October 21 - Nov 4, 2008 - One date only. No customizing
Complementing your yoga practice, this program offers a spiritual and cultural adventure for mind, body and soul. Each day after your yoga session and a relaxed buffet breakfast, you will visit a different ancient Inkan site in the Sacred Valley. Time is set aside during these outings for hiking, personal exploration and meditation. Your guide is passionate about her work and she will spark your excitement as you learn about the traditions and spirituality at each site. She’ll accompany you throughout your program and ensure that your yoga adventure is organized to cater to your individual needs. Step out of yourself and enter the mystical world of Peru, the cradle of a unique culture and its spiritual traditions. You are invited to participate in both an authentic ritual led by a practicing healer - a seer in the Andean tradition and a modern day representative of an age-old line of spiritual authority - and a healing sound ceremony at the base of Machu Picchu.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1 (Oct 21) Note: If you would like to arrive a day early to acclimate to the 13,000ft altitude, Magical Journey can assist with accommodation and airport transfers.
Day 2 (October 22): Morning arrival in the bustling city of La Paz, Bolivia. Transfer to our Hotel Presidente in the modern downtown area to rest and acclimate to the high altitude. There are two restaurants in the hotel for lunch, or explore the many nearby restaurants on the main street. At 3pm you will be picked up for a city tour to the residential areas of La Paz and the Valley of the Moon. At 6pm the guide will take you into the old part of the city in an area known as the Witches Market where outdoor and indoor vendors sell typical Bolivian handcrafted products. Flight note: The American Airlines flight into La Paz arrives early in the morning at 6am, which will give you a full day for rest and afternoon activities.
Day Two (October 23): morning bus to the ancient city of Tiawanaku. En route, our guide will stop for an ancient ceremony to connect you to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and this ancient land. Visit a wonderful museum that introduces you to the region’s fascinating ancient history that predates the arrival of the Inka. A guided tour of the splendid pre-Inkan stonework and sunken pyramids of Tiawanaku follow. After lunch, there is time for meditation and a second ceremony with coca leaves. Afternoon drive to Copacobana on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Early evening check in to your lakeside hotel. (B)
Day 3 (October 24): Early morning departure for Lake Titicaca, a place abounding in mystery and one of the world’s wonders. It is thought that during the uplift that created the Andes, Lake Titicaca was eventually formed as an enclosed saltwater sea. After lunch, travel by launch to the Island of the Sun, birthplace of civilization. The Creator Gods of the Andean civilization are said to have come from this area. You will stay overnight at the new La Estancia Ecolodge on the island, an opportunity that few tourists have had in the past. A sunset meditation with time to tap into the pure energies and unique colours emanating from the magical lake and surrounding nature will stay with you forever. Complimentary dinner at the lodge. (B, D)
Day 4 (October 25): Our wonderful and gentle Bolivian guide will lead you on a hike across the island to experience the stark beauty and absorb the special energies of these sacred sites. Walk through an ancient chinkana labyrinth of stone walls with time for meditation. Return to Copacabana for a typical lunch at a local fish restaurant. After a visit to a lovely Copacabana church transfer by bus to Puno. Early evening arrival and overnight in Puno. (B)
Day 5 (October 26): Thirty minute transfer to Juliaca from Puno. Departure from Juliaca for Cusco City on LanPeru flight at 09:05. (B)
Day 6 (October 27): The program begins in Cusco, ancient capital of the Inkan Empire. Magical Journey group transfer from Cusco airport to comfortable hotel conveniently situated off the historic Plaza de Armas. Rest for a few hours and acclimate to the 11,000ft altitude before the program officially begins. Magical Journey invites you to a welcome lunch, followed by a group orientation meeting with your leader and guide and an introduction to this special program. Late afternoon walk through the cobblestone streets of Cusco where your guide will point out fascinating Inkan stonework en route to the Korikancha Temple, the holiest site during Inkan times. Early night to rest, or enjoy a walk through the San Blas district, a quaint area filled with artisan and art shops. Stop in at one of the many lively restaurants or coffee shops in the area. Includes: (L).
Day 7 (October 28): After a buffet breakfast in the hotel, early bus to the Inkan ritual fountain at Tampumachay, the perfect starting place for our program on Andean cosmology. “Where there is water, there is life.” To the Andean people water is sacred and we invite you to participate in a water ceremony to balance and open your energy centers, activating and enhancing your creative and healing forces. Continue onward with a visit to the sacred sites at Saksaywaman overlooking the city of Cusco. Impressive stonework and structures weighing hundreds of tons will leave you in awe. Return to Cusco for lunch on your own with free time to explore some of the quality silver shops on the main square. Group meets back at the hotel for afternoon departure to the Sacred Valley and Willka T'ika Garden Guest House, your base over the next week. Orientation at Willka T'ika followed by a welcome dinner and introduction to our friendly Quechua staff, who will take care of your needs during your stay. Includes: (B), (D).
At Willka T'ika you will enjoy the peace and tranquility of nature surrounded by an abundance of Andean flowers and medicinal herbs, the perfect setting for yoga/meditation practitioners. Each morning our beautiful heated hardwood-floor yoga studio, stocked with blankets, mats and Andean yoga belts, is available to teacher and students. Your morning practice is followed by a delicious buffet breakfast served in the sunroom. Our vegetarian meals cater to the special health diets and requirements of our guests and include high protein Andean grains and fruits. All meals at Willka T'ika are vegetarian and organic, with large amounts of our food grown in the sacred energy of our gardens. While at Willka T'ika there will be time to schedule a private massage or healing session, a crystal-bed treatment, or a soak in our hot outdoor Andean aromatherapy baths. Enjoy some of the wonderful optional offerings at Willka T’ika and set time aside to explore the seven healing gardens, where many varieties of Andean birds can be found.
Day 8(October 29): Special day with authentic Andean ceremony. Morning yoga/meditation and buffet breakfast. After breakfast, group orientation tour of the seven sacred gardens at Willka T'ika. Incorporating Andean symbols, these magnificent flower and herbal gardens bring wholeness to our being and have been built with love and guidance from nature. Group attunement and meditation in the gardens connect us with Pachamama, further enhancing our connection to the energies of the Sacred Valley. We encourage you to enjoy and meditate upon the splendors of nature during your stay at Willka T’ika and while visiting the nearby ancient sites. Energetic guests may hike in the countryside, stopping at a neighbor's chicharia to see how the traditional drink is brewed. Chicha, made from Sara (sacred corn), is an important component in ceremonies to the Apukuna (mountain spirits). Our staff, all children of traditional Quechua campesinos, will happily accompany you and invite you into their nearby homes. Others may wish to use the time to rest, paint and write in their journals. An authentic pakko (ritual specialist) invites the group to participate in a special Andean offering ceremony to Pachamama. Conducted for the well-being of the group and practiced by Andean Quechua for thousands of years, this healing ceremony invites you into their spirit-filled world. We finish with a fire ceremony, preparing our mind, body and spirit for our pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 9 (October 30): After yoga practice and breakfast we visit the Ollantaytambo Ruins with its wonderful stonework and sun temple. Weather permitting, we follow with a very special visit to an Andean mountain school. For fifteen years Magical Journey has maintained contact with dedicated school teachers and traditionally-dressed pupils in isolated mountain communities, in areas that few tourists are privileged to visit. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 10 (Octber 31): After yoga and breakfast, we welcome the day with a drive through the Sacred Valley to the spectacular ruins of P'isaq. Above impressive Inkan terraces, we hike the trail to the Inkan Temple of the Sun, a doorway to the upper Andean world of the condor, messenger of the gods. Optional meditation, optional hike down the mountain to the colorful market of P'isaq. Be prepared - this market has wonderful woven goods, jewelry, wall hangings and hand-painted beadwork for purchase, as well as offering up excellent photo opportunities. Observe the colorful traditionally dressed campesinos coming to barter and sell their produce. Our guide will recommend some delicious options for an inexpensive al fresco lunch, where you can watch the lively activities of the market. Return to Willka T'ika in the afternoon with time to relax or practice yoga before dinner. Preparation for visit to Machu Picchu. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 11 (November 1): Morning train to Aguas Calientes, the lively village situated below the nearby Machu Picchu Ruins. After a brief check-in to your hotel, ascend by bus to the sunlit terraces of the historical Inkan center of spiritual and political power. In the morning you enter Machu Picchu as tourists and follow our special guide on a tour of the “Lost City of the Inka.” There is plenty of time to return in the afternoon as pilgrims for meditations and explorations in feminine and masculine energy sites and to celebrate a true “Inti Raymi.” Weather permitting, the group is invited to participate in an outdoor shamanic healing ceremony. The healer uses special custom-made instruments to tune in deeply to the core essence of Machu Picchu. After the hour-long ceremony, we invite you to a delicious three-course dinner in one of the finest restaurants in Aguas Calientes. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 12 (November 2): Full morning free to wander through the mysterious terraces and temples of Machu Picchu, Ancient City of Light. The energetic may climb to Waynapicchu, Young Mountain, for a spectacular view of Machu Picchu. The guide will meet you back at the hotel in the afternoon to catch your afternoon train back to Ollantaytampu, where you will transfer to Willka T'ika in time for dinner. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 13 (November 3): There will be one bus transfer for the group to Cusco Airport for the flight to the Lima airport for your connecting flight home. Please coordinate all departure flight times with the group leader. Booking on the same flight works best. Passengers have to be at the airport one and a half hours before the flight and it takes one hour and fifteen minutes to drive from Willka T’ika to the airport. To avoid getting up at dawn, we suggest that you book your departure from Cusco at around 11:00-11:30am. Multiple flight departures may require multiple transfers from the guesthouse at additional cost. Includes: (B).
Day 14 (November 4): Arrival in home city. Optional Lima day tour: Overseas flights out of Lima tend to leave in the evening and Lima is not an easy city to negotiate, therefore an optional Lima city tour is available to the whole group. The tour stops in the colorful parks of the cosmopolitan suburb of Miraflores and the historical colonial downtown area, time permitting, before visiting either the Gold or Archaeological Museum, with stops for lunch and dinner. You are transferred back to the airport in time to check in for your evening flight home. Depending on the size of the group and the time spent in Lima, there will be an additional cost of approximately $80 per person.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- All activities indicated in this itinerary
- All meals indicated in this itinerary.
- All accommodation.
- All group transport.
- Superlative English-speaking guides.
- All site entrance tickets.
- Workshops with authentic healers.
Price does not include:
- International return flights from point of origin to Cusco via Lima.
- Please allow between $4-$14 for the meals not included in the itinerary (4 lunches,1 dinner during program).
- Airport departure taxes of approximately US$41.
- Tipping.
- Individual coca-leaf readings, optional Willka T’ika services.
- Lima day tour and any expenses in transit to and from Cusco.
- Alcoholic beverages, personal items.
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Peru
Bolivia
Yoga & Spiritual Experience
Pilgrimage/Spirituality
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