EATING piranha fish, living on a boat, visiting places accessible only by using a machete and pulling out hundreds of teeth.

Even taken on their own, to the majority of people these activities might sound like a living hell or a particularly unusual form of torture.

But for a Hampshire dentist they’re a holiday and a chance to give something back.

While many travellers are packing their bags for trips to sunny Spain or Greece, Dr Peter Saund, who works at the Boyatt Wood practice near Eastleigh, is set to jet off for a fortnight Iquitos in Peru.

It is an unusual city – despite having a population of more than 400,000 people it cannot be reached by road, and it is located in the Peruvian rainforest and Amazon basin.

And after an inspiring trek to Nairobi, Kenya, during which he pulled more than 500 teeth from patients, Dr Saund is ready for another challenge.

He has been driven to help charity since his wife Veena died of cancer aged 43, and is determined to help those who live in less luxury than enjoyed in Britain.

Dr Saund, who is funding the £2,500 trip himself, feels ready for the South American journey after experiencing first-hand the horrific deprivation faced by African families every day.

But he admits the different culture and geography will be a test during the two-week expedition.

“Peru isn’t quite as poverty-stricken as Africa and they love outdoor life there”, he said.

“I just want to go and help people and I get a buzz from it. We have so much on our plates and it’s good to give something back to people.

“We don’t appreciate how lucky we are and it was a real eye-opener going to Africa – some of them hadn’t eaten properly for two days and we had people who had been waiting all day for medical care.

“They had been waiting for hours and hours and there was no crowd control but they were very appreciative. It’s a totally different mindset and they are very grateful.”

Dr Saund, 52, will travel on a boat along the nearby Amazon River to give treatment to people in need, along with a team of doctors and other medical experts.

The expedition is in aid of the Vine Trust, which enables volunteers to make a “real and significant” difference to some of the poorest children and communities in the world.

Daily Echo:

Each year it helps 100,000 patients in Peru by sending supplies on two medical ships, while it also has plans to replicate this project on Lake Victoria in Tanzania.

The Amazon Hope Medical and Dental Programme in South America was established in 2001 and the first ship was sent in the same year, followed by another two years later.

The ships are equipped with an operating theatre, dental surgery, pharmacy and treatment rooms, and have managed to make illnesses including fevers and malaria preventable, curable or treatable.

As well as the dental programme, the Vine Trust works with vulnerable youngsters in Peru, helping street children find a safe way back into society.

Many are hungry every day and are targets for disease, exploitation and sexual abuse, but thanks to purpose-built children’s centres, the trust provides a home for 300 young boys.

Dr Saund said: “We are going to be on board with a team of medics and nurses, and there will be Peruvian medics who we will be supporting.

“It’s not going to be a luxury, it’s going to be very basic stuff – we’ll be travelling along the waters and treating locals.

“We will have a surgery so I will be the only dentist on board and I will be helping people with their dental issues.

“They have no access to routine dental work so they have no such luxury. From what I gather they are very keen patients and most of it involves giving pain relief.”

Daily Echo: Dr Saund at home with his daughter, Keeya, son Neel and dog Maya

It is perhaps fitting that Dr Saund leaves for such a daunting trip on July 4, Independence Day, but having faced difficult circumstances in the past he will not be easily fazed.

In 2013 he bravely travelled to Kenya just weeks after gunmen killed more than 60 people in a terrorist attack at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi If all goes to plan this trip will take place in less trying times, and Dr Saund is keen to get down to the matter at hand.

“I just love helping people, because all those people have nothing”, he said.

“In Africa they didn’t have proper clothes or shoes, they haven’t eaten properly, and there’s no proper access to dental care.

“When we went into some of the slums we had to have a police escort with us for safety reasons, because with the poverty you never know what can happen.”