Students groups visits

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Iracambi - Sample Itinerary for Student Group  

Introduction to Program: The program could be scheduled place any time between April and October This is also an excellent time to visit Iracambi, with dry weather, warm days and cool evenings round the fire. The trip should ideally last two to two and a half weeks (including two weekends). This will give adequate time for the group to understand the local culture and make a substantial contribution to the work of the organization.  

The group should be limited to approximately 8 people plus one or two chaperones, with at least one Portuguese speaker. Accommodation will be in the Casa de Banana and Casa Nova. These are simple, traditional style farm houses typical of this region.  Banana has four two-bed rooms, while Casa Nova next door has one four-bed and one one-bed room. There will be a cook to prepare lunch and help with the evening meal.   

            Since Portuguese is not generally offered at American high schools, the program offers a rare chance for cultural exchange, volunteer work, and an opportunity to visit the Brazilian rainforest as well as Brazil’s best known city: Rio de Janeiro. There will be a full program of activities. Week nights will allow time for reflection, reading (including background on Iracambi, Brazil's place on the world stage, , environmentalism, and personal reading), and cooking, while weekends will offer opportunities for adventure in the forest.

The group will be working with Iracambi’s Ecotourism Development Project. Volunteers will be required to learn about the Atlantic Forest, and the group’s final product will be an attractive guidebook/pamphlet to be used in the community ecotourism project.  Volunteers will work in groups to compile and present information on biology, flora, fauna, background history and culture of the region. Students will become familiar with the local community and the natural attractions (forest trails, waterfalls, local festivals, local food,) and will have the opportunity to work on the trails, create and build new signs, and ensure that sites with tourist potential are in good condition. Transport to the work sites and all necessary tools and materials will be provided.

 Sample Schedule:

 Saturday Depart from the United States.

Sunday Arrive in Rio de Janeiro in the morning. The group will be collected from the airport by minivan and taken on the spectacular road up the mountains from Rio and into the interior, for the drive to Iracambi. There will be a lunch stop and the group should arrive at Iracambi by mid afternoon, in time to explore their new home in the rainforest.

Monday Over breakfast the group will be given an introduction to Iracambi by one of the organization’s directors. This will include a brief historical background to Brazil, to the Atlantic Forest region, to Iracambi itself, and to the projects that Iracambi is managing.  

            Iracambi’s Volunteer Cordinator will then give a quick overview of logistics; dividing up tasks, composting, recycling, and minimizing waste. The group will then collectively decide how to split up each of the tasks (with 8 people this should take very little time).

After that, the EcoTourism  Program Coordinator will introduce the ecotourism project in greater detail, focusing especially on the aspects of sustainable development in order to clarify the work the group will do while they are at Iracambi.

At this point the group will be given time to change into more appropriate clothing, have lunch, and then go on a tour of the trails. They will be introduced to the use of hand-held GPS so that they can mark points on the trails and make basic maps, and are encouraged to take lots of photos. They will be already starting to think about their final product: the illustrated short guide to be used in the ecotourism project. Taking advantage of the fact that they are seeing things for the first time, they should take note of the features that strike them, so that they can be incorporated into the guidebook.  On their return from this tour there will be time for relaxation, reading, cooking and chatting. Help will be provided on how to cook and clean up!  

Tuesday (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Now that all the orientation procedures out of the way, work will start in earnest, with the group fed and ready to leave by 9 am. This will be a day to work on the trails, and determine where to put interpretative signs, both to direct people and to point out interesting features of the forest. As the students become more familiar with the forest, they will mark down points where signs are needed. In the evening before supper there will be a group discussion about the possible format of the group’s guidebook.

Wednesday (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) In the morning the group will divide in two (one chaperone, four students):  one group going to work on the trails and the other starting to construct signs for the trails. These signs will not only serve to direct people on the trails but also to explain significant features of the forest. After lunch, the groups will switch. In the late afternoon, after showering and changing, there will be further opportunity to think about the content of the guidebook. The group will divide in two to sketch out alternatives on the laptops provided. After dinner there will be an opportunity to watch one of the Brazilian films from the Iracambi film library. The films all come with subtitles!  

 Thursday (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) In the morning, the group will follow a similar procedure to the previous day and split into two groups (one chaperone, four students) with slightly different make-ups, so as to ensure everyone gets to work with as many different people as possible. Half will prepare signs and half will work on trails. The groups will switch after lunch. In the late afternoon there will be a presentation of the Iracambi GIS and the group will be able to choose maps to be included in the guidebook.

 Friday (9 a.m. – 11 a.m.) The group will complete their work on the trails and signs, bringing their first project to a satisfactory conclusion.  

            (11 a.m. – 2 p.m.) As a group activity, the group will participate in a cooking lesson given by the Iracambi Center’s cook. This will not only serve as good introduction to the more community-focused second week, but also expose the group to more traditional eating styles.

(2 p.m. – 6 p.m.) After this workshop there will be the opportunity to use the Iracambi computer lab to further work on the guidebook. The group can divide into four, with each group choosing a specific subject: for example biology, history, culture, flora and fauna. By the end of the day the main sections of the guidebook should be well defined, written up and safely stored.   

            At night, the group can attend a local party or festival to expose the group to rural Brazilian culture and cap off the first week at Iracambi. Rules with regard to drinking will have to be clearly stated and respected.

Sunday After a generous sleep in on Sunday, the group will travel to the State Park with an Iracambi staff member and hike and stay with one of the local families.  

 Monday Early next morning there will be a hike through the forest to climb Itajuru mountain with its panoramic views on all sides. They should be back at the Banana House by lunchtime.  

They will spend the rest of the day becoming familiar with their next task, fixing up tourist attractions in the community.

 Tuesday (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) This first full day of working with community tourist attractions should focus on teaching the group how to paint or repair whatever they are working on. The day should also start a bit earlier, as time will be needed to transport to and from the locations they will be working at.

Wednesday (5 a.m. – 7 a.m.) In the morning, the group can wake up (very) early and hike the sunrise trail.

(7 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Then, they will come back, eat breakfast, and continue work on repairing community tourist attractions.

In the afternoon they will return to the computer lab and compile the first draft of the guidebook. After producing a mockup there will be 48 hours to finish this project.

 Thursday (8 a.m. - 1 p.m.) Continue work on community tourist attractions.

(3 p.m. – 7 p.m) Complete and print the guidebook. After dinner there will be an opportunity to watch another Brazilian film.

 Friday (8 a.m. – Noon) Continue and wrap up work on community tourist attractions.  

            (1 p.m. – 5 p.m.) As a group activity, the students should spend the afternoon working with the nursery manager in the nursery. They will become acquainted with the forest restoration project, the idea of carbon sinks, and see their compost put to use.

 Saturday In the afternoon, the group should visit a local farmer's house to see cheese being made/coffee being picked and roasted. This will serve as a good conclusion to the group’s work with sustainable development and ecotourism.

            At night, the group will attend its final party. In the Brazilian winter, the popular festas are the Festas Juninhas that commemorate various Saints' days at the end of June. These are a tradition of rural areas so urban dwellers like to pretend they are country folk too and dress up in "country" clothes, eat green corn and other "country" food and dance the "quadrilha" (similar to a hoe-down).

Sunday (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) On the final day, the group should complete an evaluation on their stay for both Iracambi and the group leaders to look over. In addition, the group should collectively produce an outline of what still needs to be done on the projects they have worked on. They should also give general suggestions for the ecotourism project at Iracambi.

The rest of the day should be for reflection and packing.

 Monday Depart for Rio de Janeiro by minivan. This will get the group to its hostel in Rio  in time to check out the beach, being aware of the possibility of street crime. The Rio metro is an excellent way to get around town, and the group should be sure to get to Santa Tereza in time to eat dinner, and enjoy the local culture first hand without being accompanied by lots of tourists.   

 Tuesday Since most flights leave in the evening, there will be time to visit a juice bar in the morning, take the train to the statue of Christ the Redeemer with its amazing views, have lunch in a churrascaria (typical Brazilian barbecue,) visit street stalls to pick up souvenirs, and be at the airport in time to catch the plane home.

Additional Options Many other routes can be taken with the group, depending on how much time and money allow. Another possibility would be to spend two full weeks working on trails and with signs. With this option, much of the second week could be spent compiling a mini-guide book for the two trails that are worked on. Alternatively, both weeks could be spent working on the houses and roads, giving students more time to get acquainted with the local culture. As a third option, the group could focus on one of the other projects, such as the tree nursery (which also includes educational and hands-on aspects), practical aspects of the GIS program (ground truthing GIS data) or the payment for environmental services program, although the student’s lack of Portuguese could inhibit this option.

To get in touch with other people who've been here; join our Facebook group : log in to Facebook and look for Iracambi. You can meet some of our past volunteers and researchers here.

Click here to see the Research Center brochure.