Peru | Highlights of the Inca Empire

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Miraflores, a suburb of Lima.

After an early breakfast, drive south through the Peruvian desert to the significant fishing village of Pucusana. Board a small but sturdy outboard motor-powered fishing vessel and cruise around the protected harbor. View Pacific seabirds including Inca Terns, endemic to the Humboldt Current area, and Humboldt Penguins, a very vulnerable species. Learn how the Humboldt Current affects this ecosystem and discuss human interaction and threats to the species. Next visit the fish market to see the fresh catch arrive and get categorized and washed. Have a boxed lunch en route back to Lima. Upon arrival, visit the Plaza de Armas and the Monastery of San Francisco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to a church and monastery, it also contains a library and catacombs and is the site where Jude the Apostle is venerated. Visit the Casa de Aliaga, the oldest standing colonial mansion in Lima. The house has been owned and occupied by the Aliaga family and their descendants since Francisco Pizarro granted the land to Jerónimo de Aliaga in 1535. Dinner is at a local restaurant.

After breakfast transfer to the airport and fly to Cusco. Bid your Lima guide farewell. Upon arrival, meet your Cusco guide and transfer to the Sacred Valley, stopping en route at the Awanakancha Center to learn about South American camelids and products made using traditional and modern techniques such as dyeing, spinning, and weaving. Stop at the colonial town of Pisaq, where a popular handicraft fair takes place with wares displayed on vividly colored and patterned textiles. After lunch visit the ruins at Ollantaytambo, which showcase the engineering genius of the Inca. The town has original buildings of Inca construction where the Inca retreated for their last stand in the highlands against the Spanish. Running water still flows through the aqueducts, terraces are still farmed, and the pinnacle above the town is a burial ground. Learn about its ancient heritage while walking the narrow streets and observing numerous aqueducts that remain unchanged. Late this afternoon head to the hotel and eat dinner.

This morning visit a local market at Urubamba. Discuss the importance of the Sacred Valley as a market for the Inca Empire and learn about the fruits and vegetables unique to the region. If this day is a Sunday, visit Chincheros Market instead. Continue to Maras, a small town known for its nearby salt evaporation ponds that have been used since Inca times. Visit local houses and farms and meet with local families. Depending on the season and needs of the community, you may help local families with farm work, help create baskets made of corn leaves, and even share a typical lunch. In May and June, you can help in building the Huatias traditional Peruvian earthen oven, which dates back to the days of the Inca Empire. The most traditional construction (although perhaps not the most common today) is to carefully build a dome or pyramid over a dirt pit using gravity to hold it together. A fire is built inside with heat-resistant rocks such as volcanic rocks, food (meat and potatoes) is placed inside and buried when the dome collapses. The food cooks for many hours, soaking up flavors from the soil. End the day with an earth payment, an ancient Pachamama ceremony custom of indigenous Andean cultures. The ceremony, led by a shaman, begins with an offering of small amounts of Andean cereals, grains, and fruits with coca leaves, and ends with the ritual burning of the offering and burial of its ashes to complete the cycle.

Early this morning, transfer to Ollanta for a scenic train ride to Aguas Calientes. Take a short bus ride up to the ruins to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, arguably the best known and most spectacular archaeological site on the continent. The quality of the stonework and abundance of ornamental sites indicate that Machu Picchu was an important ceremonial center, but archaeologists are still uncovering details. Break for lunch at the famous Sanctuary Lodge, then continue exploring the ruins. In the late afternoon, take the train back to Ollanta and return to Cusco.

Spend the morning exploring by bike (about 3.5 hours total). Begin at Qenqo Amphitheatre, then head to Sacsayhuamán, a former fortress overlooking Cusco that hosted one of the fiercest battles between the Inca and the Spanish conquistadors. Visit Puca Pucará to see superb views, followed by Tambomachay, also known as Baños del Inca, a site for ritual bathing. For participants who cannot bike, the bus will be available to meet the group along the way. Have lunch at a local restaurant. The afternoon is free to explore Cusco. Have dinner at a local restaurant, followed by a music lesson to learn about Andean music and Inca instruments.

After breakfast, explore Cusco on foot, beginning at the main square to San Pedro Market. Learn about the rows of produce, flower, and shaman stalls while trying out a few local words. Visit the Temple of the Sun, which was once one of the most important Inca temples. This golden courtyard was covered with gold and silver sculptures of llamas, corn, babies, and the sun; the sculptures were later destroyed by the conquistadors. After lunch at a local restaurant, head to the airport for the flight to Lima and your international connection.

Arrive home.