Guyana makes a great gap year and volunteering holiday destination thanks to its amazing wildlife and amazingly friendly people.
In Yupukari, Guyana (the only English-speaking country in South America), villagers will teach you their indigenous knowledge while you contribute your strengths in reading, writing and technology to their self-development projects.
Villagers of all ages will teach you to fish, farm, weave a hammock, plait a basket, make and use bows & arrows, paddle a dugout, cook over fire and many other indigenous skills the same way they teach their own family.
These student-villager co-creative partnerships have yielded the first digital maps of the community; the first catalogue of medicinal plants; the first books from oral stories, among other projects that have been transformative for locals and visitors alike.
This working relationship allows both parties to develop an appreciation of their own knowledge, gifts and strengths, while learning lifelong skills and forming deep friendships.
Rupununi Learners – finding out more
The host organisation is a village-run NGO, Rupununi Learners, which operates a guest lodge, Caiman House, where you will live. 100% of revenue surplus from visitors goes to the village public library, wildlife research and cultural preservation. In 2012 Caiman House received the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Award.
This gap semester program is based on an award-winning, university-accredited Study Abroad program, but with a focus on “learning from living” rather than fulfilling academic requirements.
The experienced staff are a mix of villagers, Canadians and Americans.
Find out more here on the Gap Semester Webpage, and read more about Caiman House in Tom’s blog.
Please get in touch for more information, and read our Volunteer section.
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M. Boerman, Galapagos Land-based tour, May 2024 We loved the wildlife - learning about Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands during the planning of this trip did not prepare me for really being able to see so much diversity in the ecosystems. All the locals we interacted with were very welcoming and friendly. The food was fabulous and hotels were beautifully located and well maintained. We chose Andean Trails because I Googled “eco travel to Galapagos Islands” and Andean Trails came up as one with the best reviews. Kat, I know I have said thank you but really THANK YOU, your attention to details and fine tuning of our trip were wonderful! You were a pleasure to work with for so many years and you gave us the best vacation we could have asked for. Like most of our tour guides they can't guarantee what we will see or experience but I think we checked off all our boxes with this vacation. >> Galapagos Land Based Tour 2024
Sue Ormiston, Peru Highlights, Inca Trail, and Amazon, May 2024 The holiday was fantastic overall. Thanks for all your help. We've had a great time! There were two highlights: the first was finishing the Inca Trail and seeing Machu Picchu. And the second was the trip to Tambopata Research Centre in the Amazon Rainforest. Food everywhere was very good. Guides everywhere were excellent, especially the guide at Colca Canyon. (Elar), Elvis at Lake Titicaca, the Inca Trail (Felipe) and at Tambopata (Boris). Overall organisation was excellent. Everything worked smoothly, like clockwork! Andean Trails was recommended to us by a friend. The places we chose to visit because they all sounded amazing and they were!
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