Go Solo: Peru’s Sacred Valley, Lima & Machu Picchu

After checking in at the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure.

At the hotel.

Orientation: 8:00 a.m. at the hotel. The Group Leader will greet everyone with a warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. Meals on our program feature local cuisine. Unless otherwise specified, transportation during your program will be provided by air-conditioned bus. Our buses do not include onboard toilets, so we have scheduled stops during drives for bathroom breaks. Free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Please note that program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We will be joined by a local expert for a presentation on the relationship between biodiversity and the Humboldt Current in Peru. We’ll then board a bus and ride south to Chorrillos. Through interactions with locals and a visit to the pier and fish market, we’ll learn about the way of life at this fishing community. Next, we will ride towards the ruins of Huaca Pucllana. Our Group Leader will provide historical information about the archaeological site while we enjoy views of the ruins from a nearby restaurant. The pre-Inca ceremonial center rises among the modern buildings of Lima’s attractive Miraflores district. The adobe complex is thought to have served as an administrative and religious center. Wari mummies and artifacts found at this location point to its occupation by Wari people around 700 CE.

At a restaurant overlooking the ruins of Huaca Pucllana.

Riding on to downtown Lima, we will continue today's explorations and learn about the city’s colonial past. We will stop at the grand Plaza de Armas for a walking field trip to Casa Aliaga, Lima’s Cathedral, and the San Francisco Convent. At the conclusion of our field trip, the bus will drop us off at the hotel for a chance to freshen up and relax a bit before we leave our hotel for dinner.

At a local restaurant. We will also observe a demonstration on how to make Peru’s signature drink: the pisco sour.

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and flight transfer in the morning.

Early at the hotel.

We will review and complete check-out procedures. Then we'll have a presentation by a local expert on the politics and economy of Peru. We’ll then ride to the airport and board our flight to Cusco.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to select from the options available at Lima airport. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Upon arrival in Cusco, we’ll meet a local expert, collect our bags and walk to the parking lot to board our bus. As we ride into the Sacred Valley of the Incas where our hotel is located, our expert will give us a brief introduction to the area. We’ll then check in to the hotel with some time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

At the hotel.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will ride a short distance then set out on a walking field trip to a typical produce market. We’ll learn about the particular conditions that make this valley perfect for farming as we view some of the interesting vegetables and fruits grown here. The Sacred Valley was once an important agricultural center for the Inca Empire. In this part of the world, Inca terraces are as ubiquitous as potatoes, and many are still in use. Next, we’ll ride to the Moray archaeological site and explore it on foot. Researchers and archaeologists theorize that the Inca site at Moray was once used for agricultural studies and experiments. The unique terraces at this site are laid out in concentric circles within three large pits measuring as much as 100 feet in depth. We’ll ride on to the community of Maras, arriving in time for lunch.

In Maras with members of the local community.

While at a local home, we'll learn about Inca agricultural practices during a presentation by a local expert. Then we'll walk through the community and learn about its salt pans, the process of mining salt, and cultural/historical ties to the practice. We’ll also learn how valuable salt was in the preservation of food, especially meats. These natural salt mines have existed since the time of the Inca and continued through that of the Spanish Conquistadors. We will continue our visit with the local community and see how they weave baskets from corn husks, learn about their farming techniques, and get a glimpse of daily life in the Sacred Valley. Our day will culminate with an ancient Pachamama ceremony led by a shaman. Pachamama is an important fertility goddess revered by the people of the Andes. She can be likened to the goddess “Mother Nature” in Western culture. We’ll then return to the hotel.

Early at the hotel.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer, and early morning journey to Machu Picchu in the morning. Pack an overnight bag (no more than 11 pounds) for this night; other luggage will be secured until our return to Cusco.

Early at the hotel.

We will ride to the Ollantaytambo train station and board a train to Aguas Calientes Station en route to Machu Picchu. This scenic journey by rail follows the meandering path of the Urubamba River and provides spectacular views of the snowcapped Andes. Our Group Leader will provide commentary as we go. We will disembark at Aguas Calientes Station (6,693 feet elevation). Shortly thereafter, we will board a bus that will take us up the mountain to the Machu Picchu ruins. NOTE: Seating on the buses is on a “first come, first served” basis. We do not have a set departure time and will wait in line to board the bus.

At a local restaurant.

We will spend the afternoon exploring in and around the ruins with our Group Leader. The modern day discovery of this ancient and incredible Inca city is credited to Hiram Bingham, a Yale graduate and former U.S. senator who was fascinated with Inca archaeology. While he was searching for Vilcabamba and Vitcos, Bingham “found” Machu Picchu with the help of a local farmer who knew about the ruins. Bingham hypothesized that the site was a “citadel” existing for strategic and defense purposes. He also speculated that the site was a refuge for Cusco’s Virgins of the Sun, based upon the finding of skulls there, although not scientifically classified as female. Breakthroughs in archaeology since 1985 have largely supported the emerging view of Machu Picchu as a royal estate. Archaeologists believe the site was built around 1450-1460 at the orders of Inca ruler Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui. It is estimated that the ruler lived here with more than 750 laborers, servants, family and relatives, and priests. Machu Picchu was built, flourished, and fell into demise within a period of only 100 years. The reason for its disuse remains a mystery, although archaeologists speculate it may have had to do with the Spanish conquest. We will ride back to Aguas Calientes for down time after our exploration.

On your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure. Prepare for check out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

If interested in re-visiting Machu Picchu, it would require an extremely early visit in order to make it back in time to catch the train to Ollantaytambo. NOTE: Tickets for an additional entrance to the Machu Picchu ruins are not included in the program cost. We will rendezvous with our Group Leader at the hotel and walk to the train station as a group to board the train back to Ollantaytambo Station. Upon arrival, we will disembark and board a bus to the Ollantaytambo town and ruins — altitude 9,100 feet — for a walking field trip. We’ll learn about the engineering genius of the Inca that is evidenced by the extensive terracing and irrigation found at the site. Running water still flows through the town in aqueducts. The Inca emperor Pachacuti built Ollantaytambo in the 15th century as part of his royal estate. After Pachacuti’s death in the mid-15th century, the Spanish conquest of Peru began. The Inca emperor at that time was Manco Inca who used Ollantaytambo as a stronghold against the Spanish. His army won a small victory nearby against Spanish forces. Shortly thereafter, Manco Inca decided the site was not secure enough and fled with the remaining members of his empire to Vilcabamba, where the Inca famously made their last stand against the Spanish.

At a local restaurant.

Next, we will ride to the small town of Chinchero — altitude 12,00 feet. We’ll set out on an expert-led field trip to a local weaving cooperative and observe a weaving demonstration. Weaving is a way of life in Chinchero, as important for preserving ancient traditions as it is for earning a livelihood. Located in the Peruvian Andes on the Inca road between Cusco and Machu Picchu, Chinchero was an early Inca center built by emperor Tupa Inca as his country estate. During Inca reign, textiles were woven and offered to mark special occasions, from peace treaties and sacrifices to marriage ceremonies and puberty rites. Children in Chinchero grow up watching their mothers work on the spindle and loom. By age six or seven, most have learned to weave. They begin with jakimas, narrow ribbons, before moving on to more complicated pieces. From here, we will ride to our hotel in Cusco.

On your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We’ll join our Group Leader for a walking field trip through the city of Cusco including Koricancha. Cusco is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere. It was once the heart of the Inca Empire and the center of their known world. Under Inca Pachacutec’s leadership, the city became a study in sophisticated urban development and engineering. Sadly, the site was thoroughly looted by Francisco Pizarro and his forces in 1533. The sturdy Inca foundations and stones were used to construct a new city. Koricancha, also spelled Qorikancha, is the Temple of the Sun in downtown Cusco; believed to have been an important religious center for the Inca. Colonial reports dating back to Cusco’s conquest indicate that it once held a gold statue of the sun weighing approximately two tons and inlaid with gems. The temple was built with enormous boulders and is one of the most outstanding examples of this type of construction. The invading Spaniards did their best to destroy it and replace it with a church, built on the solid foundations soon after the conquest. This symbolized the Christian triumph over heathen religion. Our next stop is to the Pre-Columbian Art Museum that features pre-Columbian art from the Nazca, Mochica, Chimu, and Inca cultures and more; societies who lived in Peru prior to European conquest. Pieces in the collection date from 1250 BCE to 1532 CE

At a local restaurant.

Free Time. Take this opportunity for independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Cusco. The Group Leader will also be happy to offer recommendations. We’ll regroup before dinner for a presentation by a local expert on the history of Incan and Andean musical instruments. We’ll then ride to a local restaurant.

At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure after our final field trip in the morning.

At the hotel.

After checking out and storing our luggage at the hotel, we will ride to the impressive Sacsayhuaman ruins that form the head of the Puma design of old Cusco. The ruin is constructed of huge polygonal blocks that interlock with one another so precisely a knife blade cannot be inserted between them. It is an exceptionally impressive engineering feat as the stones used are not found in the region and most of the blocks weigh more than a ton. The largest weighs more than 300 tons. We will then explore two Incan ruins surrounding Cusco: Kenko and Tambomachay. Due to the lack of written records from the time period, the purpose of many Incan ruins is a mystery. Archaeological evidence at Kenko shows that the Inca built the site as a “huaca” or holy site, where researchers speculate that death rituals, mummification, and human sacrifice were practiced. Researchers believe priests used the channels carved into the site to determine whether a person lived a good life by observing the route that liquid poured into the channels flowed: chicha (fermented corn), holy water, or blood. Tambomachay was likely used as a spa for Inca political elite. Aqueducts and canals channel water from a nearby thermal spring into waterfalls that cascade into a small pool.

At a restaurant featuring typical Cusqueño fare.

Free Time. Take this opportunity for independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Cusco. We will regroup at the hotel at an announced time, transfer to the airport together, and board our flight to Lima.

Upon arrival to Lima, we will connect with our evening flights out of Jorge Chávez International Airport. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!