Spirit of Peru - Winter Solstice | 14 days | June 15 to 28, 2018

Join renowned leader and life philosopher Jose Daniel Paleaz for a uniquely curated journey of learning and discovery. Be inspired by Andean life and tradition as we share ancient rituals and learn how local philosophy has been carefully woven into Andean life.

We will visit magical and iconic sites including Machu Picchu, Pisac and Cusco over the sacred period of the winter solstice. Take in the special energy and power of Inca temples and pre-Incan places of worship, where you will feel a great sense of history and be uplifted.

This journey offers a mix of boutique, luxury accommodation and has been carefully curated by local specialist Daniel and his team, who only deliver the finest in Peruvian hospitality on every level.

TRIP SUMMARY:

• Departure: June 15 to 28, 2018
• Duration: 13-night stay
• Tour Focus: Culture, History, Spirituality and Food... with a twist of Adventure!
• Group Size:16 Guests
• Option to add-on: Paracas Peninsula & Nazca Lines

This journey includes:

• Accommodation for 13 nights in boutique hotels, including full breakfast at your leisure and WiFi
  
• 6 lunches and 2 signature dinners 
  
• Private airport transfers
• Internal flights as part of the journey
• Journey accompanied by Jose Daniel Palaez, Peruvian Traveller, guide and spiritualist 'Extraordinaire!'
• English and Spanish-speaking personal tour concierge
  
• Private transport
• Activity level: Easy to moderate, with options to sit back and relax or be more active and explore!
  

Experiential Inclusions

• Attend a sacred ceremony for Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) at the sacred site of Machu Picchu in the temple of the sun, witnessing the light shining through the window to illuminate the ceremonial alter, engineered to only happen on this day every year!
• Early morning Shaman ceremony to commemorate the winter solstice 
• Experience the pageantry of Cusco's Inti Raymi festival of the winter solstice
• Exclusive visit to the ancient sacred city of Caral, birthplace of Andean Culture 
• Unique and inspiring Shaman ceremony at the sacred moon temple of Quillarumiyoc
• Visit to local a Quechua community of weavers
• Full day exploration of the Moras and Moray in the Sacred Valley
• Exploration of the water temple at Ollantaytambo and scenic Vistadome train service to Machu Picchu
• Private afternoon of exploration at the sacred site of Machu Picchu
• Pisac visit and Pachamama ceremony led by local Shaman
• Specially curated, private visit to the Amaru Markawasi temple, the Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Cusco city, including private coca leaf ceremony  
• Visit to Raqchi temple and Pukara, enroute from Cusco to Puno
• Full day exploration of Lake Titicaca including Taquile and Uros Islands including a traditional 'Pachamanca' lunch lakeside.

Not Included

• Any international flights
• Some lunches & dinners indicated
• Drinks unless indicated
• Tips

Your Journey:

June 15, 2018 – Lima

Welcome to the City of the Kings. A warm welcome awaits from the moment you arrive at Jorge Chavez International, with a private transfer to your hotel. Daniel will host you for a casual drink time permitting in the evening and provide a briefing on the journey we have curated just for you.

June 16, 2018 – Caral/ Lima

Caral is the oldest known civilization on the American continent and today we will spend the day exploring this site that was its centre, just north of Lima.  The Sacred City of Caral represents the origin of Andean culture, and is the most ancient civilization in the Americas, with historical roots reaching back more than 5000 years. The Caral complex boasts a variety of structures, most notably the six pyramids with their circular plazas. We will learn about what has been found in the little time since the site was uncovered, and about the current investigations. 

Meals - Breakfast

June 17, 2018 – Lima/ Cusco /Sacred Valley

Fly over the Andes landing in Cusco, the heart of the Inca Empire.  From here we will travel straight to rural town of Chinchero for a lunch with our local hosts and our first ceremony of our journey, an offering to Mother Earth or Pachamama. We will then spend the night surrounded by the beauty of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Meals - Breakfast, Lunch 


June 18, 2018 –  Moray & Maras / Sacred Valley

We journey through the Sacred Valley ascending above the Urubamba valley to the unique, archaeological site of Moray.  The Moray holds a series of circular Andean paths, the largest with 12 paths and a depth of 100 metres (328 feet). According to researchers, the circular paths in Moray served as a centre for agricultural research, as each level offered different climactic conditions and allowed for different plants to be cultivated experimentally. Other studies suggest that the site was used for astronomical observation and for monitoring climatic changes.

It holds a very powerful circle of energy here. We will hold a simple ceremony connecting with Pachamama, before driving for a healing ceremony on the shores of a very beautiful lake nearby.

Enjoy a lakeside lunch before continuing to the unique 'Salineras de Maras' salt pans. Observe how salt has been harvested for generations from a patchwork of shallow pools via a process of evaporation. The backdrop provides for sensational photos and a small purchase helps to support the efforts of the community.

Meals - Breakfast, Lunch

June 19, 2018 – Quillarumiyoc / Chonta / Sacred Valley

We travel back out of the Sacred Valley and across the plains of Maras and Anta to arrive at the carvings and altar of Quillarumiyoc, a temple for the moon and feminine energy where we will participate in a ceremony with our shaman before continuing on to Chonta, a look out point that will provide us with views of the stunning Andean Condor, if we are lucky.  After a walk into the natural lookout, time to receive the energy and majesty of the site and another ceremony with our shaman, we will return to our hotel in the Sacred Valley

Meals - Breakfast

June 20, 2018 – Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu

The town of Ollantaytambo, with its impressive Inca fortress, is both awe-inspiring and quaint at the same time. The fortress guarded the entry to this part of the valley and protected it from invasion from the lower jungles. It consists of a series of superimposed terraces of carved stones accessed by long staircases.

The design of Ollantaytambo village and the majority of its foundations date from the Inca era, when it was a strategic military, religious, and agricultural centre. It is also one of the only towns still laid out according to its original Inca design, and has a network of narrow streets with water channels running alongside.

Recognised as one of the prettiest train journeys in the world, our one and a half hour trip from Ollantaytambo to the town of Aguas Calientes will not disappoint.  And what better than one of the country’s best hotels to follow up that journey.  We will spend the next two nights at Inkaterra’s Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel where activities such as orchid walks, learning about local teas, bird watching and nature will fill our afternoon. Enjoy a meal to remember on the eve of the winter solstice, celebrating the finest of Peruvian cuisine. 

Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

June 21, 2018 – Machu Picchu - Day of Winter Solstice

An early rise on this most sacred day of the Incas. First, we will participate in a solstice ceremony with a Shaman in the wonderful, energetically charged grounds of our hotel.

We then transfer to the ancient and sacred site of the Incas to celebrate the most spiritual and sacred day in the Inca calendar. Be present for a magical moment at the most magical place. In the Southern Hemisphere the 21st of June and is the shortest day of the year, marking the start of winter.  In Inca times, winter solstice was known as Inti Raymi or the Festival of the Sun. In Machu Picchu at dawn, when the very first light rises over the distant mountains, it shines through one of the two windows of the Temple of the Sun and illuminates the ceremonial stone within. The second window was for the sun’s rays on summer solstice. The Temple of the Sun was used to honour the Inca deity, known as “Inti.” The Inca’s would sacrifice animals, such as llamas, on the stone altar in order to ensure good agricultural production for the coming months of planting and harvesting.

Following this spiritually moving ceremony let us enjoy an early lunch before tasking a private tour of the entire site.

Meals - Breakfast, Lunch

June 22, 2018 – Aguas Caliente /Pisac / Cusco

Return by train to Ollantaytambo and travel through the Sacred Valley to the community of Pisac. We will explore the Inca site, perched above town, with all of its amazing terraces, an Inca cemetery and incomparable views. Our shaman will accompany us for another ceremony within the site so that we can take advantage of the special energy of the area.

Enjoy an extraordinary lunch at an extraordinary estancia, showcasing local cuisine of the Urubamba Valley, one of Peru’s richest agricultural regions 

We have time to visit the colonial town and its market before travelling to Cusco for the night.

Meals - Breakfast, Lunch

June 23, 2018 – Sacsayhuaman / Cusco

Sacsayhuaman is the most impressive of the Inca sites that can be found near the city of Cusco which we will visit this morning for a coca leaf reading and our last ceremony with our Shaman. The afternoon will be free to enjoy this UNESCO World Heritage city. Filled with Inca stonework, colonial doors and balconies, churches, museums, restaurants and shops, there will be no shortage of things to do.

Meals- Breakfast

June 24th, 2018 – Inti Raymi / Cusco

Solstices plays an important role in Andean cosmology and the modern Inti Raymi is a re-enactment of the celebration of the winter solstice in the time of the Inca reign. It takes place at three important sites; the Qorikancha temple, the main square and the esplanade of Sacsayhuaman. The “Inca” addresses his people in Quechua, accompanied by his coyas, dancers and musicians. It is a stunning representation of the myth and legends of the mighty Inca civilization.

Meals - Breakfast

June 25th, 2018 – Cusco /Puno

This morning our bus will pick us up from the hotel and bring us through the Valleys outside of Cusco, watching as they open up into vast, sweeping plains. There is a chance to stop at some of the more important tourist sites along the way, including the church of Andahuaylillas, the Inca site of Raqchi and the town of Pukara. The journey to Puno will take between 8 and 9 hours.

Meals - Breakfast, Lunch

June 26th, 2018 – Lake Titicaca / Puno

Today we visit the world’s highest, navigable lake, Lake Titicaca, which according to legend, gave birth to the Inca civilization. Here there are thousands of local inhabitants making a living fishing its icy waters, growing potatoes along its edge or herding llama and alpaca. The turquoise blue lake was the most sacred body of water in the Inca Empire and is now the natural separation between Peru and Bolivia.

Our private speed boat will pick us up this morning from the private harbour of the hotel, travelling to Taquile Island for a private weaving demonstration. On this tiny spot of land in the middle of Lake Titicaca the only ones who do the knitting are the men. It was one of the last locations in Peru to capitulate to Spanish domination during the conquest of Peru. It was captured for Carlos V and eventually passed to Pedro Gonzales of Taquila, after whom the island was named. As the Spanish forbade traditional dress, the islanders adopted the Spanish peasant clothing but with a marked Andean style including the old geometric patterns that Andean people use to tell their stories. They are known for maintaining that as traditional dress today. They combine this with finely made Andean-style garments and accessories (ponchos, belts, shawls, coca-leaf bags and others). 

Next we will go for a special Pachamanca lunch in the peninsular. Pachamanca uses a traditional old technique of cooking with heated stones and is reserved for special occasions. 

After lunch we will go to the Uros floating islands. Here, the ancient Uros People live on islands made of living reeds. From tightly bundled reeds, the Uros People build canoe-shaped boats for transport and fishing.  A well-constructed boat can carry a whole family for about 6 months before beginning to rot.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

June 27th, 2018 – Sillustani/Lima

Our last stop in the highlands is the pre-Inca burial site of Sillustani. Dotted with impressive tower-like tombs, some up to 6 metres high, and sitting on the shore of a steely grey lake, this is a site not to be missed. The area is also known for its electro-magnetic field which draws impressive lightning storms to the area. Our local guide will first take us through the site, explaining the history of the area, before our transfer to Juliaca airport for our flight into Lima. Private transfer to our hotel for our final night and celebration of our magical journey through Peru.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

June 28th, 2018 - Departure Day

Private transfer to the airport in time for your international flight.