Saffron Walden students in summer expedition to Peru

Eleven students seized the rare opportunity to take part in a three-week long summer expedition to Peru.

Managing on a food budget of $6 a day and sticking to strict transport and accommodation budgets the students, from Friends’ School Saffron Walden, had to book hotels, transport and arrange communications for their time in Peru.

A visit to Machu Picchu was the climax to the trip and allowed for the group to see the 15th-century Inca site and one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world today.

Hannah Sargent, head of geography at Friends’, said: “We climbed the 450 metre vertical ascent to the site in time for sunrise and were rewarded with a most spectacular scene.

“Ancient ruins appeared in the sun, beautifully preserved to highlight how the Inca royalty lived their lives. A beautiful way to round off what was a truly amazing and inspiring trip for all of us.”

The students also travelled to the Sacred Valley for the project phase of the expedition and the task of laying a new floor for the community building in the remote village of Rumira Sondormayo.

At 3,900 metres above sea level, and with no local people who could speak English, the project certainly provided a challenge for the group.

But sign language, a phrase book and enthusiasm by the bucketful proved the students could get the job done, work together and help a small community in Peru.