In
the heights of Pisac, a group of farming communities has come together to create the
Potato Park, a reserve area dedicated to the conservation of native species and field
research. The community boasts very well dressed and beautiful locals who display on their
exceptional textiles made of the finest possible fibers, using ancient weaving techniques
and natural dyes.
Full Day Chahuaytirec
After Breakfast at
your hotel, you will be met by your guide and escorted on a 50 min drive to the colorful
community of Chahuaytirec. On your way there, you will enjoy beautiful landscapes of the Andes and get familiarized
with the local culture through the explanations regarding the essence and traditions of
the town provided by your specialized guide.
On your way to
Chahuaytirec, you will have an hour visit to the Inca site of Pisac, which is separated
along the ridge into four groups: Pisaqa, Intihuatana, Q'allaqasa, and Kinchiracay.Intihuatana and includes a number of baths and
temples.
This Inca site,
dating from the 1400s (and possibly earlier) rests high amid the red rocks of the
mountain; the village, established in the late 1500s, is at the base of the valley.
A vital
Inca road once snaked its way up the canyon that enters the Urubamba Valley at Pisac. The
citadel, at the entrance to this gorge, now in ruins, controlled a route
which connected the Inca Empire with Paucartambo, on the border of the eastern jungles.
Set high above a valley floor patch worked by patterned fields and rimmed by vast
terracing, the stonework and panoramas at Pisac's Inca citadel are magnificent. Terraces,
water ducts and steps have been cut out of solid rock, and in the upper sector of the
ruins, the main Sun Temple is equal to anything
at Machu
Picchu.
Above the temple lie still more ruins, mostly unexcavated, and among the higher crevices
and rocky overhangs several ancient burial sites are hidden.
Upon arrival to
Chahuaytirec, you will be welcome by the local villagers warm, gently people who are eager
to have you in their homes and tell you about their traditions and history.
You will be greeted by
woman dressed with finely embroidered skirts and men wearing ponchos and lively colored
chullos (knitted hats). People still keep their colorful traditional attires with pride.
You
will continue
on a 20 min. drive by bus to the highlands. Some Cave Paintings can be observed en route.
Here the leader of the community will explain to you their methods for growing potatoes,
breeding of camilids, their textile industry, and introduce you to the different tools
used by them (the same ones have been used by their ancestors for several generations).
Return to the main
square, where the community will present you with a demonstration of their folk dances and
music, and their knitting and tinting processes. Chahuaytirec is known as one of the most
emblematic textile makers in the area, and one of the best places to learn about the
traditional textile making from Cusco.
The villagers will
take you for an amazing exhibition of the
great variety of potatoes grown by them at the renowned potato park, established in 1997
by various indigenous communities from the area for the conservation of native species and
field research. You will be able to learn the quechua names for many of the 180 potato
variety that grow there.
After the potato
demonstration, the locals will invite you to enjoy an exquisite buffet lunch prepared by
themselves that may include a variety of novo-Andean dishes made with native ingredients
grown at the community.
After lunch,
it’s your turn to explain to them where you come from, explain the different products
produced by your region and give them your gifts (bread, fresh fruit, schooling articles,
and other needs) taken for this purpose. (All the goods are bought by our office in Cuzco, and it is already
included in the rate).
After saying good
by to the community, out representatives will transfer you on a one hour drive back to
your hotel in Cuzco
SACRED
VALLEY, CUSCO:
WILLOC
& PATACANCHA: LAND OF WEAVERS
In Willoc and
Patacancha, women weave –literally- nonstop. Ever since they got organized to produce
high-quality textiles and show visitors the whole process of their wonderful work, their
life has experienced a tremendous positive change; Today, both weavers and costumers value
these pieces much more. The farmers from Huilloc are referred to as Huayruros (the
one-of-a-kind seed suggesting balance and duality)
due to their clothes of intense red.
Full Day Willoc
You will leave Cusco early in the morning
towards Willoc, the land of an incomparable treasure, the best traditional weaves in Cusco. On your way there,
you will be able to see other three towns of weavers: Rumira, Sondormayo y Q`elkanka, very
similar to Willoc from the highlands.
Along the road you
will stop at Markaccocha, and the Inca agriculture area. The drive will take you one
hour from Cusco
to Willoc.
Upon your arrival
to Willoc, the children will greet visitors with the Huallataq dance, which imitates the
movements of the highland goose.
Watching
Willoc
seems that a painter has spilled his best watercolors over the grass, which is different
shades of green due the rains in the area. The
red predominates in the typical clothes of the community, including the monteras
(traditional hats) with laces and beads. By visiting Willoc, you will experience the
fascinating weaving process, showing you a local culture that remain alive from five
hundred years ago and is dynamically modern at the same time.
The mayor from the
community will welcome you to their town and explain to you their activities and how
villagers got conscious about the value of their traditions and are willing to share them
with travelers, in wonderful sceneries that combine mountains of exceptional beauty with
architectonic elements such as andenes and houses built with mud and a ceilings made of
ichu.
One of the
villagers will guide you on short (25 km.) but intense trek
through the Inca Trail, which is Peru’s best known hike visited by thousands of
tourists every year. This trek combines mysterious archaeological sites, amazing mountain
scenery and lush cloud forest rich in Andean flora and fauna. After 30 minutes of
trekking, you will go back to the town of Willoc.
On your way back
from the trekking, children from the community will be waiting for you eager to learn more
about your culture. You will be able to show them where you come from, by the use of a
world’s map and feel the satisfaction of helping the kids learn about other
traditions around the world. Our representatives will provide you with some bread and
candy to share with them as a sign of gratefulness.
After saying good
bye to the community, you will be transfer to Ollantaytambo, located 1 and a half hours away from Willoc. On your
way there, you will see breathtaking views of the beautiful Andean Valley.
Upon Arrival to
Ollantaytambo, our representatives will set up a picnic lunch that will place you in touch
with the elements of nature and the mysticism that surrounds Ollantaytambo. This may
include a variety of options made with fresh vegetables, potatoes, maize, and bread
amongst other options.
After Lunch, you
will visit the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo, located 97 km from Cusco, where the Temple of the Sun, formed
of 6 gigantic monoliths, whose total weight exceeds 50 tons and the Terrace of the Ten
Niches stand out. Ollantaytambo was the site of the only successful Incan battle against
the Spanish. Ollantaytambo was originally built as a fortified city to protect the great
Inca capital from attacks of the
"Antis", a savage jungle tribe who were never subdued by the Incas. The
magnificence of this archaeological made academics and historians consider Ollantaytambo a
living museum. This visit will take approximately 1 and a half hours.
Your transferman
and private driver will drive you to Cusco from Ollantaytambo
and will assist you with your luggage and check-in procedures.
You will also
receive a contact information sheet with all the hotels information as well as our
office's contact information for each city and the 24-hour emergency numbers for any
further assistance you may require.
CUZCO-
RACQCHI: ARCHAEOLOGICAL
AND CULTURAL MIXTURE
Located
120km (74.5
miles)
south from Cuzco,
the community of Racqchi is formed by 80 families dedicated to agricultural and ceramic
works. Travelers can experience a “living
museum” where the Quechua culture with its ancient techniques, language and
traditions is the main topic. This area shares an impressive archaeological complex built
with the main purpose to adore the Wiracocha or Sun god.
Full Day Racqchi
You will leave
Cuzco in the morning, accompanied by our representatives, and head toward Racqchi, located
120
km south
from Cuzco and 2 and a half hour from Cuzco city.
Racqchi
is a small, cozy town of agriculture and ceramic workers. Its main attractive is its
archaeological complex, with a central wall 12
meters
high and 22 columns next to it. Racqchi is surrounded by a magnificent
wall; cut by the Inca trail of Kollasuyo.This complex was built by the Incas to honor
their god, Wiracocha.
On your way to
Racqchi, your first stop will be a half an hour visit to Pikillacta, which means city of
fleas. This is one of the most important and well preserved archeological sites in Peru, made by the pre
Inca culture of Huari.
There you will find
the adobe wall ruins, the wall of Rumicola, and the monkey temple, a large complex that is
only partially excavated, a well-preserved archaeological site from the Huari period, a
pre-Inca culture. These Wari ruins are the remains of an extensive city, also called
Piquillacta. A large number of its houses have extraordinarily high walls. A high wall
outside the city, and running north and south, was obviously built to protect it from
enemies approaching from the Vilcanota Valley. In the other
directions the slopes are so steep as to render a wall unnecessary. The walls are built of
fragments of lava rock, with which cover the slopes of Mt. Piquillacta.
You will be able to
visit the Andahuaylillas Chapel, a 17th century church, also known as the
Andean Sistine Chapel and it is considered to be a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The tiny
church houses an exquisite interior of frescoes, a gilded main altar and a splendid carved
door. It also houses oil on canvas paintings
from the Escuela Cuzqueña and Baroque altars made of carved wood, and holds in its
interior some of the most beautiful examples of colonial art. After 20 min, you will
continue your journey to Racqchi.
Next, you will have
half an hour to visit Huaro, which is a small cozy villa located 4 km From Andahuaylillas.
Its main attraction is its church, covered with beautiful murals paintings from the XIX
century, most of them made by the local artist Tadeo Escalante who is considered one of
the last great artists from Cuzco.
Upon your arrival
in Racqchi, you will be guided by the local people to the impressive archeological complex
built by the Incas to honor their god, Wiracocha,
one of the most important places in Cusco.
The archaeological place includes a big group of constructions among where you will find
the temple, the colcas, the quarters or rooms, the Inca baths, the Usno, which is a
platform used by the Incas in their ceremonies, the wall of four kilometers surrounding
most part of the Inca remains and the current community.
This
architecture represents the importance of Racchi for the Inca military expansion towards
the Lake
Titicaca
. You will also visit its cozy town, composed of many houses and feel the warmness of its
people by sharing with them a small present from your country and exchanging knowledge
between yours and their culture.
You
will transfer to the city of Sicuani,
considered the agriculture and cattle raising center of the area. Here you will have lunch
at “El Filipon”(or similar) restaurant; that offers you a buffet lunch gathering
a variety of delicious dishes from the novo-Andean cuisine.
After
lunch, you will be transfer straight back to Cuzco
on a 2 and a half hour drive, observing the wonderful landscapes along the road. You will
arrive to Cuzco
around 4
pm,
and then you will be transfer to your hotel.
2nd Option - Racqchi + Sacred Valley - 2d/1n
See
Full day Racqchi above and then continue below:
After
lunch, you will have a short break to relax and share with the family. Then, one of the
locals will guide you on a light trek towards the sleeping Kinsachata Volcano, which is
considered one of its local Apus (sacred mountains). On your way to the volcano, you will
pass by an amazing viewpoint, where you will get a magnificent panoramic view of the town
and the temple. This is the place where the local ceramic workers get the sand to make
beautiful pieces of great quality and resistance. Then you will cross through the capuli
trees and find yourself at the exciting experience of being at the volcano crater. After
30 minutes, your guide will lead you back down the volcano.
You
will finish your visit to Racqchi by participating in one of the most important religious
and cultural practice of the Andean culture, “Pay to the Earth ceremony”
One of the locals, provided by a special power is in charge of
giving the offerings to the Pachamama, or mother earth. These offerings are made of coca
leaves (the element that joins the human and divine world), minerals, wine, lard, candy
amongst other objects. This ceremony is a great opportunity for the visitor to get
involved with the community in a ritual that shows how millenary people live in harmony
with elements from the nature. This ceremony will last one hour.
After
saying good bye to the Racqchi community, our representatives will take you on a 2 and a
half hour drive to the Sacred
Valley
of the Incas, located 60 minutes from Cusco
city. On your way there you will be able to appreciate spectacular landscapes, authentic
markets and picturesque towns.
The
Valley
of Urubamba
was undoubtedly a key area of settlement to the Incas because it’s agreeable climate
and fertile plains.
Today,
the Sacred
Valley
provide Cusco
city with much of its produce such as its famous maize cobs, with the largest kernels in
the world, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Upon
arrival in Urubamba,
our representative will assist you with your luggage and drive you to your hotel, where
you will be assisted with your check in procedures and provided with a detailed itinerary.
As
soon as you arrive in Urubamba,
families from the community will provide you with a typical dinner; this may include a
variety of options to choose from, including soup, spaghetti, and fresh fish from the
lake, potatoes and other vegetables, amongst other options.
After
dinner, you will have some time to share with the family about your culture and
traditions.
Day
2
Greet
the amazing Cusco
morning sun rising up in the Sacred
Valley,
while you enjoy a traditional breakfast, this may include: coffee, herbal infusions, milk,
eggs, bread, butter and jam.
After
Breakfast and saying good bye to the community, you will be transfer straight back to Cusco
on an hour drive, observing the wonderful landscapes along the road. You will arrive to Cusco
around 11
am
and then you will be transfer to your hotel.
