Incredible Experience in Peru!

My time in the rainforest is something I'll remember for the rest of my life. Living and working with a fantastic group of volunteers at the Atalaya reserve was an incredible experience. The seclusion of this project really gives you a chance to form deeper and closer bonds with your fellow volunteers, the program leaders, and also the people in the towns nearby. It really does become a home away from home! You also feel a lot closer to nature in those conditions; open air bungalows, no electricity or hot water, etc. I thought this project would just be a lot of hard outdoor labour, but it turned out to be so much more. Yes, the majority of days would see us hiking steep trails with machetes and pickaxes to plant saplings, or hacking away at bamboo, but we also spent time learning about the rainforest, taking trips in to town, hiking to waterfalls and the swimming hole, reading absurd amounts of novels, eating basic but delicious food, playing round after round of card games, and just having a wonderful time with amazing friends. I wouldn't change anything about my time in the Amazon, it was everything I thought it would be and more :)