Projects Abroad: Volunteer in Peru

Projects Abroad: Volunteer in Peru

Location
  • Peru
    • Cusco
    • Puerto Maldonado
    • Machu Picchu
Length
1 to 52 weeks
Health & Safety

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
15
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Host Family Hostel

Pricing

Starting Price
2050
Price Details
Prices vary depending on your chosen project and duration. Visit the Projects Abroad website to learn more.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance Visa
Mar 16, 2026
Nov 11, 2025
26 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Do you want to adventure with purpose? Then join Projects Abroad!

Peru is a beautiful country with something for everyone. You can visit the Amazon rainforest, the Andes mountains, and the Pacific coast. You can also explore ancient ruins and learn about Peruvian culture.

We have many exciting projects for you to choose from. You can help protect the rainforest, care for children, or learn about archaeology. You can also intern in medicine and healthcare.

Our dedicated staff and partners will support you every step of the way. We also make sure that all our projects contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

Ready to start your adventure? Visit our website today!

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

Volunteers appreciate the strong support from staff and host families, hands-on work in diverse projects, and cultural immersion.

Video and Photos

Impact 🌎

We are committed to sustainable practices that benefit local communities and the environment.

Our initiatives:

► Climate-positive projects
► Low-impact travel model
► Increased biodiversity

Partnering with Ecologi

We have partnered with Ecologi to offset more carbon emissions than we generate.

Planting trees for a greener future

We plant a tree for every volunteer who joins our projects.

Long-term impact

Our projects are designed to create long-term, positive change for communities and the environment.
Join Projects Abroad, a force for good connecting volunteers with communities. Build green futures, fight inequality, and empower locals on impactful adventures.

Visit our website to learn more about our impact worldwide.

Program Highlights

  • Immerse yourself in Peruvian culture
  • Visit Machu Picchu, explore lush rainforests, and ancient ruins
  • Choose a project you are passionate about that fits your interests
  • Select your own start date and duration
  • Get 24/7 support from our international and local team

Popular Programs

volunteer and child in Peru

Work with local teachers to support early childhood development at disadvantaged childcare centers.

Program Reviews

4.78 Rating
based on 40 reviews
  • 5 rating 80%
  • 4 rating 17.5%
  • 3 rating 2.5%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.45
  • Support 4.75
  • Fun 4.55
  • Value 4.6
  • Safety 4.65
Showing 1 - 8 of 40 reviews
Martine Nadia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Working with young children in Peru

Working with young children in Peru was a fantastic experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Rainy season was actually nowhere near as bad as expected. We only had two heavy rainy days in a 30 day period.

The accommodation was great. The family was kind and friendly. The mom was a fantastic cook and extremely helpful with respect to the city, how to get around and helping in find deals on excursions. She was also great in providing advice on restaurants and where and what to eat. Would recommend again and again

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
Guinea pig
Pros
  • Different
  • Challenging
  • Amazing
Cons
  • High altitude impact
76 people found this review helpful.
alfred
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Incredible experience

This experience is awesome for a lot of reasons.

First things first, Peru is a beautiful country, and the Amazonian rainforest is one of the most beautiful things I've seen in my entire life. At the Taricaya reserve, I felt useful and not like a random tourist; I felt like I was doing something really meaningful.

Everyone at the reserve was nice and friendly, and wanted to share their knowledge with us.

I did many things and different activities, from farming to building, or feeding the animals... Thank you to Taricaya Eco Reserve and Projects Abroad for this amazing experience!

What was your funniest moment?
When a tapir came in our dorm during the night and ate some of my clothes ! He was actually very nice and trying to be cuddled !
Pros
  • autonomy
  • feeling useful
  • discovery
77 people found this review helpful.
Giacomo
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteering Basketball Program in Peru

Excellent organisation and a very supportive family s/o to Patrick Ruiz for making this program incredible!
The program was very fun and interesting, seeing another culture and try to gain a lot of experience by helping them develop their skills.
Peru is an incredible country for volunteering and you will never regret the travelling.
In the future I hope I can re-volunteer and connect with the great people that I knew during my staying and see another time all the kids that I helped during the basketball practices.

294 people found this review helpful.
Victoria
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Medical Internship

I’m very thankful for my trip to Peru. It gave me some clarity on what I want in the future, I felt very safe there, the country was beautiful and filled with culture and history, and my house family was the absolute best. My host family and those that worked for the organization were available at any moment and were so willing to help with anything. This internship confirmed that I definitely want to do medicine overseas. I always look back through my pictures and feel very thankful for the opportunity and the growth I experienced there.

What was your funniest moment?
I found myself laughing with the other volunteers all the time. I also remember times when there would be street performers that would do things intentionally to make other people laugh which of course, worked.
283 people found this review helpful.
Isabel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Peru

The project offers more than just the work experience. The project was incredible at giving the volunteers a social outlet with one another, which made the whole trip amazing. They also regularly gave advice on the places to visit, and guided us to others that could safely take us around. The archaeology program was amazing, and more hands on than I had imagined. If you do the archaeological project, you will have the opportunity to work with ancient artifacts and explore the most beautiful ruins.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My advice to future travelers; let yourself become completely immersed into the culture. Don’t hold back, and don’t let yourself get too caught up in your own expectations to enjoy the curveballs.
272 people found this review helpful.
Isabella
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Experience of a Lifetime!

I had an amazing experience in Peru! It was incredible to work in a foreign country and serve the local people. I learned so much about health care and public health while having lots of fun. Experiencing a new culture, working hands-on at the clinic and health campaigning, and meeting the Peruvian people and host family was the highlight of my summer. I met great people from all over the US who were part of my team and became lasting friends. I had an awesome experience exploring the country especially Machu Picchu. I really wish I could have stayed longer and it is has lead me to apply to college in the medical field concentrating in public health. Thank you!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
At a local restaurant I tried Alpaca and Guinea Pig. Like most people say, it tasted like chicken:)
248 people found this review helpful.
Caroline
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Peru Taricaya Conservation Project

I travelled to Peru to participate in Projects Abroad's Wildlife Conservation project in the Amazon Rainforest. As an 18 year old girl travelling on her own for the first time, I could not have felt more safe, welcomed, and impactful on my project. Mikaela, the volunteer coordinator is an amazing, reliable, and responsible girl who made the adjustment as smooth and comfortable as I could have hoped. Not only did I make connections with other volunteers, I also had the opportunity to make friendships with South Americans living and working at the reserve. My six weeks spent in Peru were an amazing experience. The week days can be hard work, especially in the heat, but the evenings and weekends are relaxing and tons of fun! The Amazon, along with its biodiversity, is disappearing at an alarming rate. Taricaya Reserve definitely deserves the work and resources provided to it by volunteers.

310 people found this review helpful.
Response from

Hi Caroline,
I'm so glad to hear that you had such a rewarding experience on the Conservation project in Peru. You made a worthwhile contribution to our ongoing sustainable goals – you were really appreciated by the local community. You are very welcome to volunteer or Intern with Projects Abroad again!

Irazema Arizabal, Country Director for Peru

Anon
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Extraordinary Experience

I don't have much time, so this reviiew will be short.
That being said, I can't put into words how much working with Project Abroads has helped me develop as a character.
On my trip to Peru I met unique people, experienced different cultures, and ate some great food!
On the way there you can see many phenomenal works such as Macchu Picchu along with other temples.
I live in a small town in the USA, and my experiences there are limited.
I practically live in a bubble, but my experience in Peru has changed my perception of the world (in a good way!).

. .

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
Alpaca meat, Guinea Pig meat, eggs with chicken, along other things.
290 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

During my stay in Peru, I didn't travel to the rainforest, but I would think it is best to dress in layers depending on the weather and time of year travelled there (nothing too heavy as it will probably get warm there). Also, definitely important to have bug spray/mosquito repellent or some kind of netting for protection from the different insects in the rainforest.

I did my volunteer abroad 7 years ago and at the Animal Conservation in Peru so my perspective may be a little different, but while I was there volunteers are supervised to an extent. However volunteers are left alone when not working which is quite often, and its hard for new volunteers who don't know much of the area. Doing more group activities not related with volunteering would help people...