The Peruvian Andes

Day 1

Flights arrive at Lima Airport where we will be met by our local guide and transferred to our hotel. Depending on flight arrival times, we will meet our group and have introductions and dinner together. Overnight Lima.

Day 2

Lima is a huge, culturally diverse city so we pick out the gems to visit on our morning tour of the city. After breakfast we take a bike tour from Miraflores to Barranco. We will explore the boardwalk along the seafront to admire the view and discover the lovely parks. You will fall in love with the bohemian district of Barranco and its artistic streets and paintings. It is a melting pot of culture and romanticism. We’ll stop to enjoy a tasting of artisanal ice cream. Some lunch, then we take a one-hour flight to Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire. Upon arrival, we will go to Ollantaytambo, a village in the Sacred Valley of south Peru, set on the Urubamba River amid snow-capped mountains. It’s known for the Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside. Major sites within the complex include the huge Sun Temple and the Princess Baths fountain. The village’s old town is an Inca-era grid of cobblestoned streets and adobe buildings. We’ll check into our hotel for two nights and take it easy since it is our first day in the altitude. Short walks, light meals and coca tea will help us to acclimatize better. Overnight Ollantaytambo.

Words cannot adequately describe the rush of feelings as I walked through the Sun Gate and saw the ruins of Machu Picchu for the first time. The fact that nine women traveling together can bond so easily is really a ‘wonder of the world!
— Debra H, NY

Day 3

After breakfast, we transfer to the Urubamba River for white water rafting! Urubamba is the province that produces the largest white corn in the world and where the Vilcanota River changes its name to Urubamba. Upon arrival, we will be provided with all the rafting equipment: helmet, life jacket, wetsuit and a waterproof jacket. You will be transported upriver where the guides will provide us with all the necessary information for safety. Then we’re off for a few hours of delightful rafting in Class III rapids. A partially navigable headwater of the Amazon River, the Urubamba rises in the Andes to the southeast of Cusco.  As you go down the river, you see fast water, deep canyons, and occasional Inca ruins and terraces. The further down you go, the lusher it becomes. At the end of rafting, we will return to Ollantaytambo to enjoy an ancestral lunch in the hotel gardens with a great view. The meal is called Pachamanca. It includes locally produced native potatoes, corns and several meats (vegetarians, we got you) wrapped with herbs and cooked in a ceremonial way. After lunch we have the chance to taste the locally brewed coffee and learn about their little pisco distillery. Yes, we’ll learn (and taste) how they choose flavors and the creation of new alcoholic beverages right in their garden at the hotel. Overnight Ollantaytambo.

Day 4

After a very early breakfast we depart the hotel and go to the train station for a scenic train ride along the Urubamba River until we arrive at our stop where our trek starts, also known as Chachabamba. Around 7:20am, we start hiking a short stretch of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Our guide explains everything about the history of this special path, the fauna and flora, and the hidden Inca ruins that you pass on the way, such as wiñayhuayna, ‘the Forever Young’ archeological site. This may be a place for a small ceremony or to take a moment for ourselves before going on. Our starting altitude (lowest) is 2100m/6889 ft, and our highest altitude is 2730m/8956 ft. The total walking distance is 10km/6.2 miles and overall difficulty rating is easy to moderate, depending on your level of fitness. With stops, it is a full day hike (approximately 7 hours).  We walk through incredible landscapes at our group pace, pass a waterfall, and marvel at this bucket list walk on the historical path built by the Incas as a pilgrimage to the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu. Our reward at the end of the hike is the famous Sun Gate, where we have our first view of Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas”. We’ll enjoy the view from the high terraces. Don’t worry – we’ll be back tomorrow! Around 5pm, we take one of the last buses down to the small town of Aguas Calientes. We’ll check into our hotel and enjoy a local dinner and celebrate with a pisco sour. Overnight Aguas Caliente.

It was very special to experience such an intimate moment with a Peruvian family. The big hug from Lucrecia’s mother will be with me always as a way to welcome the unknown and the adventure in others. Thank you for being able to share that special day.
—Donna S., OR

Day 5

After breakfast, we will once again visit the phenomenal UNESCO Heritage Site of Machu Picchu, a 15th-century marvel perched atop an Andean mountain ridge that remained hidden from the western world for almost 500 years. Machu Picchu is one of the world’s most famous historical sites, located in one of the most amazing locations in the Andean mountains. Even if you’ve seen all the photos, they won’t compare to the experience standing in this remarkable Inca sanctuary. To call it a magical experience is no exaggeration. We’ll enjoy Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, with our private guide. She will expose you to the history, organization and mysteries of this unique Inca complex. You’ll explore the area with its amazing ruins and terraces – an incredible example of Inca engineering skills – together with its photogenic alpacas, all of this against the stunning backdrop of Huayna Picchu Mountain. After soaking in the amazing energy, we’ll head back down to Aguas Calientes for lunch in a local restaurant and to take a walk around this picturesque town. There is some fun shopping here too, live music and lots of laughter in the small town. Later in the afternoon, we take the train back to Ollantaytambo station, where we meet our driver upon arrival and transfer to our hotel. Overnight Ollantaytambo.

I so appreciate your doing everything you could to make this an amazingly positive experience. This was everything I had hoped for and so much more!
— Gretchen P., IA

Day 6

After breakfast this morning we’ll pack up and our guide will take us to the community of Chuquibamba where we’ll be asked to participate in activities with the indigenous local people. They are part of the “La Tierra delos Yachaqs” Association, a project organized and managed by the families of the communities themselves. The main activities of this community are agriculture, livestock and horticulture. They will show us how they color and make their textiles and what products they harvest. Chuquibamba is a distinct culture that preceded the rise of the Inca Empire. The women are fascinating to talk with and provides another opportunity to expand our minds and thoughts through travel and connections. After this region was incorporated into the Inca empire, Chuquibamba weavers retained many of their own stylist traditions that can be distinguished from classic Inca styles. For example, in a typical Inca tunic, eight-pointed stars are a solid color rather than having an interior square of a different color. Yet elements of Inca imperial design were adopted by Chuquibamba weavers, some of which are displayed in the Metropolitan Museum today. You will hear their stories and can ask them respectful questions about their lives. This is an immersive cultural experience including spending one night in a family guesthouse. Time permitting, we’ll do a hike around the town before having dinner with our new found Peruvian family. Overnight Chuquibamba.

Day 7

After breakfast we can hike around town if we didn’t have time last night, perhaps a bit of shopping for local crafts. We’ll have lunch before we say farewell to our new friends. It’s time to transfer to Cusco, a city in the Peruvian Andes, which was once capital of the Inca Empire. This approximately 2.5 hour drive is very scenic, and we’ll stop for bio breaks. The city of Cusco was once capital of the Inca Empire, and is known for its archaeological remains and Spanish colonial architecture. Plaza de Armas is the central square in the old city, with arcades, carved wooden balconies and Incan wall ruins. The ancient history can be felt in every step you take through the streets of its towns, which seem to have stopped in time. We’ll get checked into our hotel and have another delicious dinner. Overnight Cusco.

Day 8

After breakfast, we’ll explore the city of Cusco. The old mixes beautifully with the new. This is your time for any shopping and/or photography wants. Next up, we’ll discover so much about the delicious Peruvian food we’ve been enjoying all week. With the help of our Chef, we’ll visit the San Pedro market to find local ingredients and try exotic fruits. What’s next? Take these lovely ingredients to the kitchen for a cooking class!  Know Peru through its cuisine accompanied by a glass of Pisco sour during the cooking class. (We’ll probably be very familiar with it by now.) The menu we’ll cook and enjoy together includes four typical Peruvian courses: drink, appetizer/starter, main dish, and dessert. What a fabulous Farewell Dinner experience this will be. After dinner, we’ll gather for a farewell party of our own to share all the memories of this wonderful week in the Peruvian Andes. Overnight Cusco.

Day 9

After breakfast, we transfer to the Cusco airport to board our flight (included) to Lima, to connect with your international flight departure… or choose to stay and play on your own!

• Fully guided tour by an English speaking Local Guide and a Canyon Calling US Rep
• Roundtrip internal flight Lima/Cusco/Lima
• 8 nights lodging in a shared room (ask us about single room supplement)
• All land transportation throughout the trip as outlined in the itinerary
• All meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on Day 9
• All activities as outlined in this itinerary
• All activity guide’s gratuities
• All entrance passes and permits

• Round-trip transportation to/from Lima, Peru
• Alcoholic beverages and items of a personal nature
• Gratuity to your primary local Guide at the end of the tour