Your life outside the project
Costa Rica is one of the most popular countries for travel, and for very good reason! Though Costa Rica has only about 0.1% of the world's land mass, it contains 5% of the world's biodiversity, so nature lovers will find this lovely country a paradise. There are a multitude of opportunities for mountain and water sports and many other forms of outdoor recreation, so if you love the outdoors, Costa Rica is a place you'll never want to leave. English is a second language of Costa Rica, so volunteers with beginner Spanish skills will not have much difficulty travelling here.
In Peru the landscape surrounding Cusco and the Sacred Valley make living here both beautiful and entertaining. There are dozens of different hikes in the area, to hot springs, glaciers, ruins, etc. As the centre of the mighty Incan Empire, tons of incredible ancient ruins, both popular and virtually unknown, are easily reachable. Cusco, just an hour away from Urubamba, also has a very lively nightlife so there is something to do every night of the week. It is also very easy and inexpensive to get to both Chile and Bolivia.
The Sacred Valley is split into a number of different regions and towns, with 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 Ecuador the project is based in a remote location so during the week evenings generally consist of hanging out, enjoying the natural surroundings and watching DVDs. At weekends volunteers tend to go away for overnight trips. The town of Puyo is only 35kms away and has plenty of amenities and there's also plenty of adventure activities within a 2/3 hour radius of the project including canyoning in the town of Banos and white water rafting in Tena.
Highlights
Whale and Dolphin Watching in Costa Rica
The shallow warm waters create the ideal ecosystem for humpback whales, killer whales, Pilot Whales and bottlenose, spinner and spotted dolphins. Humpback whales come from two hemispheres to breed and spend the longest period of the year here. It's the premier location to see these amazing mammals up close.
Paragliding in the Andes
View the spectacular views of the Ecuadorian Andes through the thrilling experience of paragliding. Carry out a tandem flight and no experience is required. The best places to paraglide are Crucita Beach, Pichincha Mountains and the cliffs above Canoa.
Manu Biosphere Nature Reserve
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.
