On the weekend, overflowing rivers caused a large landslide that destroyed almost the entire village of Taray in the Sacred Valle in Peru, with flooded homes, destroyed roads, crops, infrastructure and lost lives. 80% of people have also lost their homes. The AMAUTA school building is situated on the far side of the valley from the affected area and is therefore fine. None of our students or Spanish teachers were there at the time. However, the devastation in the village of Taray is catastrophic, and the people there are left with nothing and in need of help. They are living in tents and are surviving only by the help of outsiders and organizations from Cusco.

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There is nothing quite like living in a rainforest. The experience of learning Spanish while surrounded by such natural beauty is something not to missed while you are in Peru.

Tambopata National park is a beautiful green paradise, comprising 1.5 million acres of sub-tropical rainforest of the Madre de Dios and Puno regions of Peru, and is internationally acclaimed as one of the most bio-diverse areas on earth. It is particularly famous for its monkeys, giant river otters, black caimans, capibaras, tapirs and hundreds of bird species.

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“Last week it was confirmed that Peru Rail will be running the route from Km82 to Machu Picchu Pueblo as normal from April 1st. Work on the train tracks - which suffered serious damage due to heavy rain falls and mudslides during the last week of January this year - will be continuing throughout February and March in order to meet this deadline. However, once the line is open services will be running with a lower capacity than normal – we are expecting train services to transport just 1,000 passengers per day as opposed to the normal 2,500 daily passengers. This reduced capacity is likely to cause some problems due to the already large list of people who were unable to travel to Machu Picchu in February and March and as such have rescheduled their trips for April and May. It is important that clients understand that all services to Machu Picchu during April and May are likely to be very busy and/or fully booked. One solution will be to operate more car tours to Machu Picchu in order to take the pressure off the train services. Priority will be given to those passengers whose tour reservations are already confirmed.
Looking further ahead, we expect train services to be running as normal from Ollantaytambo by May and from Cusco itself by June.”

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The AMAUTA Volunteer Work Program provides the unique opportunity to live and work in Peru and Argentina. Students will experience first-hand its rich cultural diversity while cultivating a superior level of Spanish proficiency. Through the Volunteer Program, AMAUTA and the volunteers are able to make contributions to local society and to help bridge the gap between foreign visitors and native people.

Participants may choose both, the field and preferred location, of their volunteer placement. Possible fields of interest include social work, education, tourism, cultural work and catering. A 4 week Spanish course is included for all volunteers as well as accommodation with a local host family or at our student residences, where you you will share daily life with many other students.

Participation in AMAUTA Student Activities (e.g. lectures, tango classes) is totally for free for all volunteers during the course of their volunteer work.

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Prolonged periods of heavy rain have led to severe flooding and landslides in the Province of Cusco, which continues to be in a state of emergency. Although much of the press has been focused on Machu Picchu, many other low lying areas as the Sacred Valley have been severely affected.

However, the city of Cusco is operating as normal - virtually no damage was suffered within the city, with the exception of some poorer residential zones on the outskirts. All flights to Cusco are operating and most road links too. Key damages in the surrounding areas include all road and rail links with Aguas Calientes, which left 2,000 tourists stranded in the town. All tourists have now been evacuated safely, but Machu Picchu remains accessible only by helicopter. Therefore all train tours and treks dependant on Machu Picchu are closed until further notice. The Inca Trail will not be open until 1st March at the earliest, and all other tours and treks will open once a transport link between Cusco and Aguas Calientes is established. All tours independent of Machu Picchu are running as usual.

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Due to heavy rains, the Cusco area and surrounding regions have experienced flooding, mudslides and bridge outages that have severely affected transportation in several sectors. Services and travel affected include the trains to Machu Picchu, which are not currently running due to damage to the rails; all hikes to Machu Picchu are also suspended. Some areas of the Sacred Valley (the road to Pisaq) are also unpassable though alternate routes have been opened. Within the city of Cusco, services are in normal operation (with exception of flights suspended or delayed during heavy rains). Mudslides have been experienced in some of the steeper, surrounding hills.

There are currently 10 AMAUTA students + a staff member stuck in Aguas Calientes. We are in constant contact with them and we know there are all fine. The spirit is good and they all have a hostal, food and water and are in good conditions. The government expects to get all people out of Aguas Calientes in a max. of 4 days with helicopters. Preference is given first to older people, people with health problems and mothers with children. People will be evacuated by Helicopter from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo and from Ollantaytambo to Cusco, by bus. We are assured the whole rescue operation is for free and that rumours about people being charged for being taken to Cusco, are not true.

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One big joke… on you. But definitely an experience not to be missed!

If you are new to the traveling world, things can seem a little but crazy at first. I know that when I began traveling there were a lot of things I had to get accustomed to. From the irregularity of the bus system to the lack of streets signs, South America at times feels like one big joke…on you. To make a long story short, the fundamental character of traveling (especially in South America) is that of unpredictability. For those of you who are a little stressed or anxious about what lies ahead, here are some things to keep in mind on your first journey into the unknown.

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Christmas in Cusco - this means Christmas lights, hot chocolate and Paneton all around the city.

During this time of year Cusco is bright and busy, full of small Christmas markets and people getting into the Christmas spirit. Every Sunday morning plazas are filled with locals and people shopping for Peruvian gifts, textiles, incense and candles. But still, no comparison to all the stressed out people running and hysterically looking for Christmas gifts. The Peruvians do really enjoy the Christmas time as a period to meet their beloved friends and family and enjoy the Christmas spirit.

Christmas in Cusco is characterized by the birth of Jesus and this is depicted in the numerous Nacimientos found outside all the churches in town – 3D constructed murals of Nativity scenes with Jesus, Mary and other deciphels. Every church and almost every Cusceno household has one of these, and in the weeks leading up to Christmas, plants and pieces for these murals are sold on the streets and in markets. Most Peruvians are Catholics and churches can be found on almost every block in Cusco. Andeans have a strong religious devotion and Christmas is found to take on elements of traditions of each region of Peru. Further in the Andes festivities often continue for two weeks, until the “arrival of the three wise men”.

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A winter wonderland without the winter

The weeks leading up to Christmas in Buenos Aires bring a set of cultural traditions which many people from the northern hemisphere will find reassuringly (or depressingly, depending on your view) familiar. On the one hand, similarities with the ways in which the Christmas festival is celebrated elsewhere should not be surprising given the particularly strong European influence in Buenos Aires (the origins of which lie in the unprecedented waves of immigration which occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century), as well as the ever-increasing global comercialisation of La Navidad. However, while the decor in the temporary Christmas shops which pop up across the city speak of colder climes, with snowdrops, Christmas trees, icicles, fairy lights and the like, the weather gives the spectacle a wholly different ambience. The start of December brings much warmer and humid weather to the city, encouraging porteños to spend more time outdoors in the plazas, the gardens and terrazas of its countless bars and restaurants. Whilst in colder parts of the world the people tend to hibernate for the harsher winter months, the arrival of Christmas in Buenos Aires brings a summery spirit and positivity. Moreover, this is when the city really comes alive in a cultural sense, hosting numerous national and international music, food/drink, theatre and film festivals. There’s certainly no shortage of things to do in Argentina at this time of year, which can be especially comforting for extranjeros (or foreigners) spending Christmas away from friends and families back home. (www.couchsurfing.org is also a great resource for meeting Argentines and foreigners who are looking to spend Christmas with other people in Buenos Aires; a kind of adopted family Christmas experience!)

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Do not miss the opportunity to study Spanish in Cusco during the magical time of Christmas and experience a different way of celebrating this holiday!

THE AMAUTA Christmas Program includes extra activities such as a visit to the unique Santurantikuy, the Andean Christmas market. We will also visit several churches where you can observe the impressive, traditional Nacimientos, which are representations of the birth of Jesus. The program includes a Traditional Christmas Dinner with a Peruvian Family, a unique cultural immersion.

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