During your programme as a Veterinary Dogs Clinic Volunteer here in Peru, you will be working with a dedicated team of vets who will guide and support you throughout the day. You will not be asked to undertake anything for which you are unqualified, or which you are unwilling to do.  In fact, there is so much to do here, that you will find plenty of tasks suited to your ability and preferences.

Mandatory Orientation Day

On the first day of your Peru surfing and beach-cleaning programme, you will join our orientation day, to get familiar with the surroundings as well as local culture. Your programme will continue as usual from Tuesday onward throughout the rest of the week.

Orientation Day Schedule

• Introduction meeting, House rules, Setting Expectations, Health and Safety Advice and handling of documents.
• Peruvian Do’s and Don’ts, Peruvian Culture Lessons and Spanish Language Lessons.
• Tour around the compound and local area; where to find local shops, and arrange a sim-card if necessary.
• Lunch
• Small hike to ‘White Crosses Hill’ where you can have Thermal Baths in Banos (Optional) and a massage session (Optional) .

Daily Schedule

A day as a volunteer Veterinary assistant may involve any of the following tasks, depending on your skill/academic level:

• Physical examination
• Pre-surgery preparation of patients
• Sutures
• Assist veterinarians with surgical procedures
• Post-surgery: provide recovery and attention to patients
• Data collection and registering
• Scheduling
• Fundraising and communication campaigns
• Logistics

Monday to Friday

The volunteering hours are from 08.00 AM-15.00

• 06:00 Breakfast at the volunteer accommodation
• 08:00 Veterinary Dogs Clinic Volunteering
• 12.00  Lunch
• 13.00-15.00 Veterinary Dogs Clinic Volunteering
• 17.00-18.00 Dinner

Evenings and Weekends

Your evenings and weekends are free to do as you wish, either relaxing back at the volunteer accommodation with other volunteers or travelling further afield and exploring Peru with your new friends.

Please note: This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

Places to Visit

There’s so much more here in Peru than surfing! In and around Chiclayo there a wealth of places and sights that our volunteers usually visit on weekends that lets you explore Peru away from the mainstream tourist routes. Even if you stay in Peru for a few months, you won’t run out of astonishing places to visit!

Bosque de Pomac

Visit the world’s largest dry forest just north of Chiclayo. Besides Peru’s oldest tree it also hides pyramids of the Sican culture. The attentive visitor can easily spot leftovers of antique ceramics or even bones along the walkways. Combine the visit with a horseback ride to get the most out of it.

Huaca Rajada

Some of the world’s most extraordinary tombs, place of discovery of the “Lord of Sipan”, also known as the “King Tutankamon of the Americas”. Most of the treasures found in the tombs are now displayed in the museum Tumbas Reales, but still the site is definitely worth a visit.

Chan Chan

World’s largest adobe city.
Chan Chan not only used to be America’s biggest city but also was and still is the world’s largest city built of adobe – sun-dried mud-bricks – with walls as high as 12 meters, being home for about 60.000 inhabitants. Since it was conquered by the Inkas, its extension declined to about 20 square kilometres, of which only a few parts are actively restored. As this impressive place is endangered by the more and more frequently occurring El Niño storms, consider visiting it soon.

Pimentel

At this seaside tranquil town where you can sunbathe, visit beautiful sandy beaches and engage in surfing to your heart’s content.

Weekend trips

Cajamarca

Famous for its colourful carnival and as the place where the Inca Empire came to an end, Cajamarca and its surroundings keep you busy for a whole weekend and invite you to come back. Visit the old town, Ventanillas de Otuzco – pre-Inca grave caves carved into a vertical rock – or just soak in the hot thermal baths “Baños del Inca”.

Monday to Friday

A day as a volunteer Veterinary assistant may look like this:

The volunteering hours are from 08.00 AM-15.00

6.00 AM Breakfast at the volunteer accommodation
7.30 AM Leave the volunteer accommodation and travel to placement. Volunteer at the Animal clinic
12.00 PM Lunch
13.00-15.00 Volunteering at the Veterinary clinic.
15.00 Travel back to the Volunteer accommodation
17.00-18.00 Dinner

Evenings Volunteers are free to sightsee around the local area, do some shopping, and/or plan for the next day.

Weekends – Weekends are free. You are welcome to relax and hang out at the volunteer accommodation with other volunteers or you can use this time to travel and explore Peru with your new friends. It is also optional to work on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings.

This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

Our volunteer house is located in the North of Peru, in the main city of Chiclayo. You can easily reach Chiclayo, Peru’s fourth biggest city, by public transport which is cheap and frequent. Chiclayo offers shopping centres, a cinema, a nightlife and from here you can visit the famous museum of the Lord of Sipan, the Tucume pyramids and the dry forest of Algarrobos. It is also a traffic hub in northern Peru. This makes it easy to travel on the weekends or after your volunteer program.

About the Accommodation

Our accommodation has single-genders rooms with a shared homestay style, shared bathroom and with 1-4 people per bedroom. It is a very typical Chiclayo neighbourhood and our local host is incredibly welcoming!

Food

Peruvian cuisine typically consists of lots of corn, beans, rice, chilli peppers, potatoes, wheat, and other grains – all very vegetarian friendly. Keep in mind that some local dishes may be spicy!

Facilities

There is a supermarket located 5-10 minutes walking distance from the accommodation, and ATMs are also nearby. Further, there is a small market approx 10-15 minutes walking distance from the accommodation, where you can buy fresh fruits, fish meat, etc. every morning. There are plenty of small restaurants within walking distance, especially along menu places (Peruvian equivalent of ‘fast food’) where you can find lots of fresh fish.

Transportation

From this location we provide free transport to your next programme at the following location(s):

Cajamarca
Lambayeque (Chiclayo)