Quest Overseas - Gap Year Travel

It's a little on the late side as they've been back home for 2 weeks but here's the photos and stories from the last few days of this year's Andean Summer Expedition...It's a long one!

So after a luxurious night in Puno (big beds and hot showers) we set off refreshed to explore Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world. First stop were the incredibly touristy floating islands where we learnt how Lake Titicaca got its name- you needed to have a huge imagination (or have drunk a lot of coca tea that morning) and how the islanders lived. After being shown and encouraged to buy their handicrafts we jumped back onto the boat and headed for Isla Tequile which would be our home for the night. Sureyya scored a room to herself but also a floor covered with straw! After a trout lunch (Gilly had another egg) we relaxed and then we were taken on a tour of the Island where we saw the school where they were all playing football (it was a Sunday), the main square and lots of Incan ruins and we arrived in the perfect spot in time for sunset to admire the spectacular views of the lake. After dinner we were entertained/were the entertainment of the locals as we danced with them around the fire to traditional Peruvian music. We were then left with an mp3 player, speakers and 2 little girls with western music they thought we would like... The rest of the evening was spent entertaining the 2 girls (who taught us a few moves) and admiring Pete's awesome dance moves.

Thanks Louisa for this brilliant shot of the team at the summit.

Having all reached the summit of Uhuru Peak on Kilimanjaro, Louisa, Steph, Katie, Niroj, Paul and Joanna are all now back in the UK.  Their leader Richard managed to take time out from his beach work on the blissful island paradise of Lamu to send us these snaps of the climb...

The team, discovering the joys of African rain.

Never ones to shy away from doing things differently, our Andean expedition team decided to visit the local communities of Lake Titicaca in Peru by kayak. Here are some photos of their journey.

They're getting close to the end of their epic adventure, the last update will be coming soon after they return from Machu Picchu.

Click here to find out how to join our Expedition team next summer in South America

Never have we had such a dutiful team with their blog updates, well done guys! With just a week to go for the intrepid Andean Expedition team, here is an account of their time in the Bolivian Amazon and Andes, enjoy!

Once upon a time on a sunny August day in Bolivia the Andean Expedition team embarked on a three hour 4x4 adventure to the Pampas, the outskirts of the largest rainforest in the world - Señor Amazon.

Following their hard work on the Tanzania and Kenya projects, six intrepid volunteers and their leader Richard are working their way up Kilimanjaro, the world's highest free-standing peak.  Needless to say, internet blogging is neither particularly easy nor at the forefront of the team's minds, but we have had a progress update using the wonders of modern technology...

On Sunday, the guys set off for a 4-5 hour walk up to the Machame Huts for the first camp at just over 3000 metres and made it without a hitch.  Taking things pole pole ('slowly' in Kiswahili) is the only option; not only for stamina, but also to allow everyone to acclimatise to the altitude bit by bit.

Our latest update from Richard is that the team have reached the Shira Caves (above) at 3600m, and are having a short break before carrying on to the New Shira Camp, where they will stay tonight, at 3847m.  The first two days' ascent, although challenging enough, will help to set the guys up for Days 3, 4 & 5 when they will find themselves pushed much harder, but for much greater reward as they strive for  the summit!

Watch this space for further updates...

Challenge yourself with a combined Volunteering Project and Kilimanjaro climb!