Paddling through Peru

The thrill: Head 90 minutes away from Cusco and the crowds at Machu Picchu and explore Peru from a different perspective: by raft. The pristine Apurímac River has challenging white water that rushes over huge boulders and between steep cliffs, testing your physical limits till you reach an area nearly untouched by modern civilization. The days end with camping on deserted sandy shores.

The goodwill: Travelers with Roadmonkey end their rafting adventure in Ollantaytambo, a small town in the Andean foothills' Sacred Valley, where they help the community with tasks like building a playground for Quechua children using eucalyptus tree trunks (many of the kids here have never seen a slide or swings before). Members of the group also sit down with the local nonprofit partner, Awamaki, and decide how to allocate any extra money raised by the trip. Roadmonkey's founder, former New York Times correspondent Paul von Zielbauer, leads most trips himself, and he creates all itineraries with an overriding philosophy of "inspiring the kick-ass explorer in you to make the world a lil' better." Sounds like an idea we can get on board (or raft) with.

Roadmonkey
Tel: 323 924 8351
ask@roadmonkey.net
Trips start at $2,999 per person for nine days

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