PERU FAMIL LY ADVENT D TURE
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Itinerary Overview Designed for today’s adventurous family, our Peru Family trip is educational and fun for teens and tweens. Begin in Lima to discover the spooky catacombs beneath San Francisco Monastery and pedal bikes through Miraflores and artsy Barranco. In the high Andes teens will delight in charting their own path through Cusco’s squares and temples using GPS to follow a ‘geocaching’ scavenger hunt around the city. Craft chocolates using traditional Inca recipes, go whitewater rafting on a thrilling stretch of the Urubamba River and spend an afternoon in the small town of Oropesa where you volunteer at a community center, playing games and sharing words, hugs and smiles with local children. Descend to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and discover ancient weaving and farming techniques that are still practiced among traditional Quechua-speaking communities. Hone your bargaining skills at Andean markets, go climbing and zip lining high above the valley floor, mountain bike or hike across the Chinchero pampa and learn about Peruvian pottery from a renowned ceramist who will help you create your own designs to take home after they’ve been fired. Hike the 1-day Inca Trail Express to Machu Picchu or travel to the Incan citadel by train to spend one full day hiking among the ruins, exploring ancient temples with your expert guide or playing a fun game of hide and seek.
DAY
DATE
OVERNIGHT
HOTELS
MEALS
HIGHLIGHTS
1
Thursday, April 3
LIMA
Duo Boutique Hotel
Arrival. Overnight in San Isidro
2
Friday, April 4
LIMA
Duo Boutique Hotel
BL
Colonial Lima tour. Biking the coastal districts.
3
Saturday, April 5
CUSCO
Casa San Blas
BL
Cusco city tour with geocaching
4
Sunday, April 6
CUSCO
Casa San Blas
BL
Whitewater rafting; volunteer at an after-school center
5
Monday, April 7
URUBAMBA VALLEY
El Auberge
BL
Pisac & Patacancha Valley
6
Tuesday, April 8
URUBAMBA VALLEY
El Auberge
BL
Via ferrata climbing and zip lining. Ollantaytambo.
7
Wednesday, April 9
URUBAMBA VALLEY
El Auberge
BL
Mountain biking Maras. Pago a la Tierra ceremony
8
Thursday, April 10
MACHU PICCHU
Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
BLD
9
Friday, April 11
CUSCO
Casa San Blas
BL
10
Saturday, April 12
DEPARTURE
B
1-day Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu Guided visit to Machu Picchu + hike Huayna Picchu. Return to Cusco Free morning in Cusco. PM fly to Lima and connect for departure.
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Itinerary in Detail DAY 1: ARRIVE LIMA, PERU Airport reception upon arrival in Lima. You will be met and transferred to your cozy hotel, the Duo Boutique Hotel, a refurbished mansion in the residential area of San Isidro. The hotel has a pool and is close to a supermarket as well as several casual restaurants that are good for families.
DAY 2: COLONIAL LIMA + BIKING THE COASTAL NEIGHBORHOODS Embark on a guided exploration of Lima. Begin with the city’s Historical Center and the Plaza Mayor, where the Government Palace, City Hall, the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace are located. These played a major role in the time when the Spanish arrived and the Conquest of the Incas took place – a perfect moment to learn about the origins and history of the Peruvian capital. You may step into the nearby San Francisco Monastery, hosting the famous catacombs, an intriguing succession of underground tunnels with low ceilings, which served as a burial site for all the population at those times. As part of Lima’s original old cemeteries, usually built under churches, its estimated 75,000 buried bodies are stacked in curious strange patterns in circular stone pits. Leave the center of Lima to have lunch at one at Cala, located right along the water and serving an excellent array of local seafood specialties and international dishes. In the afternoon, a lovely and entertaining (and safe!) bicycle tour will show you around the commercial district of Miraflores and the bohemian and relaxed side of Barranco. Both districts overlook the ocean from a series of “malecones”, or seaside balconies. Helmets are provided. Continued overnight at Duo Hotel. [BL]
DAY 3: EXPLORE CUSCO
Transfer to the airport for your morning flight to Cusco. Upon arrival you’ll meet your guide and first have lunch at a restaurant Cusco’s main square, the Plaza de Armas. In the afternoon, embark on an exploration of Cusco’s famous temples, churches and neighborhoods. Kids and adults alike will learn Quechua words and play a role in leading the exploration through Cusco by engaging in the game of geocaching. Using a handheld GPS unit, kids and teens are able to locate waypoints for iconic places in Cusco as well as hidden articles around the city! Explore the legendary Koricancha, the most important temple devoted to worshiping the Sun deity and whose walls were once plated with sheets of gold. You may continue to the Plaza de Armas, or Main Square and then follow to San Blas. This is the bohemian quarter of the city, home to the ateliers and stores of the most renowned artisans in Cusco, including Mendivil and Merida. You’ll spend the night in this neighborhood at the Casa San Blas Boutique Hotel. [BL]
DAY 4: WHITE WATER RAFTING AND AFTER SCHOOL CENTER VISIT A morning of adventure awaits you on a Whitewater rafting trip along the upper Urubamba River. This dramatic river flows from the high Andes down through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, past MachuPicchu and into the jungle. After a safety briefing; join your specialized guide for an exciting paddle along the most scenic section of the river. The rapids have a degree of difficulty ranging from 2-4 and your safety and enjoyment is always the guide’s first priority. After your rafting adventure, relive the adrenaline rush with your fellow participants over a riverside picnic lunch. On your way back to Cusco you stop at the small town of Oropesa for a very special visit and volunteer opportunity at a local community center that provides children with a safe place to learn and play after government school hours instead of spending time in the streets. Once at the project, the children are provided with educational and fun activities such as: • • • • • •
Learning English Reading books from our small library Homework help, additional classes such as math, science Being creative with arts and crafts projects Playing sports Health and Hygiene lessons Wildland Adventures | Peru Family Adventure | www.wildland.com -3-
• • •
Music classes Trips and excursions Photography classes
Volunteers assist local staff with all of the above, as well as helping with general maintenance and upkeep of flower and vegetable gardens. You’ll share time with the kids; reading books, playing soccer, helping with homework tasks and exchanging English, Quechua and Spanish phrases and assisting with other center tasks. We’ll gather a list of items in advance that the center routinely needs if you want to make a donation. In the evening drive back to your hotel in Cusco for dinner (on your own) and a well-deserved rest at the Casa San Blas Boutique Hotel. [BL]
DAY 5: SACRED VALLEY EXPLORATION
Depart Cusco to explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas. On the way, pause briefly at Awanacancha, a breeding center for South American camelids. Get up close with the llamas (be careful: they spit!), alpacas, as well as rare vicuñas who live almost exclusively in the wild and produce some of the softest and most expensive wool on the planet. Continue to the town of Pisac and pause to visit the village with its interesting food and artisan stalls. Then drive to the far end of the valley to a narrow dirt road leading up the Patacancha Valley (1 hour) until reaching the community of Pallata (12,000’ elevation). Here you can observe the native Quechua way of life in the high Andes where crops are sown and textiles woven with simple hand tools that have been in use for centuries. A short, steep ascent to the road head brings us to the small archaeological complex at Pumamarca, a former Inca settlement that managed the irrigation system of the Inca terracing below. After visiting this site we will begin hiking down through the ancient Inca terracing complex of Choquecancha, still used today by local Quechua farmers, overlooking spectacular views of the surrounding peaks and Urubamba Valley below. A three-hour descent through these farmed terraced areas will bring us to the outskirts of the village of Ollantaytambo. A delicious boxed lunch will be enjoyed en route. This hike presents a good opportunity to meet and interact with local Quechua children as you hike through the Andean communities. Later in the afternoon you are driven to your hotel in the Sacred Valley, El Aubergue Hotel, located right within the town of Ollantaytambo. [BL]
DAY 6: CLIMBING, ZIP LINING AND OLLANTAYTAMBO An active day awaits you, full of adrenaline for the whole family! Begin by ascending high above the valley floor on the Via Ferrata. Via Ferrata is the name used to describe the high paths founded in the Alps, using fixed cables and iron ladders to climb difficult sections. They allow people without any experience in climbing the opportunity to move through spectacular mountain scenery using a minimum of equipment. Safely attached to a steel cable, climb up 300 meters using iron ladders to enjoy the breathtaking view, then descend a 100-meter cliff fixed to a rope on a thrilling zip line. Once back on safe ground, your private transportation and guide take you to enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon you explore Ollantaytambo, a still-thriving Inca village set below an ancient Inca fortress and temple with stunning views over the valley that makes you feel as if we have stepped back into the 15th century. Here you can see Inca canchas (stone corals), enclosures of multi-family living quarters that share just one exit to the street, ingenious stonework, original cobblestone streets, and an extensive communal water system that survives to this day. It’s a short walk back to your hotel for overnight at El Aubergue. [BL]
DAY 7: MOUNTAIN BIKING MARAS, PAGO A LA TIERRA CEREMONY
This morning meet your biking guides, get outfitted with correctly sized bikes and helmets and then pedal off for a day of exploring scenic trails and tracks, passing through the Sacred Valley and its fertile patchwork of fields. Red quinoa plantations and the imposing Andes are the perfect backdrop as you glide through red-roofed villages under the shade of eucalyptus trees, stopping only if the path is blocked by a flock of sheep. Midday, you may stop for a short visit at a local house in the beautiful community of Maras, enjoy a delicious picnic lunch and then continue to explore and learn about the production of salt in the spectacular salt pans in Maras. Wildland Adventures | Peru Family Adventure | www.wildland.com -4-
This afternoon you will also partake in a very special ceremony of traditional offerings to that Pachamama or Mother Earth known as pago a la tierra. Such ceremonies have been practiced since before Incan times and are still alive today, making this an amazing cross-cultural experience in which you have the opportunity to better understand and feel the country’s beliefs. This ceremony evokes the spirit of healing; some elements taking part in the ritual are sacred medicines such as Palo Santo, Tayta Sayri, Mama Coca, Agua Florida, Condor Feathers, Grandfather Puma, Essences and Incenses. This is a great introduction to the spiritual beliefs of the Andean people. Overnight at El Aubergue. [BL]
DAY 8: 1-DAY INCA TRAIL TREK TO MACHU PICCHU
Early morning board the Vistadome train (07:05) that will take you to km.104 on the Cusco – Machu Picchu railroad (starting point of the hike), where you arrive at around 10:00 am. Start with a visit to the Chachabamba archaeological complex (2150m/7052ft), and then embark upon an 8 km (5 miles) ascending trail, which after four hours takes you to the archaeological complex of Wiñaywayna (2650m/8692ft). This is an impressive complex made up of an agricultural center with numerous terraces, a religious sector and an urban sector. On the way up you may enjoy magnificent views of the Urubamba River valley and the Choquesuysuy archaeological complex located on the other side of the river, and also of a beautiful waterfall located just a few minutes away from Wiñaywayna. You then continue and climb to Intipunku, or The Sun Gate. This will take an hour of hiking along a trail of flat stones on the edges of cliffs in highland jungle. From this fabulous spot, you may contemplate the sacred citadel of Machupicchu. From Intipunku descend to Machupicchu and then by bus to Aguas Calientes to check-in at the beautiful Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel for dinner and overnight [BLD] Total distance: Estimated walking time: Maximum altitude point: Machupicchu altitude:
13 km (8.1 miles) 6-7 hours 2,650 m (8,692 ft) 2,400 m (7,872 ft)
*permits to trek the Inca Trail go on sale in February and are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. To secure your permits we need complete passport details and a deposit, of which $100 per person becomes nonrefundable upon the purchase of your permits.
DAY 9: MACHU PICCHU
With your guide, be among the first to arrive at Machu Picchu on the early shuttle bus. Enjoy contemplating, exploring and photographing the most impressive archaeological monument in South America as your guide leads you on a private exploration of the principal temples and important sectors of the complex. Spend time wandering through the mysterious maze of streets and stone buildings in this magnificent citadel. Hike up the towering Wayna Picchu peak (permits for the 10:00 AM entrance slot will be confirmed for your group). Lunch is at the Sanctuary Lodge followed by late afternoon return on the train to Cusco then vehicle transfer into town. Overnight at the Casa San Blas Boutique Hotel. [BL]
DAY 10: DEPARTURE Free morning in Cusco. On your own time, consider visiting the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. This gem of a museum, (referred to as MAP and boasting a chic and popular restaurant by the same name) is one of the best in Cusco. Though not a huge collection, the attraction here is the sophistication of the design and display. Beautifully illuminated halls carefully exhibit gold and silver handicrafts, jewelry, ceramics, and other artifacts depicting the rich traditions from the Nasca, Moche, Huari, Chimú, Chancay, and Inca cultures. Also consider exploring Barrio de San Blas, the atmospheric and picturesque neighborhood you are staying in that is home to an abundance artisan studios and workshops. The climb through this neighborhood is steep, so take your time, knowing that the view at the top is worth the effort. If in the mood for something sweet, do stop into Chocolate to sample the handmade treats at Calle Choquechaca 162. The Chocolate Museum is another good option for those with a sweet tooth. Wildland Adventures | Peru Family Adventure | www.wildland.com -5-
Afternoon transfer to the Cusco airport for your flight to Lima. You’ll be assisted with check-in for your international departure upon arrival. If you have several hours at the Lima airport and would like a place to rest or relax, we can arrange a day-room at the airport Ramada for an additional cost.
END OF SERVICES Actual routes and activities may vary. Local trip coordinators reserve the right to change accommodations to similar quality alternatives.
INCLUDED SERVICES
• • • • • • •
All guided tours and excursions English-speaking naturalist guides 2 entrance fees to Machu Picchu, 2 bus tickets Aguas Calientes-Machu Picchu Airport-hotel transfers, land transportation 11 nights hotel accommodation as indicated Meals as indicated [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner] Wildland Adventures travel consultation and pre-departure services
NOT INCLUDED SERVICES • • • • • •
• •
International airfare Internal airfare Lima-Cusco-Lima of approx $375, Wildland can assist in booking this Tips and gratuities Airport departure taxes Drinks, alcoholic beverages, and meals other than listed above Personal expenses for extra services, optional activities, or changes in your itinerary for reasons beyond our control Travel insurance for trip cancellation, medical services, or evacuation Any other items not mentioned above
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A Accomm modatio ons COSTA A DEL SOL RAMADA, LIMA Located d within thee Lima airporrt complex, the t Costa deel Sol is an ea asy stop afteer a late arrivval from Quiito. The hoteel featurees 130 guest rooms all wiith high speeed Internet access, air conditio oning and a m marble bathroom. Enjoyy a deliciou us meal in th he restauran nt offering a variety of local and Intternational cuisine c or reelax in the po ool.
CASA SAN N BLAS, CUS SCO The hotel is in an orig ginal coloniaal building peeacefully rem moved from Cuscco’s fast pacee – like a sop phisticated country c hoteel in the city. R Rooms offer superb dista ant views of Cusco’s tiled d rooftops aand surround ding mountaains or of the handsomee arcaded in nterior courttyard, centraal fountain, and a ample terrace. Tucked away in the heartt of the city’ss most atmospheeric neighborrhood, San B Blas, the hottel is perfect for visitors lo ooking for a relaxed, r spaccious option n, and ideal for f families.
MACH HU PICCHU PUEBLO, MACHU PIC CCHU The Maachu Picchu Pueblo Hotel is an intim mate 85-cotttage luxury hotel in spra awling Andeean style villa age within th he secludeed 12 acres of o exquisite b beauty, wherre guests folllow stone p pathways to their t rooms,, located in comfortable c oneor two--story whitew washed casittas. The hoteel has the wo orld’s largest native speciies orchid gaarden open to t the publicc with over 3772 species. A lush garden n, stone-pav ved paths and d canals flowing with h spring wateer set the ton ne for a relaxxing atmosp phere. Largee and bright rrooms are fu urnished witth wooden n furniture specially s made by local craftsmen. c T The UNU Spa S features massage, sau una and aro omatherapy.
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Booking your Wildland Adventure HOW TO RESERVE A TRIP You can book online using our Reserve a Trip form or by calling 1-800-345-4453. Your space on a trip is confirmed once we receive your reservation form and initial trip deposit. All travelers must sign and submit a Release of Liability. Deposit requirements are as follows:* $1000 per person for all trips in South America. *Some trips require additional non-refundable deposits, especially when yachts have been chartered, or if
permits to visit archaeological or wildlife sites have been purchased in advance.
CUSTOM TRAVEL
This trip isn’t exactly what you’re looking for? We are happy to design a private custom itinerary to accommodate your travel dates, interests and style of accommodations. Call us at 1-800-345-4453, send an email to
[email protected], or use the Ask The Program Director button on our website.
PAYMENTS, CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS
Full payment of the trip balance is due 90 days prior to departure. If you must cancel before departure, money will be returned less the cancellation fees charged by WA Inc. plus any additional non-refundable cancellation fees and payments already advanced to airlines, hotels and local operators: Days Prior to Departure: Fee per person 91 or more: $300 61-90 days: Initial deposit amount 31-60 days: 50% of land cost 30 or less: 100% of land cost
PRE-DEPARTURE SERVICES
Upon receipt of your deposit and completed reservation form, we will send you a comprehensive Predeparture Dossier. This contains important information to help you prepare including immunizations, visas, trip insurance, packing checklist, reading list, maps, cross-cultural information, optional trip extensions and more. You will receive a final trip packet including Final Reminders and local contact information in your destination 2-3 weeks prior to departure.
REFERENCES AND QUESTIONS Have any questions or concerns? Call us a 1-800-345-4453 or email
[email protected]. We’re here to help and are happy to provide you with references from previous Wildland travelers. TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Wildland Adventures, Inc. has arranged your trip utilizing the travel services of local in-country ground operators who are independent contractors. These local outfitters, lodges, hotels and other suppliers of your travel services will make every effort to conduct this trip as described in the itinerary. It is however possible that due to transportation schedule changes, weather, delays and unforeseeable acts of God, humans or nature, this itinerary may vary from what is described. Participants must assume all risks whether identified in advance or unforeseen. All optional activities are at your own risk. Extra costs due to unexpected changes in your itinerary for reasons beyond our control are not included. We highly recommend purchasing traveler’s insurance for trip delay, trip cancellation, baggage, accident or sickness. Representatives are available for assistance at any time during your trip. If preferred hotels are not available, every attempt will be made to reserve alternative accommodations of similar quality. (If upgrade is necessary, higher rates may apply.) All information and services provided are subject to our Terms and Conditions.
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