Winter Camps 2021

This year has been loads of fun, and we want to fill you in on what we've been doing the past few months. July and August were busy months for us as we ran two different camps during winter break here in Peru.

Mountain School

Team building games with the Mountain School participants

Mountain School was our first winter camp of the season! We offered five days of outdoor education and mountain adventures to 11 teenagers. Everyday our instructors, Jaseh and Nico, met the campers at our "base camp" in Urubamba to prepare them for their activity of the day, then they headed out to learn in the mountains.

The first day we focused on camp craft, environmental education, and team building. Afterwards we went out for two days of rock climbing and two days of trekking to learn in the field. Some highlights include practicing orienteering skills, identifying local trees, mastering the basics of rock climbing, learning about wilderness first aid, and working together as a team through the different challenges.

All the campers ended the week full of joy with a greater appreciation for Pacha Mama and more motivation to continue exploring the mountains. Over half our participants came on full or partial scholarships. Thank you to our donors for making their experience possible!

Pitumarca Camp

Giving out camp certificates on the last day in the Incan archeological site, Machu Pitumarca

Pitumarca is a small town south of Cusco with beautiful limestone blocks for rock climbing. Professional climbers around the world are starting to come and develop the sport in the area, yet the locals don't know what they have in their backyard. To promote the sport for locals and provide new, fun, educational experiences for the kids, Valley Camp collaborated with 7a Escuela de Escalada (climbing school) to provide a week long day camp hosted in the local schoolhouse.

So when we finished Mountain School, we packed our bags and headed to this small Andean town to offer a pop up camp for 36 children and teenagers from the town (and surrounding communities). Through conversations with the community president and leaders, we developed a special curriculum for the week including theater classes, English lessons, art expression, and environmental education. Additionally, each child experienced a full day of rock climbing with professional instruction.

Everyone had a wonderful time, learned a lot, and is excited for the next pop up camp in Pitumarca. This program was 100% possible through donations. Many thanks to all who contributed to make this activity a reality!