Peru

Land of the Incas

Fishing villages, fine beaches, agricultural lands, and Peru’s major towns and cities, including the capital of Lima, are interspersed along the narrow belt of desert coastline that stretches the length of the country. The lush Amazon Basin is separated from the coast land by the splendid Andes, and takes up half of Peru. This ecologically rich area of tropical rain forests encompasses some of the world’s most remote and least explored areas and is mostly inaccessible. The Amazon Basin is also home to millions of indigenous highland people, who speak the ancient Inca language of Quechua, and live in traditional villages with steeply terraced agricultural fields and wandering herds of llamas and alpacas.

ISL currently has two locations we are serving in Peru – Lima & Iquitos or Lima & Arequipa. Check the team schedule to see which locations are available on the schedule dates. Please note the differences below.

Both programs begin in Lima, Peru then travel to Iquitos or Arequipa before returning to Lima. Teams arrive and depart from Lima, Peru. Teams begin with medical seminars in Tropical Medicine and Common Diseases, Vital Signs and Physical Exams, House Clinics and Community Triage, Spanish for Health Professionals, and more.

Lima & Iquitos

Peru’s largest jungle city, Iquitos,  is a major base for excursions into the Amazon Basin. The city has a friendly tourist-orientated lifestyle and a range of accommodations. Once a booming rubber town, its main industries are now oil and tourism.  Iquitos offers some of the Amazon’s best access to native tribes that live along the riverbanks, and boat excursions can easily be arranged.

Lima & Arequipa

Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 904,931 it is the second most populous city of the country. Arequipa lies in the Andes Mountains, at an altitude of 7,661 ft above sea level. Teams will be working with villages at the foothills of the Andes Mountains.