DAY 1: Arrive to Lima, Peru
Upon exiting the Customs Hall, you will be met by our Learning Journeys guide to be escorted to your hotel located inside the airport perimeter.
Hotel accommodation: Costa del Sol Wyndham Hotel or Similar
DAY 2: Lima - Cusco - Sacred Valley of the Incas
You will visit Awanacancha, a museum committed to showing the traditional methods and ancestral weaving techniques of camelid wool, practiced by the farming communities in the area. There, you can watch a demonstration of textiles and textile products.
You will then continue on to the Pisac market, where the main town square is filled with dozens of stands that display and sell products created by the residents of the area. Find beautiful alpaca textiles, musical instruments, paintings, carvings, necklaces, and replicas of ancient Inca pieces.
If time permits, you will be transferred to the new and impressive Inkariy Museum Exhibits showcase a new vision of the pre-Hispanic cultures of ancient Peru through dioramas that recreate iconic scenes composed of hyper-realistic characters that reflect the native man, with the clothing and ornamentation specific to each era.
After the visit, you will be taken to a local restaurant for lunch. This afternoon, a very special event takes place. You will visit with local women in the rural community of Huilloc for a hands-on lesson of traditional garment weaving. The women will share their stories of life in Peru and their village as well as demonstrate the age-old tradition of garment weaving.
Following this, let us pamper you. Later this evening you will enjoy a 30-minute reflexology treatment at the hotel’s spa. The theory behind reflexology is that these reflex points relate to specific organs and glands in the body, and stimulating those points with finger pressure promotes health in those organs and glands via the body's energetic pathways. When conducted by a skilled practitioner, reflexology is a deeply relaxing treatment with benefits that can be felt throughout the entire body. Enjoy!
Learning Experience: Awanacancha museum, Pisac market, traditional garment weaving lesson
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
Overnight in Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel or Similar
DAY 3: Sacred Valley of the Incas
Relaxing live music will improve the experience. We suggest you have a light breakfast, wear comfortable clothes and bring a towel. The mats will be provided to you at the center.
After this activity, we will drive you to a local restaurant for lunch. Then, we will continue to the town of Maras, where you will visit the Mrs. Grandonia and Mrs. Álvarez workshop. These renowned hatters of Maras operate an attractive crafts shop that produces top hats. They want to share their art with the travelers who visit their town. Dare to learn this ancient Andean activity.
After the tour, return to your hotel.
Important:
This evening you will need to pack a small bag for your rail journey tomorrow. For all Peru rail journeys, each passenger is only allowed 1 bag or backpack, which must not exceed 5kg/11pounds and/or 62 inches/157cm (length + height + width). Please pack accordingly. Baggage that exceeds these measurements will not be allowed. Your additional luggage will be taken to Cusco city and stored at your hotel; you will retrieve your luggage upon your arrival on Day 5.
Learning Experience: Yoga lesson, Mrs. Grandonia and Mrs. Álvarez workshop
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight in Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel or Similar
DAY 4: Sacred Valley of the Incas
We suggest you have a light breakfast, wear comfortable clothes, and bring a towel. The practice of Reiki is the channeling of universal or spiritual energy through the laying on of hands to harmonize body, mind, and spirit. Its use may be for specific ailments or to improve the harmony within ourselves.
After this activity, we will drive you to a local restaurant for an early lunch. Then, you will be transferred to the Ollantaytambo Park, featuring a series of stops at places of interest. The town of Ollantaytambo showcases a typical example of urban planning of the Incas still inhabited as it was in the past. Pachacutec (1438 - 1572) conquered the town, destroyed it, and built a new one absorbing it as part of his empire. It features one of the most remarkable archaeological sites of the empire.
Continue to the Ollantaytambo train station to board the 4:36 pm. train. You will ride the executive train by Inca Rail to Aguas Calientes. On arrival, proceed to your hotel for check in and dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
Learning Experience: Reiki lesson, Ollantaytambo Park
Meals included: Breakfast, dinner
Overnight in Inkaterra Pueblo Hotel or Similar
DAY 5: Sacred Valley of the Incas - Machu Picchu
Once you arrive to the top, you will meet your guide and enjoy a private guided tour of the fabled ruins. Machu Picchu rises to an altitude of 7,900 feet above sea level, between the Huayna Picchu (young peak) and Machu Picchu (old peak).
It lies within the spectacular framework provided by the exuberant vegetation of nearby jungle and the rugged landscape. The ruins are situated on the eastern slope of Machu Picchu in two different areas: the agricultural and the urban.
The latter includes the civil sector (dwellings, canalizations), and the sacred sector (temples, mausoleums, squares, royal houses). Although constructions show different levels of architecture, religious buildings exhibit a high degree of perfection. The construction was with general use of stone. The roofs were built of tree trunks and thatched with ichu straw and the walls created with an inward inclination for protection against earthquakes.
Later, enjoy lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge’s restaurant. After lunch, descend by shuttle back to Aguas Calientes with your guide and walk to the train station. Board the 2:30 pm Executive train by Inca Rail back to Ollantaytambo Station in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. On arrival, you will be transferred by road to Cusco city. Check in at your selected hotel.
Learning Experience: Machu Picchu guided journey
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
Overnight in Belmond Monasterio or Similar
DAY 6: Cusco
The temple’s construction was ordered by Inca Pachacútec (1438-1471) and was used as the base for the development of the Santo Domingo Convent upon the arrival of the Spaniards. This is when the Sun (Inti, in Quechua) was worshipped during the Inca Empire. During the time of the Incas its walls were fully covered with gold sheets and courtyards planted with golden corn and dotted by life-size llamas.
You will then go to the cathedral, the most important building on the Main Square and one of the most splendid Spanish colonial churches in America. Shaped as a Latin Cross, it houses approximately 400 colonial paintings from the Cusco art school, and impressive goldsmith, silversmith, and precious stone works.
You will then visit the Sacsayhuaman fortress, emblematic of the work of the Incas, which protected the Holy City. Conceived and built by Inca Pachacútec in the 15th century, the Sacsayhuamán complex was built with megalithic blocks, and its transportation and construction continue as a mystery today. Your guide will carry out the Coca Kintu ceremony, to ask good wishes to the Pachamama and show gratitude for her protection during the trip. At the end, you will return to your hotel.
Later you will be transferred to Tunupa restaurant, where you will enjoy a delicious farewell dinner, including a folkloric dance show.
Learning Experience: Coricancha temple visit, Cathedral visit, Folkloric dance show
Meals included: Breakfast, dinner
Overnight in Belmond Monasterio or similar
DAY 7: See You Again!
Extend your journey on one of our numerous add-on learning programs in Latin America. Got to head back home? A transportation service with a guide will pick you up from your hotel at the established time and transfer you to the airport.
Suggested flight to Lima: Star Peru 1182 – Departure Cusco 12:55 am / Arrive Lima 2:15 pm*
We look forward to welcoming you back on another Learning Journeys immersion. Perhaps you’re interested in visiting India to experience the diverse spiritual essence of the land. Maybe a visit Bhutan to learn about their Gross National Happiness, or to enjoy a cultural immersion in Sri Lanka. Whatever your interest, Learning Journeys can assist you with finding the perfect program to fulfil your dreams.