Rising from the flat Patagonian steppes with breathtaking abruptness, the craggy mountains of Torres del Paine National Park are an astonishing sight. As the crown jewel of Chile’s national park system, the dramatic granite mountain spires, spectacular glaciers, and haunting winds draw visitors from around the world. With a growing number of travelers visiting this iconic landscape, some trails have become eroded and overused. The park, with its limited resources, needs help responding to visitor impacts. Instead of simply visiting the park, join this incredible volunteer vacation as a volunteer team alongside local park rangers improve hiking trails and habitat. Travelers hike on the famous “W” on the way to “work” and see the sights of Patagonia in a way that few visitors ever experience. If you’re worried about experience, prior trail maintenance is required—just a love of adventure, a level of physical fitness and a willingness to roll up your sleeves.

Voluntourism, or volunteer trips offer a unique combination of destinations, projects, and people which can be transformative. Travel with purpose, work on projects that truly make a difference, see these magnificent places in glorious detail, and share your experience with other like-minded people. Group volunteering allows you to focus on the destination and the volunteer experience, while someone else takes care of arranging meaningful volunteer projects, lodging, food, and local transportation. With group volunteering, it is easy to relax about volunteering in a foreign country even if you are not fluent in the local language. The partnership between REI and Conservation Volunteers International (CVI) offers a volunteer vacation with a cooperative and collaborative group where people of diverse ages, backgrounds and interests come together.

See the sights of Patagonia in a way that few visitors ever experience on this 13-day volunteer vacation, selected by National Geographic as one of their “50 Tours of a Lifetime” for 2012. Included in the incredible package is lodging, guide leadership and support staff, group tools, all ground transportation as noted, and park entrance fees. The food is plentiful, nutritious, and as delicious as possible! Food choices are dictated by the trip. The refugios in Torres del Paine do a remarkably good job of preparing food which must travel great distances to reach this end-of-the-world location.

Whether you are new to volunteer travel or a veteran volunteer, our volunteer trips can offer you a deep sense of achievement and satisfaction. Because group volunteer projects involve a variety of tasks, REI and CVI can match the volunteers with the tasks that best suit them, so every person can contribute in a meaningful way. Through the efforts of volunteers it is possible to help sustain and conserve some of the world’s most cherished landscapes and cultural sites. Make a genuine and positive contribution that promotes environmental responsibility and sustainability, all while feeling good doing it!