ANDEAN EXPLORATION
13 days/12 nights

The Sacred Valley, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Taquile & Amantani Islands

October 27 – November 8, 2025

This is a unique opportunity to authentically experience the essence of ancient Andean culture. Walk gently along the pathways of origin in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, travel to the highest navigable lake of the world, Lake Titicaca, and visit the Islands of Taquile and Amatani.  This beautifully woven exploration into the Andean world through a native perspective combines visiting magnificent pre-Columbian archeological sites and exquisite Peruvian cuisine with profound cultural immersion events, allowing you to cultivate an intimate relationship to this land, its people, and customs.

Day 1 ARRIVE LIMA
Friday, October 24 

Day 2 LIMA 
Saturday, October 25

Day 3 LIMA
Sunday, October 26

Considerations: If you do not want to experience Lima, it is important to arrive at the latest by Sunday morning to allow for airline delays and to rest before experiencing higher altitude. It is critical that all group members be in Lima by Sunday so we can leave on time for the Sacred Valley early Monday morning. Thank you for your consideration.

Day 1 / Monday, October 27    SACRED VALLEY ARRIVAL
Take a spectacular morning flight to Cusco, the navel of the world, landing in the heart of the Andes. You will be greeted at the Cusco airport to begin your exclusive journey. Enjoy a 45-minute scenic drive through the Peruvian countryside and small villages to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Revel in your first glimpse of Peruvian landscape—the striking beauty of the snow topped peaks, mountainsides delineated by Inca terraces, and fields that cover the valley floor. Arrive in Pisac’s small town charm and settle into your room at the Pisac Inn, enjoying a cup of coca tea to help you acclimate. Savor your first in a series of delicious meals spun into a select set menu prepared by the Inn’s renowned restaurant Cuchara de Palo which explores the diversity and richness of Peru’s ancient agrarian heritage. Take the afternoon to wander the cobblestone streets of Pisac or the market square on your own. Gather for an orientation reception with a welcoming Pisco Sour followed by a fireside dinner. 

Evening festive traditional music and dance with a local group of musicians, artists and visionaries dedicating their lives to preserving their Andean culture. This is a special opportunity to meet some of the families of the Kusi Kawsay Andean School, as well as teachers and students who participate in this remarkable presentation that follows the Andean Agrarian Ritual calendar celebrated at Kusi Kawsay. Enjoy this evening full of music, dance, in-depth descriptions, the sharing of stories; and connect to the natural cosmic cycles of the Andes.

Hotel: Pisac Inn Meals: L, D 

Day 2 / Tuesday, October 28   Cusco Archeological Sites
Enjoy a 30-minute scenic drive to explore pre-Columbian sites outside of Cusco including the sacred spring of Tambomachay, the lunar and solar observatories of Kenko, and megalithic Sacsayhuaman whose zigzag walls were built with some of the largest stones to be found in Incan masonry. You will be captivated by the introduction to Andean astronomy and sacred geometry, the foundation of Andean culture that will be expanded upon each day of your journey. Admire the Inca walls as you wander the streets of Cusco and Plaza de Armas. Visit the main pre-Colombian Inca Temple, Coricancha. After lunch in Cusco, return to Pisac for a quiet afternoon. Upon return to the Pisac Inn, relax before dinner or enjoy a treatment at *Unucha Spa (you can make an appointment ahead of time for any afternoon after your excursion). 

Dinner followed by an optional evening Coca Leaf Offering, a unique opportunity to personally engage in an authentic Andean ceremony. The Coca Leaf Offering is an optional special event, and is not included.

Hotel: Pisac Inn Meals: B, D (lunch not included) 

Day 3 / Wednesday, October 29 Kusi Kawsay Andean School and Traditional Community of Amaru 

After breakfast visit Kusi Kawsay Andean School and the school’s organic farm, Kusi Ñan. Learn about this exceptional educational project and unique vision that honors Andean tradition combined with elements of Waldorf Pedagogy. Delight in the beautiful school grounds, dedicated teachers and smiling students. Enjoy a 45-minute drive into the majestic high Andes and walk through the patchwork fields replete with potatoes, fava beans and corn to the traditional highland community of Amaru, where a genuinely authentic way of life is still practiced to this day. You will be welcomed with an endearing sweetness rarely felt in this day and age by this community that is consciously preserving and practicing their ancestral heritage. Through participation in a communal agrarian workday, a beautiful cultural exchange unravels as you experience this incredible opportunity to step back in time and appreciate a quality of life with an admirable simplicity that is strikingly moving and profound. Enjoy a traditional lunch prepared with their prized agrarian products. After lunch, the women will spin their naturally dyed wool, while others meditatively set up their back strap looms to share their ancestral weaving skills with us. This wonderful opportunity to purchase textiles directly from the weavers is not to be missed. Return to Pisac and enjoy a quiet afternoon and evening with dinner. 

Hotel: Pisac Inn Meals: B, L, D 

Considerations: Wear comfortable clothes and shoes for walking and working in the fields that you don’t mind getting dirty! Bring your hand wipes and Purell this day and be prepared for rustic conditions. Bring a daypack with layers for drastic temperature changes; be prepared for extreme sun, extreme cold and possible rain. Comfortable walking shoes are suggested; hiking boots are not necessary. Bring camera, sunblock, and sunhat, and plenty of drinking water. You can leave any personal belongings in the car, but the car will drop you off and you will walk up, so the car will not be nearby. Bring cash to purchase textiles; they are handmade and one of kind pieces. You can take as many photos as you would like; please do not give change for photos in Amaru. Be prepared for authentic cultural immersion at its height, and come with respect, honor and open mindedness as guests invited into a sacred ancestral culture.

Day 4 / Thursday, October 30 Urubamba Market and Farm Day

Begin your day with a breathtaking one-hour drive through the heart of the Sacred Valley to Urubamba. Experience the town market followed by daily activities on a local farm.  Enjoy a special lunch and visit with the family, including helping to cook your meal in the traditional way.  After lunch on the farm drive to Ollantaytambo and enjoy a spectacular train ride to Aguas Calientes, where you will have a nice dinner at an amazing restaurant, and spend the night in preparation for an early start to Machu Picchu the following morning.

Hotel: La Cabaña Boutique Hotel Meals: B, Picnic (dinner not included)

Day 5 / Friday, October 31 Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo
Take the 20-minute bus ride up steep slopes to magnificent Machu Picchu, renown as a wonder of the world. Isolated among mountain peaks, this awe-inspiring site carries sacred mathematical and scientific wisdom yet to be fully discovered. Explore the important sectors full of astronomic explanations and immerse yourself in the beautiful natural setting and ancient ruins. Catch the afternoon train to the Inca town Ollantaytambo and visit the magnificent archeological site with an impressive astronomical observatory, irrigation waterways, fountains, and ceremonial site. Learn about the Llama constellation and explore the quaint town that was built in the shape of a corncob. Return to Pisac for dinner.

Hotel: Ollantayttambo Meals: B (lunch and dinner not included) 

For Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo overnight: You can take an overnight bag and daypack for your day at Machu Picchu and overnight in Ollantaytambo. You must bring your passport; you cannot ride the train or enter Machu Picchu without it! Bring money for meals and souvenirs. If you use walking poles, you may need them.

Day 6 / Saturday, November 1 Pisac Archeological Site

Return to Pisac and visit the Pisac archeological site where the staggering agricultural terrace work is among the most extensive in the area following the shape of the mountainsides in entrancing concave and convex forms. The central astronomic and ceremonial area, complete with fountains, is widely acclaimed as some of the finest stonework, comparable to that of Machu Picchu. This expansive site provides an ideal setting for a picnic lunch with magnificent vistas up and down the valley. Optional late afternoon talk and healing ceremony with a traditional herbalist, this special event is not included. 

Hotel: Pisac Inn Meals: B, L, D 

Day 7 / Sunday, November 2 Pisac Market & Cemetery visit 

Day 8 / Monday, November 3  Drive to Puno 

Enjoy a seven-hour scenic drive to Puno. Along the way, visit Raqchi archeological site featuring unusually large adobe constructions. Have a picnic lunch en route, enjoy hot springs, and see vast herds of alpaca when you near the Alto Plano. Upon arrival to Puno enjoy a nice dinner out. 

Hotel: Puno Meals: B, Picnic (dinner not included)

Day 10 / Wednesday, November 5: Lake Titicaca; Taquile and Amantani Island

Spectacular boat ride to Amantani. 

Hotel: Amantani home stay Meals: B, L, D

Day 11 / Thursday, November 6 

After exploring the beauty and paved paths of Amanati Island, return to Puno.

Day 12 / Friday, November 7 Sillustani and Umayu Lagoon

Get an early start to drive to Sillustani, a sacred ancient burial site. Visit the traditional stone house complex of Hatun Ayllu, a traditional highland community. Sillustani has an absolute calm, as though time has stopped, being an ideal place for a meditative reflection. Take a short boat ride on the  Umayu Lagoon to the island reserve of the wild vicuña.

Hotel: Puno Meals: B (lunch and dinner not included)

Day 13/ Saturday, November 8 
Early morning flight to Lima from Juliaca

You will have the option of ‘landing’ in a room in the same inn from where you began. Take a shower, nap, have a wonderful dinner and maybe a last visit to the Inka market before your driver takes you to the airport.

COSTS:

   The cost for the expedition, Cusco to Juliacca, is $4500, early bird (payment by April 1) is $4300. This includes: 

All of your ground transportation
Guide/interpreter
Lodging and specified meals, based on double occupancy for room
 (single supplement is an additional)
Entrance to archeological and historical sites
Group events like ceremonies, demonstrations or cultural visit to Amaru and the Uros islands.

Expedition costs do NOT include:

Airfare - international or domestic.
Judy will advise you about cheap flight fare. Note that the costs go up the closer we get to the departure date. Domestic flights for the group are purchased once we have confirmed everyone who is going. This is so we have everyone on the same flight going to Cusco and can take the van to Pisaq together. These run between $250-$350 and fluctuate each year. You have the option when you purchase your flight to Peru to get a connecting flight from Cusco to Lima and go directly home vs. stopping for the day and going to the inn. You would then reserve your return trip originating in Cusco.

Lima lodging - ranges $55-$75 depending on number of people in a room, for bed and breakfast. 
This rate is divided between occupants of the room. On the return to Lima from Juliacca, Judy reserves rooms for everyone to ‘land in’, to refresh with showers, meals, and naps before going home. You can do additional shopping at this time. If you shop before going to Cusco at the beginning of the trip, the inn personnel will keep your goods for you until your return so you don’t have to carry them the full trip. Judy estimates that if you allow $250-$300 for all your Lima expenses, you’ll be good.

Meals and Sites in Lima

Airport transportation to/from $20 per person. A tip is recommended because our driver is very good--you'll understand when you experience Lima traffic.
Transportation rate depends on how many people are in the taxi/van. Judy will send her arrival and departure times. If you are within an hour of arriving or departing with another participant, your fare will be less expensive. Single rates will apply for going to sites in Lima with your driver.

Experiences and sites - cost will vary depending on the event/site, but generally range from $10-$100. Everything is optional so you can manage your time and budget.

Tips for the whole trip, including driver, restaurants or other services. 
The native dancing our first night in Pisaq is done voluntarily by the community. Tips help to keep their cultural efforts going and are much appreciated.

Laundry $30 per bag, provided by the Inn. Substantial amount of laundry and you can split it with your roommate if needed.
Can be done by the Pisac Inn so you don't have to pack more than 5-6 days of clothes if you don’t want to.

Photographs
It is customary to tip 1-3 soles to local people that you photograph. It is a sign of respect. You will encounter many people, especially children, dressed in native dress and carrying baby alpacas, who will pose for you for a price. We will also visit sites like Amaru and the Lake Titicaca communities, where you can take as many photos as you want. They will not accept tips there.