Lima, Peru
Please schedule your flights to arrive in Lima on November 23. We are purposely not including a group flight. This gives each participant the opportunity to fly the most direct route from their home city to Lima. Upon arrival at the Lima Airport, you will be met and transferred to the NM Lima Hotel for overnight accommodation.

Lima - Cusco – Urubamba
After breakfast, transfer to Lima Airport for a morning flight to Cusco. Cusco, situated at 11,000 feet above sea level, is the oldest inhabited city in the Western Hemisphere. In Quechua, the language of the people of the Andes, Cusco means "navel of the Universe." We arrive in Cusco and transfer to the Kamaquen Retreat Center in Urubamba located in the Sacred Valley with its breathtaking vistas, mountains, and Urubamba River. Urubamba, although 2,000 feet lower in altitude than Cusco, still requires time to acclimate. After lunch we rest and drink local coca tea which helps our bodies adjust to the altitude. In the late afternoon we gather as a group and share our personal intentions for the journey and ceremonially request permission of Pachamama (Mother Earth) for the pilgrimage we are about to embark upon. Dinner and then overnight Kamaquen.

Urubamba - Ollantaytambo - Machu Picchu
We travel by train early in the morning from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, whose buildings and terraces spill over a ridge hundreds of meters above the rushing Urubamba river. We arrive in Aquas Calientes, the village at the base of the mountain below Machu Picchu and check into our hotel. After lunch we take a bus up the mountain along a dramatic switchback road. As we crest the final hill, a majestic vista unfolds! Machu Picchu's designers harmonized architecture and sacred geography, framing views of nearby mountains in doorways and windows and carving stones to echo the mountains' shapes. Machu Picchu is the Tibet of the Americas, and the most prized spiritual center of the pre-Inca. We engage together in shamanic ceremonies which honor this sacred place and invoke the protection and guidance of the surrounding mountain spirits. In the late afternoon we return to Aquas Calientes for dinner. After dinner, we go to a private hot springs and participate in a "ceremony of sounds" by our good friend Hebert. Overnight at Inti Inn.

Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Urubamba
Very early in the morning, we again ascend to Machu Picchu. This time, to receive the energy of the sun in a small ceremony. After the ceremony, you will be on your own to explore this magnificent site. A climb to the top of Huayna Picchu gives you a glorious view of the entire archeological site. Another hike brings you to the Temple of the Moon located on the backside of Huayna Picchu. These hikes can be quite challenging and arduous, especially if you live at sea-level. If you prefer to be less active, you can take a leisure walk to the Intipunko (Gate of the Sun) or simply wander around the site at your own pace, letting your own intuition draw to you specific temples and altars throughout Machu Picchu. In the afternoon we take the train back to Urubamba. This evening we engage in a special ceremony guided by Ruben using the traditional plant spirit medicine San Pedro. This plant, a cactus variety, is one of the most ancient plants of South America, frequently used by the shamans of Peru for healing purposes to open the doorways of perception. You will have the opportunity to drink a tea made from the San Pedro plant. Preparation, guidance, and support are provided throughout the ceremony. The possibility of individual healings may arise as well. Specific attention is given in the days that follow to help integrate and understand insights experienced during the ceremony. Dinner and overnight Kamaquen.

Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Urubamba
In the morning, we gather for a Heart Circle to share the experiences of the previous night. Afterwards, we visit Pisac, an Inca citadel perched high above the valley overlooking the river, one of the loveliest spots in the Sacred Valley. Dramatic terracing created centuries ago along the side of the mountain form the shape of a Condor. In the Andean world, the Condor represented the creature nearest to the Divine and is recognized as the Divine's messenger. Next we head down the mountain for lunch and shopping in the market of Pisac village. Then we return to Urubamba, where a steam room with medicinal plants awaits us. Dinner and overnight Kamaquen.

Urubamba – Ollantaytambo
After the breakfast, we journey to nearby Ollantaytambo, an ancient Inca village tucked at the end of the Sacred Valley. Ollantaytambo is a temple dedicated to the spirit of the wind, built by Pachacuti, the founder of Machu Picchu. Here we have a ceremony working with the force of the wind. At the top of the site are seven enormous rose-colored stones excavated from a nearby quarry which lay at the top of Ollantaytambo. The village is built on traditional Inca foundations and provides the best surviving example of Inca city planning. After lunch, we take the afternoon in silence, to prepare for our second San Pedro ceremony. Dinner and overnight Kamaquen.

Urubamba - Cusco
Breakfast, and then a Heart Circle to share about the San Pedro ceremony the night before. In the afternoon, we visit Tambo-Machay situated in the hills above Cusco, a place of sacred waters traditionally used for energetic cleansing and opening one's chakras. We continue to Quenqo and then Sacsayhuaman, a massive Inca fortress temple, built with colossal granite blocks precisely laid without the use of mortar. Then we go down to Cusco and check into the Hotel Ruinas. It was said that the Incas had designed the city of Cusco in the form of a jaguar and Sacsayhuaman was the head of the jaguar. The remaining stonework ranks with the finest Inca architecture in Peru. The rest of the day is free time for you personally explore Cusco. Stroll around town... sit in the Plaza de Armes... see local artisans making and selling their handicrafts around the Plaza San Blas....enjoy some shopping...or just relax. In Cusco, the Quechua come to sell produce, grains, and handicrafts - sweaters, ponchos, alpaca rugs, jewelry, weaving and countless other beautiful locally-produced items. "Quechua" refers not only to the language of the area but also to the Andean people themselves. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Ruinas.

Cusco
Today we go by bus to Tipon and we have a ceremony to cleanse ourselves in the water. Then we return to Cusco to have lunch. The remainder of the afternoon is free to explore Cusco. Later we have dinner and enjoy a performance of Quechua music and dance.

Cusco - Juliaca – Chucuito
In the morning, we visit Temple of Koricancha in Cusco. Midday we transfer to the Cusco Airport for a one hour flight to Juliaca. We continue by bus through the town of Puno and onto Chucuito situated on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. This sacred lake is the world's highest navigable lake at an elevation of 12,500 feet. Lake Titicaca has played a major part in the creation myths of the Inca and pre-Inca before them, as well as being the focus of ancient legends and contemporary beliefs claiming the existence of subterranean ethereal cities beneath the surface of the lake. A major legend of the Golden Solar Disc, tells of Lord Amaru Muru, one of the seven masters of the continent of Lemuria, bringing this most prized disc to the new formed Lake Titicaca. The Solar Disc was used for guidance and held the spiritual wisdom of the Universe. The legend says that this mystical Solar Disc was first brought to Tiwanaku, the ancient pre-Inca ceremonial center in nearby Bolivia, and later was placed in Lake Titicaca for safe keeping. Our journey to Lake Titicaca and the Altiplano region of Peru takes us deeper into the mysteries of the pre-Inca and considers their connections to the earlier civilizations of Lemuria and Atlantis. En route to Chucuito, visit the mysterious funerary burial towers, called chullpas, at Sillustani. Among these is the chullpa of the 12-angled door representing the 12 petals of the mystic lotus. Standing on a small hilltop in the Lake Umayo peninsula, these towers look very impressive against the magical landscape. During our drive to Sillustani, you can sometimes see huge herds of domesticated alpaca and llamas. Overnight at Taypikala Hotel.

Chucuito - Puno – Amantani
We take the bus to Puno and depart by boat for the island of Amantani known as "Island of Love." En route we visit the Uros Islands, floating isles made from the layers of tortora reeds. The reeds gradually rot away from the bottom and are replaced at the top. As you step onto the islands, the ground is soft and springy. Presently, about 400 Uros families live on approximately 30 of these floating islands. We continue to Amantani, an island of indigenous farmers, weavers and stone masons. Some say this is the area of the Lake where the "Golden Solar Disk" was brought from Cusco to protect it from the conquering Spaniards. With no roads or vehicles, Amantani is a place of tranquility and beautiful vistas. There are no hotels on Amantani which adds greatly to its charm. We are guests for three nights in the home of local farmers who are friends of our guide Ruben. Accommodations are rustic yet comfortable and include cold water for washing, and use of an outhouse facility. Being on Amantani is always a highlight for our groups. Overnight on Amantani.

Amantani
On the top of the island are two hills: one is the Temple of Pachamama (Mother Earth - feminine) and the other is the Temple of Pachatata (Father Earth - masculine). Once a year the residents of the island divide into two groups. Each group makes the pilgrimage to one of the sacred temples for ceremony and later they meet in the middle to celebrate their origins together. We spend the day hiking to these sacred temples and have the option to share another ceremony using the sacred plant San Pedro. Overnight on Amantani.

Amantani
After our breakfast, we have a Heart Circle to share our experiences of the previous day. In the afternoon we will visit the town center of Amantani. Overnight on Amantani.

Amantani - Chucuito
We leave our Amantani home and take the boat back to the mainland and head to the awesome site called Aramu Muru, believed by some to be an inter-dimensional gateway and where the seeds of all existence originated. We will take time here to explore the site and surrounding landscape. Once back in Chucuito, we visit Inka Uyo, a temple honoring the magic mushrooms found in this area and used for visionary purposes. The temple consists of a rectangular compound of mushroom shaped stones which some have misunderstood as phalluses. Our guide Ruben, will provide a fascinating explanation of the history of this site and explanation of why these are mushrooms and not phalluses as so many believe. Overnight at Taypikala Hotel.

Chucuito - Juliaca – Lima
Today our journey home begins. After breakfast, we head to the Juliaca airport for our flight to Lima. Once in Lima, depending on your flight time home, there will be options for shopping or visiting a day spa and a farewell dinner at the renowned Rosa Nautica Restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For USA bound travelers, after dinner we head to Lima Airport late evening departures to USA.