Meet the People

Inca, Pre-Inca and Colonial Peru                     June 23 - July 9th, 2003

Sample Itinerary

Monday, June 23: Arrive in Lima. Transfer to your hotel.

Tuesday, June 24: Morning tour of Lima's colonial attractions. Lunch at a "chifa" in Chinatown. Chinese people came to Peru to work on the railroads and have since developed a cuisine blending the best Peruvian foods with Chinese expertise. Afternoon visit to Museum of Anthropology and Archeology which contains an important collection of ceramics, gold and silversmithing, and textiles of the ancient cultures of Chavin, Moche, Chimu, Tiahuanaco, Pucara, Paracas, Nazca and Ica. These well-designed exhibits will allow you to put the various Inca and Pre-Inca cultures of Peru into perspective. Your escort will help you select from a variety of restaurants for dinner. (AB, L)

Wed, June 25: Fly to colonial Arequipa, dominated by the dormant volcano "El Misti". Arequipa is known as "The White City" because the buildings are made of white volcanic rock (sillar). Today we tour the city and visit the cloistered convent of Santa Catalina, founded in 1579. Papal decree had closed these walls to any but the sisters inside for 400 years, not even permitting their families to see them once they had entered. Visit the cells where they lived and the convent city that encompassed their lives. See life as it used to be in 1579. Typical Arequipeño lunch included at the Sol de Mayo restaurant. An option for the afternoon can be to visit an antique town-home, the Casa de Moral. We will spend 2 nights in Arequipa to accustom ourselves to the altitude (7,500 feet). (CB, L)

Thur, June 26: In September 1995, anthropologist Dr. Johan Reinhard and his climbing partner Miguel Zarate set out on expedition to explore newly uncovered land in the southern Andes. In a crater near the summit, they discovered a cloth bundle. The bundle turned out to be the mummy of a teenage girl, frozen over five hundred years ago! The climbers immediately recognized the importance of this archeological discovery. This morning we can visit on our own the Ice Maiden from the Andes, also known as Mummy Juanita, the first female frozen mummy to be found anywhere in the Andes. Genetic testing is presently being done to determine her living descendants, as well as biological testing to give us insights into Inca health and nutrition. From the museum we will motor to "La Alcantarilla", a local "picantería", famous for its crayfish, potato dishes, cheeses and spicy sauces prepared with ingredients native to this region. In the afternoon we take a tour of the countryside around Arequipa including the house of the Founder and an old Mill. (AB)

Fri, June 27: Fly to Juliaca, the closest airport to Lake Titicaca. This part of the tour will be arranged for us by our local guide and is unique to New World Journeys. On the way to your hotel in Puno, we will meet Teodoro, a subsistence farmer, living on the high plains of the Andes. He, together with his wife, Julia, will show you around their house and farmstead. He's also a local "shaman" and will do a sort of "blessing way" ceremony for us. Next we will visit the Colla burial towers (chullpas), which were built as sepulchers for the nobles, who were interred with their entire families! This was a pre-Inca, Aymará-speaking civilization, based in Tiahuanaco almost 2000 years ago, whose architecture was considered more advanced than that of the Incas. This is the highest altitude you will experience on the trip. The lake is 12,600 feet, the town of Puno a little higher. Relax and enjoy the ride. Do not attempt any taxing excursions this day! Overnight in Puno. (AB, Box lunch)

Sat, June 28: Full day trip to the island of Amantaní. There is no running water or electricity and nighttime temperatures drop to freezing even in the summer. But those who travel here catch a glimpse of an Andean agricultural community that has maintained the same traditions for centuries. Some Amantaní residents, known for their generous hospitality, live and die without ever leaving the island. Here you will visit "Pacha Tata" or the Earth Father, where a special tribute and ceremony of payment to the earth will be presided over by the Shaman of the Altiplano. While visiting the island you will have lunch at a local house. (BB, L)

Sunday, June 29: The best known of the islands dotting Titicaca's surface are the Uros, floating islands of reed named after the Indians who inhabited them. The Uros islanders fish, hunt birds and live off the lake plants, principally the totora reed, or "elake" in their tongue. The reeds are used for their houses, boats, the bases of their 5 islands and even as a principal food! Today we will meet some of the Uros who still follow the ancient ways though their blood had been mixed with the Aymará and Quechua speaking Indians of later times.

The province of Puno is the Folklore Center of Peru, with a rich array of handicrafts, costumes, holidays, legends and most importantly, more than 300 ethnic dances. We will be attending the festivities of San Pedro and San Pablo in Ichu, where the Devil Dance is performed. Dancers fiercely compete to outdo one another in this "Diablada", noted for its profusion of costly and grotesque masks. We will also witness a folklore Mass, procession of the Patron Saints and visit the Temple of Fertility.

A nearby village, Chucuito, boasting an Inca "sundial" or intihuatana, sits upon what was once an Inca settlement. We stop here for lunch. (BB, L)

Monday, June 30: Morning departure from Puno for an unforgettable 8-hour train ride through the picturesque high plains or "altiplano," climbing over the pass of "La Raya" before dropping down into the Vilcanota River valley to Cuzco (11,200 feet). The Andean train, owned now by the European Orient Express line, passes through tiny native villages, once important strongholds of the Incas, and rugged mountain terrain brought to life by grazing llamas and alpacas. In the forefront of the historic buildings and ancient ruins you will see the incredibly lively human tapestry of Peru -- the people going about their lives, farming their fields and steep hillsides, grazing the llamas and other livestock, and spinning their wool to create the warm sweaters you will find in the market towns. Overnight in the historic center of Cuzco. (BB, L)

Tuesday, July 1: Morning at leisure. The afternoon will feature a tour of the city of Cuzco including the Plaza de Armas, Cathedral, and Inca Coricancha palaces well as a visit to the Inca ruins near Cuzco, which include:

After our tour the bus will take us to the Sacred Valley, where Incas and Spanish enjoyed the warmer climate and abundant fields of their haciendas. Overnight at the Sol Y Luna. (BB)

Wednesday, July 2: Today is a free day with time for river rafting, riding mountain bikes, horseback riding, lounging by the pool, or just walking through the towns in the Sacred Valley. We will be staying in the Sol y Luna, a hotel oriented to the tourist who is interested in living side by side with nature and in its conservation, and in the knowledge of other cultures. You will fall in love with the cabañas, nestled in beautiful flower gardens with views of the snow-capped mountains towering overhead. (BB)

Thursday, July 3: Full day excursion to the Sacred Valley beginning with the colorful Indian market of Pisac, where you will see traditionally dressed locals who have come long distances on foot to barter for produce next to stalls selling sweaters made of soft alpaca wool. Above the village you may choose to walk through Inca ruins in a spectacular setting, with a gorge on either side, leading down to rivers. Pisac is particularly well-known for its agricultural terracing, sweeping around the sides of the mountains in great graceful curves. We will return for lunch to our hotel, which features the best food in the Sacred Valley! Then on to Ollantaytambo, which is the site of one of the few Inca military victories over the Spanish. The village below the megalithic fortress is the best surviving example of Inca urban planning. Present day houses are built on the original Inca walls. (BB, L)

Friday, July 4th: Board the train early in the morning for the dramatic ride to Machu Picchu (6180 feet), the great mountaintop city abandoned by the Inca, reclaimed by the jungle and lost to humanity until its rediscovery in 1911. Lunch, dinner and overnight at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, renovated in 2001 by the new owner, Orient Express Hotels. Our guide will remain with us through the early afternoon to show us some of the marvels of this city. This is the only hotel located beside the ruins of the Inca citadel. Plenty of time to stroll through the terraced gardens, staircases, temples, baths and tombs built at the height of the Empire. (BB, L, D)

Saturday, July 5th: Arise in the cradle of the most advanced pre-Columbian civilization! After a hearty breakfast, pay an early visit to the solitary ruins. See the sunlight cut through the morning mist to illumine the citadel, listen for the hummingbirds and note the brilliant wildflowers along the paths. You may discover the Inca drawbridge, walk a little way back toward Cuzco on the Inca trail, perhaps even climb the sister peak, Huayna Picchu, before the train of tourists arrives. You'll find the resident llamas graceful and your ears will catch the melody of an Andean "huayno" sometime during your day. This is the best time to visit Machu Picchu as the rainy season has ended and the flowers are still in bloom. You can hear the roaring of the turgid Urubamba River as boulders are forced downstream by the autumnal rainwater. Frequently in the afternoon and early morning wisps of clouds will drift through the ruins, making your experience there unforgettable! Catch the afternoon train back to the Sacred Valley. (BB)

Sunday, July 6th: Today we're off to visit one of the oldest markets in Peru, in the indigenous village of Chincheros, (known prior to the Conquest as "the town of the rainbow".) Here you will meet some of the most renowned weavers in the country. Then we see the salt mines of Maras, where the same 34 indigenous families have owned the saltpans since before the time of the Incas. Our third stop for the day will be at Moray, the Inca's experimental agricultural terraces. We will have time to stop at a "chichería" to meet some local people and sample the corn brew. Then back to Cuzco where we can opt to catch a performance of traditional music and/or dancing while we dine. We'll be staying tonight at the ancient San Antonio Abad Seminary, built in 1592, and now known as the Monasterio Hotel of Cuzco. This unique Hotel Museum offers its guests an encounter with the Inca and Spanish tradition of the city, together with the superb quality of a luxurious 5 star Orient Express hotel! (BB, Box L)

Monday, July 7th: Returning to Lima, we have the rest of the day at leisure. Your escort will direct you to some interesting restaurants and museums. The National Artisan Festival is scheduled to be on, which is an inexpensive place to stock up on hand made items. We can also explore the Indian Market and the shops in Miraflores. (BB)

Tuesday July 8th: Today is entirely at your leisure. We can opt to visit the world-famous Larco-Herrera Museum, overflowing with ceramics from the Moche culture, including a room devoted to "erotic pottery", visit the Gold Museum or the National Museum, any of Lima's historic sights we have missed or spend the day catching up on those last minute purchases. (BB)

Wednesday, July 9th: Flight back to your home. (BB)

For those who wish to see more of Peru we will have optional extensions to the Lord of Sipan area in the North of Peru, a Jungle lodge including a visit to a Macaw clay lick, or a visit to the South and a flight over the Nazca lines.

(Meals included in tour: BB is Buffet Breakfast, L is Lunch, D is Dinner, AB is cooked, American Breakfast, CB is Continental Breakfast)