Peru- 2010

2010

THE INCAS, APU AUSANGATE & LAKE TITICACA Incl. Villa La Paz Foundation & Paru Paru Community Project

A Brand new adventure itinerary for 2010, our 15-day Multi-Activity Adventure offers one of a kind journey to the Peruvian Andes, the center of the Inca Empire – an in-depth exploration of the culture and its people, archaeology and the must-visit sites in Peru from the scenic grandeur of the High Andes to the emerald blue waters of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.

With the increasing popularity of multiactivity programs, our itinerary offers something for everyone – young and old, seasoned travellers and the adventurous souls - who yearns for much more than just a touring holiday.

We combine adventure taking you to legendary sites, connect with communities through which we travel and include exploratories to remote realms too.

Even the lodges we stay are ecofriendly, unique for their style chosen and the authentic local flavour. We then include several local meals to give you a culinary experience that is original Peruvian.

There is a good mix of expertly run activities in the Inca ruins, a few nights of entertainment, dining and camping with the local, trekking and sea kayaking and cultural immersions with the people in the seldom explored islands of Lake Titicaca.

As with most our adventure trips, we are generous enough to support our local hosts and include a few days of community involvement through funfilled activities and charitable work for the needy.

Fully Escorted

15 Day Tour June 5-20, 2010

Peru. Go Live The Legend An Ultimate Destination for Adventurers

Included Tour Highlights ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Lima sightseeing Villa La Paz children’s orphanage project Palmino Islands Cuzco sightseeing Paru Paru Community Project(Potato farmers) The Urubamba Sacred Valley Machu Picchu Ruins Vistadome train ride Ausangate Lodge-based trek Sea Kayaking in Lake Titicaca Puno sightseeing Cultural immersions in the islands of Lake Titicaca & more…

Peru is a magical place which involves one of the richest biodiversities on Earth and a melting pot of cultures. While Peru inevitably evokes the images of the world wonder Machu Picchu and the Inca Empire, the country is riddled with natural beauty of the great Andes and archaeological sites which are a legacy of even more ancient times when great civilizations bequeathed a legacy of their art, customs and rituals, their wisdom and skills.

Our Peru multi-activity adventure introduces you to a vastly different way of exploring the country. We will mix exploring and interaction with local people as much as possible and take a closer look at their life styles and the daily chores.

This wonderful journey starts and ends in the capital Lima, combines the exhilarating experience of meeting rural farming communities in the Urumbamba Sacred valley of the Incas, two comprehensive guided visits to the legendary lost city of Machu Picchu, the most intriguing of all Inca sites and a spectacular Andean trek into the sacred world of Apus, Incas and Quechuas – all without camping or roughing it!

This is a real treat for the die-hard adventure enthusiast; a 3-day breathtaking trek on the trail of Cordillera Vilcanota also called the “Road to Apu Ausangate” a sacred and regal mountain of the Incas is one of the most pristine lodge-based mountain treks in the world. Our hosts are the Chillca community who are proud to show us their land and heritage while we stay at unique “Tambos” or Andean lodges. We hike around the sacred Mt Ausangate, to follow the radiant blue-white glaciers, glorious

Civilization, visitors are accorded with comprehensive sightseeing including the majestic sites of Korikancha, the temple of the Sun, Cuzco Cathedral among others.

3-day sea kayak adventure in the Lake Titicaca is another included highlight of this unique itinerary. Located on the border of Bolivia and Peru, Lake Titicaca sits at 12,507 ft making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world.

By sheer volume of water it is also the largest lake in South America. The participants will not only enjoy unsurpassed scenery from a sea kayak but have an opportunity to get off the boats, hike to explore the villages in the islands.

Our accommodation in the Lake Titicaca region are simple rural lodges offering an incredible cultural connection on the local way of life and an opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of the indigenous people in the Southern regions of Peru.

Is this adventure for you?

This adventure is suitable for any age group with reasonably good fitness.

Though the itinerary is designed to aid fast acclimatization for the higher altitudes, one must be able to walk for a couple of hours a day. During the challenging Ausangate trek, we take on the well-trodden trails in the higher altitudes of the beautiful Andes and most daily hikes are relatively short with frequent intervals for rest, photo stops and exploring possibilities. Those with difficulties in hiking and find hill walking hard, we have the option to arrange horse rides on most of the trails using well trained horses. The overall physical difficulty levels in the treks are kept to the bare minimum but one must come prepared to fully enjoy the trip.

The Tour Itinerary (In Brief)

June 8 (Continued...)

Evening cocktail and light meal at Teo Allain Chambi´s house. (B, Cocktails)

June 9 Cuzco –Urubamba Valley June 5 Depart Toronto to Lima Depart Toronto on an overnight LAN Chile airlines flight to Lima via New York & Santiago, Chile.

June 6 Lima Arrive in Lima in the early morning. Meet and transfer to your hotel La Hacienda Hotel www.hoteleslahacienda.com for 2 nights stay. Breakfast and a free morning.

Lunch on your own. PM Lima City Tour: Lima was founded in 1535 and in a short period of time became the most important city in the Americas. Today, there are more than eight million inhabitants, and its historic center is on UNESCO´s World Cultural Heritage List. Visit the Lima Cathedral, Convento de San Francisco and the Larco Herrera Museum, which showcases remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview on 3,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Welcome dinner at La Huaca (BD) Pucllana restaurant.

Transfer to the Paru Paru community. This is an exceptional, self-managed and indigenous initiative that aims to preserve the huge diversity of Potato farming a key agricultural crop, which constitutes one of the most significant elements of the region's cultural heritage. This project has been implemented by six villages in the area an initiative under which 8,000 villagers have agreed to bring together their land and manage them jointly for their collective benefit. Their aim is to conserve the traditional way of life. A Welcome reception on arrival and an introduction of the project. We then take a short hike to Chahuaytire village for a “Huatia” competition and lunch. “Huatia” is a way of cooking food using a dome of hot rocks and placing the food to be

cooked in the inside.

June 7 Lima Visit VILLA LA PAZ FOUNDATION (Centre for Destitute & Sick Children) www.villalapazfoundation.org This home for destitute children is directed by Dr. Anthony Lazzara, a parishioner from Christ the King Parish in Tampa, Florida. The home is called Hogar San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi Home) and shelters sick children whose parents cannot afford to buy them medicine or treatment. More than 70 children live in the home and receive free medical care, food, and other basic needs. Once they are well, they return to their families. The most frequent illnesses treated are chronic diarrhea,malnutrition, tuberculosis and chronic respiratory diseases. We spend the day with kids, play and treat them to a BBQ lunch cooked by our group. Return to hotel in Lima for (BL) overnight. Dinner on your own.

June 8 Lima- Cuzco Morning flight to Cuzco. Transfer to Casa Andina hotel www.casa-andina.com for 1 night stay. Own lunch. PM Cuzco City Tour: Cuzco was the capital of the Inca Empire, built by Inca Pachacuti, who transformed Cuzco from a sleepy citystate into a vast empire. The Spaniards arrived in the city in 1533 and built a new city on the foundations of the old.

Visit Korikancha or Temple of the Sun, an Inca temple, Cuzco Cathedral, built in 1539 and Sacsayhuaman, the best known Inca ruin nearby Cuzco.

Invisible from below and completely self contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population, and watered by natural springs, Machu Picchu seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a secret ceremonial city. Two thousand feet above the rumbling Urubamba River, the cloud shrouded ruins have palaces, baths, temples, storage rooms and some 150 houses, all in a remarkable state of preservation. Dinner at “El Indio Feliz” (BD) local restaurant.

June 11 Machu Picchu – Cuzco This morning is our second guided visit to the Machu Picchu ruins. We then take the Vistadome train back to Ollanta village.

Stop at El Decanso “chichería” and see and taste the making of “chicha”, the ancient Peruvian corn beer. Late Lunch with chicha, cuy (guinea pig) and choclo (Peruvian corn). Participate in a local game called “sapo”. Transfer to Casa Andina hotel in Cuzco. Own dinner. (BL)

June 12 Cuzco-Chillca Begin our 3-day trek in the Cordillera Vilcanota, also called the “Road to Apu Ausangate, a sacred mountain and one of the most pristine mountains in Peru. Early departure along the fertile Vilcanota Valley to the town of Checacupe. Visit a colonial temple and then hike to the Pitumarca valley, along the spectacular gorges that leads to Chillca, where we will be greeted by the local community. From here, it is an easy walk to our first lodge “Tambo”. Relax and enjoy the music provided by the locals.

(BLD)

June 13 Chillca – Machuracay

The building of the dome is a skilled work passed over generations by the inhabitants of the high Andes. The group will team-up with locals in a fun –filled competition to see which team produces the best “Huatia”. Later we witness an ancient weaving demonstration. Tonight we dine and camp with the Paru Paru mountain community in the village.

(BLD)

June 10 Urubamba – Machu Picchu This morning we trek downhill to the village of Ollanta and board the “Vistadome” train (www.perurail.com) to Machu Picchu. Check in to Machu Picchu Inn Hotel and freshen up. Own lunch. We then do our first of two guided treks to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Rediscovered in 1911 by archaeologist Hiram Bingham, Machu Picchu is one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world.

While the Inca people certainly used the Andean mountain top erecting many hundreds of stone structures from the early 1400's, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu was revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time. Whatever its origins, the Inca turned the site into an extraordinary city.

We hike today in the wide valley of Upis where impressive glaciated mountains loom above offering majestic views.The trail narrows as we make our way towards the waterfalls descending from the Santa Catalina Mountain. This path is mostly used by the wandering llamas. Once we reach the small Paloma lagoon the countryside will be dotted with these animals, and also a large number of alpacas. After hiking through lagoons and crossing a long series of moraines, we reach our lodge Machuracay Tambo, on the foothills of the Mt Ausangate. (BLD)

June 14 Machuracay-Cuzco After a demanding hike to the Palomani pass at 17,000 ft, we descend to Ausangatecocha.

Tour Conditions Land Tour Price CA $3985 per person

Cost of Flights CA $1600 per person approx* * Flights are from Toronto and include domestic flights within Peru. Taxes and fuel surcharges CA $290 approx.

Single room supplement CA $1295

June 14 (Continued…)

Fantastic views of the glaciated south face of the “apu” will inspire us as we descend along the red sandstone formations. End of hike and return by coach to Cusco. Relax and dinner on own.

Night at Casa Andina hotel.

(BL)

Peru in Images

June 15 Cuzco - Raqchi Breakfast and a leisurely guided walk of the “ Back Lanes of Cuzco”, areas rarely visited by tourists. Lunch at Quinta Eulalia local café. After lunch, bid farewell to Cuzco and leave for Raqchi in the south by coach. Enroute sightseeing in Andahuaylillas and Pikillacta, both preInca cities. Dinner and night at the local lodge in Raqchi.

(BLD)

June 16 Raqchi–Llachon (Titicaca)

LAND TOUR INCLUDES ◊ 14 nights hotel/lodge/camp accommodation as specified ◊ Meals as listed in the itinerary under B – Breakfast; L – Lunch; D - Dinner ◊ Land transportation by AC coaches and Vista Dome train rides. ◊ Local tour guide lecturers throughout the tour ◊ Local trekking guides, porters, horses and Llamas ◊ All admission tickets to tourist attractions and Inca ruins included in the itinerary ◊ All adventure and sightseeing activities as outlined in page 2 ◊ Porterage at airports and hotels in Peru ◊ Services of a Canadian trip director Not Included: Airport departure taxes in Peru (USD 31 for international departures & USD 5.84 for domestic departures) Travel, medical insurance; Beverages during meals, tips for guides/staff; personal expenses, telephone, laundry etc

1027 Yonge St, Suite 310 Toronto, ON M4W 2K9

Depart for Llachon on the shores of Lake Titicaca, highest navigable lake in the world. En route sightseeing and lunch.

Dinner and night at a rural lodge in (BLD) Llachón.

June 17 Llachon –Tikonata Island (Sea Kayaking on Lake Titicaca)

After a briefing on safety and equipment, our kayaking adventure begins from Llachon to Tikonata. Hugging the shoreline along the Capa Chica Peninsula we kayak to the mostly uninhabited island of Tikonata. Picnic lunch, disembark and sleep at a rural lodge with a chance to hike around the island.

(BLD)

June 18 Tikonata Island Spend full day in the island engaging in community activities with the locals. All meals (BLD) included. Night in rural lodge.

June 19 Tikonata Island – Llachon – Puno – Lima We paddle back to Llachon, take lunch and get transferred to Puno(Juliaca) airport for an afternoon flight to Lima. Transfer to our hotel La Hacienda for the final night of our (BL) adventure. Dinner is on own.

June 20 Lima –Toronto via New York Leisurely morning with an excursion to the Palomino islands for a swimming encounter with sea lions.

Farewell lunch at Casa Aliaga, a well preserved mansion built in 1535.

Afternoon is free for shopping and packing. Evening transfer to Lima airport for departure to Toronto via New York (US) (BL)

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The Inca Trail

By Richard Danbury

FREE On deposit of $500 Per person