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Bolivia will literally take your breath away. The most remote country in South America, Bolivia's landscape includes soaring Andean peaks and thick Amazonian rainforests. Bolivia has the highest percentage of indigenous people of any Latin American country, with a culture that is still closely linked with mystifying pre-Columbian history. But there is also significant impetus for change in Bolivia: Bolivia today is at the forefront of complex global development issues.

In Bolivia you can expect to gain a hands-on understanding of the inexorable link between rich cultural traditions and dramatic landscapes, learn about monumental social and political indigenous movements, and enjoy the day-to-day pleasures of a simple life in the mountains and jungles of Bolivia’s Andes and Amazon regions.

Our trip begins, unforgettably, as we step off the plane in La Paz, greeted by the gleaming 21,000 foot snowcapped peaks of the Cordillera Real, the heart of the Bolivian Andes. While acclimatizing in lofty La Paz, which sits at 12,000 feet, the highest capital in the world, we explore its sprawling markets and dive into Bolivian history and politics with the help of university professors and local politicians. Our lungs accustomed to the altitude, we move north to the town of Kaata in the Apolobamba Mountains, home of the renowned Kallawaya shamanic healers. With knowledge and use of nearly 1,000 healing plants of the Andes and Amazon, the Kallawaya still walk the length of the Central Andes providing medicine and healing. During our first extended home-stay, we participate in the cycles of daily life, learning to farm potatoes, harvest crops and build adobe bricks. From here, we begin a spectacular 6-day trek that takes us over 16,000 foot passes, walking the same trails still used by the Kallawaya. With every step, we learn more about this ancient land and reach new heights of understanding as to the complexities of modern Bolivia.

From the highlands we descend to near sea-level, a transition that passes through countless ecosystems down into the humid heart of the Amazon Basin, one of the most biologically diverse and unspoiled areas on the planet. Awaiting us in the Amazon is an astounding diversity of flora and fauna. Here we engage in our most extended service project, working with a local NGO on sustainable development projects in remote tribal villages.

Next we move back up in altitude, this time into Sorata, a breathtakingly beautiful town in a lush mountain valley below two towering 21,000 peaks. We again are welcomed into the homes of local families and we further engage in community development, volunteering with the local youth association. With a week-long trek through the Cordillera Real, we hike over passes and past glaciers on our way back to La Paz, moving along trails that predate the arrival of the Spanish. Our last week is spent in La Paz meeting with additional NGOs, theater groups, journalists and politicians who illuminate some of the pressing social and political issues facing Bolivia. Dragons Bolivia course is a physically and mentally demanding trip, providing total immersion and asking committed, active participation from the students.