FBPixel

A place-based high school semester program.

South America

Spring: Early February – Late May

Ecuador | Peru | Bolivia

Soak in the culture, language and landscape of South America as you trek through the region. You’ll stay in hostels, backpack the Andes and practice your Spanish-speaking skills with Quichua families. You will learn, study and grow alongside your Traveling School community of faculty and classmates. The 15-week semester is full of place-based academics, engaging with local communities and outdoor adventure that builds confidence in each student.

Spring Semester

The Traveling School provided me with an opportunity to explore many perspectives to complex world issues such as struggle over limited resources, immigration, expansion of European cultures into indigenous people’s lands, wars and revolution that occurred and continue to occur in South America and our world.

Traveling School Alumna

What You Might Study

  • Investigate ecological, economical, and sociological impacts surrounding oil and gas drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
  • Explore the power of art as a vehicle for communicating values and preserving culture.
  • Dive into the history of Inca and pre-Inca civilizations with site visits to Chan Chan Ruins, Sacsayhuaman and the Sacred Valley.
  • Study glaciology while traversing Peruvian mountain passes.

What You Might Do

  • Interpret the history of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu with a traditional healer and anthropologist.
  • Participate in community projects with indigenous Quichua families.
  • Navigate the swirling waters of the Jatun Yaku River on a paddle raft.
  • Visit the sprawling expanse of Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world.

Student Photo Gallery

Admissions for Spring 2025 are still rolling!