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GYC2812 - Amazon Rainforest project Country: Peru Cost: £1995.00 Cost Includes: The price includes accommodation, food and pickup from airport but does not include flight, insurance, kit or visas     Duration: 2 months Company Rep Nearby: Various 0845 344 7585 or

 

	This placement would suit... Adaptable volunteers with initiative. You don't need any special qualifications to do this project, but self-reliance and independence are highly appreciated in all our destinations and will help you to make the most of this wonderful opportunity! From the Amazon Rainforest, Lake Titicaca, the mysterious Inca ruins and the ultimately inspiring Machu Picchu experience, a trip to Peru is a journey into a magical dimension! As anyone who has heard tales from other travellers knows, Peru is simply sublime... Think of the Amazon and you'll conjure up images of steamy emerald forests pulsing with life, from the masses of plants and animals to the native tribes that still live deep in the heart of this incredible jungle. The Amazon is one of the last undiscovered territories on earth, and you can become a part of helping to conserve this ancient giant. You'll work within a large conservation area inside the Amazon, located in the southeastern corner of Peru. No other park in the world can equal Manu for species richness. Over 1,000 birds have been identified, 15,000 plants species and 13 species of monkey as well as jaguar, tapir, black caiman and the giant otter. The closest city is Cuzco, once the hub of the Inca Empire and now famous as the gateway to the incredible Machu Picchu. Here you can sink into the Peruvian pace of life while doing something that will really make a difference, not only within Peru, but to the Earth itself! Amazon conservation project You’ll work at the Manu Learning Centre (MLC), located in a private reserve of what appears to be infinite forest, stretching from Peru across Brazil and to the Atlantic Ocean. This is the Amazon! The facility is designed comfortably, using natural resources and, as an added bonus, there is a waterfall bordering the site! Local mammals include peccaries, puma, jaguar, armadillos and various monkeys. Tortoises and lizards are also present as are 365 species of birds. The purpose of the work is to monitor and better understand rainforest biodiversity with a view to providing sustainable solutions and improved rainforest conservation. Projects undertaken at the MLC fall under three main areas; conservation, sustainability and education. You will receive on-site training and assist in environmental monitoring at multiple locations. Ongoing projects you may help on include the frog house, mammal monitoring, parrot monitoring and the ecology club. Duties will include scientific monitoring and surveillance, data collection and interpretation, collection of sample species and construction (building hides and observation posts). As with all conservation projects, your work will depend on what is required at the time your project takes place. It is also governed by uncontrollable factors, such as the weather, nesting seasons, etc. There is a lot of scope here to develop new ideas and/or projects and to really make a difference. The environment is wonderfully relaxing, with nice weather, good views, excellent accommodation and great company! Entertainment is very much home-made and there is a real community spirit among volunteers. You will be well looked after. Opportunities for leisure include swimming and climbing, white-water rafting and canopy climbing! Teaching English If you can provide any informal English language tuition and practice for the staff at the centre, this would be very much appreciated. They are very keen and are happy to attend classes and do homework. Incidentally, this is also a great opportunity for you to learn or improve your Spanish! Extras! Volunteers who enroll in the Amazon Project for two months or longer participate in a free four-day / three-night expedition to an indigenous community. Expeditions include either white-water rafting or a visit to a popular natural hot springs. Accommodation Placed on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest, on a hill next to a river, this accommodation is, to be honest, idyllic! It has a special feel to it. It is relaxed and peaceful and has been tastefully constructed in keeping with its surroundings. There is a Western bathroom and a large sink in which to do your laundry. There is a dining and relaxation quarter as well as a library and covered hammock area. Lighting is by candle as there is generally no electricity on the site, although there is a generator run for a few hours each night to charge batteries etc. Food is provided and you'll have three meals per day. Our users say... "This was one of the best experiences I ever took part in. Things are organised (and) true to ecology..." - Charles Walker. "Our first day in the rainforest we saw a group of dusky titi monkeys. On the second day we were privileged to go on a hike to a primary forest. There we had luck on our side, and saw a howler monkey, woolly monkeys, saddleback tamarin monkeys, as well as the fruit loops toucan. By the end of the trip we also saw a herd of 30 squirrel monkeys, making five types within less than two weeks. The entire bio-reserve runs very well, with facilities as good as a cosy clean home" - Charles and Danya. 0845 344 7585 Travellers Worldwide: Live and work abroad helping children, adults, animals and entire communities in less advantaged countries. Learn about their culture from the inside! Stay from as little as two weeks to as long as one year - you choose your dates and duration!