Day 1: Arrival in Lima
Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering.
Peru conserves its mystical and magical traditions. Visit centers and temples of mysterious origins capturing the Holistic Energy (body, mind and spirit) to enrich ourselves, all are part of the fresh view of travel for personal discovery and growth. Cultures of ancient people live today in the Shaman's world of magic and religious rites. Mystic tourism is an inexhaustible source of unique options and experiences. Your re-entry to "normal" life will never be quite the same again for you will return spiritually nurtured, inspired and renewed on all levels.
Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering.
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning departure for a four-hour guided tour of Colonial and Modern Lima. This half-day tour includes visits to both the colonial and modern sections of this "City of Kings." Colonial sites include the lovely Plaza Mayor with its cathedral and palace, and the exquisite Torre Tagle Palace, modern day seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In modern Lima, drive along the exclusive residential areas of Miraflores and San Isidro. Then continue to Pachacamac Ruins. Pachacamac, which translated into English means "The One who ordains the Universe", is the most ancient Andean Pilgrimage Center in America, and it is located at Km.31 in the South Pan American Highway. It is the "Hatun Punku" (Great Door) that connects us with our Andean origins.At the on-site museum you can appreciate the Idol or Totem of Pachacamac, which symbolizes the masculine-feminine polarity embodied in an original piece of Lúcumo wood, considered by our ancestors as a sacred tree. We begin our pilgrimage by making a circle around the Idol to connect with the energies of Pachacamac. Then, we continue towards the Aqlla Wasi, House of the Virgins of the Sun, where we harmonize the centers of energy of the human body by using rattles and other Andean musical instruments. Afterwards, each person will find a space in the Aqlla Wasi for meditation with crystals. When the meditation has concluded, we ask permission to enter the Temple of the Sun, from where you can observe the Mama Qocha (Mother Ocean). Before going into the temple, each person receives 4 Kintus of Coca Leaf (perfect leaves). With the leaves each one will thank for all the good things received and will ask for what the person still needs by offering the leaves at the top of the Temple. The ceremony concludes with a circle to share the energy in an embrace. (B)
Breakfast at your hotel. Today you'll travel by private car along the Peruvian coast to Nazca (a six hour ride). In route you will have the opportunity to visit the City of Ica and its Regional Museum, one of the best regional museums in the country. Even though it is small, the museum holds a variety of archaeological pieces such as pottery and textiles from the Nazca and Paracas cultures that developed in the area. There are additional exhibits of colonial and other historic artifacts. Upon arrival in Nazca you will transfer to the hotel and you will receive help in registering. (B,D)
Breakfast at your hotel. In the morning you will be transferred to the airport for a flight over the Nazca Lines. Are they merely huge figures or could they be extraterrestrial landing fields? Afternoon optional 2-hour conference on stress management. (B,D)
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning tour to Pampa Galeras. The National Reserve of Pampa Galeras was established on May 5, 1967 through Law (R.S.) N 157-A. Its name was changed by the National Reserve of Pampa Galeras Barbara D'Achille. This reserve comprised of 6,500 hectares which is home to the peasant community of Lucanas, located in the department of Ayacucho, The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) is the most representative animal in Pampa Galeras. In fact, the main reason for this reserve is to protect these animals. We can also find Guanacos (Lama guanicoe), that roam wild in the pampas. The most impressive bird is the Andean Condor (Vultor gryphus). One can see the pissaca (Nothoprocta ornata), the pato jerga (Anas georgica) and the pato sutro (Anas flavirosatris). and the Kiula (Tinamotis penhaldii) as well. This Reserve is also used promote the development of the local population settled there. At night, transfer to the bus station for your bus journey to Arequipa. Overnight on board. (B,L)
Upon arrival in Arequipa, a host will meet you and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering. This afternoon, Arequipa city tour and Santa Catalina Convent - Your half-day of sightseeing of this beautiful city includes a visit to the Spanish Colonial Monastery of Santa Catalina, called "a city within a city", which lay closed to the layman and shrouded in mystery for over 400 years. This remarkable relic of colonial times is now open to the public.
Breakfast at your hotel. Colca Canyon 2 days/1 night - Early departure towards the highlands passing through Yura-Pampa Cañahuas and La Pulpera with good chances for observing groups of wild vicuñas and fighting cattle. We will make short Stops to see petrogliphs in the Caves of Mollepunco and in the town of Callali where there are natural hill formations with the appearance of enchanted castles. Drive to La Calera to enjoy the thermal baths under the stars. Return to Chivay overnight. (B,L,D)
Breakfast at your hotel. To maximize your probability of watching condors, we depart very early towards the "Cross of the Condor" at about an altitude of 15,000 feet. Drive a little farther in to the canyon to watch some pre-Inca ruins and the way of life in this remote land. Return to Chivay for lunch and afternoon return to Arequipa. (B,L)
Breakfast at your hotel. Flight to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Full Day excursion to the Pisac Indian Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress (Tu, Th, Su) - Tour begins with a drive through the fertile countryside to the colonial village of Pisac. During your visit to this bustling marketplace you will have the opportunity to bargain with the local artisans for many different types of Peruvian handicraft and jewelry. After lunch, the tour continues to the village of Ollantaytambo, an ancient fortress consisting of numerous temples and terraces that tower majestically over the valley. Lunch is included. Return to the hotel. During three days we will enjoy the mystical environment of a beautiful and peaceful Garden Guesthouse in the heart of Peru's Sacred Valley. Situated one and a half hours away from the historic city of Cusco on the road to Machu Picchu, This is the perfect base for groups to explore the primary Andean historic sites in the Sacred Valley. People are typically very satisfied of their visit to our magical retreat center. The comfortable guest cottages are built in traditional 16th century Spanish Colonial style. They are constructed from natural materials and manual labor that has been used by Peruvians for thousands of years. Accommodations include single and double rooms, all with private bathrooms and can accommodate up to 32 guests. The property offers full dining facilities, open-air and indoor areas for meetings, music, dance, and yoga, massage and healing rooms, and outdoor relaxing solar baths. Our Quechua staff are available to take you on walks into the countryside to give you a first-hand experience of their fascinating traditions and culture. (B,L,D)
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning departure to visit the impressive salt pools formed by water emerging from a lake within the mountains of the Urubamba Valley. These pre-Inca salt pools were constructed during the Chanapata culture between c. AD 200-300 and AD 900 and have been exploited since pre-Hispanic times while conserving the same methods. They cover an area of more than twenty hectares and are set on a mountain-side with a slope of 20 degrees. Afternoon ceremony conducted by an Andean specialist. There are traditional offering to Pachamama, Mother Earth and all the nature spirits and Andean Gods, an exchange of living energy, giving to receive, bringing in healing energies, and working with many other elements. The group participates and the healer uses coca leaves and Andean foods and elements. Each person receives a personal healing. The ceremony concludes with a fire ceremony in our special ceremonial area and ends when the spirits and mountain Gods, such as Apukuna, have accepted the offering. (B,D)
Breakfast at your hotel. Today we visit an authentic Quechua Village stopping to see and feel the way of life of the ancient Incas. The Incas were noble Quechuas. They still maintain many traditions to this day. The Quechuas largely live off the land and are always wearing their colorful ponchos. See Quechua children scamper about while women weave their family's clothes. A meaningful experience! Second ceremony in the afternoon, the healer works with sounds, ancient Peruvian instruments and modern instruments from the world over. It takes about an hour and half where the group sits in meditation to absorb the healing energies and create a balance and harmony in both our bodies and in the world, all needed greatly at this time. The healers are authentic practitioners, dedicated to harmony and healing the planet. (B,D)
Breakfast at your hotel. Full day excursion to Machu Picchu with overnight stay. Early wake up for a train ride through the sacred valley of Urubamba to the "Lost City of the Incas," Machu Picchu. Perched 8,200 feet above the valley, it was hidden by mountains and semi-tropical jungles for 400 years until discovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale University in 1911. Archaeologists believe that the Inca "Virgins of the Sun" took refuge from the Spanish Conquistadors here. Lunch at Sanctuary Lodge Hotel is included. (B,L)
Breakfast at your hotel. Flight to Puerto Maldonado. Upon arrival, reception and transfer to the Tambopata river port in Puerto Maldonado. Puerto Maldonado is situated at the confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers and is a bustling, booming tropical frontier town. Its principal activities are gold mining, Brazil nut collecting, timber extraction, agriculture and eco-tourism. After a brief survey of the town we will depart on the 2hour boat trip by motorized canoe to Posada Amazonas. Depending on the arrival time of the plane we will have a boxed lunch aboard the boats or have lunch upon arrival at Posada Amazonas. During our voyage, and as we enter the unspoiled forest, we may see bird species typical of the river or forest edge such as: Black Skimmer, Pied Lapwing, Capped Heron, Jabiru Stork, Roadside Hawk, and several species of kingfishers, swallows and flycatchers. When we arrive at Posada Amazonas we will unpack and unwind. We will receive a short orientation and a complete briefing of the lodge and the Ese'eja Eco-tourism Project before our afternoon activity. At 3:30, we will start our ecology walk, passing through different types of forest, until we get to a giant Ceiba tree. The energy of this centuries-old living being makes it a perfect point for our first reunion. Here we will have the chance of awakening our dormant senses and blocked chakras, using the forest energy flow, as well as our own; thus becoming one with nature. We will be back at the lodge for dinner. WE will show a video about the forest of Tambopata after dinner. (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the lodge. We will be up at dawn for a visit to the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake. After an early breakfast we depart, 15 minutes from Posada Amazonas by boat and a 30 minute walk will take us to the lake shore. From here we take a long, easy canoe ride around it. We will look for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. The giant river otters that are seen in Tres Chimbadas belong to a resident family of nine. The quietness and serenity of the still water will help us listen to the sound of this natural element. As soon as we return to the lodge, we will have a meeting before lunch. Here we will gather for meditation and working our group corporal, mental and spiritual development, before embarking on our afternoon outing. In the afternoon we will have an Ethno-botanical walk. In this activity, we will hike the trails around Posada Amazonas with an Ese´eja native, who will explain to us the everyday uses of forest medicine, construction methods, food and fiber. This walk ends in a 35meter tall observation tower. When we get to the top of the tower, we will be able to enjoy a great view, while capturing, with our chakras already open, the rays of the sun, the wind and the cosmic energy. We return to the lodge for dinner. (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the lodge. Before breakfast (5:00 am) we will visit a parrot clay lick. This clay lick is a ten minute walk from the lodge, next to the river. Some of the large macaws, like the red and green macaw, and larger parrots, such as the mealy and yellow-crowned Amazons visit this lick, as well as the smaller parrots and parakeets. We can have good viewings of these wonderful birds from the hidden areas we have constructed next to this lick. We will also have a great opportunity to spot other spectacular wildlife, active at this time of the day, like scarlet or blue and gold macaws and a great deal of other birds. We will have breakfast as soon as we get back (7:00 am). After breakfast, we will visit a native slash and burn farm. Slash and burn agriculture systems are often thought of as wasteful because the fields are burnt, cultivated for a few years, and then abandoned. Many resident studies, however, have shown that this is far from the truth. The secret of their success is mixed planting in small patches, the use of a mixture of herbaceous and woody crops, and the genetic diversity of their crops so that the crops are not decimated by disease and pests spreading through monocultures,. During our visit, we will be able to understand why the Ese´eja cultivation system is sustainable over the long term. This activity is probably the most participative of them all, because we will gather some of the products from this farm with the family that tends to it, and prepare our lunch on the spot. On the afternoon, we will walk with the farm tenders, from whom we will learn about medicinal plants, while collecting some. We will then gather again, this time around a fire, where we will drink herbal teas and thank mother earth for its fruits. In this meditation stage, we will flow energy from the fire. In our last meeting (5:30 pm) we will thank the supreme being for creation, and our host family for their hospitality. We will return to Posada Amazonas for dinner and overnight. Optional night walk..
Breakfast at the lodge. Early morning return by boat to Puerto Maldonado and the airport for your flight to Lima and then your connecting flight home.
Features:
Lima:
City tour: Colonial and modern Lima, Pilgrimage at Pachacamac Ruins, 2 Nights of hotel accommodation in Lima.
Ica - Nazca:
City tour of Ica and Visit to the Regional Museum, Flight over the Nazca Lines, Tour to Pampa Galeras National Park, 2 Nights of hotel accommodation in Nazca. Optional 2-hour conference on stress management.
Arequipa:
City tour and Santa Catalina Convent, Two-day package to Colca Canyon. 2 Nights of hotel accommodation in Arequipa, 1 Night of hotel accommodation in Chivay.
Cusco - The City:
1 Night of hotel accommodation in Cusco
Cusco - Urubamba Valley:
Excursion to Pisac Indian Market and Ollantaytambo Fortress with lunch, Maras Salt Pools Tour, Quechua Village Tour, Two Spiritual Healing sessions at the Garden House, 3 Nights of hotel accommodation in the Urubamba Valley
Cusco - Machu Picchu:
Excursion to Machu Picchu with lunch
Puerto Maldonado:
4 Day/3 Night package to Posada Amazonas Package with all meals.
Hotels to use:
El Pardo Doubletree Hotel in Lima, Cantayo Spa & Resort in Nazca, Posada del Inca in Arequipa, Colca Lodge in Chivay, Novotel Hotel in Cusco, Guest House in the Urubamba Valley, Posada Amazonas in Puerto Maldonado
2019 Prices per person in US$:
Prices are available upon request.