SEMUC CHAMPEY FALLS, A REAL NATURAL JEWEL

Imagine a powerful river used for white water rafting, coming down the mountains with millions of gallons of water, and then entering a cave in a small canyon, forming a 30ft high waterfall under the ground, to continue for a few hundred yards under a natural rock bridge that over the years has formed beautiful ponds and small waterfalls with the water filtrated through the rock, and finally continuing its flow in the surface...

This is Semuc Champey, simply one of the most amazing places to visit in Latin America.

Despite the long drive, tourists, domestic and foreign come here to admire the ponds, swim and even hike to the top of a nearby hill to get the best view of the ponds, just admiring nature`s work.

You can camp here or even stay in a nice nearby hotel, but most visitors stay in Coban, a bit more than 2 hours away, to be able to go to Flores in the North, east to the Caribbean or back south to Guatemala City.

If you are interested in visiting this amazing place, please contact us.

Sacred City of Pachacamac

The temple of Pachacamac is an archaeological site 40 km southeast of Lima, Peru in the Valley of the Lurín River. Most of the common buildings and temples were built c. 800-1450 CE, shortly before the arrival and conquest by the Inca Empire. To date, several pyramids have been uncovered; archaeologists have identified at least 17 pyramids. Besides pyramids, the site had a cemetery and multicolored fresco of fish from the Early Intermediate period (c. 200-600 CE).

The Inca maintained it as a religious shrine and allowed the Pachacamac priests to continue functioning independently of the Inca priesthood. This included the oracle, whom the Inca presumably consulted. The Inca built five additional buildings, including a temple to the sun on the main square.

Interested in more pre Inca ruins to visit while in Lima?  Please contact us.

MACHU PICCHU EXHIBITION IN LIMA

A very important part of the precious Machu Picchu legacy has arrived in Lima.  Almost four hundred pieces of human bones, artifacts and ceramics were presented in the Government Palace by President Alan Garcia.

The exhibition is open to the public, free of charge, until April 12 (9am to 8pm), according to the Culture Ministry’s director of museums and management of historic heritage, Marisol Ginocchio.  “After the exhibition, all of the pieces and fragments will be repack to be sent to Cusco, where they will also be exhibited in the Casa Concha,” Ginocchio said.

The Casa Concha is owned by San Antonio Abad del Cusco National University (UNSAAC).  Yale University will collaborate with UNSAAC to make the International Center for Machu Picchu, which will include a museum and research facilities.

Now it is the time for the experts to use this invaluable opportunity to continue digging to solve the mysteries that the ancient Citadel and the whole Inca Empire still hold within their rocks, but also in every grain of dust contained in their vessels.

Meanwhile, have you already make plans to see them?  What are you waiting for?

For more details please contact us.

MAYAN TEXTILES MUSEUM

Ixchel is the name of the Mayan goddess that represents fertility, the corn plant, and the moon, also believed to be the one that taught the ancient Mayan women to weave.

The modern Mayan tomen still weave their own clothing in Guatemala, pretty much in the same way their ancestors did centuries ago: using a waist loom and thread made out of cotton and died with natural source colours.

The oldest textiles, found in Mayan burials, date back to about 200 BC.

Today, the Ixchel Museum offers visitors not only a beautiful collection of some of the nicest mayan textiles, both ancient and modern, but also displays the history of the evolution of the mayan textiles, and plays short movies and documentaries about weaving, traditions and cultural aspects of the modern Maya people.

If you are interested in visiting or having more information, please contact us.

EXOTIC BLACK SAND BEACH: MONTERRICO

After visiting Monterrico beach, in the Pacific Coast of Guatemala, you will never think about the beach the same way.
Not only the exotic view of a black sand beach of volcanic origin will stay in your mind forever, but also the nice tropical and warm weather will help you relax and enjoy the sun.
No matter what time of the year you go, it will always be warm, even if it is raining.
Located only 1:30hrs drive from Antigua, and with nice hotels for all budgets, is a great option for visitors to come and enjoy for at least 1 full day, but the best is a weekend.
It has actually been named one of the nicest beaches in the world by Yahoo Travel!
For information or reservations, please contact us.

Easter Week in Ayacucho, Peru

Founded by Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro in 1539, the old city of San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga (Saint John of the Frontier of Huamanga) features countless attractions for the tourist, and is the ideal starting point to explore the rest of the department. Just 22 km north of the city, for example, lies the Wari itadel, capital of the Wari civilization that flourished in the southern Andes from 500-1100 AD.

In the Andean towns, Easter is celebrated with particular fervour and nowhere more so than in Ayacucho.  It is said that a thousand churches line the streets of Huamanga. But the truth is that in the capital of the department of Ayacucho, there is practically a church on every street corner: there are 33 in all, built in Huamanga during colonial times, each of them with their own history, their own art, their own personality.

Easter week in Ayacucho is worth a separate mention, as it is possibly the most spectacular and emotive version of the Christian holiday in Peru. Daily processions, carpets of flower petals and ritual re-enactments are just some of the ways the Ayacucho townsfolk express their Christian devotion. During the five-day celebration, visitors can taste traditional fermented maize beverages such as Chicha de Jora, Chicha de Molle or Chicha de Siete Semillas.

At the end of the celebrations, visitors can buy some of the traditional retablos (small portable altars which represent scenes of everyday life in the Peruvian Andes), figures sculpted from the white Huamanga stone, or any of the different traditional arts and crafts made by Ayacucho artisans, to cap off an unforgettable week in the City of Churches.

Interested in joining us?  Please visit our site for more information.

New President in Peru

The day after celebrating the elections in Peru on April 10, the results were clear: there will be a second round. In accordance with the official numbers from the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), with 72.373% of the electoral tickets counted, Keiko Fujimori extends her advantage over Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and will be the rival to Ollanta Humalla, who currently maintains first place with 29.02% of the votes.

Bloggers, candidates, and analysts coincide that this result is principally “an angry vote”, a vote of punishment for the economic policies managed by the governments in recent years that have fomented growth and created a new prosperity that curiously does not sit equally with everyone, but rather has further accentuated the gap between the extremes on the socioeconomic scale.

“The people are very divided”, said an engineering student from San Martin de Porres, who like many better educated Peruvians voted for Kuczinski. “What you have got  here are older men who are very nationalist, very leftist and are voting for Humala and women who work in the community kitchens who are Fujimoristas”, he said.

With no candidate expected to capture a simply majority, the top two vote-getters will meet in June 5^th.

If you would like more information about the general elections in Peru, please contact us.

A REAL VOLUNTEER AT HEART

Going to a foreign country as a volunteer doesn´t have to necesarily have a religious purpose, and being part of a religious order not necesarily mean you have to go to a foreign country and help in any way you can or is needed.
In 1651, Antigua, then the Capital of Central America, received perhaps a volunteer that has left an amazing heritage: Pedro de Bethancourt.
Originally from the Canary Islands in Spain, came to the New World looking forward to spread the gospel, but once here, and noticing the great needs, started taking care of the ill and abandoned people that families left to die in the streets due to lack of resources to take good care of them.
From scratch, managed to build one of the best and largest hospitals for the time, feeding over 200 people.
He was named a Saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002, but that is not the only reason he is famous, since his hospital still provides food, shelter, healthcare, love and caring to hundreds of homeless children and abandoned seniors.
If you would like more information about Brother Pedro, please contact us.

ACTIVE VOLCANO PACAYA

A volcano is the best example of the power of nature, amazing, beautiful sometimes, but surely deadly and devastating at times.
Guatemala is part of the "Circle of Fire", a long chain of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean, and actually has more than 20 lava formated cones, and at least 3 of them are very active.
Pacaya volcano, only a short drive from Antigua or Guatemaya city is an excellent choice for tourists to see and feel with all their senses the power of nature in an easy way.
Tours leave daily in the mornings and in the afternoons, and if you are not up to the 2 hour hike to the top, you can even rent a horse.
This is one of the things you should not leave out on your "to-do" list during your visit to Guatemala, even if you are coming as a volunteer, tourist, business, etc.
If you would like more information on tours to this destination, please contact us.

Fun and fulfilling activities in Peru

In today’s busy society, it can be hard to think about finding time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering are enormous… The right match can help you find friends and strengthen existing relationships, reach out to the community, learn new skills and even advance your career. Volunteering can even help protect your mental and physical health.  Learn more about the many benefits of volunteering and tips on finding the right place for you.

Contact us for more information Humanitravels

REFORESTING THE LAND OF TREES

Did you know the name of Guatemala actually means "land of trees" in Nahuatl language, the one spoken by the indians brought by the spanish conquistadores?
In the 1500s, scientists estimate that 95% of the land was covered by forest, but today, less than 12% of the territory is still forest, and getting lower every year, and it is still the second largest "lung" in the Americas, just smaller than the Amazonia.
The slash and burn system used by peasants to grow basic grain, clean up to prepare grass lands for cattle, predation on precious woods and even wild fires are eating Guatemala's forests at a fast pace.
Nevertheless, efforts are being done to help get as many trees back in the mountains and forests as possible.
You can be part of this recovery job by contacting us, and not only help Guatemala honor it's name, but also help the Americas to breathe better!

TIKAL MAYAN RUINS

We have already commented on the most interesting places to visit in Guatemala, but today, we want to show you more details of the amazing Mayan ruins of Tikal.

Believed to be one of the oldest mayan cities, tracing back to around 600BC, and obviously one of the best examples of the huge development this civilization achieved in mathematics and architecture.

Today, surrounded by a tropical jungle, with monkeys, birds, insects easily spotted, trails, hotels and even a close by international airport, it is obvious why it is on our “must visit” list.

Flying from Guatemala city to nearby Flores airport is easy, but a bit pricy, but there is also night time buses, making the trip quite within the budget of many volunteers.

If you are interested in going, please contact us to get you prices and options.

Surfing and more in Asia Beaches in Lima Peru

The Asian beaches and resorts are located 100 kilometers south of Lima, Peru. Asia's beaches are the most exclusive and with a growing influx of tourists, especially in the summer months. Asia's beaches have become, without doubt, in the resort of the middle and upper class families in recent years, it has branches of Lima's most important business, like restaurants, bars, lounges, nightclubs, department stores, cinemas, supermarkets, hairdressers, shoe shops, jewelry, decor and fashion.

Until a decade ago resorts and beaches in the south of Lima were Punta Hermosa, San Bartolo, Santa Maria and Pucusana, which reached saturation by the excessive influx of vacationers. Then further south, taking as central to the district of Asia were created exclusive resorts, rediscovering beaches where you could have tons of fun surfing, enjoying the nature, weather and first class cuisine.

For more info visit us in humanitravels. 

Peruvian Geography & Culture

It's the multiple layers of great civilizations that make Peru so fascinating. Cobblestone streets preserve the era of the Conquistadors, the ruins of the lost city of Machu Pichu remind travelers of the once mighty Inca Empire, and the mysterious Nazca lines elude all explanation. On top of this the Peruvian Andes are arguably the most spectacular mountains on the continent and home to millions of highland Indians who still speak the ancient language of Quechua and maintain a traditional way of life. Then to the East and thousands of feet below, the lush Amazon Basin covers half of Peru and is one of the world's top 10 biodiversity hotspots - these are areas of super high species diversity that are under threat of being extinguished.

Lying along the Pacific Coast, Peru shares borders with Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. It has three major regions: a narrow coastal belt, the wide Andean mountains and the Amazon Basin. The coastal strip is predominantly desert, but contains Peru's major cities and its best highway, the Carratera Panamericana. The Andes comprise two principal ranges - Cordillera Occidental and Oriental - and includes Huascarán (6768m/22,199ft), Peru's highest mountain. To the east is the Amazon Basin, a region of tropical lowlands, which is drained by the Maranon and Ucayali rivers.

Come to Peru and join us Humanitravels

Making a Difference

Obviously, volunteering in a foreign country is about helping, but do you know at what extent you can make a difference in someone's life?
I once was told by a doctor who lead medical students to Guatemala to see how medicine is practiced in far away comunities, that a simple aspirin can make someone else's life so much easy to bear, not to mention a simple antibiotic can save someone's life.
I personally appreciated seing foreign volunteers helping clean up after Agatha tropical storm that destroyed many homes.  These blond people working with the mud up to their waists shoulder to shoulder with Mayan and other Guatemalans was really inspiring for the communities.
So, even if you are comming for a short while to help clean up after a tropical storm of hurricane, or come and work for a few months with children, believe me: the difference you will make in more than one, is trully life changing!
Contact us to get involved and make a difference!

Sandboarding in Huacachina

Huacachina is located just outside the city of Ica, about 4.5 hours south of Lima and 10 hours from Arequipa (by tourist class bus).  La Huacachina is a small attractive lagoon, famous for the medicinal properties of its waters. Super landscape surrounded by high sandbanks, palm tree groves and age old Huarango trees (Carob tree).
By the ends of the XIX century Huacachina was practically uninhabited, until the Italian Angela Perotti rediscovered the medical properties of water and sand of the lagoon, specially for the cure of skin and rheumatism illnesses. An ideal place for relax or for the desert adventures. Buggies and Sandboarding has become popular on the sand dunes (Huacachina) an ideal area to take to the steep sandy slopes of the desert.
I invite you to be part of an adventurous and fun tour over the driest region of Ica.  Join us!  HumaniTravels