SACRED VALLEY Peru Expedition
ABOUT CAMPS
Who we are
We’re not like other school expedition providers. As a social enterprise, we are driven by our strong sense of purpose, which forms our foundation and determines every aspect of the way we operate.
Since 2002, Camps International have grown from supporting a handful of communities in rural Kenya to now running hundreds of community, wildlife and environmental projects across eight different countries.
Regional Head Offices
We invest in building permanent camps in the heart of the places we care about.
We commit to the highest standards of responsible tourism throughout all our operations. We work in partnership with local communities. We employ a fantastically diverse team of passionate staff around the globe.
The Camps Effect
We put purpose before profit, always. We call this the Camps Effect and it is the engine that drives our positive impact – for the young people who travel with us and for the planet.
It is thanks to our unique social enterprise model that we are able to provide exceptional experiences and create long-lasting positive impact.
RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
Travel – when done responsibly – can be an incredible force for good around the globe. Since the very start, we have been absolutely committed to doing things the right way at Camps. This, in turn, ensures we deliver the most authentic and impactful experiences for those who travel with us and for the people and places we work with.
How do we Travel Responsibly?
1 How do we involve local people?
We partner with local community leaders in all locations, establish long-term relationships with communities prior to building camps and only build camps on community land where we have identified a need for our presence. We employ and train staff from the community and ensure locals are involved in all decision making.
2 How do we support local economies?
We employ local, buy local and build local, purchasing sustainable and locally produced products for our camps and encouraging our travellers to purchase from local stores and markets. We pay local taxes and ensure a percentage of our profits always remain in-country.
3 How do we make contributions to conservation?
We never exploit or contribute towards illegal activities involving wildlife or the environment. Our projects promote and support wildlife and environmental conservation. We educate our travellers on the environmental challenges of each of our camps.
4 How do we minimise any negative impact?
We are privileged to work in some of the world’s most amazing environments and we take great care to protect them. We ensure appropriate management of waste, water and energy and have implemented plastic-reduction policies across our entire business.
5
How do we uphold the highest ethical standards?
All our projects bring real benefit to the communities and by working in partnership with locals we ensure we prioritise work that is most wanted and needed. Our travellers never take work away from a paid local person and we assess all our projects against extensive internal Ethical Guidelines to maintain our uncompromising commitment to best practise in safeguarding, animal welfare and sustainability.
6 How do we support the United Nations SDGs?
Our projects are designed to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and we are a member of the UN Global Compact, demonstrating our commitment to sustainable and responsible business practices. This ensures we are consistently aligning our operations – from our projects on the ground to our wider business strategies – with universal principles on sustainability, human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.
7 How do we help create equal opportunities?
We support enterprises run by women and minority groups and ensure we do not participate in exploitation or discrimination against women, children and minority groups through activities such as unethical orphanage visits.
8 How do we provide authentic experiences?
We become part of the communities we work with, so we have a deep understanding of local cultures and traditions. Local interaction is key to all our expeditions and we educate our travellers on cultural understanding, engendering mutual respect between travellers and hosts.
9 How do we educate young people to be responsible travellers?
Through our programme of Responsible Traveller Training, we ensure that all the students that travel with us understand their own responsibilities. We believe that one of the most important steps we can take in being a sustainable enterprise, and in achieving net zero carbon emissions, is to educate the young people we work with. Through helping our travellers establish life-long good habits, reduce their own carbon emissions and understand what it means to be a responsible traveller we are bringing them along with us in this journey.
SAFETY
Unrivalled Safety Procedures
There is no doubt that the greatest benefits and rewards come from the most challenging tasks and adventures. As industry leaders in expedition safety our job is to ensure that the challenges we introduce and the services we provide are as safe as possible.
Not only will you be in the safe hands of your qualified and experienced expedition leader, but you will also be fully supported on the ground by our permanently employed local Camps staff. We have British directors overseeing each region, a head office in each destination country and a year-round operation.
Globally Connected Network
Unlike other expedition companies, we own or manage our operations in every region we work. There is a seamless link between our local, regional and global Operations Teams and our expedition destinations.
You’ll receive 24/7 support from our global network of staff, so we are always on hand to prevent and deal with any incidents immediately, rather than just react from afar.
Safety on Expedition
As a Camps International traveller, you stay in the camps that we own or manage, you use approved private transport, you work on our projects and are supported by our staff.
All this results in a fully supported expedition. It also means we are experts in the countries and areas that we work. We know what is happening on the ground and understand and are part of the communities we work with.
Safe Travel Initiative
We are proud to be a part of the globally recognised World Travel & Tourism Council Safe Travels Initiative. This means that we adopt the strict WTTC health and hygiene protocols, leaving our travellers feeling confident about travel.
For more information on the WTTC Safe Travels Initiative and what it means for our expeditions, check out their website.
ACCREDITATIONS AND AWARDS
As school expedition specialists, we are proud to hold several accreditations and awards for both safety and sustainable travel.
Our position as industry leaders and our accreditations from these professional industry bodies are some of the reasons your school has chosen us as your expedition provider.
Glasgow Declaration – Climate Action in Tourism
We are commited to support the global goals to halve emissions over the next decade and reach Net Zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050.
All of our school expeditions are financially protected by ATOL, giving our travellers and their families absolute peace of mind.
Learning Outside The Classroom Badge
The LoTC Quality Badge for learning outside of the classroom. We believe a well-rounded education involves learning outside the classroom too.
ASDAN
Student travellers are able to use their expedition towards the ASDAN Universities Award which accredits their experience and is a welcome addition to an employment CV or UCAS application.
Adventure Activity Associates – BS8848 Conformity
We have been independently assessed by Adventure Activity Associates against the BS8848 conformity standard.
‘Innovation in Online Programming’ Winner
Real World Studies was awarded the Innovation in Online Programming at the GoAbroad Awards 2021, a recognition that we have provided an exemplary and intuitive online experience in the field of international and experiential education.
Expedition Providers Association
We are proud members of EPA – a membership made up of UK-based expedition providers catering for young adults under 25 in full-time education.
BS8848
The British safety standard for running expeditions outside of the UK. The highest accreditation as far as safety is concerned.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
We are an approved activity provider, offering Expeditions for young people looking to gain their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Investors In People
We have been awarded silver accreditation against the Investors in People Standard, demonstrating our commitment to realising the potential of our team.
‘Best Sustainable Organisation’ Winner
We were awarded Best Sustainable Organisation at the Global Youth Travel Awards 2019, a recognition of our excellence in promoting and practising sustainable operations throughout our organisation.
SACRED VALLEY EXPEDITION
Location: Peru, South America
Duration: 4 Weeks
Immerse yourself in the rich and vibrant culture of Peru, as you play an important role in projects that are designed to provide sustainable long-term support to the communities in some of the most rural areas. No trip to Peru would be complete without a visit to the worldfamous Machu Picchu. You’ll get to trek the spectacular Salkantay route to the ancient Inca city – a bucket-list experience you’ll never forget.
Expedition type: Community, wildlife and conservation projects with Machu Picchu trek.
Cost: This can be found in your booking email.
Watch Now
What’s Included?
• Ongoing pre-expedition support
• Flights
• In-country transfers
• Travel insurance
• Food and accommodation
• Project costs
• Leader and staff costs
• Adventure challenge
• Camps t-shirt
• Orientation and language lessons
• 24 hour emergency support
• Reserve location
Don’t Forget
Don’t forget you’ll also need to arrange the following. However, we can offer full support to help guide you through each of these steps and more information is available on the Traveller Gateway.
• Passport and visas
• Vaccinations
• Travel insurance excess
• Travel to/from UK airport
• Spending money
• Kit
• Universities Award (optional)
YOUR TIME
IN COUNTRY
Project Work
Projects you’ll take part in
During your time in Peru, you’ll be contributing to vital project work to support local communities, wildlife and the environment, aligned with the aims of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Cultural Exchange
The people of Peru are warm and welcoming, and will help you embrace the unique local culture:
• Learn skills from local tradespeople
• Practice Spanish (the local language)
• Learn how to cook traditional meals
• Play games with local school groups
• Try your hand at traditional arts and crafts
• Explore the local markets
• Learn about the lost civilizations of the Inca’s
Trek to Machu Picchu
You may have seen hundreds of pictures of this famous site, but nothing will prepare you for the magic of seeing it in real life.
Over the course of five days you will trek along The Salkantay Trek (4650m) across rivers, past Inca ruins, through the rainforest, past fruit and coffee plantations and up into the mountains with spectacular waterfalls making your way to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Machu Picchu.
Your Itinerary
Every expedition consists of four elements: community, environmental and wildlife conservation projects, and an adventure element.
View the sample itinerary which will give you an insight into what you will be getting up to*.
View sample itinerary
*Please note, the exact projects, activities and camps may change closer to the time of your expedition.
FUNDRAISING
Fundraising is the first step in your expedition journey. It’ll teach you some important life skills such as money management, problem solving and event planning, that will stand you in good stead for your future. Plus, the satisfaction of knowing that you earned your way to your adventure makes it worth every minute.
Your Support Network
We understand the thought of raising the full amount for an expedition can be daunting – but it’s also exciting and will earn you a bunch of skills and experience to help with future employment. That’s why we have put such a fantastic fundraising support network in place to help you every step of the way. The support we offer includes:
• Fundraising Guide: You’ll get an Ultimate Fundraising Handbook, packed full of advice and practical tips. In addition, you’ll recieve a monthly newsletter, highlighting calendar events and ideas.
• Online Resources: 24/7 access to fundraising resources on your Traveller Gateway, with hundreds of resources to help maximise your fundraising potential.
• Facebook Group: Join our awesome community on social media and network with thousands of other families and fellow travellers through our dedicated fundraising group – the best place to share ideas and success stories.
• Fundraising Stories: Don’t just take it from us, check out our blog for stories from other students just like you, to help get you inspired with some fundraising ideas.
• Personal Advice: Our fundraising gurus are super approachable and love talking about ethical travel. Our team is available for personal support and motivation throughout your journey – you can chat to us online, over the phone or on social media.
• Webinars: Fundraising advice and how to get started webinars are arranged throughout the year and delivered in partnership with easyfundraising and GoFundMe.
Link to fundraising blog
Inspiration and ideas
How they did it
Every student fundraises differently and it’s all about harnessing your hobbies and interests and turning them into money making ideas. Every year we have thousands of success stories from our fundraising students around the country.
Marcus’s Story:
Amount raised so far: £4,850
Time taken: 3½ months
Top tip: “Even if you reach your personal fundraising target, make sure you finish your sponsorship challenges and honour what you set out to do. This has helped me raise further funds for my expedition kit.”
Best earners:
• Corporate sponsorship and bike ride: £2,100
• GoFundMe page: £1,200
• Grants: £750
Other successful activities:
• Lawn mowing: £120
• Craft markets and summer fairs: £372
• Distributing leaflets and greeting card packing: £270
Sam’s Story:
Amount raised so far: £4,202
Time taken: 8 months
Top tip: “Business Sponsorship was the most successful with the least amount of effort.”
Molly’s Story:
Amount raised so far: £4,200
Time taken: 7 months
Top tip: “Don’t think you have to organise one big, amazing event - lots of small things really add up.”
Best earners:
• Vinted wardrobe: £2205
• Etsy shop: £175 in one month of opening
• Market stall: £245
Other successful activities:
• Working part time: £25 a week
• Dog walking: £15 a week
• Garage sale £150
Best earners:
• Corporate T-shirt sponsorship: £2500
• Building websites: £1000
• Ticket only BBQ event : £702
HOW TO BOOK YOUR PLACE
How to Book your Place
Confirming your place on the team couldn’t be easier...
1 Refer to your booking email with your booking code, payment details and the link to your application form.
2 Pay your deposit - just 3% or 10% dependent on your preferred payment schedule.
3
Receive your log in details for your Traveller Gateway and gain access to your online fundraising resources.
4 Next up - your welcome pack and T-shirt will make its way to you via your lead teacher in school over the next few weeks.
We can’t wait to welcome you on board.
Still have questions? Check out the FAQ’s section of our website. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, just reach out to your Regional Expedition Coordinator. Their details will be on your booking email from us.
