Surf For Life is excited to partner with Waves Lobitos on the northern coast of Peru, renovating an existing building where local youth gather for various activities like skateboarding and Jiu Jitsu. 

TRIP EXPENSES AND FUNDRAISING REQUIREMENT

The total commitment for your Surf For Life adventure is $2,750. This includes:

1. Trip Cost: $750
   • This amount covers all of your expenses for the trip except for airfare, and optional additions like alcohol. (See 'What's Included/not included?' at the bottom of the page).
2. Fundraising Requirement: $2,000
   • This is your chance to make a big impact! Each participant is required to contribute or fundraise $2,000 as a direct donation to the in-country community partner and the bricks-and-mortar project we will be executing, as well as ongoing Surf For Life projects. This donation is tax deductible.

For the $2,000 donation, you have several options:

• Donate it yourself - Be your own hero!
• Fundraise for it - Rally your friends and family around a good cause!
• Leverage a company match program, if available - Double your impact!

Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! Surf For Life will support our participants in fundraising for the donation portion by sharing our own fundraising ideas- including contributions from friends and family, company matches, fundraisers, or other creative means.

The road to Lobitos passes through dry, barren desert and into the bustling fishing district of Talara in northern Peru. After another stretch of desert you finally reach the town of Lobitos, one of Peru’s best surfing spots. Lobitos is a small fishing town on Peru's northern coast in the Piura region, not far from the Ecuadorian border. It’s a quiet town with few people, and out-of-place abandoned Victorian mansions along a stretch of the beach, giving the impression that everyone left in a hurry. Oil rigs bob up and down in the distance. 

Lobitos has a complicated history. It's a town that was solely developed for the petroleum industry at the very end of the 19th century.  Way before the arrival of surfers to its shores, Lobitos was owned and occupied by a British oil company that became known as the Lobitos Oilfield Company. The company and their families rented the land from the Peruvian government and began creating infrastructure: roads, a church, a pier, desalination plants, electricity, a hospital, and even South America’s first cinema. The area quickly went from being a fishing town to a British colony for exclusive use by the oil company’s affiliates. Local Peruvians were not allowed in the area, nor were they allowed to use the facilities. After a military coup in the 1960s, the ex-pats were forced to leave the country and the town was abandoned. Today, the local community of fishermen and surfers have been working hard to rebuild it into an international surfing destination. Check out more Lobitos history here. 

Lobitos is blessed with a multitude of waves. The surf spots break in all different swell sizes and directions. Lobitos waves range from fully exposed breaks to sheltered spots that will only break on large swells a handful of times a year.  They range from top to bottom barrels to mellow rolling beginner waves and everything in between. There is definitely a spot to suit all styles, tastes and surfing levels. For more info, check here. 

WAVES Lobitos is a non-profit organization

WAVES Lobitos is a non-profit organization which, with the support of volunteers, private and collective contributions, contributes to the communal and individual development of the people of Lobitos-especially of the children. Their mission is to understand the culture and the community's needs. 

The idea for WAVES originated on the beaches of northern Peru in late 2004, when a group of educated local and international surfers shared a desire to help local youth with little resources enjoy surfing. Each one had stories to tell of the stoke, culture, and richness that they had observed during the course of their travels in Peru. They dreamed of building consciousness into the surf travel experience, and empowering local surf communities.

Find out more at: https://www.wavesfordevelopment.org/

The cost of your Surf For Life adventure is $750. This includes all of your expenses for your trip- (See 'What's Included?' in the next section below)

In addition to the cost of the trip, each participant is required to fundraise an additional $2000 as a direct donation to the in-country community partner and the bricks and mortar project we will be executing, as well as ongoing Surf For Life projects (See 'What's Not Included?' in the bottom section below)

This donation is tax deductible.

Surf For Life will support our participants in fundraising for this portion by sharing our own fundraising ideas-contributions from friends and family, company matches, fundraisers or through other creative means. 

We'll be staying at the beautiful Aitama Hotel: walking distance to the beach and town center, with a focus on sustainability and supporting the local community.

https://aitama.hotelesenpiura.com/en/

Instagram: @aitamahotel

Surf for Life Cancellation Policy

The total financial commitment of your trip includes:

●      the direct volunteer expenses (the Trip Fee paid at booking) and

●      the direct donation to the in-country partner and Surf for Life (either fundraised with outside sources or directly donated through our website at least one month prior to trip start).

Our cancellation policy was developed to primarily honor the contracts with our in-country community partners, local businesses and the SFL team. Additionally, we want to give grace and flexibility to our volunteers with their ever changing schedules and unexpected circumstances that come up. Without your financial support, these projects wouldn’t be possible. Things happen, plans change. We get it!

We highly recommend that you purchase insurance that includes a clause “cancel for any reason”. Please read the policy carefully to ensure that you will be covered. Travel Insurance should be purchased 2-3 weeks from your initial deposit date.

Surf for Life Cancellations:

●      If your trip needs to be canceled by Surf for Life due to any unforeseen reason beyond our control (such as a natural disaster, political unrest in the trip destination country), Surf for Life is not liable for refunds or travel costs (your direct volunteer expenses). This allows us to honor and protect our local partners in extreme circumstances. In purchasing your own travel insurance, you will alleviate any financial burden on yourself and Surf for Life.

If the community project is no long happening due to the unforeseen circumstances that caused the cancellation of the trip, you will have the option to either continue to use any money fundraised to donate towards our non profit partner on the ground or to have your donation refunded to you or whomever contributed towards your trip. We will reach out to discuss what you would like to do with your directly donated funds.

●      SFL requires  a minimum of 5 participants per trip. If your trip is canceled due to not enough participants, , we will notify you as soon as possible at a minimum of 60 days prior to the trip start date. We will issue a full refund to you of any money paid or give credit payment towards another SFL trip should you choose to do so instead. .

Volunteer Cancellations:

●      Cancellation more than 60 days before the start date of the trip:

○      Transfer your Trip Fee and direct donation directly to another SFL trip within 365 days

○      Apply as a credit for a future trip within 365 days

○      Receive a full refund minus the $50 administration fee.

If you choose to transfer your trip fee or receive credit you will not be charged the $50 administration fee

●      Cancellations within 30- 60 days before start date of the trip:

○      Transfer your Trip Fee and direct donation to another SFL trip within 365 days

○      Apply as a credit for a future trip within 365 days

○      Receive a refund of Trip Fee minus the $50 administration fee

○      As the project commitment has been made at this point which is only possible through your direct donation, we are not able to refund your donation at this time. If you have not yet made your donation towards the project, we will invoice you for this amount.

If you choose to transfer your trip fee or receive credit you will not be charged the $50 administration fee

●      Cancellations within 30 days of the trip:

○      There will be no refund given after 30 days.  Any unpaid/remaining balance after cancellation within 30 days is still due and we will invoice you for the amount.

***The majority of your financial commitment is a direct donation to Surf for Life and our local community partner. If you need to cancel your trip but would like to make a full or partial donation to support this project, please let us know and we will provide you with a donation receipt for your records.

***(For any questions, comments or curiosities regarding our cancellation policy, please email trips@surfforlife.org

 Please note this is a sample itinerary of day to day activities; our actual itinerary might change according to needs of the community, weather, etc.

Day 1 (Saturday): 

● Arrival in Lobitos

● Welcome, itinerary overview & group dinner 

Day 2 (Sunday): 

● Morning: Group surf lesson  

● Afternoon: Community Service Project Orientation

● Sunset Surf or Swim (Optional) and Group Dinner

Day 3 (Monday):  

● Morning: Optional Early Surf and Community Service Project  

● Afternoon Activities-  Youth Skate Club 

● Sunset Optional Surf and Group Dinner   

Day 4 (Tuesday):  

● Morning: Optional Early Surf and Community Service Project  

● Afternoon: Peruvian Cooking Class with local Women's Project

● Sunset Optional Surf and Group Dinner   

Day 5 (Wednesday):  

● Morning: Optional Early Surf and Community Service Project  

● Afternoon: Youth Surf Club

● Sunset and Optional Surf and Group Dinner   

Day 6 (Thursday):  

● Morning: Optional Early Surf and Community Service Project  

● Afternoon: Youth Jiu Jitsu Club

● Sunset Optional Surf and Group Dinner   

 Day 7 (Friday):  

● Optional surf, yoga 

● Community Gathering/Celebration

● Sunset Surf and Final Group Dinner  

Day 8 (Saturday):  

● Shuttle Transport back to Mancora