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CHOICE's humanitarian expeditions allow participants to dive deeper into the culture and customs of a country than any tourist vacation would ever allow, but our expeditions are not tourist vacations. Participants should be prepared to face frustrating and disquieting circumstances while traveling, working and living in impoverished, primitive areas. Participants should review each project area's expedition style before deciding which expedition is right for them. World Explorer Expeditions will experience similar village conditions, but will sleep and eat dinner in nearby hotels and restaurants.
Bolivia
CHOICE has been assisting the villagers in the Altiplano area since 1982, focusing on ground-water technologies and greenhouses. Many communities are well on their way to having community and family latrines, greenhouses and water pumps. In-country directors Willy and Maxima Mendoza currently manage all Bolivia projects.
village conditions
Villages in the Altiplano lie between 12,000 and 14,000 feet elevation. This creates a more challenging environment for expedition participants.
Participants sleep in sleeping bags in community centers or schoolrooms. It is quite cold at night, so very warm sleeping bags and air mattresses or sleeping pads are recommended.
Food is cooked by In-country Directors with participant assistance. Meals will consist of local-style food with a few familiar foods for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is always a warm meal such as chicken served with potatoes and a vegetable.
Weather can be extreme, reaching the 70s during the day and dropping into the 20s at night. Rain is possible at any time of year. The sun is very intense at such high altitudes, reaching a UV index of 10+ Extreme every day.
typical village expedition itinerary
Optional Machu Picchu cultural/historical excursion:
Day 1: Depart U.S.
Day 2: Arrive Lima early morning and immediately fly to Cuzco; Tour Cuzco
Day 3: Train to Machu Picchu and tour
Start of actual expedition:
Day 4: Meet group in La Paz and transfer to village
Day 5: Village
Day 6: Village
Day 7: Village
Day 8: Village
Day 9: Village
Day 10: Village; Night in hotel in La Paz
Day 11: Travel home
Kenya
Rita Lugogo, Kenya In-country Director, manages CHOICE projects in several areas of the impoverished Kenyan Coast including Kikoneni, Bombululu, Mambalazi and Samburu. Typical projects address the pressing need for more classrooms, water systems, school desks and latrines.
village conditions
In the Kenyan villages, many inhabitants are Muslim; therefore, it is more appropriate for the group to sleep in separated male and female dormitories in community rooms. The in-country staff provides cots and pre-treated mosquito nets are available for rent. A light sleep sack or sleeping bag should be adequate.
The delicious food on Kenya expeditions is prepared by village women with participant assistance. Breakfast consists of powdered milk with cereal or bread with peanut butter with fruit, coffee, tea or Milo (a local drink). Lunch is tomato and cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or typical African fare such as polenta or cabbage. Dinner is usually vegetarian, reflecting the local cuisine, and consists of rice or chapatti (unleavened bread similar to tortillas) or pasta with a minestrone-type soup.
The weather is warm and rainy on early summer expeditions and warm and dry for late expeditions. Evening temperatures can drop into the 50s.
typical village expedition itinerary
Day 1: Travel from U.S.
Day 2: Travel
Day 3: Arrive Nairobi; Meet group in airport and connect to Mombassa flight; Night in Mombassa
Day 4: Pre-village training; Tour Mombassa and purchase kanga cloths for village use; Night in Mombassa
Day 5: Transfer to village
Day 6: Village
Day 7: Village
Day 8: Village
Day 9: Village
Day 10: Village
Day 11: Village
Day 12: Transfer to Mombassa; Night in Mombassa
Day 13: Fly to Nairobi; Continue personal itinerary
Mexico
To maintain long-term relationships and development among the villages of Guanajuato state, CHOICE recruited local development expert Juan Luis Alducin in 1995. With the help of his small staff, Juan has enlarged CHOICE's involvement from five communities to over twenty. Recent projects include a women's savings program and a health and parental education program in every community. This past year, expeditions have contributed to finishing a health center, installing a drip irrigation system and building a school.
village conditions
Guanajuato is located in the central plateau of Mexico north of Mexico City. Expedition villages are typically 30 minutes to an hour away from Irapuato.
Expeditions participants sleep in their own tents on school or community center grounds. A sleeping pad or air mattress is highly recommended for the hard ground, and a sleeping bag is necessary.
Meals are cooked by villagers under the supervision of CHOICE staff members and with participant assistance. Participants eat together in the school or community room. Breakfast normally will include cereal, oatmeal and fruit. Lunch and dinner are typical delicious local fare such as tamales, tortillas with beans and meat or chicken or enchiladas.
Spring expeditions enjoy warm comfortable weather. Winter expeditions can expect moderate to warm days and cooler nights. Mexico's rainy season is June through August.
typical village expedition itinerary
Day 1: Travel from U.S.; Meet group in Irapuato; Night in hotel in Irapuato
Day 2: Tour CHOICE center; Transfer to village
Day 3: Village
Day 4: Village
Day 5: Village
Day 6: Village; Transfer to Guanajuato
Day 7: Tour and free day in Guanajuato
Day 8: Fly home
Nepal
The Himalayas call us with a haunting beauty that is compelling. CHOICE first sent an expedition to Nepal in December 2000. Villagers and volunteers worked on laying pipe for five public taps to bring water to the 200 villagers. A health clinic also provided dental and medical care and women were instructed in nutrition, health care and micro-enterprise. The second expedition, in April 2001, taught Lorena adobe stove technology, built school latrines and worked on a potable water system. Future expeditions will address education, environmental issues and health issues.
village conditions
Expedition villages are located in the foothills from 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level. All Nepal expeditions require a hike into the village, with participants carrying all their own clothing and supplies.
Participants sleep in villagers' homes. The villagers provide participants with a bed with some type of mattress (straw or manufactured). Villagers often provide sheets, but participants should bring a mid-weight sleeping bag.
Sandwich lunches are eaten as a group, but for dinner, participants are treated to fabulous local fare cooked by their host family. Water cannot be carried in, so all participants are responsible for bringing their own water purifiers.
The weather is beautiful in Spring and Fall with warm days and cooler nights.
typical village expedition itinerary
Day 1: Travel from U.S.
Day 2: Travel
Day 3: Arrive Kathmandu; Meet group; Night in hotel in Kathmandu
Day 4: Early flight over Himalayas; Tour Buddhist and Hindu temples
Day 5: Transfer to village
Day 6: Village
Day 7: Village
Day 8: Village
Day 9: Village
Day 10: Transfer to Pokhara; Evening group discussion; Night in hotel
Day 11: Fly to Kathmandu; Continue personal itinerary
Viet Nam
The first CHOICE project in Viet Nam was a micro-credit program in 1996. Ly Thu Linh, the Viet Nam CHOICE In-country Director, ranks education as the greatest need for the rural poor of her native country. CHOICE has been addressing this need by helping to build schools, supporting scholarships and providing bicycles for school access. Recently, two kindergartens were completed in the Mekong Delta and hundreds of scholarships have been awarded. Future expeditions to Viet Nam will provide access to education, health and income-generating activities.
village conditions
Foreigners are not allowed to stay in villages without special permission from the government, so expedition participants sleep in hotels in nearby towns. The group travels to and from the village each day.
The wonderful Vietnamese food draws rave reviews from expedition participants. Breakfast is taken in the hotel. Box-style lunches are taken to the village and dinner is eaten in a restaurant near the hotel.
Expeditions to Ho Chi Minh province can expect wet weather from May to November and dry weather from December to April. February to May is hot and humid, but other times of year are very comfortable. Hue expeditions, on the central coast, will be dry May through October and wet December through February. Typhoons are possible in all areas July through November.
typical village expedition itinerary
Day 1: Depart U.S.
Day 2: Travel
Day 3: Arrive Ho Chi Minh City; Meet group; Night in hotel in HCMC
Day 4: Travel to Village
Day 5: Village work
Day 6: Village work
Day 7: Village work
Day 8: Village work
Day 9: Local cultural tours
Day 10: Local cultural tours
Day 11: Depart for U.S.
Day 12: Arrive U.S.
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Types of Expeditions
