|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
             |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Peru: Andean Adventure Day 1: Arrival in Lima You will be met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel.
Day 2: Lima: City Tour After breakfast, you will be driven to the Mayor’s Plaza to tour the Government Palace, Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace and City Hall. Then visit the XVII century church and cloister of San Francisco – a World Cultural Heritage Site. Your tour will include a visit to the pre-Inca pyramid of Huaca Huallamarca before continuing to downtown Miraflores to enjoy a splendid view of the Pacific Ocean.
Peru: Andean Adventure Day 7: Textile Demonstration / Chinchero /Ollantaytambo and Pisac Market This morning, enjoy a presentation of expert weavers from different villages.
Afterwards, transfer to Chinchero, located 35 km. (22 miles) northwest of Cusco. This town lies on the foundations of an important Inca site built in the late 1400s. Brightly dressed, the people of Chinchero gather in the main plaza, against scenery of breathtaking beauty, to barter foodstuffs and offer visitors an array of crafts from the Cusco region. On Thursdays and Sundays, one of the most beautiful markets in the Andes takes place. Chinchero is famed as the home of one of best groups of artisans in Cusco. Your tour continues with a visit to the oldest continuously-occupied settlement in the Americas – the town of Ollantaytambo, with its imposing Inca fortress. It was here that Manco Inca defeated the Spanish in 1538 before fleeing to the mountains of Vilcabamba.
Climb the steep stone steps up to the fortress (around 260 steps) to admire the huge monoliths that form the Temple of the Sun and the view down the valley. Travel through a scenic landscape to the “Sacred Valley of the Incas” and arrive in the town of Pisac. Enjoy another colorful market where local Indians meet to sell their merchandise, as they have done for centuries.
Day 8: Machu Picchu Early this morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and dropped off at the train station for your Vistadome train. Arrive to the Aguas Calientes Station in Machu Picchu where you will be transported by bus to the top of the mountain and citadel of Machu Picchu. Lost in history, Machu Picchu was not discovered until 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham. After a guided visit of the ruins, enjoy lunch at local restaurant.
At a suitable time, return to train station to take your train to Cusco.
Day 9: International Departure After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight back to Lima. On arrival you will be met and assisted with your flight connection to your next destination.
Peru: Andean Adventure Day 5: Misminay Indian Community Trek. Cusco – Chequerec – Misminay Depart from Cusco and drive by bus through the Andes crossing Chinchero area. After 40 minutes you’ll arrive at “Chequerec Community” – a typical Andean village. At this point, we start our trek through narrow paths, traditionally used by Indian inhabitants many centuries ago. On the way, we will pass through the magnificent green- and brown-colored fields and beautiful scenery.
During our journey, we will visit small indigenous villages, cultivation fields, peasants working, curious children and a variety of animals as well as varied flora. This walk is an opportunity to discover a different space and be in contact with the natural atmosphere of the Andes and its people. After some hours of walking, you’ll arrive at the Indian Community of Misminay, located at 3,700 m. This spectacular location is a natural balcony from where you can enjoy the magnificent landscape and snow-capped mountains that surround the Sacred Valley. This view astounds and leaves a deep impression on all who visit this place.
You will be received by the people of the village and welcomed with sweet spearmint tea – an agreeable herb that is edible and medicinal for native people. Spearmint has fabulous therapeutic properties, and it is also used in salads or added to cooked foods. Families live together in tiny, one- or two-room adobe homes raising guinea pigs, cow, and sheep. Fathers work as porters for hikers during the dry season and tend crops of potatoes, corn beans, and quinoa during the wet months, while mothers watch the herds, take care of the household, and raise their children. Women also weave, producing the family’s colorful ponchos, chullos, skirts, shawls, and other items on their back strap looms. Enjoy lunch in a local home. After a traditional lunch prepared with Andean staples, witness a demonstration of weavings made by the women of the community. They will demonstrate traditional and ancestral techniques.
After breakfast, enjoy a nice trek downhill through the fields and reach Moray, a very unique archaeological site in the region. Here there are enormous natural depressions or hollows in the ground surface that Incas used for constructing irrigated farming terraces. This location was an important center of domestication, acclimatization, and hybridization of wild vegetable species that were modified or adapted for human consumption.
After your midday visit, follow a trail to the town of Maras, which grew in importance in the 17th century because of the exploitation and commercialization of the “salineras” or saltmines. You’ll cross the extensive pampas of Maras, where Andean people work the land and rear cattle. The Urubamba mountain range and its snow-capped peaks provide a spectacular background for our trek. In the town of Maras you’ll see the fronts of the ancient houses, made from finely worked stone, indicative of the economic heights achieved by the population at that time. Visit the 400-year-old colonial church for a picnic lunch. After a rest, continue to walk through spectacular Quechua scenery until arriving at the salt mine of Maras for a tour.
Descend to Pichingoto village, located at the bank of the Sacred River of the Incas called “Vilcanota” or “Urubamba.” Pichingoto is a Quechua community built in the base of mountain "Qoriq'aqya." Its name possibly comes from Pichinco = bird and toq’o = hole. Pichingoto inhabitants are considered descendants of birds and apparently lived in caves on the other side of the mountain into the first decades of the last century. After this visit, cross the bridge to reach Rumichaca village in the Sacred Valley of the Inca, where the bus waits for your return to Cusco. Peru: Andean Adventure: Logistics Inclusions:
Exclusions:
Payment: We require a deposit of 50% to confirm a booking. The balance is payable 90 days before the planned starting date. As payment is non-refundable, we recommend travel insurance in case of trip cancellation.
Peru: Andean Adventure Day 3: Lima/Cusco: Thanks to the Earth Ceremony After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Cusco, then transfer to your hotel. The rest of the morning is at leisure to rest and acclimate to the altitude.
By the afternoon, you will be transferred to Llaullipata Woods, where you will be welcomed by a shaman. Assist with a special "Thanks to the Earth" ceremony – an Indian ritual to thank Mother Earth for all the goods she provides.
Day 4: Culinary Class + City Tour + Ruins Peruvian cuisine is an important expression of its Peru’s culture, just as are ceramics, textiles, music, and literature. Thanks to Peru's three regions and Pacific influence, one can find many markets that offer a variety of fresh ingredients to satisfy the most sophisticated chef.
The culinary history of Peruvian food dates back to the Incas and pre-Incas with maize, potatoes, and spices that were later influenced by the arrival of the Spanish colonies. Throughout the years, Peruvian cuisine has incorporated the demands of different migrations and "mestizajes," including Chinese, European, African, and Japanese immigrants. Peruvian cuisine is known in South America for its exquisite taste and for its eclectic variety. In the morning, visit the traditional market of Cusco city “San Pedro.” Located a few blocks southwest from the Plaza de Armas, this Mercado Central (Central Market) is largely dedicated to the selling of fruits, vegetables, meats, and bread. Upon arrival to the market we will be given our “budget” to cook lunch. The typical budget of a local family in Cusco is between $1.50 and $3.00 per person. Within this budget, we will cook a full menu: an appetizer, main dish, and dessert. With our chef’s guidance, we will begin to buy the ingredients, bargaining with the sellers to get a small discount or a special price. When we get all the ingredients we need, we will go to a local house where we will have the culinary class. There, the chef will give us instructions on how to cook a typical menu.
This afternoon, you will continue with your city tour to see the amazing colonial city built on the foundations of the Inca palaces. Visit the Koricancha or Temple of the Sun, where you can appreciate the incredible masonry of the Incas, the Plaza de Armas, and the Cathedral with its carved woodworks, altars, and paintings. You’ll then be driven to the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, to the underground cave and temple of Kenko, and to Tambomachay – known as the Baths of the Inca.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
