Volunteer Program at Hacienda del Chalán Horse Ranch

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Volunteer Program at Hacienda del Chalán Horse Ranch

Introduction

As you can see on the rest of our website Hacienda del Chalán is a local family working ranch for touristic horseback riding with Peruvian Paso Horses in the Sacred Valley of Cusco in the Peruvian Andes. But we are not only a working ranch, as we have a big focus on the local community, social mission projects and animal welfare. Anyone can volunteer with us; you don’t need to have experience with horses or animals, although most applicants used to do so.

* At the ranch we organize one morning a week equine therapy for disabled children in the area. We have space for 4 kids every week and we provide a variety of horse assisted activities for them.
*Our ranch offers work for the local people and we often give preference to local workers with low working possibilities in other places due to some physical or mental difficulties they might have.
*We are connected to a small mission agency in the Netherlands for fundraising and practical help for a small local school and a childcare family home. The goal of the school is to provide good, affordable, Christian education for any child in the area. And the goal of the family home is to provide a safe home for children who are at risk at their own homes.

The Ranch is home to over 18 horses and ponies, but also to dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and guinea pigs. By volunteering with us you will gain hands on experience with animals, learn new skills and give something back. As a volunteer you help taking care for the animals at the ranch and will see for their well-being. You also help with the equine therapy where you will feel part of helping others in need. Indirect you support our social mission projects by giving us more time to put our effort in these projects. Doing so is a great way to give something back to the world around you, alleviating poverty and playing your part in sustaining the natural and cultural planet we know today. Volunteering with us provides industry relevant experience and is a wonderful addition to your CV, making you stand out when you apply to your chosen college, university or job. Most importantly you can learn a huge range of new and different concepts and develop your skills and confidence in a friendly and encouraging environment.

About the Ranch

The Hacienda del Chalán Horse Ranch is located in the heart of the Sacred Valley of Cusco, in the majestic Andes Mountains of Peru, in the middle of the Inca Trail and just below the ancient Inka city of MachuPicchu. The Sacred Valley and Andes Mountains are a marvellous place to ride and enjoy amazing sceneries over the snowy mountains, green valleys, rivers, and lakes as well as experiencing the ancient Inca culture. Explore this remote and magical area and support local communities, whilst focusing on the care and riding of Peruvian Paso horses.

The Ranch is run by Yojan, a Peruvian horseman who grew up in Cusco, and his wife Karina from the Netherlands. Together they care for their beautiful herd of horses on a working ranch, and open their doors to animal lovers from around the world. The ranch is home to over 18 Peruvian Paso horses and ponies which are mostly all used for horseback riding with tourists in the area of the Sacred Valley, but also for the equine therapy for children with special needs. The horses range from well behaved school masters to young horses which need bringing on. The ranch is also home to many other small animals like dogs, cats, chickens, etc.

Anyone can volunteer on this project. We take complete beginners up to experienced horse riders. Whilst some horse experience is helpful on this project, it is not necessary. We will take those not confident with horses through a gentle training process until they are comfortable with basics like catching, haltering and tacking up, and you will be able to ride our calmer horses on the trails. Those with horse experience will be allowed to assist or lead activities such as training horses, horse management, riding with tourists, and full day rides. The workload will be a mixture of horse management and horse riding.

Highlights that volunteers will experience

*Gain an unforgettable experience on a local family Ranch in the majestic Andes Mountains of Peru.

*Experience riding world’s smoothest saddle horse: the Peruvian Paso Horse.

*From your horseback you enjoy the amazing scenery over the (snow) mountains and green valleys with a variety of birdlife, crossing rivers by wooden bridges, passing local shepherds with their sheep, cows or even alpaca’s.

*Experience ancient Inka culture and their archaeological complexes by horse: the radiant salt flats “Salineras de Maras” in the mountains, the circular terraces of Moray of which the biggest is 30 meters deep, Ollantaytambo ancient Inca town and quarry, etc.

*Feed and groom the horses and other animals around the Ranch.

*Help with saddling and horse rides with tourists through the Sacred Valley and the Andes Mountains.

*Assist the Equine therapy for children with special needs.

*On the weekend or free days enjoy optional excursions to Machu Picchu (one of the 7 world wonders), Rainbow Mountain, Soqma Waterfall of 30 meters high, Pisac’s colourful souvenir market, the cultural city of Cusco with many ancient Inca sites, or go river rafting, rock climbing or zip lining close by the ranch.

Volunteer Activities

In order to help us provide the best possible care for the horses on the ranch, and to bond with our 4 legged families, you will assist with a number of day to day activities (Monday to Friday) involving the care of all the animals. Being part of the family ranch in this way will really immerse you in the Peruvian way of ranch life and make you feel part of the team. We expect enthusiasm, initiative, responsibility and some independence of the volunteers in their tasks at the Ranch.

Horse (and other animal) Management

• Feeding the horses in the mornings and afternoons. In the mornings you also feed the dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and guinea pigs.
• Raking, cleaning & watering the yard around the horse stables.
• Showering and grooming the horses.
• Saddling and unsaddling the horses before and after every ride.
• Natural horsemanship training, from the ground and in the saddle.
• Assisting the equine therapy for children with special needs.
• Hoof care and assisting the farrier.
• Sometimes: sweeping the balcony where the cats live and cleaning the cat litters and guinea pigs cages (usually this is done by local workers).
• Sometimes: stocking up hay bales or mucking out some stables (usually this is done by local workers).
• Tack maintenance and cleaning.

In the Saddle

The riding is varied and can change from day to day, but you will generally do a 2, 4 and 6-7 hour ride each week between Monday and Friday. Sometimes you will join and help with the tourist rides, and other times we ride just with the volunteers to keep the horses fit and active. During your stay you can get involved in the following riding activities:

• 2 hour horseback rides: Enjoy rides along the Urubamba River banks; we cross the wooden bridge over the river on horseback, see ancient Inca tombs, natural rock formations and we pass some quaint little towns.
• 4 hour horseback rides: We cross wooden bridges over the river on horseback and ride along the water’s edge where you can spot cormorants, kingfishers and ibis. We pass an ancient pre-Inca town and end up on a wide grass field down the mountain where cows and sheep are peacefully grazing. Or we go up the mountains around the ranch and have a beautiful view over the sacred valley and its quaint little towns.
• Full day horseback rides: These are amazing tours where we ride high up in the mountains. Some days we will ride along a narrow path to the radiant Salt Flats where local people are still mining salt from ground. You have the possibility to eat in a local restaurant and try the Peruvian cuisine on the way, from where we continue riding to an amazing viewpoint over the Snowy Mountains and the Moray circular grow complex of the Inca times where you can usually spot hawks and eagles as well.
  Other days we explore more hidden gems of the Sacred Valley off the beaten track, going up-mountain while crossing a beautiful old forest and crossing through rivers on horseback. Arriving at an amazing lake oasis with big rocks nestled amid the trees and towering mountains, where we will eat a self-prepared picnic-lunch. We continue to a beautiful humming-bird reserve where you can sit down and peacefully observe these very special little creatures in their natural habitat.
  Sometimes we do a ride along the river banks and head up into the mountains by the old Inca Trail. We arrive at an amazing viewpoint over the ancient and touristic town of Ollantaytambo, it’s stretched out fields, the river down of you and the Snowy Mountains to your other side. From there you can do a hike to the ancient stone quarry of which the town in front was built.
• If there is a multi-day ride planned with tourists somewhere during your stay, you are lucky having the possibility to join this ride by paying only 50% of the normal price.
• Natural horsemanship training to familiarise the horses with various aspects of their work. During the rides you mainly ride or pony a horse that needs training to get to know the trails or how to cross water, bridges or meet certain other challenges. We train in a positive manner, encouraging confidence and happiness in our horses.

Accommodation

You stay in a rustic home at the Horse Ranch in a very small local town in the Sacred Valley about 20min out of the most nearby bigger town (market/shopping). You share the home with the family, but you have a private volunteer (girls) room with 2 bunk beds for 4 volunteers with a space to relax on the sofa with a TV/Smart Screen, a big balcony with view on the horses and mountains. From the room you have a direct entrance to a private volunteer kitchen with fridge, stove, and dining table. You have a volunteer/shared bathroom with hot shower to the side of your room.  You can use the washing machine for washing your clothes all together with the other volunteers. Bed sheets, blankets and washing powder are provided.

Meals

On your arrival day you will share a welcome lunch (main meal) with the family at our home or in a touristic restaurant. And on your last day you will share a goodbye dinner (tea-time) with the family at our home or in a touristic restaurant.

Basic breakfast and light-dinner are included in the costs of your stay and can be taken in the volunteer accommodation. The family will provide a small amount of money for each volunteer per week to buy and prepare your own basic breakfast and light-dinner in the volunteer kitchen.

The lunch (main/hot meal) is Not included in the costs of your stay. At lunch time you will be sometimes out in a town or on a trail by horse and you will be able to buy a hot meal in any of the quaint local or touristic restaurants. Some days a week you might be at the ranch for lunch time and able to cook your own lunch. Volunteers are taken and shown around at the local market and shops on arrival and you can go by your own once or twice a week after that to stock up on (lunch) ingredients.

Surrounding and optional free time activities

Peru is one of the most colourful and diverse countries of South America with its Pacific Cost, Andes Mountains and Amazon Jungle. From the capital city Lima located in the cost, you can take the 1 hour flight to Cusco which is the ancient Inca capital located in the heart of the Andes Mountains. Cusco (3400m) is a beautiful city and therefore very touristic, you can see many archaeological sites and colourful souvenir markets. From Cusco you can do day-tours to the Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Mountain Lake. From Cusco city you drive 1,5 hours through the mountains to the “Hacienda del Chalán” Horse Ranch located in the heart of the Sacred Valley (2800m). Cusco and the Sacred Valley are famous for the ancient Inca civilization: Machu Picchu, at 2 hours away from the Ranch, is the most preserved Inca town and considered one of the 7 wonders of the world. Close by Machu Picchu you can enjoy and relax in the natural hot springs. In the neighbourhood of the Ranch you can do all kind of adrenalin sports like river rafting, rock climbing, zip lining, mountain biking and quad riding. The nature is amazingly beautiful for horse riding and hiking with the Snowy Mountains around, the big Vilcanota-Urubamba river, several mountain Lakes, the Soqma Waterfall of 30 meters high, the radiant Salt Flats ‘Salinas de Maras’ in the mountains, the 30 meter deep Inca circular grow complex ‘Moray’, Pisac’s colourful souvenir market and archaeological complex, and several other Andean towns like Urubamba and Ollantaytambo with their traditional markets, friendly people and nice local shops or restaurants to visit.

Quantity of Volunteers & Start dates

The minimum of Volunteers we accept are at least 2 at the time. This is so you can share time together in the volunteer area at home, go shopping together or take tours together in your free time, which is much more fun and safe when doing it together. In case you apply alone, we will see if there is someone else wanting to come around the weeks of your preference and coordinate the possibilities together.
The maximum of Volunteers is 4 at the time, because we only have one volunteer room with 4 beds, so we will always see if you are able to stay the weeks of your preference and coordinate your time with us.

Every Monday morning volunteers can arrive from Lima to Cusco airport around 9-10am. We advise you to stay the night before in Lima so you arrive at the Ranch after a good rest from your international flight. Leaving volunteers can pick flights from Cusco to Lima every Monday since noon. Picking up and dropping off costs in this way are included in your stay.
Different options are only possible in coordination with us.

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