them. In the event that false expectations a...
For over 20 years, GVI has prioritised the health and safety of our staff, participants, partners and local community members. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, GVI has created the GVI health and hygiene team to put in place new standards of cleanliness, norms and behaviours that meet or exceed international recommendations to ensure the ongoing safety of GVI’s participants, staff and communities around the world. Internationally recommended practices, such as advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the governments Australia, UK and US, continue to be monitored and the standards are likely to change if and when international advice changes.
The work GVI is contributing to across the globe remains important and the following measures allow our participants to continue to join GVI’s programs and continue impacting positively on their world and the communities we work with. The following changes to our existing protocols have been made by the GVI health and hygiene team to strengthen our health and hygiene protocols and ensure that international standard safeguards are in place to protect our participants, staff and host communities.
Learn to make Peruvian food
Discover the natural dyes of Peru
Take a mindfulness hike through the forest
Try a tree climbing and canopy adventure
Explore waterfalls in the rainforest
Hike through a remote cloud forest
Climb a mountain in the Andes range
Camp in untouched cloud forest
