South America Semester: Andes & Amazon

I've done a few summer and semester programs like Dragons with various other companies, and Dragons really blew me away. I felt guided and supported towards learning the culture, language, leadership, interpersonal skills, etc., and pushed out of my comfort zone to figure a lot of it out on my own, which I really loved. I got to bushwhack in the rainforest, swim in a glacial lagoon in the Andes mountains, sleep in ancient Incan ruins, dance with my host family in a huge parade, and so much more that I never would've dreamed of. By the time I left, I was forgetting words in English.

This was my first experience traveling abroad in a meaningful way and for an extended length of time. I had zero expectations for what the trip was going to be like and I ended up having the best three months of my life, I’d go back tomorrow if I could. Dragons does a really good job of teaching students how to be travelers not tourists, and I’ve learn so much about international travel from that alone. The instructors on the trip really make the trip as good as it can be, their familiarity with the regions and knowledge of the culture makes them the best people to learn from and lean on for support when traveling for so long and to unfamiliar places. My trip with Dragons changed my perspective of the world in a lot of different ways, I cannot wait to travel abroad again.

This program was amazing! I felt like it was the perfect balance of exploring the beautiful landscapes and interacting in local communities. We traveled through Peru and all over Bolivia, trekking, living in cities, and staying in communities. I also loved how close I got with all the people I was traveling with. We lived together through thick and thin, through sickness and through cold nights. We went to Spanish classes, climbed countless mountains, and experienced Peru and Bolivian culture all together. I loved living with families, during the two homestays we did. It was really cool to get to spend so much time with another family, only speaking in Spanish. I loved always moving around and being somewhere new every week, seeing as much of these two countries as we possibly could. These past 3 months I’ve travelled to the coolest places I’ve ever been and I’ve made life long friends!

My gap year in Bolivia opened my mind up to different ways of being and living in this world. I met so many wonderful people and was exposed to many new things. While my time there was sometimes challenging, it allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. The lessons I learned about myself and my values still shape who I am today. I also had the opportunity to learn more about Bolivian history and culture as well as reflect on United States history and culture, especially as it relates to South America.

All in all, a semester spent with Dragons in South America is filled with amazing hiking, fun homestays, and all sorts of eye-opening new experiences. The strong connections Dragons has with local communities, organizations, and guides provides for experiences that you otherwise could never obtain on your own. On the Andes and Amazon Gap Year Semester, you get a little bit of everything--language instruction, backpacking, homestays, work with indigenous communities, and lots more--which I think is an incredible pro and my favorite aspect of the program, but could rule out a participant who is searching for one central focus. For example, immersion and instruction in Spanish undoubtedly improved my Spanish speaking abilities, but if you're looking for a program with a very heavy focus on language instruction, I wouldn't necessarily say this program has that central focus you might be looking for. Regardless, traveling with a group of other students and amazing instructors is an experience that I will never forget and one that I likely won't ever have again. In looking back on my semester, I am continually amazed at how each day brought on a new challenge, perspective, and experience, which led to an expanded worldview and yearning to experience more. That's not to say that there weren't a few hardships and rough patches along the way, but dealing with those challenges and growing as a group were part of the amazing experience that is a Dragons semester. Ultimately, I continue to look back fondly on my semester with Dragons, and I aspire to seize each day as much as we did when traveling through the Andes and Amazon!

This experience allowed me to understand how to navigate group dynamics and a foreign country! I now feel confident in my traveling abilities which was one of my main goals when signing up for this trip. It was very unique and dug deep into the cultures that we experienced. We went to the jungle and to the tops of ice peaked mountains. My favorite part was the backpacking trips where we would go from the Andes down into the Amazon. It was amazingly beautiful and we got to meet wonderful people along the way.
I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn how to travel safely but not to anyone who values independence. There was not much time for personal growth or doing anything on your own but lots of time for group bonding. There was also lots of time spent in cities and probably two weeks in total spent outside. That is important to note.

Do this program- i don’t know if there is a more unique, immersive, and educational way to travel. This program has a amazing connections in these countries that allowed us to do things like trek in high altitude mountain communities, do multiple homestays, get talks from people like a man whose worked closely with the current indigionous Bolivian president, get a mine tour (and dinner) with a young man who was in a documentary on being a child miner in one of the most dangerous and profitable mines in Bolivia, learn how to graffiti from local extremely talented artist, learn how to weave, stay in Amazonian community, and so so much more. Do this!

I decided to enroll on the Where there be Dragons Trip because I knew I wanted to take time off before the next step in my life. I felt very burned out after being in a very competitive academic environment, and did not know what I wanted to study in college. I also didn't feel experienced enough to travel completely on my own terms., so I chose Dragons as a program with. I wanted a unique, individual experience. And I got exactly that.

Dragons is unique for so many reasons. In terms of travel, Dragons allows students to go places that are completely off the beaten path, and transforms the experience into one of travel rather than tourism. I backpacked through Andean Mountains to communities of the last Incas, went inside networks of mines, and saw a huge range of 2 incredibly diverse countries. Dragons allowed me to focus on two countries and explore them in depth, form terrain and geography to culture, history, art and politics. If you like to travel to unusual and unique places, Dragons the trip for you.

What I also loved about Dragons was the group that I traveled with. I vitally wanted to only travel independently, but I would not have been able to go to the paces that i went and have the same learning experience if I had gone alone. Dragons trips are maximum 5 students with 3 instructors. I was able to ask questions and share experiences with people who became my lifelong friends. I was also still able to have my own time to be independent on the trip. The trip follows a flexible itinerary which allows students to help plan components of the course.

Dragons is unique in that it follows a 9-component plan for all of its courses, regardless of the location: Rugged Travel, Language Studies, Focus of Inquiry, Comparative Religion, Development Studies, Learning Service, Trekking, and Homestay. These are all huge part of dragons trip that allow you to have the most immersive, valuable experience while also being a respectful traveler in the places you go.

Fun memories: Eating piranha for Thanksgiving, hiking to Machu Picchu, exploring vast markets in the cities of Bolivia, seeing the sun rise over huge mountain peaks, meeting my best friends, etc.

What I will say about Dragons: If you want an easy, fun, vacation for 3 months, do not sign up for dragons. This course will test you, push you out of your comfort zone, will be challenging. However, it will also give you moments of joy and awe, create intense bonds with others, open your mind, and you will leave the trip a different person if you are willing to let it.

I am constantly using my experiences from my trip and applying it to my life today, whether that is in my classes at college, when engaging with others, or with my own personal goals. Dragons is definitely one of the most unique programs to go on and I highly recommend it!