Depart your home city for Lima. Arrive late evening. Assistance on arrival; transfer to a nearby airport hotel. Overnight Lima.

Day 2. Thursday, June 14. Lima/Cusco (B/D)

Transfer to the airport for our 1-hour flight to Cusco over the spectacular Andes Mountains. As we fly into Cusco, colorful ancient capital of the Inca Empire, we are greeted by the towering Apus (sacred mountains) with their shimmering caps of snow. Meet our Guide Dr. Jose (Pepe) Altamirano; transfer to our hotel in the heart of the city. Time to rest to adjust to change in altitude. Late afternoon Introductory Meeting with Pepe, Andrea, and Ed, followed by our “Welcome to Peru” dinner of traditional Peruvian cuisine at the hotel, complete with a serenade by traditional Andean musicians. Overnight Cusco. 

After a nutritious buffet breakfast we depart to visit sacred sites in the Cusco area. Our first stop is Tambo Machay, the private fountains/baths of the Incan nobles and priests. The spring that supplies the water has flowed for hundreds of years from some unknown source. We’ll connect with the sacred water element Unu from the eternal fountain, and cleanse our energy bodies, followed by time for quiet reflection and meditation. 

We then continue to Cusilluchayoc, a very ancient and not well-known shrine in the nearby countryside. Here we have the auspicious opportunity to use the ancient “Heart Stone” for a profound ceremony to help you further open your heart…a perfect way to begin your journey here in the most powerful feminine vortex on the planet.

Afterwards we will be blessed by a visit from our brothers, the Q’ero Elders, ritual specialists considered to be the last remaining descendents of the Incas, who will perform a sacred ritual to ask the apus (sacred mountains of the area) to bless each person during our magical journey. Afterwards we’ll have time for meditation and reflection on our own as we receive and integrate the powerful healing energies.

We then continue to Sacsayhuaman, where you will see some of the most amazing Inca architecture - walls made of giant megalithic stones, fitted together perfectly without any mortar! Cusco was originally laid out in the shape of a puma, the totem animal of the Kay Pacha, the middle world in Inca cosmology. Sacsayhuaman was the puma's head, and the zigzag walls at this amazing site represent the teeth, as well as the path of the lightning, a revered earth elemental for the Incas. Here, Pepe and Andrea will lead the group in a mystical ceremony to align with the dynamic nature of the Puma to help us connect more fully with our personal power.

Return to Cusco. Lunch on your own. Free time this afternoon and evening to visit the colonial cathedrals, archaeology or art museum, or shop in the traditional Andean marketplace. Dinner on your own. Andrea and Pepe will be available to accompany the group to one of the local restaurants, or you can eat in the hotel’s delightful dining room.

Overnight Cusco.

You might want to wake up early this morning to meditate and welcome in the sun’s healing rays. After breakfast we check out of the hotel and depart Cusco to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, nested between the majestic snow-covered apus and fed by the waters of the sacred Urubamba River. We drive into the nearby hills to the ancient solar observatory at Pisac and enter the site through the ancient Temple of the Condor. Pepe and Andrea will lead the group in a sacred ceremony to invoke within us the power of the Condor, totem of the HananPacha, the Upper World. We then walk along the winding trail, full of magnificent vistas of the hills and valleys below, to the most sacred area of the site, the ancient Sun Temple, where we enjoy a knowledgeable tour of the site with Pepe and Andrea. We then walk down to our bus and drive into the village of Pisac, where we enjoy a nutritious lunch of traditional Peruvian dishes at one of the local restaurants, followed by time to shop in its traditional Andean marketplace full of colorful clothing, handicrafts, locally grown produce and fresh-baked bread.

Afterwards we continue to Ollantaytambo, the Sanctuary of the Wind, an Inca fortress/temple that is one of the most impressive in Peru. First, we visit the royal baths/fountains and perform a shamanic energy cleansing ceremony led by Pepe, using Unu, the Water element. Then we walk beside the nearby gurgling little rive to an area of the site that is not visited by many people - the Temple of the Condor for a time of silent meditation and reflection. Finally we end our afternoon at the main altar area of the temple, where we receive our blessings from Wayra, Wind – the guardian of the site. As the sun is setting we depart the temple and check into our nearby hotel. Evening is free for dinner on your own in the hotel restaurant, as well as some meditative preparation for our journey tomorrow to Machu Picchu! Overnight Ollantaytambo.

Take an early morning walk in the flower-filled garden of the hotel, for a time of peace and solitude. After our early breakfast, we walk around the corner to the train station and board the train to Machu Picchu. We travel alongside the wild Urubamba River deep into the mountain valleys of the high jungle surrounded by the snow-covered Apus on our approximately two-hour trip. We arrive at Aguas Calientes, the small village at the base of Machu Picchu and quickly check-in at the hotel. Then we’re finally on our way…….we take the bus up to Machu Picchu, the ancient City of the Condor and 8th Wonder of the World. You're finally here, at one of the most mysterious and sacred places on earth!

We have a group tour this morning with Pepe, Andrea and a professional guide from the site. We visit the Temples of the Sun & Moon, the Temple of the Condor, the Temple of the Three Windows, and finally the world-famous spiritual center of the site, the Intihuatana, or the Hitching Post of the Sun. Full of the sacred energies we take a break and enjoy a delicious buffet lunch at the on-site hotel, accompanied by the joyful music of local Andean musicians. After lunch we re-enter the Sanctuary for free time. Our day ends in the dying light of the late afternoon as we return to Aguas Calientes. Time for a leisurely soak in the local hot springs and a satisfying dinner on your own. 
Overnight Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes.

Late night (Jun 19)/early morning (Jun 20) departure from Lima; in flight overnight. Morning arrival.

Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions beyond our control.

Extension to Lake Titicaca

for a Special Solstice Celebration

June 19 – 23, 2007

Take time to get up early this morning, draw your curtains and commune with the magnificent sunrise over the Mother Lake. After our early buffet breakfast we board our bus and travel to the shores of the Lake where we board our private launch and motor out onto the tranquil waters of the MamaCocha to the Uros Floating Islands, made of the totora reed that grows in the Lake and named after the Uros people who inhabit them. Here we receive a warm welcome from these friendly island dwellers and an opportunity to support their meager economy by purchasing their richly colored hand embroidered tapestries and rugs.

We return to the hotel for lunch. In the afternoon you will have the optional opportunity to experience traditional Andean Coca Leaf Readings with our sister Sra. María Charaja, a local Aymara curandera (healer) or our brother Sr. Raul, a local Quechua shaman. Group dinner at the hotel. Overnight Chucuito/Lake Titicaca.

We arise today before the first rays of the sun appear on the horizon, on this most sacred day in the Andean World – Winter Solstice, the time when the ancient Incas believed the Sun returned to bless the earth and her people with another year of life…..a very joyous event! We depart by bus to Aramu Muru’s Doorway. Upon arrival we sit in the Inca’s Sun Seat that faces the Lake to connect with its nurturing feminine energies. Then we walk along a large rock formation in the shape of a serpent and puma the rock to connect with the energies of the Lower and Middle Worlds. Then through a wonderland of strange natural rock formations, pass by the mysterious Valley of the Spirits and finally trek down to the Doorway.

After a picnic lunch in the countryside we drive to the healing altars of Copamaya, located near the shores of the Lake. The vistas across the Lake are magnificent and the energies are strong, yet peaceful. Special Offering: Pepe and Andrea will invite you to receive initiation into the Brotherhood of the Solar Disc, the Andean esoteric society dedicated to the continued sharing of the Unconditional Love and whose symbol is the Golden Disc from Lemuria. Many ancient legends say that is was an extraordinary power object brought to the Andes many thousands of years ago by the Lemurian sages Aramu Muru and his consort Arama Mara. The high frequency energy that it emitted could elevate the energy of any person or object that came within its energy field…to induce healing on all levels. The Spanish chroniclers recorded that they actually saw it in the Coricancha in Cusco when they arrived, but that shortly afterwards it disappeared. Stories abound as to where the Incas took it, where it is today, and what its role is during the Pachacuti, the New Sunrise. Many people, including Pepe and Andrea, believe that it was taken to Lake Titicaca, where it resides today, on etheric levels, energetically calling serious spiritual seekers to come and connect with its powerful energies. Later return to the hotel.

Enjoy a Solstice Celebration Party and “Farewell to Peru” Dinner  this evening, complete with traditional Andean musicians and dancers. Overnight Chucuito/Lake Titicaca.

On our last morning at the Mother Lake you have free time to finish packing and/or do any last minute shopping. We check out of the hotel later morning. We then continue to Juliaca and board our flight to Lima, arriving later in the afternoon. We’re met by our transfer personnel and taken to a nearby airport hotel. Free time for rest, relaxation and dinner on your own. Late evening transfer back to the airport for your late night/early morning (Jun 23) departure from Lima.

Late night (Jun 22)/early morning (Jun 23) departure from Lima. Arrive to your home city the same day.

Note: Pre-paid gratuities to cover guides, drivers, waiters, baggage handling, etc. Your Tour Escort will carry and disburse these funds so that you can relax and enjoy your trip, knowing that everyone assisting you is being taken care of properly.

Note: The single supplement is ONLY for those who would like to secure a private room throughout the tour, at the indicated additional price. If you are not traveling with anyone you know and would like to share a room, we will be happy to work to find you a suitable roommate. Per our Terms and Conditions, registration for the tour will be held open until two weeks before the departure date in order to try to match everyone with a roommate. If by that date we have not been able to match you with a suitable roommate, you will be responsible to pay for the single supplement. An early registration will facilitate this process.