How I started my career in the jungle
Honestly, it was a coincidence, but it is the best coincidence of my life! Writing has been my passion ever since I learnt the...
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Live and work alongside conservation researchers and community‑development staff in one of the world’s most biodiverse reserves. In two weeks, you will learn to contribute meaningfully to:
- Wildlife surveys (birds, mammals, herps, butterflies)
- Agro‑ecology & biogarden research
- Local school visits & community workshops
- Data entry, analysis and interpretation
- Cultural immersion and festival participation
- Wetland’s restoration
Optional activities:
Visiting a Sustainable Community Initiative: Shintuya Hot Springs
What’s included in this programme?
- In-country travel, food, and accommodation
- Accompaniment by professional guides and trained staff (where applicable)
- Optional activities such as Peruvian festivities (depending on the time of year)
A Day as a Volunteer
- 05:30 – 07:00 Pre‑dawn transect at a clay lick, monitoring macaws, parrots and parakeets
- 07:00 – 08:00 Breakfast & daily briefing
- 08:00 – 11:00 Rotating morning module (e.g. herpetological surveys, butterfly transects or biogarden research)
- 11:00 – 13:00 Community engagement (school visit or biogarden build)
- 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch & rest
- 14:00 – 16:30 Data entry and group discussion of findings
- 16:30 – 18:00 Afternoon survey (camera‑trap maintenance or plant‑plot monitoring)
- 18:00 – 19:00 Dinner
- 19:30 – 21:00 Optional night walk (nocturnal mammals, amphibians & insects)
- 21:00 – 21:30 Reflection circle and planning for tomorrow
Sunday is your free day—rest, play or do what you enjoy the most. You can also read what Tim McGrath, a former intern, wrote: 10 activities you can do while volunteering in the jungle
All volunteers experience the same core activities—what changes with 2, 4, or 6 weeks is simply how many rotations of each project you complete. Committing for two weeks guarantees you:
- Participation in long-term biodiversity monitoring projects
- An understanding of the foundations of forest regeneration, its conservation, and the development of sustainable human activities
If you’re looking for a deeper immersion and understanding of biodiversity, the Volunteering Programme – 4 weeks is for you.
Accomodation
Manu Cloud Forest
- 1 night
Where you might spot the cock-of-the-rock in its natural habitat.
Manu Learning Centre Biological Field Station
- Where you’ll be staying
The MLC offers simple, comfortable and breezy accommodation. You’ll share a room with up to three other volunteers. Fresh bedding and a mosquito net are provided weekly.
A space for learning and collaboration
The centre includes research facilities and open spaces designed to support your daily work and project needs.
A community of changemakers
The MLC brings together people from all walks of life—local and international students, visiting researchers, and curious travellers. It’s a space where inclusion, collaboration and respect shape everyday life.
What we expect
Be kind. Get involved. Make yourself at home.
Volunteers’ stories
Egil Gjeraker Timberlid
From the very first night, we were welcomed with open arms. We got to experience the jungle in a very authentic way, and it didn’t feel like a touristy experience. You are always so excited about what you will see on every trip into the jungle, and you never know.
Charlie Maw
Such a great trip, learnt a lot about the rainforest while having the time of your life, what more could you ask for?
Naëlle Laymajoux
It was an incredible experience. The staff are professional, know the jungle perfectly and really transmit their passion. They are really fun. The other volunteers are wonderful people with whom friendship is established. I loved the simplicity and ambience of the MLC camp. The forest is just perfect. With lovely animals and an incredible environment. Just amazing. Thank you for this enriching adventure.
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