Reservations Closed
Mystical Peru, land of the ancient Incas. From charming and picturesque Cusco, to the lush Sacred Valley of the Incas, to mysterious Machu Picchu – the Crown Jewel of the Andes, to Lake Titicaca and Lima. This journey will highlight age-old traditions that have been preserved and are still in practice.
And what if you could take this special tour (not a simplified or watered-down version of a traditional trip), which would afford you the opportunity to interact and participate in wonderful community volunteer programs while enjoying a rich exchange of ideas, be touched by what you see and do; be able to get a little “extra” by combining touring with volunteering so as to create a life-enriching trip that helps put life in perspective.
Come join Anne and Philip and immerse yourself in the Peruvian culture as you travel the country Learning about its history, architecture and artifacts … doing Volunteer programs along the way and being part of an incredible holiday.
Your Tour Hosts:
Meet Anne and Philip Bongiorno
Tour Includes:
● Airfare from JFK to Peru
● Inter-Peru Flights
● Other tour-related transportation in Peru
● Roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, including luggage handling
● Accommodations in First Class hotels
● Hotel service charges and taxes
● Daily breakfast
● Other meals as per itinerary
● All site entrance fees
● Pre-paid Gratuities
● Fully escorted and guided by local Peruvian Guides
● Plus protection by RMC’s $1,000,000 per traveler Errors & Omissions coverage
Added Features
● Visit the unique Pisac market
● Visit Ollantaytambo, the Sanctuary of the Wind
● Explore enigmatic Machu Picchu
● Dinner in Cusco with traditional Andean musicians and folklore dancers
● Visit to the floating islands of the Uros
● Special farewell dinner in Lima at the famous Huaca Pucllana restaurant
SPECIAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
Volunteer Programs are indicated on the dates they will be taking place. They are divided into 3 Interests: One for the Medical Professions; One for Culture and Artists; One for Families.
ITINERARY
DAY 1 – August 1 | TO LIMA
Depart today from JFK for Lima for your overnight flight.
Note: Airfare from Burlington to JFK is not included and details on the best connections will be given with confirmation.
DAY 2 – August 2 | LIMA – CUSCO (L/D)
Upon arrival in Lima, assistance to transfer to your flight to Cusco Upon arrival, your tour will start at Pisac. The citadel is a town built in the form of partridge known for two reasons: the craft market, established between colonial buildings, and for hosting one of the most impressive complexes of terraces in the valley. The market has dozens of stalls displaying and selling products crafted by the residents of the area. Then have lunch at the agreed restaurant and be transferred to your hotel in the Sacred Valley to enjoy the evening, dinner and overnight.
DAY 3 – August 3 | URUBAMBA (B/L/D)
After breakfast, a full day of touring as you arrive to the rural community of Huilloc in the province of Urubamba, where we will have a chance of experiencing and sharing time with local residents of the Andean tradition of reciprocity (Ayni). The goal is for the community itself to coordinate tourist activities in its territory; interacting with visitors and helping them understand the community’s rich historical and cultural legacy. We will have a reception presented by the community of Willoc.
Todays Volunteering Activates to choose from:
Activity #1 – Yanapanakuy Volunteering for those with a Medical Focus:
Visit the small medical center. As the center is small and may not be able to accommodate the all at one time, while some of the participants are taking blood pressure, temperature, listening to lungs, etc, the other can enjoy the Yanapanakuy experience.
Activity #2- Yachaywasi – A Cultural Volunteering Experience
This will be opportunity to cooperate in working with Locals in repainting the infrastructures of the village educational building, the medical center and the community hall. Or by helping fixing furniture, as well as planting trees. The intercultural interpreter will welcome you to the community accompanied by musicians and guide you to the house of a local resident that will share with you a soothing muña infusion. Then, community leaders will assign you to a house where you can make yourself comfortable and store your belongings. Before starting to work, every participant will ask permission to the protective deities. After accomplishing the task and according to the schedule, there will be a moment to rest and enjoy refreshments. According to the tradition of the community, the men of Minka (collective work system) will give you a proper farewell with songs and dances. Finally, visit the Huilloc craft center where you will have the opportunity to take with you a traditional community garment as a souvenir of the experience.
Activity #3- Yachaywasi – Families
You will have the opportunity to share the educational process from the Andean worldview of children in the community. Approach the culture of parenting, which exists in reciprocity between men, nature and deities. You may also explain your worldview, showing some elements of your own culture such as your original clothes and your vision for the future. The intercultural interpreter will welcome you to the community accompanied by musicians and guide you to the inside of the Huilloc Education Center (Yachaywasi), where you will be received by the director or teacher in charge. There you will meet the children who will join you on your experience. Then go to the Interpretation Center, where children will show you the Path of Clothing. They will explain the role of the garments, its spiritual meaning, iconographic meaning and color. You will appreciate the tools and the original seeds sown in the fields, and food recipes that are prepared based on these products. In this place you can see trout breeding, which is part of the diet of children in the school. You will have the opportunity to acquire samples of bibliographic production to enrich your experience and to encourage and strengthen the educational community to continue producing texts of cultural information. Finally, you can help to enrich the Quqawa (snack) to maintain a good nutrition for children of Huilloc Ayllu Inka.
Activity #4 – Allinpachacuy – Artists and Cultural Interests
Free time to paint or participate in the activity Allinpachacuy. The local interpreter, which is a resident of the community, will welcome you with traditional music and invite you to the house of a villager who will wait for you to show the Huilloc typical clothing weaving process. The homeowner will welcome you, presenting the members of his family and invite you a muña infusion. In addition, he will give you a demonstration of how different clothing is made so you can perform this process using traditional tools and techniques with the supervision of a community member. Then you will dress entirely in Huilloc clothes and take pictures and videos to remember this remarkable experience. Finally, you can purchase a beautiful Huilloc garment, contributing to the spiritual strengthening and identity of this Inca village. The interpreter will greet you on behalf of the community and farewell you accompanied by musicians.
Return to our hotel for dinner.
DAY 4 – August 4 | URUBAMBA – AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU (B/L/D)
You will be transferred to the Ollanta train station. Our tour to Machu Picchu begins with a train ride to Aguas Calientes in approximately two hours. This town is also known as “Machu Picchu pueblo” and is the last stop before entering the remains of the most important archaeological site in Peru. Finally, after a short transfer by bus you will reach Machu Picchu, a masterpiece of engineering and architecture that served as a sanctuary and retreat for the Inca Pachacutec (1438 – 1572). Machu Picchu, which means “Old Mountain”, is considered a World Heritage by the UNESCO and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Overnight and dinner in Aguas Calientes.
DAY 5- August 5 | MORNING IN MACHU PICCHU – POROY – CUSCO (B/D)
Today is a 2nd chance to visit Machu Picchu and explore on your own. Or you can relax at the hotel and explore Aguas Calientes. In the afternoon, return to train station and board the expedition train to Poroy station. The distance between the Poroy train station and Cusco City that will take about twenty minutes. After time to relax, we will have dinner at our hotel.
Volunteering Activities during tour
Activity #1 – Machu Pichu – Artists
Free time to return up the mountain on your own to paint places like the Inca bridge or the Intipunku. Or stay in the village to paint interesting local spots.
Activity #2 – Sonco Wasi – Volunteering for those with a Medical Focus: and Families
Sonco Wasi translated in English is “The House of the Heart.” It’s a non-profit association initially created by a group of friends in 2010, with the intention of providing social support for children that have been physically and economically disadvantaged. They want to provide them with new opportunities and experiences based mainly on the recovery of values such as respect for one’s self, respect for society and the environment. Plus learning to love and value their culture.
Activity #3 – Machu Pichu – For Everyone
Free time to return up the mountain on your own for further exploration. Maybe hike the Huanapicchu to take a different look at the mountain. Or explore the village for some local shopping.
DAY 6-August 6 | IN CUSCO (B/D)
Today activities are divided into two sessions. The morning is for the various Volunteer programs and the afternoon for our sightseeing.
Morning Volunteering Activities during tour
Activity #1 – Volunteering for those with a Medical Focus:
Arrangements will be made for Medical participants interested in visiting the local medical center or travel to the Soncowasi Center to work with families and children.
Activity #2 – Families
Arrangements will be made to meet with local families to participate in a “Pastry Project” where the children prepare and bake Andean cookies that they share with the local children.
Activity #3 -The Art Trail – Artists & Families
Begin this experience with a video showing the journey with Julio Gutiérrez himself, the artist dedicated to the craftsmanship and the recovery of the Colonial Glass technique. Onto the Cuzquenian Colonial Ceramic Workshop, where we start transforming clay in its different processes; Kneading the material followed by a practice of lathe, then move on to the painting and ending with the participant receiving an original piece of Julio’s pottery, We then go to the workshop of “Dorado Colonial Cusqueño” hosted by the collective Totemiq, a multidisciplinary team dedicated to creating and producing Peruvian Contemporary Art based on iconographic traditions, aesthetic language and production techniques of ancient Peruvian We will work with artists in the process of the Dorado technique. We finish this experience in the gallery area where we learn about the work of Julio Gutierrez and Totemiq understanding the story behind them. The pieces that were worked on both sessions will go through a drying process and then they will be sent, properly packed, to our hotel in about 4 hours.
After lunch on our own, we meet to start our afternoon tour to Coricancha, also known as the “Temple of the Sun”, which was built by the Inca ruler Pachacuti and, upon the arrival of the Spaniards, became the base for the construction of the Santo Domingo Convent. Here, during the Inca Empire, reverence was surrendered to the sun and there was even time when the structure was covered in gold. Next, visit the Cathedral, the most imposing monument in Plaza de Armas square. The construction of the cathedral took almost 100 years to complete. Continue to the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, a magnificent building conceived and built by Inca ruler Pachacuti in the 15th 
century. The Sacsayhuaman complex was built with megalithic blocks, the transportation and construction continue to be a fascinating mystery. Then onto Quenqo an archaeological complex of religious use where it is believed agricultural rituals were performed. Finally, visit Puka Pukara, meaning “Red Fortress”, an architectural complex of alleged military use with multiple spaces, plazas, baths, aqueducts, walls and towers Return to the hotel with the remainder of the day at leisure. Dinner this evening will be a folklore show at the famous La Retama Restaurant. Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 7 – August 7 | IN CUSCO – Free Day (B)
A full day to explore this most magical city, capital of the Inca Empire in the 15th century. Enjoy the colonial churches and mansions built on the original Inca foundations and the beautiful Plazas. Visit the artisan workshops in the San Blas District where you can see local craftsmen work with precious metals, wool, wood and stone. Dinner this evening is on your own to be able to explore and enjoy many of Cusco’s local restaurants.
DAY 8 – August 8 | CUSCO – JULIACA & PUNO at LAKE TITICACA (B/D)
After breakfast, we will transfer to the airport for our flight to Juliaca. Upon arrival, we are met and travel to Puno, the port city on the beautiful shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.
Time to settle in and rest, get used to the altitude change and enjoy dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Puno.
DAY 9- August 9| IN PUNO – Uros & Taquile (B/L/D)
After breakfast we will board a local boat to take us to the floating islands of the Uros. Uros are an ancestral society that inhabits a series of artificial islands built with totora, a reed that grows in the lake. The islands are built by weaving this reed in the places where they grow the thickest and form a natural layer. They build their totora houses over it and cook in the open air to prevent possible fires. After a one and a half-hour tour, you will continue your trip to the Taquile Island. Unlike other islands, inhabited by Aymara-speaking people in the lake, its residents speak Quechua. It was part of the Inca Empire and it is possible to note vestiges of said culture in their buildings. Upon your arrival, you will receive a brief explanation on the island and will attend a cultural activity. Return to Puno for lunch and time to explore on our own. Dinner at our hotel. Overnight Puno.
Volunteering Activities during tour
Activity #1 – Volunteering for those with a Medical Focus:
Arrangements will be made for the Nurses to work with the local inhabitants of Uros with the medical program set up by Anne.
Activity #2 – Families & Artists
Arrangements will be made to meet with local families and their homes that are literally floating domiciles. Artists will have time to paint.
DAY 10 – August 10 | IN PUNO – Chucuito & Aramu Muru’s Portal (B/L/D)
We travel southeast along the Lake Titicaca shore to a pre-Inca site called Amaru Muru’s Portal. Peru is one of the most spiritual places in the world and on this tour you will have the opportunity to explore this awesome place which is believed by some to be an inter-dimensional gateway and where the seeds of all existence originated. We will take time here to explore the site and surrounding landscape. On our way back to Puno, we visit Chucuito, a place of the Fertility Temple, where we find a rectangular compound of special-shaped stones. Here we see the symbol of fertility carved in stone and understand that everything is vibrating in two polarities-male and female, Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the Cosmos, birth and death. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Puno.
DAY 11 – August 11 | TO LIMA (B/D)
Transfer back to Juliaca to board our flight to Lima. Transfer to our hotel. Time to relax, explore and shop. Dinner on our own at one of the many local restaurants.
DAY 12 – August 12 | IN LIMA (B/D)
Morning sightseeing tour of Peru’s capital. Lima’s historic old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is awash with fascinating cultural sites, colonial architecture and a varied history which reflects the many faces of this intriguing city, with a guided walking tour being the best way of getting to grips with the Peruvian capital. First up is the Plaza de Armas, which is dominated by the central 16th century Cathedral, as well as grand colonial buildings, fountains and even native palm trees, making it the perfect introduction to Old Lima. You then visit San Francisco church. Next, another colonial mansion-turned-place of historical interest at the Larco Museum, home to many pieces of fine pre-Columbian art, gold and silver artifacts, in a building constructed on the site of a 7th century pyramid. Return to our hotel to relax and have lunch on our own. In the late afternoon, we meet in the lobby for tonight’s farewell dinner at the Huaca Pucllana Restaurant, located in a 1500-year-old adobe pyramid built by the original inhabitants of Lima. After dinner, we depart for the airport and our flight to New York.
DAY 13 – August 13 | ARRIVAL JFK
Morning Arrival at JFK where we connect to our flight home.
Hotels or similar
● Sacred Valley – Recoleta San Agustín (2 nights)
● Aeguas Calentes (Machu Picchu) – El Mapi (1 night)
● Cusco: Casa Andina Premium Cusco (3 nights)
● Puno: Hotel Posada Del Inca (3 nights)
● Lima – Estelar (1 night)
Please Read the Terms and Conditions for this Tour
PRICE PER PERSON
Per Person in Double Occupancy room:
$3,599 payments via check or money order
$3,789 payments via credit card
Per Person in Single Occupancy
$4,199 payments via check or money order
$4,419 payments via credit card
Per Person for family (based on child 12 and under, sharing a bed with parent)
$3,479 payments via check or money order
$3,669 payments via credit card
Add to above costs:
U.S. airline facility security and tax charges $399 ($419 via credit card)
Prepaid Gratuities $100 ($105 via credit card)
Land Only Prices For those providing their own air to Cusco and from Lima
Per Person in Double Occupancy Room $2,599 ($2,739 via credit card)
Per Person in Single Occupancy Room $3,199 ($3,699 via credit card)
INITIAL DEPOSIT
$500 ($525 by credit card)
Non-Refundable deposit due on or before February 1, 2019 to guarantee space on the tour.
After February 1, 2019, space will be On Request
FINAL PAYMENTS: Due on or before June 1, 2019
Reservations Closed
Travel Insurance
RMC Travel highly recommends the purchase of Trip Cancellation/Interruption Travel Insurance, and we therefore provide you with an easy way to contact RMC’s preferred insurance provider, Allianz Global Assistance. If you need additional information or have questions, please call Allianz directly at 800-284-8300, and refer to code F025323.
Coricancha photo by Håkan Svensson (Xauxa) under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.