Cusco, Peru  

Heritage Christian Academy

 SPRING BREAK  

March 14 - 22 * $3,300

 

(Limited time only...only $2,600 if you pay in full by July 1, 2025)

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Mission Trip Details

 

Cusco is one of Peru's most intriguing and cultural cities. The majority of our time in Cusco will be outreaches to the surrounding villages . We will serve in one of the many local orphanages that house hundreds of forgotten and abandoned children, many who have been rescued from the snares of sex trafficking. 

 

There are so many villages outside of Cusco, tucked in the mountains, with only dusty, dirt roads that reach them. We will visit some of these villages, sharing the Gospel, distributing food and medicine, playing soccer with the kids and eating with the families. Through translators, you will have the chance to share your testimony and pray for those who come to salvation as well as those needing prayer for healing. 

 

Our free days will consist of shopping in the infamous Cusco curio market, the most amazing horseback trek in the Andes, Zip-lining (optional and breathtaking!) You'll savor delicious fresh Nutella and strawberry crepes, hot chocolate or some local Inka Cola as you stroll through the cobbled streets to the Plaza de Armas Plaza. Visiting the legendary Machu Picchu will be an exciting day as we take the classic Inka Rail to Aguas Caliente.

 

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What’s Included:
• Round-trip international flight from Denver, Peru and local flight to Cusco, Peru
• Hotel accommodations in Cusco, Pacchanta, and Ollantaytambo
• All in-country transportation to/from airports and to/from ministry sites throughout the trip
• Daily meals (3 per day) in Peru (3 per day)
• Ministry Materials, Translators, local guides, drivers, chefs, and all pre-trip set-up

• Trip t-shirt and Daily Bottled Water

• Medical Emergency Insurance

• All Free Day Excursions...including Machu Picchu, Zip-lining & Horseback trek

 

What’s Not Included:
• Transport to the Denver airport
• Passport

• Immunizations (see CDC button)
• Snacks and food  in all airports and Souvenirs

 

 

 

2026 Basic Trip Itinerary

( Subject to change...A comprehensive itinerary will be sent 30 days prior to the trip.)

 

March 14: Deprt Denver Saturday night for and overnight trip to Lima and then Cusco. 
Once you arrive, our airport greeting team will meet you at the airport.  Prior to the trip we will have a couple of team meetings at Heritage or someone's house. During this time we will have some team bonding time, go over trip logistics, rules, safety, cultural items, team communication, schedule...and then have a worship service and meeting.. *You will be sharing a room with others while in Peru (same gender) as it helps create team bonding...and is just more fun!

March 14 -19: Cusco Village Outreaches & Horseback Trek in the Andes

Lots of daily outreaches in Cusco, the surrounding communities, and and overnight village trip. We'll be sharing the Gospel, visiting schools, orphanages, and a girls home, distributing food and medicine, playing soccer, reading (and acting out) bible stories with the kids, doing skits and eating with the families. Through translators, you will have the chance to share your testimony and pray for those who come to salvation as well as those needing prayer for healing. Small group devotionals and worship.

BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER. ACCOMMODATIONS: TBD

 

March 19-20 Machu Picchu Adventure

Visiting the legendary Machu Picchu will be an exciting day as we take the classic Inka Rail to Aguas Caliente.

BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER. ACCOMMODATIONS: TBD

 

March 21: Cusco Orphanage Outreach and Visiting the Famous Curio Market

Amazing orphanage outreach, Dinner and Souvenir shopping at the HUGE Cusco Curio Market!

BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER. ACCOMMODATIONS: TBD

 

March 22: Depart for Denver

Evening arrival in Denver

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Health-Extended Trip

Altitude – Our trip to Cusco, Peru will take us to remote regions at high altitude. We always take our time to acclimatize properly by allowing for additional rest. When gaining in altitude above 10,000 feet, we have included sufficient rest or “layover” time to ensure that you acclimatize properly. While many people may experience minor ill effects from high altitudes, there are some who have persistent symptoms that require returning to a lower altitude. We do our best to allow a pace for everyone to acclimatize. We cannot determine how you will do at higher altitudes, but being in the best shape possible and having a lower body fat percentage will help greatly. Should you require any medication whatsoever, you must provide your own and be able to administer it yourself. Medical supplies in Peru are not reliable or guaranteed, though we will have a fully stocked medical kit on the trip.

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Training:

 

Training/team meetings for this trip will take place prior to the mission trip at Heritage of different homes.

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Training consists of specific ministry and outreach information, going over rules and safety regulations, team bonding time, and an evening meeting with worship and small group prayer.

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See Center for Disease Control and Prevention requirements for Peru; (click on CDC button).

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Health & Safety FAQs

 

What vaccinations do I need? We would strongly suggest following the CDC requirements/suggestions. You should consult with your own family physician, but what we always suggest is to make sure that all your Hepatitis A, Tetanus/Diphtheria, and Typhoid/Polio shots are all up to date. It is a personal choice and decision as everyone has their own risk tolerance, vaccination beliefs, and health and safety thresholds.

 

Is the trip insured? Yes! We carry short-term travel insurance for each member of the team that includes medical evacuation, AD&D coverage, and other great travel insurance benefits. However, you will still need to be covered on a health insurance plan or have one purchased for the trip. 

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What if an emergency happens and I can’t go? If you have to pull out of a mission trip for whatever reason, we will apply all payments/donations to a future trip, minus costs we may not be able to recover.

 

Health history questionnaire. A few weeks prior to the mission trip, we’ll email you a Health History Questionnaire and a Consent/Release form for you to fill out and email back to us before the mission trip. Most of it is pretty standard and it just gives us an idea of medications being taken, past health issues, allergies, immunizations received, and other items for us to be aware of if there were to be a need for you to go to a doctor or clinic/hospital. Please fill out what you are comfortable with; everything is 100% confidential. 

 

Safety track record. Going overseas is a big deal, and it's totally understandable for individuals, parents, and families to be concerned and want to know what safety precautions are being taken for each trip, especially if they are new to Wide Awake Missions. We've been at this for over 30 years; we have taken thousands of teens and young adults overseas, and over the years of doing mission trips, we have been fortunate to have never had a major safety or medical issue.

 

International safety and travel warnings. We keep in constant contact with all travel warnings concerning each country we go to. Before we leave, we register our group with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) through the U.S. Department of State, and we log our itinerary with the State Departments of each country we  travel to.

 

On being alone. No one is ever allowed to go off by themselves outside of our outreach sites, ministry sites, and hotels. We travel as a team unit, eat as a team, and minister as a team—so no one is ever alone. We rely on our trusted and experienced contacts/translators to guide us each day. Also, each team member pairs up daily with an accountability partner. We always have a first aid kit that travels with us, and our contacts keep us informed on the best doctors, clinics, and hospitals to visit if there are ever any issues or emergencies.

 

Contact information and itinerary. You, your parents, and/or family will have a list of all our emergency numbers and will receive a more updated itinerary before each trip.

 

Leaders. We have a seasoned country director run the mission trip as well as Joe Packard...(and some parent volunteers) per five (under age 18) students. We allow the team to bring their smartphones, and usually, it's their camera as well. We use the hotel’s wifi; this way students can be in contact with their parents for updates. We also provide you and your parents the phone numbers of the international hotels where we will be staying during the trip.

 

What about theft? Theft is always a possibility when you travel abroad, so please don’t bring anything you cannot afford to lose. Most crime is petty like pick-pocketing—but since we travel as a group and use private, chartered buses and vans with a hired driver who guards our belongings, we’ve rarely had a team member lose anything.

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General Mission Trip FAQs

 

As we get within a few months of our mission trip, we will be in more communication to make sure everything goes smoothly, and we are always available to answer any questions you may have. We can’t even begin to express how unbelievable, fun, and adventurous this mission trip is going to be!

 

What about drinking water? Throughout the trip, we will drink plenty of bottled water and/or purified filtered water. 

 

Can I bring items for the outreaches? Yes! Feel free to bring balloons, face paint, stickers, coloring book, crayons, pencils, and Bibles to give away. If your school or church wants to be a part in a financial way, we will be buying food to distribute in villages, supplying some Bibles, and handing out other little things, so you/they can give towards these options if you’d like; just let us know.

 

Are there any additional costs? Pretty much everything is covered! We work with a variety of helpers and translators, and we do take a group "love offering" at the end of the trip for our main contacts as well—it’s the gesture that counts here and not the amount though.

 

Do I need a sleeping bag or towel? No, you will not need a sleeping bag or towel for this trip.

 

Can I use my phone? Yes! Although wifi can be spotty, it’s nice to keep in touch and share photos with friends and family who are praying for you and have supported you. 

 

How many bags can I bring? You are allowed to bring one personal item like a back pack or day pack (usually a smaller type of school day backpack and not an actual carry on suitcase) and one checked piece of luggage (a suitcase or backpack/duffle bag weighing 48 pounds or less).

 

What’s a typical day like? Each morning, we enjoy breakfast and team devotions, and then we head off to our outreaches for the day. We typically bring lunch with us, and at the end of the day we’ll go out with our contacts/translators and enjoy team meals together at a local restaurant or at the hotel. Later in the evening, we bring everyone together and have some team fun, play some games, and some testimony time from the day of outreaches and ministry. We also love to have worship nights and an occasional inspiring message by one of the leaders or special speakers.

 

Do I have to share my testimony in front of people? Well, as a team, we’d love everyone to get to know each other’s "story.”  As far as sharing in front of a group of people or church, we understand that speaking in front of larger groups can be frightening, so we’ll leave that up to you. You will see though that throughout the trip, you will begin to feel more and more comfortable with it. You will have numerous opportunities to pray for the needs of many people in the outreaches we will do.

 

Sports/skits? We will have some fun opportunities to play some pick-up games of soccer and basketball; and do some fun drama skits (and other games). It’s such a great way to connect and offers lots of opportunities to minister and get to know the people of Cusco better. Please let us know if you have any special talents you’d love to use during the trip or teach others, such as face-painting, making balloon animals, playing musical instruments, dancing, singing, etc.

 

*This list isn’t exhaustive, if you have any additional questions please just let us know!

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