Your life outside the project
During the afternoon in Belize walk downtown and check out San Ignacio. Grab a snack or meal at any of the local cafes or street vendors. Take a stroll to the river and go for a swim. Join in a soccer or basketball game at any of the number of parks around town. Meet up with other volunteers in the evening at one of the local hotspots to hang out, catch some live music, or possibly join a trivia game. There are local clubs for dancing where you can hear Reggaeton, Punta, Soca, and other music popular in Belize. Looking for a low-key evening? You can check out a movie in Cayo, go for ice cream, or get a fresh-squeezed juice from one of the many market stands. On free weekends, volunteers can organize a weekend trip to the coast to go snorkelling or enjoy the keys.
In Peru the landscape surrounding Calca and the rest of the Sacred Valley make volunteering and living here both beautiful and entertaining. There are so manyareas to explore close by with lots of hikes to be had as well during your weekends off. You can get to trek to hot springs, glaciers, ruins and much more without having to leave the Valley. At the centre of this lush and diverse land, lies the mighty Incan Empire, which is what thousands of people around the world visit to Peru to seek out. There are so many ancient ruins both popular and virtually unknown which are easily reachable from your base in Calca.
The Sacred Valley is split into a number of different regions and towns, Calca being one of them, and Cusco being the capital of the Valley. Areas to visit on your weekends off include:
•Pisac – a beautiful and picturesque Andean village located on the Urubamba River in the eastern end of the Valley. Pisac (derived from the Quechua word ‘pisaca’ meaning little partridge) is most famous for it big Sunday markets as well as its smaller weekdays ones on Tuesday and Thursdays. These attract tourists from all over Peru and indeed the world. On market days, the main square is thronging with stalls selling artisan goods including ceramics, alpaca jumpers, gloves, sock, paintings, antiques, musical instruments, trinkets, jewellery and much more. There is still an area dedicated to fruit and vegetables, but they have moved to a smaller area of the market as the popularity of the traditional vendors has increased.
•Urubamba – this is a lovely town which caters for all that a passing traveller could hope for boasting a number of bars and cafes which are situated around the main Plaza de Armas. There are also a number of local shops and markets to delve in to. While in Urubamba, make sure to check out the ceramics of local artist Pablo Seminario. His workshop is located here, where you will be able to purchase items from and he is known throughout Peru as creating beautiful pieces. Urubamba is a wonderful and charming town with an appealing climate all the year round. The town boasts panoramic views of the valley as well as breath-taking sights of the Vilcanota mountain range. Urubamba is also a great starting point to adventure activities such as trekking, mountain biking, horse riding, rafting and also provides some rest if you’re planning on heading to Machu Picchu.
•Yucay – This is another small town located close to Urubamba and boasts one of the Sacred Valley’s best kept secrets – Huayoccari Hacienda Restaurant. This is an elegant and charming converted country manor situated on a ridge looking over the sacred valley approximately 2km outside of town. Although small, the town consists of beautiful colonial architecture in the form of homes and churches – most notably the church of Santiago Apostol. Yucay also has great cuisine, so it is definitely worth taking a meal or two here, sampling some of the local delicacies.
•Chinchero – nestled between Urubamba and Cusco, Chinchero is looked down upon by the incredible snow capped Chicon mountain. The town is famous for its wonderful ruins and beautiful churches. The name Chinchero actually means ‘Town of Rainbows’ in the local Quechua language and it was supposed to have originally gotten its name due to being the mythical birthplace of the rainbow!
•Ollantaytambo – Located about 97km from Cusco in the far end of the Sacred Valley, the small city is nestled along the Patakancha River. Ollantaytambo is a very popular starting point for the Inca Trail, so many visitors pass through on their way to see the mighty ruins. The town itself is divided into various blocks (canchas), most of which are entirely entact, allowing you to get a real sense of how the Inca’s mapped their way around a town. The scenery is stunning with each block having a large stone doorway, leading to houses surrounding a central courtyard. A true Inca town, Ollantaytambo is one not to be missed.
In Bolivia there is plenty to see and do in and around Cochabamba and if you like shopping it is home to the largest open-air market in South America, La Cancha. It is a great place to go to get a feel of the traditional customs and culture of the city and the surrounding areas and, although it is mostly made up of agricultural products and a wide variety of Bolivian food, there are also stalls selling traditional handicrafts as well.
Other local points of interest include the Statue of Cristo de la Concordia on San Pedro Hill. The statue itself is 33 meters tall and the views of the city from the top (reached by a climb inside the statue), are incredible. Another great day trip is to visit the Tunari National Park, located on the outskirts of Cochabamba. Tourist companies in the centre of Cochabamba offer bird watching and trekking tours, as well as options for the adrenaline junkies in the form of paragliding.
While staying in Cochabamba, take time off to visit the ruins of Incarakay and the beautiful Lago Angostura. Torotoro National Park is located to the north of the Potosi District but has access through Cochabamba. Torotoro forms part of the Western side of the Bolivia Andes mountain ranges and is a place where you can step back into old Bolivian times. While at the Park it is possible to see caverns, waterfalls, cave paintings and dinosaur footprints.
Highlights
Kayaking the Belizean Waterways
Raft a 20-mile stretch of the Macal River. This small, steep, and technical route brings you through drop pools, mazelike channels, and big waterfalls in class IV whitewater. Led by guides who have rafted all over the world, you know it's got to be good when even they get excited about it. Groups are small (six people), and the wildlife abundant — tapirs, iguanas, and river otters are just a few of the species to be seen.
Manu Biosphere Nature Reserve in Peru
Manu National Park is one of the largest natural protected areas in the world. To see biodiversity on such an unparalleled scale is such a special experience. This UNESCO world heritage site contains about 15,000 species of plants, 250 varieties of trees, 800 species of birds and 200 species of mammals, including the endangered Jaguar.
The Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia
This is the largest salt flat in the world covering an area of 10,582km2. It holds around 10 billion tons of salt and half of the world's lithium. Its vastness is unbelievable as it stretches off into the horizon and touches the sky.
