Volunteering in Patagonia

Patagonia is a vast place, with some of the most pristine landscapes in the world that need to be protected. Although efforts have been made to protect land in Chile and Argentina through the creation of national parks, there's still a lot more work to be done to protect and rebuild ecosystems as well educate people about the need to care for their surroundings.

For example, over New Year 2011, a hiker caused a fire in the western part of Torres del Paine National Park that spread rapidly along the eastern shore of Lake Grey. The fire was extinguished after several days but resulted in many thousands of acres of burnt forests. Find out more about what's being done to repair the damage in Torres del Paine below.

Most programmes ask you to commit to 3-4 weeks minimum on a project to really get involved and make a difference but this can be extended to one or two months if you prefer. Each programme differs in the experience you'll gain, but we can put you in touch with projects that encompass a variety of tasks including: 

Ecosystems:

• Huemul tracking, the huemul is a native deer close to extinction and only seen in certain parts of Patagonia
• Removing exotic plants that are threatening native species
• Collecting and planting seeds 
• Removing kilometres of fencing from old 'estancias' or sheep ranches, which is arduous but very important
• Organic farming and natural building

Community projects:

• Tutoring children and teenagers
• Operating a community radio 
• Teaching and/or assisting at a local library
• Helping at a daycare centre or assisting people with intellectual disabilities
• Supporting communities affected by mining
• Creating animated movies explaining the dangers of metal mining exploitation

The day to day work asked of you very much depends on the organisation but often the work will be like a standard 9-5 day job, with time for a break and lunch. Some volunteer projects ask for a minimum of 25 hours work per week on certain days of the week, which allows for a level of flexibility. 

If this is a big consideration for you, it's best to look at the type of work you'll be doing in a given project, for example, if you're going to be teaching, you'll likely be needed Monday - Friday during school hours. All volunteers get time off to relax and organisations are good at helping you find local clubs to join and giving you information about places to visit and things to do. Please note that projects focused on manual labour or ecosystem restoration will require you to work out in the fields and although you'll get 2 days break each week, this may not be on a Saturday or Sunday.

Reforestation Patagonia is a wonderful initiative launched in May 2012 to replant the 42,500 hectares of trees which were burnt in the fire in Torres del Paine over New Year 2011. Although inspired by this disaster, it also hopes to replant some of the 7.5 million acres of native forest throughout Patagonia which have been destroyed by fire and human intervention over the last 100 years.

Help Reforest Patagonia reach its target of 1 million trees replanted in 2012, by choosing a species (lenga, nirre, and coigue) and 'planting a tree' yourself. Once a tree has been planted in the virtual forest, you'll receive an email with a certificate of reforestation and a geotagged link to Google Maps that displays the exact location of where their trees will be planted. Each tree costs $4 USD and contributions are made principally through PayPal.

'Voluntourism' is an increasingly popular way for people to travel: by investing their time and/or money in the local economy either by ensuring that they book through local operators, or by getting involved in volunteer projects in the countries that they visit. It has evolved over the last few years in part because people are tired of seeing huge travel companies reap the benefits and have instead become interested in sustainable tourism.

With high unemployment rates, many young people see it as a way of broadening their horizons and gaining life experience. Older people are also getting involved, and volunteer schemes are set up so that anyone can help through giving up their time.

Voluntourism is sustainable because organisations charge a fee to cover the cost of your accommodation and food whilst you're there whilst others ask you to contribute to the organisation through a larger payment which also covers your costs. This ensures that the volunteer doesn't cost the organisation anything. The cost of living is reasonably low in most of the locations where projects are taking place, so usually, volunteers are happy to provide for themselves for a period. In addition, some organisations use donations from their volunteers solely to promote, sponsor and execute development projects in Patagonia.

For some volunteers, learning Spanish either before or whilst in Patagonia is a big part of the experience. Our volunteer partner offers 1 week to 1-month programmes in Santiago which will give you around 20 hours of Spanish lessons a week. You can supplement this with 'intercambios' or Spanish/English conversations.

Most programmes can accept volunteers with little or no Spanish whereas others ask for a medium to a good level of Spanish in order to join the programme. When you get in touch, let us know your level of Spanish and whether you're interested in classes.