Adventure Tags: Community Volunteering
Brazil: Explore and Befriend
Experience the Amazon, its tropical forests, abundant wildlife, and beautiful sunshine. You will explore a unique place and culture, and connect with people in ways that can contribute to their lives, as well as your own. Enjoy varied experiences–see for yourself why some call Santarem the ‘Dodge City of Brazil’; enjoy an afternoon or two relaxing on the beach. This trip can be tailored to meet travelers’ needs/requests. In Brazil, you can combine service and learning with fun!
Thailand: Cultural Immersion and Service in Isaan Villages
For those intrigued by cultures and real-life experiences, this trip is designed to immerse the traveler in the life of rice-farming villagers in the materially-poor but culturally-rich Northeast region of Thailand. The itinerary highlight is a village home-stay, where you’ll be welcomed into a family and included in everything from collecting ingredients for lunch to Buddhist ceremonies, weaving bamboo mats to preparing cassava for the market. As you fall in love with Isaan life, we explore the region more in depth, hiking to the prehistoric drawings on the Mekong, meeting local health and agricultural officials, and visiting with village women’s groups to learn of their economic development activities. A highly rewarding adventure for both the traveler and the hosts.
This trip is ideal for those seeking unique adventures that include volunteering components, and can be customized to meet groups’ needs. It is a great fit for high school trips, whether for a senior class trip that focuses on volunteering for students, or for a high school trip that includes touring and a combination of activities.
Nepal: Himalayan Volunteer Adventure
Nepal is a fascinating country divided into green flat planes, lush foothills and valleys, and arid Himalayan peaks. The people of this stunning country are warm, friendly, proud, and resilient.
Nicaragua: Sea Turtle Conservation Program
The Tora turtle (Dermochelys coriácea) is an endangered species due to the fact that its population has declined by 80% in the last 10 years. The turtle population located in the Pacific Ocean (from México to Chile) has suffered a particularly severe decline in numbers and most colonies here have disappeared. There are three beaches on the west coast of Nicaragua key to the protection of the Tora turtle, as they are the main regional spots where nesting colonies arrive. The number of nests in this part of Nicaragua is the highest amongst all Central American countries for this particular species. Various actions have now been set up on the beaches to monitor and protect the nests, encouraging community participation and working to raise awareness.
Nicaragua: Community Work and Ecotourism
With Caribbean beaches, lakes, volcanoes, colonial cities, old colorful houses, cloud forests, frothing waterfalls and outstanding coffee, this incredible country has many attractions to offer its visitors. However, Nicaragua has suffered a troubled past of economical instability, war, and revolutions; these ended over 15 years ago, making Nicaragua now one of the safest countries in the Americas, though it remains a nation struggling to overcome its past reputation. Despite efforts made in recent years in the areas of economic growth and poverty reduction, Nicaragua still has highly unequal income distribution and development levels. This program combines voluntary work with a small rural village, educational activities related to the environment and sustainability, a visit to a turtle sanctuary, a volcano climb ╴and time to relax on the long sandy beaches!
Mexico: Service and Sun!
Enjoy one of the world’s most beautiful beach areas while making a difference in one of the communities marginalized in the expansion of mega-tourism. This program provides both an opportunity for service and the chance to experience the clear waters and white beaches of a tropical paradise.
Mexico: Copper Canyon Hiking And Community Service
This Copper Canyon hiking and service expedition is a rugged adventure through the awesome canyons of Northern Mexico. It takes in the pristine wilderness settings and wildlife viewing opportunities while giving back to the local villages and towns through a four day service project in a remote community school.
Jamaica: A Rural Community Experience
Jamaica is popular for its beautiful white beaches, tropical beauty, and warm, friendly atmosphere, but the majority of the island is not visited by tourists. Volunteering in Petersfield takes the tourist experience deeper and provides the opportunity for visitors to participate first-hand in the life of a small, rural community.
India: Calcutta and the Sunderbans Tiger Country
The Sunderbans is mysterious, vast, untamable, and perhaps the last true wild frontier in the Indian sub-continent. Experience the world’s largest estuarine forest, a landscape dominated by great tidal creeks and waterways, and home to unique birds and animals, including the famous swimming tigers.
Guatemala: Diverse Treasures
Guatemala is a small exotic country in Central America with a diverse geography that includes 33 volcanoes, highland areas, cloud forest, rainforest, and even desert. Guatemala has a unique culture with a large indigenous Mayan population still living much as they have for hundreds of years and with many traditions and beliefs dating back to ancient times. There are 23 different Maya languages spoken in Guatemala. Every village has its own distinctive textile, using colors and symbols particular to their region.
