Indigenous Connection

14 Days | $2,200 | Villa Rica & Cusco, Peru

June 4th-17th, 2023

FROM THE AMAZON TO THE ANDES

3 Bricks Service in Peru is set in the remote coffee-producing region nestled between the Andes mountains and the Peruvian Amazon.

Our service projects are geared towards supporting the indigenous Yashesha culture and people to survive whilst adapting to meet the ongoing changes of modern life in Peru. Projects are community designed and developed with student participation in mind.

Adventure days are safe and fun including ending the trip with a 4-day Jungle trek to Machu Picchu with the opportunity to learn more about the local history and industry.

OVERVIEW

FAST FACTS

13 Nights / 14 Days
Cost: From $2,200pp shared accommodation.
Where: Arriving at Jauja Airport & Departing from Cusco Airport
When: June 4th-17th
Physical ability: You should be able to handle 4 days of moderate hiking carrying your day pack for the Machu Picchu hike.
ACCOMODATION

This is multi-homebase based service adventure trip covering Villa Rica, Cusco and the Machu Picchu region.

Seven Nights: Our Homebase in Villa Rica is just a 5-minute walk from the town center and a 2-minute drive from the newly constructed Ramon Egoavil Pando Hospital.
Accommodation in Villa Rica is a colonial German-style Hotel overlooking the town. Maximum 4 students per room.
Three nights: in a 3-star hotel Located by Cusco central historical region
Three nights: Lodging during the jungle trek to Machu Picchu includes a small homestay at ‘Monkey House’ on our first night, tidy hotels after hot springs in Santa Teresa, and the evening before Machu Picchu in Aguas Calientes.

VISAS & VACCINATIONS

You are responsible for your own visa and vaccination arrangements. Please check your country’s guidance.

Passport: Required for all foreigners with a minimum of 6 months and 2 blank pages remaining.

Visa: Tourists don't need a visa. You can get a permit to stay for up to 3 months when you arrive. If you overstay your permit, you'll have to pay a fine before leaving the country. Entry and exit conditions can change at short notice. You should contact the nearest embassy or consulate of Peru for the latest details.

Vaccinations: To enter Peru, you'll need proof of vaccinations in accordance with the full vaccination schedule scheme of your own country. If you're not vaccinated, you must show a negative COVID-19 (PCR) test taken within 48 hours of your flight.

You'll need to show proof that you're fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to enter enclosed public spaces and transportation services in Peru. Peruvian and international vaccine certificates are accepted.

Face masks (KN95 mask or two masks) must be worn in ground transportation vehicles, healthcare facilities and closed spaces without ventilation, and by people with respiratory symptoms.

MEALS

All meals are included while on the program. You will enjoy traditional peruvian breakfasts, lunches prepared by supports staff or at local restaurants, and lighter Peruvian dinners at our accomodation or in small restaurants.

INTERNET

Only some accommodation spaces have complimentary wifi and cellphone reception is sporadic on parts of the trip. We encourage the opportunity to disconnect for the trip.

AVAILABILITY & PRICES

$2,200 per person based on 2-4 sharing accommodation for 14 days / 13 nights. Single person supplement: $350.

2023

June 4 - 17

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Shared accommodation (Maximum 4 per room), meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), drinking water, 24-hour qualified international bi-lingual staff, local, Entry to all tourist sites (including Machu Picchu), service project expenses and materials, all in-country program transportation is included from when we pick you up at Jauja airport until we drop you off and pass you through security at Cusco airport (including in-country flight from Jaujua->Lima->Cusco and Train from Machu Picchu to Cusco).

WHAT’S EXCLUDED

The price does not include international flights, soft drinks and travel insurance.

TRANSFERS

Please remember when booking flights that the Program begins at Jauja Airport and terminates at Cusco airport - please let us know if you could like assistance coordinating flights.

WHAT TO PACK

Despite the cold mountain temperatures, and cooler nights time the first week of the program can be quite humid in the amazon. For this reason recommend you bring a few warm items and clothes that you can layer.

A full packing list will be provided after the program deposit is received.

Peru

The currency in Peru is the Peruvian Sole (PEN). Cards are readily taken in cities and tourist areas, however in more remote areas - during service and hiking, it’s best to have some cash with you - you can withdraw at the Lima Airport in transit, or we can help you exchange from USD.

Time Zone: GMT-5

The climate of Peru is Varied across the country and throughout the year. Although June is the driest month of the year in both Cusco and Villa Rica, rain is still typical. Average temperatures for June typically range from 13 – 20C in Villa Rica to 2 – 12C in Cusco.

Despite the cool temperatures, the sun during the day can be quite warm and sunburn is common with the thinner atmospheric protection at altitude, wearing clothes that layer is a good idea, and nights become much cooler than days, especially in Cusco.

Climate

Villa Rica

Cusco

YOUR ITINERARY

Fly into Jauja Airport, high in the Andes. 3 Bricks staff will be at the airport waiting to greet you! We’ll drive to Home Base in Villa Rica, 180 Kms from Jauja, with a stop for a snack and our first taste of local cuisine along the way. Upon arrival at the home base, we’ll meet the remaining staff and get settled into our new home before our first Peruvian dinner.
After dinner, we'll have program orientation where we’ll meet with a Yanesha community leader from our project site to discuss expectations of us as visiting volunteers
For our first day together as a group, Service begins! We’ll be working on projects planned with Yanesha leaders.
Our first day of service will also allow us to learn about Yanesha culture and the current way of life.
The afternoon will give us an opportunity for a cultural display and in the evening we will have a shared reflection activity based on local issues.
The afternoon will give us an opportunity for a cultural display and in the evening we will have a shared reflection activity based on local issues.
We’ll continue working on our service projects, such as water tanks or community center construction, or medical brigade. In the afternoon we'll take a tour of the local region including a coffee farm, coffee tasting, and a boat ride across Lago Ocunal.

For our evening reflection, we'll discuss differences in causes of death between low-income and high-income countries in the evening. This will contextualize project our service project.
Today we drive to nearby Oxapampa founded in the 19th century by Tyrolean and Prussian settlers and major ranching, dairy and fruit-producing regions. The Tyrolean-style houses in the Peruvian jungle combined with a mix of typical Peruvian and blue-eyed German-rooted Peruvians make you second guess your location. We will visit a local trout farm, aguardiente factory, cave, yogurt factory, and waterfall as well as see a presentation of local dance.
Our second last service day we will be pushing ourselves to get as much done as possible, it will be exhausting, but worth it!
We'll have an extended lunch in the community where a local youth leader will demonstrate natural dyes that the community has been investigating to maintain traditional cultural practices.
For our final service day we work on wrapping up and handling remaining tasks for project execution as well as discussing community follow-up plans for monitoring and evaluation.
In the afternoon we'll have a closing ceremony with local community members where they will present their traditional dance and music.
An early start today as we return to Jauja for our flight to Cusco - Along the way, we will stop for breakfast, pass hydroelectric damns, see ancient terraces of potatoes and quinoa, pre-Incan ruins in the mountains, and, if we're lucky - Vicuñas!
Arriving in Cusco we will travel to our hotel where we will meet with our trek guide for a briefing of our jungle trek. Then relax and be free to explore as we adjust to the mountain air.
Ease into the altitude with hot coca tea with breakfast before we explore the San Pedro market to stock up on last-minute Peruvian hiking snacks and clothes.
When ready, we travel through the sacred valley by minivan for lunch and begin our hike to our accommodation for the night at 'Monkey house' set amongst a coffee farm overlooking the stunning valley.
Today is our most challenging day of the hike where, after a beautiful breakfast overlooking the valley we begin our hike along the remarkable paths and steep stairs of the Inca trail.

After lunch, we continue our hike to the outdoor Hotsprings for Santa Teresa to relax and watch the sunset before checking in to our accommodation for the night and having dinner.
After Breakfast, we begin the day with an adrenaline-pumping ziplining adventure across deep valleys with cables almost 1km in length.
From here we begin our Hike to Aguas Calientes 'Machu Picchu Town' with a stop for lunch along the way.
We spend the evening before Machu Picchu exploring local markets before getting an early night for our early start tomorrow.
Wake up early for our last challenging hike to watch the sunrise from the iconic ruins of Machu Picchu. We will spend the morning exploring, grabbing candid photo's with the resident lamas and learning about the site's history from our local guide.
Returning to Aguas Calientes for a quick lunch, we then board our panoramic viewing train through the sacred valley to Cusco where we get to bed early for a well-earned rest to get ready for our last full day.
After a well-earned post-hike rest immerse yourself in the story of Cusco’s past with a private tour of its top historical sites.
Start your tour with a stop at the impressive Cusco Cathedral and the San Pedro Market for last-minute gifts, then continue high above Cusco, where the Inca ruins of the Moon temple and Sacasyhuaman watch over the city.
Returning to Cusco city we have our final dinner celebrations at night.
Breakfast and departure. Take the opportunity to wake up early for one last sunrise or sleep in and relax.
If you have a late departure, you can use the time to explore Cusco one last time.