PERU EXPEDITION

Day 1 – Arrive in Lima, Peru

Your tour starts at Jorge Chavez international airport in Lima, Peru, by being picked up by the Natural Expeditions English-speaking representative, who will transfer you to your hotel.
Meals not included today.

Day 2 – City Sightseeing – Lima City Tour

Delight in the beauty of Lima during this breathtaking tour that will take you on a journey through time. Departing from Larcomar, you will visit the stunning Huaca Pucllana, an aboriginal print of ancient Lima. It was built over 1500 years ago, and the natives used to worship the sea inside its prominent temples and palaces.

This tour will continue in the old historic center, a World Heritage site. Here, you will see the republican San Martin Square and its exquisite surroundings, with the typical Bolivar Hotel and the aristocratic “Club Nacional.” Next, we will go through the historic Main Square, the heart of the glorious and distinguished Lima, City of the Kings. You will have the opportunity to admire the Cathedral’s allure, its grand baroque facade made of stone, and the republican poise of the Government’s Palace. Appreciate the gorgeous portals of the Scribes and the Buttoners surrounding the square, and admire the elegant fountain of bronze of the Salvatierra Count.

Enjoy the magnificent church of Saint Agustine with its carved portal of Solomonic columns and its charming small square. Next, take in the architectural beauty of the religious compound of San Francisco and walk through its cloisters and temple, along with its impressive underground vaults known as the catacombs. Finally, you will visit modern Lima in the famous Love Park in Miraflores, where you will enjoy a great ocean view.

After the city tour, we will drive you to Jorge Chavez airport for your domestic flight to the city of Cusco.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 3 – Altitude Acclimatization and Cusco City Tour

Have a leisurely morning to adjust to the altitude of these highlands. During the afternoon, you will tour the city of Cusco to get your first glance at the land of the Incas. Visit the Incan temple of Qorikacha, the citadel Saqsaywamanon, located on the northern outskirts of Cusco, and the traditional “Mercado San Pedro,” just a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 4 – The City of Cusco, archaeological sites of Pisac, Moray, and Ollantaytambo

Depart from the Cusco highlands to visit some of the most impressive archaeological sites of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Explore and learn about these giant ruins’ spiritual connections with the Inca civilization. You will stay in the town of Urubamba, an actual location of the Sacred Valley.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 5 – Urubamba, Peruvian school visit and interaction with local students

Interact with Peruvian students by spending time in a local secondary school (specializing in agriculture). Attend classes including mathematics, science, social studies, and Spanish – with all instruction delivered in Spanish. Since one of this school’s main areas of emphasis is to learn how to cultivate the land, you will also have time at the “chakra.”

As part of the cultural immersion experience, you will use the local means of transportation from the hotel to the school.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 6 – Chinchero, School visit, a volunteering project

Visit one of the elementary schools in a village known as Collana Chequerec. During this visit, you will have the chance to interact one-on-one with students from different grade levels to help teach English lessons. Feel free to bring any donations you would like – school supplies such as coloring books, pencils, notebooks, crayons, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc., are always limited. The teachers and students welcome them. Enjoy a traditional meal at their school and build a great relationship with indigenous students and teachers from this latitude.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 7 – Visit the indigenous communities of Huilloc

Allin Pachakuy in the morning:

One of the main characteristics of the population of Huilloc is their clothing. It is colorful and encloses a textile tradition of hundreds of years and symbolic representations of their worldview. In this program, we offer you the chance to participate in the process of making garments using traditional techniques, including weaving the fabric together with bone tools and wood. Finally, you can buy a beautiful Huilloc garment and thus contribute to the strengthening economy of this traditional activity.

Chaskip during the afternoon:

This experience with the Huilloc community starts by electing a visitor who will assume the chaskiq (messenger). Then, the rest of the group will be transported back with him to accompany him on his quest to deliver a khipu to the archaeological site of Aya Urqu. On the way, you will visit the cave of Sutuq Mach’ay, a place where permission is asked to have a successful trip.

The journey offers a landscape full of agricultural land where learning about the properties of many native and medicinal plants becomes possible. Pututu, the sound of an instrument made with a conch (Strombus galeatus), will announce your arrival at the archaeological site Aya Urqu.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 8 – Machu Picchu archaeological site

While in Machu Picchu city, you can visit the town itself, you can also see Inti Punku (Sun Gate), an archaeological site once a fortress of the sacred city. Inti Punku was also the name of an Incan Trail connected to Machu Picchu.

There will also be time to visit the Inca Bridge. This Inca Bridge is part of a mountain trail that heads west of Machu Picchu. The runway is a stone path, part of which cuts into a cliff face. In both cases, the views from the surrounding Andes are astonishing.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 9 – Departure from Cusco, Lima

You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the Cusco domestic airport for your first flight. Once you arrive at Jorge Chavez International Airport, you will go from the local to the international terminal and say goodbye to Peru as you take off and return to the USA.

Breakfast included.

Activities:

• 8 Nights of Hotel Accommodation
• City tour in Lima
• City tour in Cusco
• Visit archaeological sites in the Sacred Valley of the Incas
• Qoricancha/Sacsaywaman/ Pisac/ Moray/ Ollantaytambo/Machu Pichu
• Entrance fees to all attractions
• Breakfast and lunch while in Peru
• Visit and donate to local schools
• Bilingual tour guides

Meals:

• 8 Breakfasts
• 7 Lunches

Transportation:

• A shuttle from the airport to the hotel
• Private ground transportation
• Domestic flight Lima-Cusco/Cusco-Lima
• Round-trip train transportation between Aguas Calientes and Ollantaytambo
• Round-trip bus ride between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu
• A shuttle from the hotel to the airport