inca trail trekking

[scarlettcloud]

hey everyone,
im thinking of going on the Trek to Machu Picchu, in Peru next may. its with Action Research charity.
i have to pay £250 to register with them and i have to raise £2250 in sponsorship, half of which pays for me to go and the other half to charity, something like that...does this sound reasonable, i mean is that how much it would usually cost?
this will be on my year out before uni, i have a month planned travelling the states in january but i really want to do this too! i have no experience really in trekking or hiking but im planning to get really fit for it.
has anyone been on this or something similar and what did you think of it?
i just want to find out as much as possilbe before i pay the £250 to register and get more details and then i might decide i dont want to do it and then im out of £250!
thanks!

[Kentish]

Ask the charity for the details, not us!

That sounds like a really good thing to do though - as long as you can raise the cash in time though :eek:

Go for it :)

[scarlettcloud]

i have the details such as the date and cost and thats it....
to get all the sponsorship info and all the other details i need to pay £250 to register!

[Kentish]

Sounds dodgy - are you sure.
Ask them why.
Is the £250 non-refundable?

[Susie]

I would ask them to explain why and check that the money is refundable. You have a right to more info before handing over cash.

As do-it.org says:
Before you select an opportunity, think about:

how long you want to volunteer for - remember that living conditions and climate might be very different from those you're used to

what kind of skills you can offer or if there's a particular area you'd like to work in

if you want to work with a charity with a religious commitment - some organisations are faith based so might not be appropriate for everyone

when you want to go - it usually takes a few months to organise your trip and popular schemes can be filled up to nine months in advance

how long it will take you to raise any money needed.
The organisations listed in these pages are not necessarily endorsed or approved by do-it or Youthnet. You should research organisations carefully before making any commitments. Make sure you know exactly what's involved and where your money goes - not all organisations listed in these pages are registered charities. Look too at what support you get when you're abroad, especially if there's an accident or another emergency. Some organisations offer introductory weekends or courses to let you find out more. And see if you can talk to any returned volunteers - they should be able to tell what it's really like. If you have any concerns or questions please contact info@do-it.org.uk


useful info here (http://www.do-it.org.uk/find_opp/do-it_overseas/)

[gingibel]

I dont know why they are asking u that much money...does it include ur plane ticket??? The inca trail cost depents on how many days u want to do it and even the longest one, its not that expensive.... about the living cost.... cusco its not expensive.If u want i can tell u some places to stay and they are not expensive at all.... u are gonna love it! specially night life, i go there every year.:rolleyes: and i pay around 5 dollars per night.

gingibel@yahoo.com

[scarlettcloud]

well, about £1000-ish is for the flights and camp site and stuff like that and then the rest goes to the charity.
the trek is 10 days long and we are staying in a hotel in Cusco for the first and last nite and then we camp the rest of the time.

[SimonKingpin]

I am going to do a trek through South America this September.

It is for 8 weeks and goes from Quito (Ecuador) to Santiago, 1/2 camping 1/2 in hotels, air conditioned truck for journeys, some of the food is provided. The Inca Trail is one of the excursions 4 Days Hiking/Camping.

The whole thing is £2000. The Inca Trail part is an extra £150 or so...

I think you need to get more details from the charity...

[Dan_London]

yes, i agree,

Find out some more info from the charity concerned and more to the point find out if it's genuine (sounds weird)

If everything is ironed out and this is a real thing then GO FOR IT! it would be a phenominal experience and one that I doubt would leave your mind for a very long time ;)