Chile From The Andes to the Pacific: Service, Travel, and Mapuche Culture

Orientation in Santiago

Your introduction to Chilean culture takes you from one of Latin America’s most modern cities to country towns surrounded by the magnificent Andes. In Santiago, practice your Spanish skills as you navigate the city, visit the Government Palace, and feel the energy and vibrancy of modern Chile. Then, spend the day exploring colorful markets, interviewing locals, sampling regional foods, and walking through colonial plazas in the historic country towns of San Felipe or Los Andes.

Homestay in Rancagua

Journey south to a small city surrounded by the snow-capped Andes to begin your two-week homestay. As you cook empanadas with your host family, attend soccer matches, and meet extended family in nearby towns, you connect deeply with Chilean culture.

Sample activities:
Visit an alpaca farm; participate in small group Spanish language classes; attend a professional soccer match; shop in local malls with host siblings; tour a local copper mine; hike in the foothills of the Andes.

Community Service

Throughout the homestay, you and your group work with the local nonprofit organization Hogar de Cristo on a meaningful community service project that combines small-scale construction and social service.

Sample projects:
Repaint a homeless shelter; repair and refurbish facilities at a local school or community center; work at a home for disadvantaged children.

Eco-Adventure, Mapuche Culture and Travel

Voyage deep into the Southern Hemisphere for an unforgettable 10-day exploration through Araucanía, and Northern Patagonia, some, of Chile’s most beautiful and culturally diverse regions. Surrounded by crystal lakes, ancient forests, dormant volcanoes, and massive glaciers, you and your group visit Temuco, Valdivia, and Chiloé Island while learning about the rich culture of the indigenous Mapuche. You also work closely with Chileans on an important service project designed by local communities in need.

Sample activities:
Learn about Mapuche culture by sharing with indigenous people in their traditional rukas; bargain with vendors at the vibrant Feria Libre market; boat down the Calle Calle River; take a ferry across the Chacao Sea to the wooded island of Chiloé and ride horseback on remote beaches; take in the majestic panoramas across the Golfo de Ancud.