A top backpacking and volunteer travel destination, the jungles and mountains of South America remain highly popular with gap year travelers seeking meaningful experiences. Explore South America gap year programmes that include Spanish language learning courses in places like Argentina and Brazil. You can also participate in animal conservation and environmental projects in Ecuador or Chile, or make a difference by contributing directly to local communities through community building initiatives in Peru or Bolivia.
Ask a hundred people where they want to spend their gap year, and many will mention South America. Luckily, the gap year companies we partner with offer a wide range of volunteering abroad opportunities, internships, and adventure programs tailored for every traveler interested in responsible tourism and cultural exchange across Latin America.
Whether you dream of dancing the tango in Argentina or celebrating the colorful festivals of Bolivia, South America offers a wealth of authentic travel experiences. Many programmes include homestays or cultural exchange opportunities, allowing you to immerse yourself in local life and connect deeply with South American communities. Volunteer abroad, learn Spanish in South America, or explore eco-tourism adventures, your unforgettable gap year journey starts here.
The demand for English teachers around the world is astronomical, take China, where there are 350 million people learning the language at any given time. Combine teaching and TEFL courses or volunteer in sports or childcare projects to create a rewarding adventure and experience!
Duration: 2 - 12 weeks
Blue Ventures offers award-winning marine conservation expeditions to Madagascar, Belize and Timor-Leste. Join us and learn to dive on stunning reefs, identify fish and corals and contribute to our vital marine research, working alongside our team of experienced marine scientists.
Duration: 10 days
Join a National Geographic Tour of a Lifetime at our beautiful dive camp in the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve in order to improve your dive skills, learn about the marine environment, survey and hunt and dissect invasive lionfish, and contribute to valuable marine research.
Duration: 3 - 12 weeks
Discover the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere by volunteering with Blue Ventures at our remote, palm-dotted dive camp. Help us collect critical marine inventory data together with our science and dive professionals in a UNESCO World Heritage listed Marine Reserve and National Park.
Duration: 1 week to 12 weeks
Volunteer at a wildlife rescue centre in the jungle of Ecuador! The rescue shelter is home to various species of native Ecuadorian wild animals that have been abused, injured or neglected.
To learn a new language, we feel that the best way is to completely immerse yourself within the culture of the country who's language you are learning. With ESL you will go straight into a unique opportunity to learn new languages while on a long-term learning, cultural adventure.
Our TEFL internships allow you to combine valuable teaching experience with an amazing adventure in a beautiful new country.
Before you head off, you'll be fully TEFL trained and when you arrive, you'll get all the support you need from our in-country teams.
Duration: 1 week to 8 weeks
Conserve the Belize Barrier Reef from the base of a private island! Volunteers will eradicate invasive species, conduct survey dives and collect data on native species. All volunteers will have the opportunity to take a scuba diving beginner, advanced or specialty course.
Duration: 5 weeks to one year
The ​Buenos Aires TEFL institute offers an intensive 130-hour, 5-week TEFL/TESOL certification designed to transform students into qualified English teachers. The program is distinctive for its focus on in-person instruction, moving away from online-only formats to provide hands-on classroom exper
Duration: 2 weeks to 12 weeks
Volunteer in Costa Rica to care for sloths, monkeys and other indigenous wildlife species! Gain hands-on experience in animal care and conservation at one of three sanctuaries. Begin your adventure with a week of Spanish lessons and cultural activities.
Blue Ventures
Blue Ventures offers marine conservation expeditions to Madagascar. Join us and learn to dive, identify fish and corals and contribute to our marine research, reports and publications.
Duration: 1 to 16 weeks
Ibero Spanish School: Live & Learn in Buenos Aires
Experience the city’s only "Live & Learn" program at Ibero Spanish School. Located in the ​heart of Buenos Aires at the historic Palacio Piedras, we offer a seamless immersion experience with high-quality Spanish courses and on-site housing
Popular South America Destinations:
Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentian
Quick South America Facts:
Population - 400 million
Languages - Spanish and Portuguese
Visa Information:
A working holiday visa is required for some countries and there may be a restriction on how long you can work with one employer. Check with your gap year provider.
South America and Latin America brings to mind the tropical rain forests and huge rivers, but this enormous landmass, connected to the North American continent by the thin Isthmus that contains the famous Panama Canal, has a very varied geography, including the high Andes mountains, the Atacama Desert, and more ancient cultures than you can shake a stick at.
South America also includes the world famous Inca trail in Peru which is high up on on many of the 'things to do before you die' lists. The trail includes a 42km trek through tropical cloud forests and spectacular mountain scenery high up in the Andes before reaching the ancient Inca settlement and lost city of Machu Picchu. The trek takes 4 days and is surely one of the most memorable things you can experience on your year out in South America.
If, during your year abroad in South America, you would like to work with children, teach English as a foreign language, help out on community development, conservation or animal research projects, take up seasonal internships with local companies, take part in adventure tours, gain experience with medical projects, or if you just want to go trekking in the jungle, you will find all this and much more right here!
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