Why South America Changes You: Lessons From a Decade of Leading Students Abroad

If there is one thing I have learned after years as a passionate educator and working with Pacific Discovery groups, it is this: no matter what I say during orientation, no slideshow, no map, and no “prepare yourselves!” speech can truly get students ready for South America.

And honestly, I love that. Because the magic of this region is not something you understand with information. It is something you understand with your whole self.

Since joining Pacific Discovery in 2014, working with students through my home region has been a journey that keeps transforming me too. South America is the perfect destination for people craving real adventure, genuine cultural immersion, and the kind of human connection that stays with them long after they return home.

Peru: Lessons You Do Not Find in Textbooks

We start in Peru, where learning happens by living. Students visit Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Moray and love it, but their funniest and most meaningful stories come from immersion in local communities. Suddenly they are sharing home-cooked meals, helping with daily chores, practicing Spanish with hand gestures, and discovering that not every bathroom looks like the one back home. After the initial shock comes laughter, adaptability, and a new respect for daily life in the Andes.

Spanish classes mix grammar with jokes and the occasional confused “¿Qué?”. Then comes a highlight: the Llama Pack Project. Students work alongside llama herders, learn responsible animal care, and realise why llamas have been ecological and cultural partners for centuries. Many say, “I had no idea!” and honestly, neither do many Peruvians.

And of course, Machu Picchu. But our students do not simply arrive. They earn it. The Inka Jungle Trek takes them hiking and biking through the mountains until they finally reach the Sun Gate. Their faces at the top, sweaty, proud, and absolutely stunned, say everything. They reached it, they conquered the altitude, and they did it.

Then there is Llachon. Have you ever heard of it? It is a tiny corner on Lake Titicaca in Puno that somehow manages to feel magical the moment you arrive. Students jump into community projects, listen to stories told in warm kitchens filled with laughter, and fall asleep in homes where the lake glows under the stars. It is community at its purest.

Ecuador: Adventure, Heart, and a Little Tarzan Energy

In Ecuador, the village of Agato becomes home. Students live with host families, learn traditions by participating in them, and form bonds that feel surprisingly familiar.

In Baños, Spanish lessons continue among waterfalls. In Tena, rafting the Jatunyacu River turns everyone into a laughing, splashing, inner Tarzan or Jane version of themselves. In Misahuallí and Cuyabeno, the Amazon rainforest surrounds them with sounds, stories, and wildlife.

Then come the Galápagos. Not the postcard version, but a behind-the-scenes experience. Through conservation work with Hacienda Tranquila, students help protect the islands before exploring beaches, volcanoes, marine life, and the legendary giant tortoises.

A Journey That Changes Us All

Every group reminds me how lucky I am. These people are my people. This land is my home. This culture is my root. My job is not just to teach South America. It is to help students feel it.

And every time they grow, I do too.

Posted by Dora Ballen on December 02, 2025