Amazon Travel Program

Each year, we are excited to invite volunteers to help with the delivery of school supplies and to assist in community service projects in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Our volunteers spend 9 days in Peru, exploring the jungle, visiting communities, and providing support that changes lives.

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Your support makes an impact!

Follow Claire Lannoye-Hall, our director of education, as she delivers this year’s school supplies and takes part in a community service project.

Check out the blog

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School Supply Deliveries

•  March 16-24, 2024

Join us as we travel the Amazon and Napo rivers, in the heart of the Peruvian Rainforest, to deliver school supplies to children in remote, rural villages. These school supplies will provide them the opportunity to earn a basic education and continue contributing to protecting one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world. Guests will have the opportunity to visit at least a dozen communities over the course of the week, partaking in celebrations, songs, dances and countless smiles as a year’s worth of supplies are hand-delivered to each child. We will also experience the rainforest through excursions such as the Canopy Walkway, Fundo Neiser Wildlife Reserve, traditional Yagua Community visit, rainforest walks, ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden, night boat rides, and much more. This is an incredible experience that’s not to be missed.

Please use the information form below to get in touch with us about the trip.

•  March 16-24, 2024

Join us as we travel the Amazon and Napo rivers, in the heart of the Peruvian Rainforest, to deliver school supplies to children in remote, rural villages. These school supplies will provide them the opportunity to earn a basic education and continue contributing to protecting one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world. Guests will have the opportunity to visit at least a dozen communities over the course of the week, partaking in celebrations, songs, dances and countless smiles as a year’s worth of supplies are hand-delivered to each child. We will also experience the rainforest through excursions such as the Canopy Walkway, Fundo Neiser Wildlife Reserve, traditional Yagua Community visit, rainforest walks, ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden, night boat rides, and much more. This is an incredible experience that’s not to be missed.

Please use the information form below to get in touch with us about the trip.

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Community Service Project

• March 23-31, 2024

If you’ve ever wanted to give back or make a difference in the world, this is the opportunity. Participants will spend a day delivering school supplies to children in remote, rural villages. These school supplies will provide them the opportunity to earn a basic education and continue contributing to protecting one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world. The next several days will be spent in a community, working alongside the community members, as we build, repair or improve structures, install clean drinking water systems, or provide other support as needed. This is a hands-on trip that has been deemed as a life-changing experience by previous participants. We will also experience the rainforest through excursions such as the Canopy Walkway, Fundo Neiser Wildlife Reserve, traditional Yagua Community visit, rainforest walks, ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden, night boat rides, and much more.

Please use the information form below to get in touch with us about the trip.

• March 23-31, 2024

If you’ve ever wanted to give back or make a difference in the world, this is the opportunity. Participants will spend a day delivering school supplies to children in remote, rural villages. These school supplies will provide them the opportunity to earn a basic education and continue contributing to protecting one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world. The next several days will be spent in a community, working alongside the community members, as we build, repair or improve structures, install clean drinking water systems, or provide other support as needed. This is a hands-on trip that has been deemed as a life-changing experience by previous participants. We will also experience the rainforest through excursions such as the Canopy Walkway, Fundo Neiser Wildlife Reserve, traditional Yagua Community visit, rainforest walks, ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden, night boat rides, and much more.

Please use the information form below to get in touch with us about the trip.

• FAQ – Amazon Travel Program

  Can I send school supplies to Peru?

  Unfortunately, no. The cost of shipping school supplies and increased scrutiny of items transported in personal luggage prevents us from sending supplies. The fortunate side of this is that all supplies are purchased in Peru, supporting the local economy and fitting in with their school standards.

  What do I receive to recognize my contribution?

  Every donation receives an acknowledgment from the Detroit Zoological Society’s Development department. This letter can serve as proof of a tax deductible donation, to the extent of the state and federal tax laws.

  How will I know which community I supported?

  Every donor who contributes $450 or more will receive the name and location of the school you’ve adopted, a list of school supplies purchased for the school, photos of the students, teacher and school taken during the delivery ceremony, and artwork created for you by the student s of your adopted community. Due to their size, some communities may receive multiple sponsors.

  What portion of my donation goes to supporting the program?

  100% of your donation is used to purchase and deliver the school supplies. Volunteers pay their own way to help distribute the supplies and the Detroit Zoological Society covers the administrative costs of processing and transferring the donations in their entirety to our partner, CONAPAC, in Peru.

  How long as the Zoo been involved?

  Since 1999.

  How long as the program been going?

  CONAPAC has been supporting rainforest communities since 1990.

  Who is CONAPAC?

  The Civil Association for Conservation of the Peruvian Amazon Environment, is an NGO formed in July 1990 in Iquitos, Peru, by a group of teachers, forestry engineers, and employees of the travel operator Exploraciones Amazonicas S.A.-- Explorama Lodges. Registered with the Peruvian government, its purpose is the conservation of the Peruvian Amazon primary rainforest. Though the staff is small, with the help of Explorama, it serves those in the rainforest most in need of education and other tools for sustainable living. CONAPAC Website - conapac.org

  How much does it cost to volunteer to deliver school supplies?

  The 9-day trip is $1,500 US. The money is a donation to CONAPAC and helps cover some of their administrative costs. Airfare is not included in that amount and ranges from $800 to $1400 round-trip from most US locations.

• Contact Us / Information Form

  Please fill out this form to get in touch with us about the trip.

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