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A Mestizo Community in Peru’s Selva Gateway
Peru is a country rich in history and culture and with an array of geographical zones. It is best known perhaps as the site of the largest empire in the world, the Inca. Ancient Peru also was home to the Nazca, Chimu and Sican people, among others. Visitors can sample seafood along its over 2000 kilometers of seashore, swim in the Amazon River, or hike the Inca Trail to fabled Machu Pichu.
The city of Tarapoto, “The City of Palms”, is located in the San Martin Department of Northeastern Peru. It is the largest town in the region and is the center for area agricultural and commercial activities. Situated where the low Andes Mountains give way to the jungle, the town is surrounded by lush forests and a network of rivers including the Mayo, Huallaga and the Cumbaza.
The Department of San Martin is home to a variety of ethnic groups. Tarapoto and the surrounding area are inhabited largely by the Quechua Indian people. The nearby town of Lamas is the heart of the Quechua-Lamista culture, an ancient cultural group that maintains its traditions today. Spanish is the major language but many people speak Quechua in this area.
Poloponta is a small community off the paved roads, about one hour from Tarapoto. It’s a beautiful village tucked into the rolling hills, whose residents bear a mix of ethnic backgrounds, and families date back for many generations in the area.
Developing Community by Empowering the Individual
GCN’s partner in Peru is a non-profit organization called JIREH, who works on small scale development projects in several Quechua Indian villages and with marginalized youth in Tarapoto. Poloponta is one community that JIREH has worked with, to build a student-designed school. They have invited GCN to assist them with an additional community development project, the details of which are still being determined.
Travel Itinerary
Flights arrive in Lima around midnight or early in the morning. Team members will meet in Lima, the capital of Peru, on the first day of the trip. The team will have the first day to rest and explore Lima, a fascinating colonial capital with extensive markets, historical buildings and museums. The next afternoon the team will fly directly to Tarapoto and get settled into their lodgings. Team members will become a part of this vibrant community through the remainder of the GCN trip, at which point they will fly back to Lima. Many GCN participants like to extend their stay before or after the GCN trip in order to leisurely explore some of Peru’s captivating areas.
Accommodation and Meals
As this will be GCN’s first working team to Peru, precise accommodations are still being determined. Team members may stay in a family-owned lodge in Tarapoto, and drive back and forth to Poloponta each day. Most likely, though, team members will reside in community, either in home stays or in a community building. Most meals will be taken as a group, prepared by a local cook. Typical foods in this area are rice and beans, chicken, fresh fruit including plantains, papaya, and coconut. “Juanes” is a local specialty of rice and chicken baked in a banana leaf, not to be missed.
Time to Explore
The GCN experience is time in the host community, which allows for plenty of time to get to know the local community in your own way. Often team members like to explore the surrounding area for an occasional day trip. There is much to explore in and around Tarapoto. In the immediate area are several waterfalls, rafting the Mayo River or relaxing at Laguna de Sauce, where the clear blue waters make excellent swimming.
Tarapoto is easily connected by air to other major attractions such as Iquitos, Cuzco, Trujillo and Arequipa. *It is important to note that July and August is peak tourist season in Peru and accommodations before or after the GCN trip in places like Cuzco and Machu Pichu must be made as early as possible. Because of this, potential participants are strongly urged to sign up for this trip well in advance of the trip date.
Health and Safety Issues
Participants are required to be in sound health. Potential participants with significant physical limitations are encouraged to check with their physician and discuss the situation with GCN staff beforehand. Some inoculations as well as provisions for high altitude may be required. Check with your local travel clinic or the Center for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ for accurate information.
Peru is a developing democracy, and its political situation is stable. The United States State Department web site http://www.state.gov/travel/is a resource for updated on travel advisories in Peru and other countries.
Costs
The program cost for this two-and-a-half week trip is $1,725. Program costs covers on-site accommodations (lodging and meals), in-country travel, training materials, donation to the project, emergency medical and evacuation insurance, t-shirt, and a portion of the team leader’s expenses.
Airfare to Peru, and costs relating to activities outside of the village, are additional and the responsibility of the individual participant.
All trip related costs are tax-deductible in the U.S.
Discounts available (one per person/group)
Contact us for further information
Global Citizens Network
130 North Howell St.
St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 644-0960 or (800) 644-9292
Contact us
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