Program Highlights

• Hike through remote stretches of the Andes Mountains, honing your trekking skills while taking in some of the most dramatic vistas on the planet
• Settle into the rhythm of life in an agricultural community, living with a family, deepening your language skills, and exploring an Independent Study topic of your choice.
• Travel by canoe along tropical waterways in the Amazon Rainforest while learning from indigenous elders.

From sparkling glaciers to lush tropical forests, this Gap Year program takes you through a dizzying tapestry of landscapes and cultures, exploring the links between land and people, past and present. The ancient Land of the Incas encompasses a fascinating blend of history and vibrant cultures, placed in a modern context of political change and social transformation. Through intensive Spanish language courses, trekking through a wide range of ecological backdrops, exposure to remote indigenous communities, and an extended homestay, Andes & Amazon students connect deeply with the local culture while exploring a rich panorama of Andean and Amazonian realities. Students will also examine current political trends, social movements, and environmental conservation efforts in the mountains and jungles of Bolivia and Peru.

The Andes & Amazon Gap Year program is based in the tranquil agricultural town of Tiquipaya, on the outskirts of Cochabamba in Central Bolivia. Here students live with local families, largely of Quechua descent, and have the opportunity to connect intimately with a local community. Our time is characterized by intensive Spanish instruction, exposure to local activists and social organizations in Cochabamba, and opportunities to delve into independent study topics. Based at the foothills of the Andes, this is an ideal backdrop for settling into the rhythms of a local community while offering students the time to develop critical language and leadership skills. Our Program House is situated on an organic farm, creating unique opportunities for students to engage with local food systems and agricultural practices.

Beyond Tiquipaya, the semester takes us to the fascinating twin cities of La Paz and El Alto, dramatic urban centers that sit above 13,000 feet in the midst of the sparkling snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Real. Here we partner with a local theater group in El Alto, the indigenous capital of Latin America, while meeting with local figures and exploring the bustling streets and markets of El Alto and La Paz. Excursions take us into dramatic mountain settings, traveling by foot to the base of glaciers and then down into the lush tropical forests of the Amazon basin. Peeling back the folds of time, we travel by boat along tropical waterways to lowland indigenous communities where rivers function as the only roads and the forces of past and present can be seen in stark relief. In the lowlands we are exposed to development and conservation issues in the most bio-diverse corners of the planet, while taking in the incredible cultural and ecological diversity of the Amazon jungle.

In Peru, our journey takes us around glittering Lake Titicaca to the heart of the Incan empire. Trekking routes carry us by foot to the lost city of the Incas at Machu Picchu, while remote mountain excursions take us farther afield to remote Quechua communities that exist much as they did a century ago. Our time in Peru is highlighted by dramatic mountain landscapes, exposure to remote indigenous communities, and a deeper understanding of development trends and contemporary issues in Southern Peru.  A second program base in the Sacred Valley town of Urubamba provides opportunities for further homestay, language, and Independent Study immersion in a beautiful town at the foot of the Andes.

On the South America Gap Year program, expect to hone your Spanish skills while discovering the links between vibrant indigenous peoples and the diverse and breathtaking landscapes they inhabit. Students will come away with a deep understanding of indigenous political trends, important challenges in conservation and development, and a first-hand understanding of day-to-day life in some of the earth’s most dramatic locales.

Hear more from our Latin America Program Director in this recent webinar.