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1 DEPART NORTH AMERICA - ARRIVE LIMA
(1 NIGHT)
Today we take our scheduled flight to Lima. We will arrive
late this evening and our English-speaking guide will meet
us at the airport and accompany us to our hotel.
DAY
2 LIMA - MORNING FLIGHT TO CUSCO (5 NIGHTS)
This morning we will transfer to the airport in Lima and take
a morning flight to Cusco, the storied capital of the Inca
dynasty and gateway to the imperial city of Machu Picchu.
Cusco looks and feels like the very definition of an Andean
capital. It's a fascinating blend of pre-Columbian and colonial
history and contemporary mestizo culture. Upon our arrival,
we will transfer to our hotel for a morning at leisure and
to adapt to the high altitude. Our afternoon begins with an
Introductory Lecture, which will provide
us with a broad overview on the Culture of the Andes. Our
afternoon concludes with a guided Walking Tour of
Cusco, where we will view the many Inca remains,
the charming streets, and the Colonial section of the city.
During our walk, we will also stop for a visit to Qoricancha
- Templo del Sol and Santo Domingo,
which together form perhaps the most vivid illustration in
Cusco of Andean culture's collision with Western Europe, as
the temple of one culture sits atop and encloses the other.
DAY
3 SACRED SIGHTS OF CUSCO
This morning we will journey to Tambomach’ay,
where we will commence our Hiking Tour in
the Saqsaywaman Park. We will begin with a visit to
Tambomach’ay, a former temple devoted to cleansing
rituals and water worshiping. Our hike then takes us up the
Ancient Trail towards Saqsaywaman, where we will enjoy breath-taking
views of the Andes mountain range above the Cusco Valley.
Along the trail we will witness a Ritual Demonstration
performed by an apprentice with studies in anthropology.
After we enjoy a Picnic Lunch, we continue
our hike towards the sacred sites of the Incas, beginning
with a visit to Lanlakuyoj Laqo (also called
Temple of the moon), a series of small caves & labyrinths.
We continue to the temple and amphitheater of Q'enko before
concluding our afternoon with a visit to Sacsayhuaman,
the greatest of the ruins, and some of the Incas' most extraordinary
architecture and monumental stonework.
• Your first concert performance
will be today
DAY
4 CHINCERO, MORAY & SALINAS
This morning we travel north of Cusco to the traditional
village of Chinchero, spectacularly sited
above the rest of the valley, with gorgeous views of the snowy
peak of Salcantay, and the Vilcabamba and Urubamba mountain
ranges. This morning we will visit the Church,
the Archaeological Sites and the Agricultural
Terraces, as well as Craftsmen in the markets. We
will also attend a House-Workshop, where Andean ladies will
perform a Weaving Demonstration. After the
demonstration, the ladies will prepare, and we will enjoy
a Watia Lunch, which consists of potatoes
and beans baked in a dirt oven. In addition, we will have
a packed picnic lunch that we will share with our hosts. This
afternoon we visit Moray, one of the most
unique Inca sites in the region, featuring enigmatic concentric
ring terraces. The site is not ruins of a palace or fortress
or typical temple, but what almost appears to be a large-scale
environmental art installation. Our afternoon concludes with
a walk to the Salineras de Maras, an amazing
sight, where thousands of individual, ancient saltpans form
unique terraces in a hillside. The mines small pools, thickly
coated with crystallized salt like dirty snow, have existed
in the same spot since Inca days and are still operable. We
return to Cusco for the evening.
DAY
5 THE SACRED VALLEY
Today we will explore the area outside of Cusco
known as the Sacred Valley. Our day begins
with a visit to the Pisac Ruins, some of
the finest, and largest, in the entire valley. Despite the
excellent condition of many of the structures, little is conclusively
known about the site's actual purpose. Next we explore the
famed Pisac Markets, some of the liveliest
in Peru, where hundreds of stalls crowd the central square
and spill down side streets. Sellers come from many different
villages, many of them remote populations high in the Andes,
and wear the dress typical of their village. Our morning will
also include a visit to a Llama Farm, where
we will learn more about these magnificent animals and have
the opportunity to pet them. Our afternoon begins with a visit
to Yucay, a pleasant and quiet little village
with extraordinary views of the surrounding countryside. In
Yucay, we will enjoy a Picnic Lunch with
local farmers; before we are we participate in a Demonstration
on the Farming Process, such as the use of
the ancient terraces, the ponds and the water channels, as
well as plowing, planting and harvesting.
• Your second concert
performance will be today
DAY
6 DAY TRIP BY TRAIN TO MACHU PICCHU
This morning we will board the Backpacker’s
Train from Cusco to Machu Picchu. We will climb the mountains
and zig-zag along the tracks until we descend into the lush
cloud forest. We will enjoy a guided tour
of the ruins the ruins, including the Caretaker's
Hut and Funerary Rock,
which allows for one of the most spectacular views of Machu
Picchu; the main entrance to the city; the Temple
of the Sun (also called the Torreón);
the Royal Tomb; the Royal
Sector, a still-functioning water canal and
series of interconnected fountains; the Temple
of the Three Windows, each trapezoid extraordinarily
cut with views of the bold Andes in the distance across the
Urubamba gorge; the Principal Temple,
which has masterful stonework in its three high walls; the
House of the Priest; the Sacristy,
renowned for its exquisite masonry; the Intihuatana,
popularly called the "hitching post of the sun."
The remainder of the afternoon will free to explore these
magnificent and spiritual ruins at your leisure. After our
visit to Machu Picchu, we will return to Cusco on the Backpacker
Train.
DAY
7 CUSCO - MORNING FLIGHT TO LIMA (1 NIGHT
This morning we will take a morning flight to Lima. Upon our
arrival, we will explore the heart of Lima and its colonial
old quarter, once the finest in the Americas, and home to
several of the finest museums in Peru. We begin with a guided
Walking Tour of the Colonial Old Quarter,
the old administrative capital of Spain's South American colonies,
once boasted many of the finest mansions in the hemisphere.
Our afternoon includes a visit to the Museo de la
Nacion, the city's biggest and one of the most important
in Peru. We will be taken through the highlights of overlapping
and conquering cultures and their achievements, seen not only
in architecture, but also in highly advanced ceramics and
textiles. This evening we will enjoy dinner in a local restaurant
before transferring to the airport for our early morning flight.
• Your third and final concert performance
will be today
DAY
8 DEPARTURE FROM LIMA
Our rewarding tour will come to an end as we take our early
morning (generally 12:00 am - 2: 00 am) flight home.
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