So you’ve decided to volunteer in Peru, you’ve booked your flight to Cusco, and now you’re wondering what those first seven days will actually look like. I get it. The excitement is real, but so is the nervousness about landing in a new country at 11,000 feet altitude, potentially not speaking much Spanish, and diving into volunteer work in communities you’ve never experienced before.
Let me walk you through what your first week volunteering in Cusco typically looks like, based on the real experiences of hundreds of international volunteers who’ve made this journey. Spoiler alert: it’s going to be intense, exhausting, amazing, and probably not quite what you imagined. But that’s exactly what makes it incredible.
Your volunteering adventure in Peru starts the moment you step off the plane at Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport. If you’re flying from sea level, you just jumped from zero to 3,399 meters in about two hours. Your body is going to notice.
Our team will be waiting for you in arrivals with a sign, which honestly feels really comforting when you’re exhausted and potentially overwhelmed. The drive from the airport to your accommodation takes about 20 minutes through Cusco’s streets, and this is when it hits you that you’re really here. The colonial buildings, the mountains surrounding the city, people in traditional Andean clothing walking next to backpackers, the chaos of Peruvian traffic where apparently lanes are just suggestions.
If you’re staying with a host family, they’ll welcome you warmly. Peruvians are incredibly hospitable people, and your family will probably have tea or a light meal ready. If you’re in the volunteer house, you’ll meet your housemates, get shown your room, and start figuring out the shower situation (hot water in Peru requires mastering the electric showerhead, which sounds scarier than it is).
The most important thing about day one is this: take it easy. You might feel fine initially, then suddenly exhausted or headachy. That’s the altitude. Drink water constantly, skip the alcohol, eat light, and go to bed early. Some volunteers feel great and want to explore Cusco immediately. Others feel terrible and just want to sleep. Both are completely normal reactions to volunteering at high altitude in Peru.
Your first dinner with a homestay family can feel a bit awkward if your Spanish is limited. They’ll probably ask you lots of questions, you’ll use Google Translate more than you’d like, and everyone will laugh about the communication struggles. This awkwardness fades fast. By week two, you’ll be having real conversations.
Your second day is orientation day, and it’s packed. You’ll meet at a central location with other volunteers starting their programs in Cusco around the same time. This is when you realize you’re not alone in this adventure, which is honestly a relief. There’s usually a mix of gap year students, university kids on break, career professionals on sabbatical, and the occasional retiree making this happen.
The morning starts with a walking tour of Cusco that’s actually useful, not just touristy. You’ll learn where the main plaza is, which streets to avoid after dark, where the good ATMs are located, which pharmacies stay open late, where to catch buses to different parts of the city. Someone will explain Peruvian money (the sol), tipping customs, and how to not get completely ripped off by taxi drivers. This practical information matters way more than you think when you’re trying to navigate daily life in Peru.
The cultural briefing covers important stuff: why punctuality means something different here, why Peruvians are indirect in communication compared to Americans or Northern Europeans, what gestures mean different things, how to be respectful in communities. One volunteer I met thought he was being friendly by being super loud and enthusiastic at his teaching placement, not realizing that Cusqueños often interpret that as rude or childish. These cultural nuances make a huge difference in your volunteering experience.
Safety talk happens during orientation too, and it’s worth paying attention even if you’re an experienced traveler. Cusco is generally safe, but petty theft is real. You’ll learn which neighborhoods are fine to walk through at night and which aren’t, how to spot legitimate taxis versus sketchy ones, what scams target tourists and volunteers. The goal isn’t to scare you, just to make you smart about volunteering abroad in Peru.
After lunch, you’ll visit your actual volunteer placement. This might be a school for teaching programs, a clinic for medical volunteering, an animal shelter for rescue work, or a community center for social programs. You’ll meet your supervisor, see the facilities, and get a sense of what your days will look like. Some volunteers feel immediately excited and ready to start. Others feel intimidated or worried they’re not qualified enough. Again, both reactions are normal.
If you’re taking Spanish classes as part of your program, you’ll do a placement test today too. Don’t stress about this. It’s just to figure out your level so you’re not bored in a class that’s too easy or lost in one that’s too advanced. Even if you score into complete beginner, that’s totally fine. Most volunteers start there.
By evening on day two, you’re exhausted. You’ve walked around Cusco at altitude for hours, absorbed tons of new information, met lots of new people, and your brain is probably switching between English and attempting Spanish. Go to bed early again. Your body is still adjusting to Peru.
This is it. You’re actually starting your volunteer work in Cusco. If you’re combining volunteering with Spanish classes, your morning is language learning from nine to one. If you’re doing volunteering only, you might start mid-morning after rush hour settles down.
Your first day at your placement will be partly observation, partly participation. They’re not going to throw you into running an English class solo or handling medical patients independently right away. You’ll shadow, assist, observe, and gradually take on more responsibility as you understand the environment and build relationships.
For teaching volunteers, your first day might involve sitting in on classes, being introduced to students, helping individuals with worksheets, or playing educational games during break time. The kids will be curious about you, where you’re from, why you’re in Peru. They’ll want to know about your country, your family, whether you have Instagram. Building rapport happens fast with children.
Medical volunteers spend their first days learning the clinic layout, understanding patient flow, observing consultations if allowed based on your background, and helping with administrative tasks. You’ll quickly realize healthcare in Peru operates differently than in the United States or Europe. Resources are more limited, doctors see way more patients per day, and creative problem-solving is constant.
Social work volunteers working with children or in shelters often spend day one just building trust. Kids who’ve experienced trauma don’t immediately warm up to strangers, even well-meaning volunteers from other countries. You’ll play, help with homework, participate in activities, and slowly become a familiar, safe presence.
Animal rescue volunteers get thrown into physical work pretty quickly because animals need care regardless of whether it’s your first day. Feeding dogs, cleaning kennels, walking animals, and basic grooming happen from day one. The work is physically demanding but also immediately rewarding when a scared rescue dog starts trusting you.
Construction volunteers often spend the first day learning safety procedures, understanding the project scope, and starting with simpler tasks before graduating to more complex building work. You’ll probably be sore by day three evening. Volunteering in Peru at altitude while doing physical labor is no joke.
After your first volunteer day, you’ll likely feel a mix of emotions. Excitement about actually being here and doing this. Maybe some frustration about language barriers or cultural differences. Possibly overwhelm about how much need exists and whether you can really make a difference. Sometimes doubt about whether you’re qualified or good enough. All of this is completely normal and part of the volunteer experience.
By the middle of your first week volunteering in Cusco, things start clicking into place. You’ve figured out the bus route to your placement or you’re more comfortable walking there. You know your supervisor’s name and how to pronounce it correctly. The kids at your teaching placement run up to you excitedly when you arrive. The clinic staff expects you and has tasks ready. The dogs at the shelter recognize you and wag their tails when you show up.
Your Spanish is probably improving faster than you expected if you’re in classes. The communicative method we use means you’re actually speaking from day one, not just memorizing verb conjugations. You’re learning phrases you immediately use at your homestay or volunteer placement. When you successfully order food in Spanish without pointing at the menu or ask for directions and actually understand the response, it feels amazing.
Your body is also adjusting to Cusco’s altitude by mid-week. That constant low-level headache probably faded. You can walk uphill without gasping quite as dramatically. You’ve figured out that mate de coca (coca tea) actually helps and isn’t just tourist propaganda. You’re drinking absurd amounts of water and peeing constantly, which is exactly what you should be doing.
By day four or five, you’re also building friendships. With your host family, with other volunteers in your program, with people at your placement. Shared meals with your homestay family are less awkward and more genuinely conversational, even if you’re still using translation apps for complex topics. Other volunteers become your exploration buddies for trying new restaurants in Cusco or planning weekend adventures.
This is also when cultural differences might cause minor friction or confusion. Maybe your host family’s dinner schedule feels late to you, or they’re more indirect about communicating expectations than you’re used to. Perhaps your volunteer placement runs on “Peruvian time” where starting at nine means starting at nine thirty. Your supervisor might give you way less structure than you expected, assuming you’ll figure things out independently. These small cultural adjustments are part of what makes volunteering abroad in Peru such a growth experience.
Your first weekend as a volunteer in Cusco is gloriously free. No language classes, no volunteer obligations, just time to explore and process everything that happened during the week.
Many volunteers use their first weekend to really explore Cusco. You’ll walk through San Blas neighborhood with its artisan workshops and narrow cobblestone streets. You’ll visit the main plaza (Plaza de Armas) when it’s not packed with orientation groups, actually taking time to sit and people-watch. Maybe you’ll check out Qoricancha, the Inca sun temple that has a colonial church literally built on top of it, which pretty much sums up Cusco’s layered history.
The San Pedro Market is a must-visit, and weekends are perfect for this. You’ll see locals shopping for produce you’ve never heard of, try fresh juices made from exotic Peruvian fruits, and maybe eat at one of the tiny market restaurants where three dollars gets you a massive traditional lunch. This is real Cusco life, not the tourist version.
Some volunteers venture out to Sacsayhuamán, the impressive Inca ruins overlooking the city. It’s a steep walk uphill (remember, you’re at altitude), but the views over Cusco’s red-tiled roofs with mountains in every direction are worth the huffing and puffing. Plus, there are usually llamas and alpacas wandering around, and you can’t volunteer in Peru without getting your llama selfie.
Your first weekend is also when you might experience your first bout of homesickness. You’ve been go-go-go all week with orientation, starting volunteer work, learning Spanish, adjusting to altitude, meeting new people. Now you have downtime, and sometimes that’s when emotions hit. You might feel overwhelmed by how different everything is, miss your family and friends back home, or question whether you can really do this for however many weeks you committed to.
This is completely normal. Almost every volunteer goes through this around day five or six. Call home if you need to. Talk to other volunteers who are probably feeling similar things. Remind yourself that culture shock is a real psychological phenomenon and you’re experiencing exactly what you’re supposed to be experiencing. By week two, this usually passes and you start feeling more comfortable and confident in your role as a volunteer in Peru.
Sunday evening, you might spend time preparing for week two. If you’re teaching, maybe you’re planning lessons. If you’re in medical volunteering, you’re reviewing medical Spanish vocabulary. Everyone’s probably doing laundry and organizing their stuff. There’s a weird feeling of “wow, I actually live in Cusco now” starting to settle in.
There are some things about your first week volunteering in Cusco that don’t make it into the glossy brochures or Instagram posts but are absolutely part of the real experience.
Your stomach will probably be unhappy at some point. Not necessarily full food poisoning, but adjustment to different water, different food, different bacteria. Bring Imodium and don’t be embarrassed about it. Everyone deals with this when volunteering abroad in Peru.
You’ll probably cry at least once, and it might be for reasons you don’t expect. Maybe it’s seeing poverty levels you’ve never experienced before at your volunteer placement. Maybe it’s frustration with language barriers. Maybe it’s just emotional overload from everything being new and different simultaneously. This doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice coming to Peru. It means you’re human and you’re processing a lot.
The altitude will do weird things beyond just the initial adjustment. You’ll feel drunk after one beer. You’ll wake up randomly at three in the morning. You’ll get winded doing absolutely normal activities. Your lips will be constantly chapped despite using chapstick obsessively. This is all normal and improves over time.
You’ll probably question at some point whether you’re actually helping or if you’re just another white savior tourist who’s making yourself feel good without creating real impact. This is actually a healthy question to sit with. The best volunteers ask themselves this regularly and adjust their approach accordingly. Focus on listening, learning, building relationships, and taking direction from local supervisors rather than assuming you know best.
Your romanticized vision of volunteering in Peru will meet reality. The school might be more under-resourced than you imagined. The animal shelter might be overwhelming in its scale of need. The kids you work with might have heartbreaking backgrounds. Healthcare conditions might shock you if you’re from a wealthy country. This doesn’t mean volunteering is pointless. It means the work matters precisely because needs are genuine and urgent.
Despite the challenges, exhaustion, altitude headaches, stomach troubles, culture shock, and occasional tears, something magical happens during your first week as a volunteer in Cusco. You start to feel part of something bigger than yourself.
Maybe it’s the moment when a student you’re teaching successfully uses an English phrase in context and their whole face lights up with pride. Maybe it’s when a rescued dog who was terrified of humans on day one lets you pet them by day five. Maybe it’s successfully having your first real conversation in Spanish with your host family without needing to check your translation app every sentence. Maybe it’s when a local supervisor tells you that you’re actually being helpful, not just tolerated.
These small victories accumulate. By the end of week one, you’ve already made connections, learned things, contributed something, and grown as a person. You’ve proven to yourself that you can handle challenges, adapt to new environments, and step outside your comfort zone. You’re not a tourist consuming Peru. You’re a volunteer contributing to communities in Cusco while learning from them.
And here’s the thing that every volunteer discovers: the first week is the hardest. Everything after this gets easier as you become more comfortable with the language, the culture, your placement, and your role. If you can make it through week one of volunteering in Peru, you can make it through your entire program.
So when you’re on that plane heading to Cusco, nervous and excited and wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into, remember this: your first week will be challenging and amazing and exhausting and rewarding, often all in the same day. That’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. Lean into it. Ask for help when you need it. Be patient with yourself. And trust that by day seven, you’ll already be a different person than you were on day one.
Welcome to volunteering in Cusco. Your first week is going to be unforgettable.
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