The project is based in the Chilean Lake District. This is a land of volcanoes, lakes, rivers, white water rapids, virgin forests, thermal springs and fantastic peaks. You will be based at the Parques Para Chile headquarters in Pichares and the nearest town Pucon is only a 30 minute drive away. One of the wonderful aspects about this project is that volunteers get to work and live in a variety of locations in this beautiful area. You will wake each morning in a cabin set amongst beautiful towering trees.
You will work alongside Chilean counterparts, undertaking the same research line, to encourage cultural exchange. Work will vary, from carrying out biodiversity surveys of many species including mountain lions and bird life. It will also include point counts, bucket line techniques, permanent sample plots, vegetation surveys and remote camera trapping, in addition to reforestation, and the construction of a tree nursery.
The Project will be led by a paid and experienced Quest Project Leader with wilderness 1st Aid qualifications, a high spoken level of Spanish and an environmental and / or biological academic background. The team size will be a maximum of 16 volunteers and will include people of a variety of ages. Regardless of age, all volunteers have one thing in common - an enthusiasm for nature and to have a positive impact on the local environment.
Accommodation
For the majority of the project, accommodation is in a large and recently refurbished log cabin at the base of the valley, in Pichares. The cabin in right next to the Parques Para Chile Headquaters and is set amongst beautiful towering trees. Volunteers will sleep on mattresses in the upper level of the cabin and have a communal area on the ground floor to relax in. The cabin has hot showers and toilets and is a minutes walk from the new Parques Para Chile Café, which has been set up as a meeting place for visitors to the area. Volunteers will also sleep in smaller simple cabins for the odd night or two when conducting research in other areas set in stunning locations. If you would prefer not to share, please contact us to discuss other options.
Food and Drink
Whilst on the Project volunteers and local staff will take it in turns to cook for the rest of the team. Breakfast and dinner will be eaten in the Café next to the volunteer cabin, whilst lunch will generally be eaten out in the field.
Typical daily meals are as follows:
Breakfast: Bread with jam and butter, tea and coffee
Lunch: A warming soup, and sandwich
Evening: A range of meals which might include pasta with chicken, and vegetables or even pizza.
A Day in the Life on Project
Volunteers will be carrying out biodiversity surveys of many species including mountain lions and bird life. Work will include point counts, bucket line techniques, permanent sample plots, vegetation surveys and remote camera trapping, in addition to reforestation, and the construction of a tree nursery. The following is an example of what the working day can be like at Namoncahue:
07.00am Wake up
07.30am Breakfast
08.00am Leave for the days work
08.30am Start Work
10.00 am 15 minute break in the field
12.00pm Lunch
12.45pm Return to Work
14.30pm 15 minute break
17.00pm Finish Work
17.30pm Return to cabin, prepare food and relax in PPC café
20.00pm Dinner sometimes followed by discussion of the days research or talk from visiting scientists.
In-country training
Volunteers will be given an information and training pack designed by PPC prior to their arrival in Chile. This will contain details on the history of PPC, flora and fauna identification guides, biodiversity survey techniques to be employed, as well as a cultural background to the region. On arrival at Namonchaue volunteers will be given a 2 day induction to help prepare for the coming weeks. This will include information and a tour of the various sites to be surveyed and a detailed breakdown of the various tasks that need to be carried out in order to carry out the research.
Weekends / Free Time
After a hard week's work relaxing in the thermal baths is a must, whilst trekking through the pristine forests and volcanoes at weekends offers the opportunity to further explore this spectacular landscape. Volunteers will also get the chance to visit nearby Pucon and the city of Temuco, the cultural centre of the Mapuche Indians the original inhabitants of the area. The area is one of the few places in the entire continent which the Spanish Conquistadores did not succeed in conquering during colonial times. The local indigenous Mapuche Indians hold the claim of being the only American culture not conquered by the new world. Today, the Lake District has almost 3,000 Mapuche reservations, and Temuco is the principal market town.
Climate
The Lake District is an all-season destination, with an overall temperate climate. Spring and Summer, from November to April, are drier months which bring lovely hot clear days whilst winter can bring snow that settles in the highlands.