Eco-Aldeas 1--Sircadia

Agricultural Service Learning with an Eco-Village of Perú

Eco-Aldea Sircadia in Madre Selva
Madre Selva is a beautiful small valley hidden in one of the many ravines of the Amazonian region. It is located in the Province of “La Convencion”, Department of Cusco about an hour drive from the small city of Quillabamba better known as the “City of Eternal Spring”, and about 4 hours from Machu Picchu.

One hundred Hectares of this beautiful place are available to the project where they are accomplishing a lifelong dream of creating an Eco Village with food, self-sufficiency and true quality. Sircadia is a life outside the macro and microeconomic systems.
It is located at an altitude of 1700 – 2400 meters above sea level with an average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. Organic agriculture and permaculture thrives along with forest-protection activism at Sircadia.

Custom Dates: April to August
Duration: 12 Days (with 14 and 17 Day Options)
Location: Quillabamba, Perú S12 82569 W 72 80090
Price Includes: All program-related travel (except airfare), lodging and all but one dinner on your own. TBA
Program Type: Sustainability Project, Voluntourism, Local Sites
Meals: All but 1 dinner included

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Sircadia Volunteer Project in Quillabamba, Perú.

+ Permaculture Basics

+ Assist in infrastructure and sustainability improvements

+ Local Exploration

+ Spanish Language Intensive

+ Active

+ Camping or Dormitory Accommodations

The Travel: This itinerary is based out of Quillabamba, Perú and is accessed through the Cuzco, Perú airport. Quillabamba is located midway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes). The eco-village where we will stay is in the mountains above Quillabamba. You can look forward to being on buses, vans, travel trucks, and trains as you roll you around Perú during this trip. However, your most important travel will be on foot. Our project site is an eco-village deep in the forest above Quillabamba, about two hours by trail through the rainforest.

A Sample Itinerary in Perú

The Basic 12-Day Itinerary in Perú (Contact us for a detailed Itinerary)

Day 0 – Departure from Your Country or City of Origin

Day 1: AM or PM arrival to Cuzco Airport National or International flight

+ Meet Wanderland hosts and van transfer to Cuzco hostel or hotel

+ Welcome Meeting; Dinner at a nice local restaurant on the Plaza

Day 2: Incan Sites in the Sacred Valley

+ Exploring the ruins of Pisac and Ollantaytambo

+ Travel to Quillabamba by local bus or collective van.

Day 3: Arriving by truck and hiking to Madre Selva and Sircadia

+ 4:30 a.m. departure in transport

+ 35 min truck to Madre Selva Trail start - Punta de Carretera.

+ 80 - 90 minute hike along a beautiful path through the rainforest from 1750m to 2100m (5700 – 6900 ft) to arrive at our project site and destination

+ Settling in to the Lodge at Sircadia

Days 4 – 8: Sustainability Project and Enjoying the Sircadia Community

+ Project activities can range from working in the garden (everything from clearing to planting to weeding to harvest), constructing and maintaining wooden buildings, bee keeping, tending to animals (ducks, chickens, fish, cui).

+ Preparing and enjoying the bounty of the gardens and farm - wonderful cuisine!

+ Personal growth activities such as yoga, tai chi, relaxation, meditation, cooking classes, nutrition, and health, are blended into each day.

+ Excursions and entertainment – games, sports, swimming and waterfalls, and archery.

+ ALSO: Descent and trip to Santa Teresa hot springs, maybe the possibility of Zipline.

Day 8: Midday. Hike back down the rainforest trail; truck and then train to to Aguas Calientes; arriving to the Hostal or Hotel there.

Day 9: Visit the sanctuary of Machu Picchu.

+ Guided exploration of this important Incan royal outpost (an UNESCO World Heritage destination). Local guides will open up the secrets of the massive human endeavor that produced these unparalleled constructions. Wayna Picchu and the Sun Portal if conditions allow.
+ In the afternoon return to Cusco by train

Day 10: Cuzco - Inside and Out: An intimate exploration of Cuzco and its modern and ancient realities. We will hike or bike the city (at 10,000 ft. elevation) to find its ancient roots and modern branches. In the afternoon we will ascend to Pisac, Kenko, and Sacsayhuaman: the powerful suburbs of Cuzco proper in the times of Incan hegemony.

Day 11: Free Day in Cuzco

Day 12: Flights home or combine with other area attractions.

 

MORE INFORMATION

Season: Temperate Southern Hemisphere Winter at 12 deg. South of the Equator; drier.

Daily Distances: 8 miles of inbound hiking and 8 miles of outbound hiking (downhill!), as well as 1-4 miles per day in optional program-related activities and hikes.

Terrain: Mountainous and Rural

Elevation Max/Min: 8000 feet

Food: The Sircadia community diet is based on harmonization, and follows the principles of macrobiotics, hygienism, and raw foods. Their goal is to provide the right balance in the combination of vegetables, cereals and legumes. Fish and eggs produced by the very animals cultivated here are available for the animal protein enthusiast. Meals are family-style.

A highlight is that you will be consuming organic, hygienically-processed food produced mostly in Sircadia’s own gardens. This is really great organic experience. You will discover all-new foods and flavors, surprising and truly delicious, such as yacón, the uncucha , racacha or birraca varieties of corn, many heirloom varieties of potato, as well as many vegetables almost certainly unique to the area.
Of course, there will be a variety of teas and coffees and other local beverages.

Lodging: You should know right away that the Sircadia Community is far-off the grid. There is no electricity, and so the daily rhythms follow the rising and the setting of the sun with evenings under candlelight and firelight. Leave your devices behind and bring cameras that use AA batteries and not rechargeables.

It depends on your group’s arrangements and preferences where you set up your stead for the project period. There are dormitories and there is a campsite.

The dormitories are solidly-built, rough hewn and comfortable, timeless. There are single and double quarters as well as an open room with bunks. You will arrange your bunk with the liners and/or sleeping bag that you bring with you.

There is also a cozy, covered camping platform for tents with its own common room, fireplace, and cooking space.

The bathrooms provide water for washing from rainwater catchments and nearby springs. Hot water comes when the solar gain is available for the solar hot water heating. Generally the water from the tap is cool. Swimming in local streams and pools is nearby.

The Education: This is an exploration of ancient and modern Peruvian realities.

You will be treated to a broad examination of the history of Inca and pre-Inca societies of the region through visits to ancient ruins and through professional local and Wanderland field staff. You will learn about the modern successes in rescuing and continuing the ancient and historical Peruvian practices of wildcrafting, farming, and pastoralism through the modern system of Eco-Aldeas—Eco-Villages—through volunteer work with the Sircadia Eco-Village. The health sciences of Yoga, Ayurveda, Tai-Chi Chuan, meditation, and delicious organic food preparation will be blended into your daily living. This is also a great opportunity to work on your conversational Spanish as your hosts are bi-lingual language educators who know how to make learning come alive.

EDVENTURE CURRICULUM

>> Sustainability Farming

>> Perú Geography

>> Perú Biology - Herpetology, Botany, Ornithology, Ecology.

>> Perú Agriculture and Pastoralism

>> Incan and Pre-Incan History and Culture

>> Incan and Modern Peruvian Cosmovision

>> Aquaculture

>> Andean Geology

>> Sustainable Communities

>> Applied Permaculture

>> Perú’s Ethnic Foods & Beverages

>> Spanish Language Intensive

>>> Tree Climbing!

Eco-Aldea Sircadia in Madre Selva
Location: S12 82569 W 72 80090

The Sircadia Project, along with its sister NGO Acción Verde, is active in the conservation of nature, especially to prevent over-hunting, the felling trees and the prevention of devastating forest fires in the area. In collaboration with various state institutions, especially the Municipality of Quillabamba and the Regional Government of Cuzco, and of course the enthusiastic support of the residents of the area, is in the process of formalizing the reservation of Madre Selva and Sircadia as recognized municipalities.
The Sircadia project recognizes that the basic necessities of an acceptable quality of life are, “… a dignified, spacious home, natural foods from the region, proper social and familiar relationships, and education.

WANDERLAND provides in-country airport-to-airport services; Spanish language support; professional natural history interpretation; certified Wilderness First Responder hosts; travel arrangements for school groups and, of course, Fairly Traded Travel Services.