FIFTEEN students from a Newton Abbot school travelled to ‘deepest, darkest’ Peru for a trip to explore the country and help its communities.
The group from Coombeshead Academy spent four weeks in the country where their epic adventure began camping in Camp Moray, in the mountain Valleys of Moray, 3,600m above sea level.
While there, they helped the local community build three additional bathrooms, doubling washroom facilities.
The students learnt about life in Peru and were shown how to build and cook food in mud ovens, to speak the local language of Quechua and explored an ancient Inca ruin where thousands of different varieties of potatoes have been grown in their own micro-climate.
The group then travelled 2,000m down to Camp Sacred Valley where their project work included creating a community garden where locals can plant, grow and sell crops to the local market.
The team helped plant more than 200 avocado trees which will provide an injection of funds into the area.
A three hour walk up the mountains of Sacred Valley took them to within touching distance of a natural waterfall.
The students then returned through the mountains to Camp Maras to work with a school.
The group helped improve the play area for nursery children, by digging, raking, mending and a lick of paint.
At their final camp, the students visited another school to teach English and helped by washing up and cleaning toilets.
They prepared land for a new irrigation system as well as sewing large sections of fabric together to create a shelter for new crops to be shielded from intense sunshine.
The trip ended with the hardest challenge, walking for five days on the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu. Every student completed the trek and visited one of the wonders of the world.
Helen Coulson, Coombeshead Academy Headteacher said: ‘I am so proud of all the students who took part.
‘It was clearly an adventure they will never forget and thoroughly enjoyed.
‘The group also supported many local communities in Peru and helped to improve living conditions, boosted the local economies and embraced the Peruvian culture completely.’