EXPEDITION LIFE
Accommodation
Food
A Day In The Life
Who Else Is Going?
Weather
Join a QUEST team in Brazil for three months combining one or two months volunteering on a community, conservation and development Project in the Amazon Jungle.
Your Expedition culminates with a spectacular six week Explorer taking you from Brazil's seductive golden coastline to the mysterious depths of the Amazon. If you're looking to combine worthwhile community work with a Brazilian adventure then this Expedition is for you.
Accommodation
Project Phase:
You will be staying in 'Casa Semente', a beautiful wooden open-style house with spectacular views over the surrounding forest. The house consists of one large living area, an outside covered veranda, a large kitchen area with adjoining toilet and outside showers. All volunteers will sleep in hammocks in the communal house.
The house has a small library and art and crafts area, and is surrounded by herb gardens, fruit trees and a small vegetable patch. There are several other buildings close by, including a plant nursery and workshop.
Accommodation is simple but with the surrounding jungle as your backdrop, it makes for the most amazing setting.
Explorer Phase:
Your accommodation on the expedition ranges from tents on treks, to dormitory accommodation and twin rooms in towns and cities, to hammocks under star-lit skies in more remote locations. We choose our accommodation because of the outstanding locations, because of friendly reliable local staff, and because of the great atmosphere and warm welcome you\'ll feel when you arrive.
Food
Project Phase:
Food is predominantly vegetarian, although on occasion chicken is served. Leo, one of the founders of the community, cooks some of the best pizzas you'll ever taste, with freshly made dough, baked over a traditional wood fire - delicious.
Typical Food
Breakfast: Bread, cheese, jams, fruits, nuts, porridge, yoghurt, occasionally eggs, fruit juice.
Lunch: Rice, beans, lentils, pasta, fish, salad and vegetables.
Dinner: Pizza, soup, bread, fruit, yoghurt, jams.
Explorer Phase:
On expedition you will have the chance to sample a wide variety of Brazilian cuisine. Brazilian's have the weird and wonderful habit of cake for breakfast, and expect to sample a world of fruit like you have never seen before. On treks and in some of the remote locations you and your team will cook over an open fire. In towns and cities you can enjoy a range of local and international foods, from the famous churascuria, with over 40 different cuts of meat, to weigh your own salad and fresh juice bars, all you can eat pizza and sushi restaurants! Expect to have your taste buds tantalised!
A Day In The Life
Project Phase:
Your work will be mainly focused on developing the infrastructure needed to support the sustainable conservation project and continue to protect acres of primary rainforest. Projects include ensuring the community infrastructure is environmentally sound, such as through the completion of a bio-digester, renovation of the plant nursery, the creation and maintenance of jungle trails and development of a children\'s area and education centre.
Typical Day
07.30 Breakfast
08.30 Construction - work on the ecolodge
11.00 Break, relaxation and Lunch
14.00 Work with the land, work in the nursery
17.30 Work ends
19.00 Evening meal
FREE TIME
You will have 1-2 days off each week to relax and enjoy the the beautiful surroundings that ABRA has to offer. From walks in the forest and swimming in the small rivers, to forest arts and crafts and workshops, there is much to keep you busy, or you may just prefer to lay back in your hammock and relax.
ABRA offer fully guided tree climbing courses, taking you on a journey to the heights of the forest canopy. Using ropes and harnesses, experienced instructors will help you rise above the trees, up to 40 metres to feel the intensity and beauty of forest life first-hand. You'll climb with Bromelias and Orchids, float with butterflies and soar with macaws and see the jungle from a completely different perspective.
Leo, one of the founders of the Community, is a highly experienced photographer who has worked in the Amazonian region for over 30 years. You will be professionally and informatively guided to make the most of your camera and find the best shots using a variety of angles and working with both flash and natural light.
And if all this wasn't enough, the surrounding area of Presidente Figueiredo is famous in the Amazon region as being home to a wealth waterfalls and environmental sanctuaries just waiting to be discovered. Nature at its very best.
Explorer Phase:
With such an active and full itinerary it is simply impossible to say what a typical day will be like. What is safe to say however is that nearly every day starts early and is full of adventure and excitement until the moment you go to bed; exhausted but buzzing! The expedition has been designed to ensure that you fit in as much as possible, whilst giving you the time to relax, chill out and take in all the amazing places around you. For a detailed breakdown of your explorer please see itinerary and dates section.
Who Else Is Going?
Your team will be between 8 - 16 people. The age range varies between 18 - 25 and is predominantly made up of gap year and university students. Regardless of age and background, all participants have one thing in common - an enthusiasm to experience the real Brazil, explore the depths of the Amazon and have an amazing adventure. Your team will be led by two QUEST leaders to help the project run smoothly and to ensure all goals are achieved.
Weather
Although 90% of the country is within the tropical zone the climate of Brazil varies considerably in rain, temperature and humidity from season to season but it is only southern Brazil that has any large seasonal changes.
Project Phase:
ABRA is located in the hot and humid tropics and temperatures are high all year-round. Most of the rain falls between the months of October - March. The months of May - August tend to be dry, whilst September and April tend to be changeable. The rain often comes in short, sharp, down pours and are a welcome relief from the muggy tropical heat.
Explorer Phase:
The Brazil Explorer takes you along the golden coast of Brazil. Temperatures are hot hot hot but can be broken up at times by rain. The rain brings the coast alive, creating and filling freshwater lakes and quenching the thirsty earth to create emerald green fields and plains. The explorer then takes you to the Pantanal during the dry season, temperatures will be hot. You and your team then head to Iguazu and Rio during the Brazilian winter. It may be winter but in Rio temperatures average 21 Celsius / 70 Fahrenheit.