Program Reviews

One of my favorite memories from my Wilderness Adventures European Alps trip was when we woke up at 4am to summit Tete Blanch. Trecking up the snow capped mountains with crampons on while watching the sun rise was an amazing experience I will never forget. Another once in a lifetime experience I had was when I woke up with a view of the Matterhorn (On the Matterhorn) above the cloud level. Overall this was a life changing trip that never got boring.

The Wilderness Adventures trip to Peru was an amazing experience! It was the best decision I've made. It was the perfect balance of volunteering, hard work, having fun, seeing amazing places and views, and meeting new people. I always felt safe, very comfortable, and in good hands. The trip-leaders were helpful and enthusiastic and they helped to make the trip special. The Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu was the coolest thing I have ever done. It was a lot of fun camping in different places and hiking across the Andes. Getting to the top of the Salkantay pass and to the top of Machu Picchu mountain was an amazing accomplishment and experience. Seeing one of the seven wonders of the world is something I will never forget. I had never been white water rafting before, and rafting on the Urubamba River with class II and III rapids was super fun. Volunteering at each school was a great experience. I loved making a difference and being able to play with the kids and learn about them and the culture. Overall I had an amazing time and I would definitely do something like this again. I will carry the memories I made on this trip with me forever.

The Peru service trip led by Wilderness Adventures was the most amazing experience of my life. One of the many stories I have is when our group was helping out at a small school in the Sacred Valley. It was after we had finished our work for the day and the sun was starting to set. A few kids from the school stayed later and we're playing some soccer. I have never been a person who is good at sports and I usually feel self conscious about playing sports in front of strangers.
However, the leaders on my trip created an environment where I felt comfortable and after one week we all became very close. Everyone began joining in the game and it was incredible. We were all screaming in Spanish and sprinting up and down the field. It almost felt like we were
competing in the World Cup. Soon the sun set and it was totally dark. You couldn't see past three feet in front of you. I felt sad that game was over but then someone pulled out their headlamp.
The game continued and as I looked around it was amazing to see that I could connect with kids from a different country who didnt speak my language. After a while the kids began to filter off to go to dinner. Eventually we headed over to diner also with huge smiles on our faces. This was one of my favorite experiences because I was so surprised and in awe of it. I will definitely never forget this trip.

This was my fourth trip with Wilderness Adventures and they keep getting better! This trip was the perfect mix of service, adventure, and language. The diversity of the location, from Ecuador to the Galápagos to the diversity just in continental Ecuador, allowed for a variety of different activities and constantly changing surroundings. The animal and plant diversity was incredible, and overall Ecuador and the Galápagos proved to be an incredibly unique place to visit. Wilderness Adventures' leaders never fail to be amazing people who you can learn so much from and perfect facilitators of the group dynamic. The small size allows for close bonds and lifelong friendships. All four of my trips have been some of the best experiences of my life and absolutely worth it. I would highly recommend this or any other Wilderness Adventures trip!