CUSCO / MACHU PICCHU EXTENSION

OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST WORKSHOP FOR EDUCATORS

Cost is $1548. Price includes all transportation in Peru.

Day 1 - Monday - July 9 - IQUITOS / LIMA

After breakfast at Ceiba Tops, we board boats to Iquitos where we are transferred to the airport. Our flight takes us to Lima where we are met on arrival, tour historic Lima, and are transferred to our hotel. Dinner is on your own.

Day 2 - Tuesday - July 10 - LIMA / CUSCO / SACSAHUAMAN

We leave the coastal city of Lima for Cusco, nestled in a valley more than 11,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by some of the most majestic peaks in the Andes. On arrival in Cusco, we transfer to our hotel. Our late morning school visit gives us an opportunity to interact with teachers and school children.  After our lunch at a local restaurant we travel by bus, ascending into the mountains surrounding Cusco. Here, overlooking Cusco at a height of over 12,000 feet, the Incas built one of their most amazing fortresses. Sacsahuaman is a huge citadel of massive stones so well fitted that a knife-blade cannot be inserted between them. The zipzag shape of the stronghold is explained as representing the teeth of a gigantic Puma, of which Cusco is the body. From here, we visit the Inca amphitheater at Kenko and Tampu Machay. Built around a natural spring, Tampu Machay was a royal bathing place of the Inca. After a guided tour of Cusco, there is time for shopping at several specialty shops.

Day 3 - Wednesday - July 11 - CUSCO / MACHU PICCHU

Early this morning we travel down the mountain to the archaeological wonders of Ollantaytambo, where ancient temples and fortresses were built to protect the Sacred Valley. We depart from the Ollanta Railway Station to Machu Picchu Station on a picturesque train ride around the mountainsides and through the valleys toward Machu Picchu. Arriving in time for lunch, we have an option either to go directly to Machu Picchu or explore the region in search of the spectacular bright orange-red Cock-of-the-Rock. The hotel is situated in a wet montane forest of giant tree ferns, birds-of-paradise, and other water loving plants that attract wildlife species such as Torrent Duck, Mitred Parakeet and Roadside Hawk. This area offers hours of rewarding observation for birders and plant lovers alike. You may choose to visit the extensive orchid garden nearby or walk to the thermal baths. A dramatic setting is created by the Urubamba River, whose torrents of water rush over huge boulders nearby. Dinner is served at the hotel.

Day 4 - Thursday - July 12 - MACHU PICCHU / URUBAMBA VALLEY

We begin this day at dawn by boarding a bus for an extraordinary experience at Machu Picchu. Climbing 2,000 feet up a steep winding road we are afforded beautiful views of the valley and sheer mountain faces that fall abruptly toward the Urubamba River. It is easy to understand why this setting is considered by so many to be a spiritual place. Your imagination will soar as clouds lift to reveal the mountaintops. Many theories exist as to how and why this archeological wonder was lost for four centuries, hidden by overgrowth, until Hiram Bingham in 1911 rediscovered the site. Our guide reveals what current experts believe to be the meaning of the sacred structures, chambers, and plazas of this renowned monument to the Incas. We have a few hours to enjoy this place of unparalleled inspiration and solitude before others arrive. Lunch is served at a restaurant adjacent to the site, and we then again board our bus for the zigzag descent to our hotel below. This afternoon we return to the Urubamba Valley where we are transferred to our hotel for overnight.

Day 5 - Friday - July 13 - URUBAMBA VALLEY / CUSCO

We travel by private bus into the historic Urubamba Valley (known as the "Sacred Valley"), stopping at Chinchero to learn about the Quechua and a cultural perspective of the Andes that is often overlooked. Dress and weaving design distinguish the Quechua of Chinchero. Many women still wear the multiple braids and handmade clothes. In addition, language, technology, folklore, and ritual life characterize the region. Over 3,000 people live clustered around the church, marketplace, and ruins in Chinchero. The majority of the 18,000 residents in the Chinchero political district, however, live dispersed in small villages in the surrounding hills. The scenery in this province is spectacular. Precision contours spiral the hillsides. These large-scale terraces and walls of limestone built in tightly fitted polygonal style leave traces of the administrative and ritual functions of the area. The range in altitude of the area supports a variety of tuber agriculture to complement the economics of animal husbandry and textile production. During part of the day we visit a weaving project. Intricate designs of animals, mountains, and flowers are featured in brightly colored blankets and clothing. You will see some of the processes of the carding and spinning of the wool, use of the handlooms for weaving the textiles, and the application of natural dyes and the plant sources from which they are made. As we continue on our journey, the fine Inca masonry is evident in well-engineered irrigation systems, fortified roads and stone terraces. We return to our hotel before leaving for one of Cusco's leading restaurants for a farewell dinner and a colorful program of Andean folklore.

Day 6 - Saturday - July 14 - CUSCO / LIMA / U.S.A.

We return to the airport for our morning flight to Lima. We once again fly over the majestic peaks of the Andes. This time you will be returning with a perspective of the wealth of Peru's natural resources and cultural diversity, your personal experiences, and memories to treasure from traveling through this sacred land. In Lima, we return to our hotel and integrate Andes luggage with the Amazon gear left at the hotel. In the afternoon, we visit several of Lima's historic sites and in the evening transfer to the airport for your flight back to the U.S.A.  Note that travelers will arrive home on Sunday, July 15.