This is an adventurous and luxurious way to experience Peru's Sacred Valley through yoga, gastronomy, and outdoor activity.  Expect inspiring scenery, connected practices, and rewarding excursions with delicious food to nourish us throughout the trip.  

You do not need any level of yoga experience to join this retreat; however, we do recommend you enjoy spending time being active outdoors.  Our goal with these trips is to partner with thoughtful hosts so we can offer unique activities and an insider experience of the destination.  We offer daily yoga to feel good and hope that it enhances the retreat just as much as the food does.

During this trip, we want to provide the time, space, and experiences to broaden your perspective on day-to-day life.  Together we can work towards harmony, balanced energy, and introspection. Our outdoor experiences are portals for our inner adventures.  Use this retreat as an essential pause where we can deepen our yoga practice, get out into nature, and reconnect to ourselves.

Explora in the Sacred Valley of the Incas was designed as a headquarter from where to explore a remote and great destination: Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Their lodge is within walking distance of the traditional village of Urquillos, a tiny settlement in which countless traditions are kept alive year-round by a lively and proud local community. It took them several years to finalize our exploration routes in the Sacred Valley, as they are committed to providing our travelers with the less traveled but most rewarding experiences, away from the madding crowd of traditional tourism without missing any of the destination’s most rewarding landscapes and cultural hubs alike.

The Antigua Casona San Blas is boutique hotel in the heart of Cusco.  San Blas is Cusco's oldest, continuously lived-in, neighborhood. Steep and narrow cobble stone streets are lined with the remains of Incan architecture and colonial casonas, where artisans, boutiques, and coffee shops now reside.  The Antigua philosophy is simple: put others first. This means that they treat everyone like family, they participate in our community, they support those who do good, and create a structure that allows the business to grow while protecting Pachamama, our provider.  We have a special friend's rate at the Antigua for those who would like to add nights before and/or after the retreat - just ask us!

Claire Beiersdorf: I have lived in Cusco for the last 6 years, deepening my yoga and spiritual practice. Throughout these 6 years, I have discovered what it really is to live a spiritually rich life. More than anything, I want to share with you where I live and the experiences that have enriched my life, on and off the mat. This won’t be your typical yoga retreat. I want us to share in the experience of leaving our comfort zone. In the hopes that we have a truly unique experience together. 

Julia Steck:  Julia is a travel expert and yoga teacher.  She completed her first teacher training at Ashtanga Yoga Puerto Rico just before moving to Peru in early 2015, where hiking became a part of her daily life in the Sacred Valley.  Since then she's continued to study and practice yoga all over the world and recently completed a teacher certification with Katonah Yoga.  Julia works as a freelance travel specialist focusing on destinations in Latin America.  She also has a masters in Food Tourism, so you can be sure you'll eat well together.

The food on this retreat is going to be excellent.  The Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez, owner of Central, the #1 restaurant in the world according to World’s 50 Best, designed the menu for the Explora Sacred Valley. It is a total culinary renewal aimed at the search for excellence and the rescue of local culture, using Andean ingredients that preparations with an identity that honors Andean cuisine.

Inspired in the great biodiversity of the Sacred Valley, its history and the culture of the people who live there, he developed a unique menu that reveals the magic of the location with every bite. With natural and organic preparations, the menu brings local culture straight to travelers’ plates, both in the hotel as well as during explorations, where meals held in the open air are deeply connected to the land that receives us and cannot be found elsewhere. All of this is accompanied by a unique selection of wines and beverages.

Morning transfer from Cusco to the Sacred Valley.  Plan to arrive before 11am or spend the night prior in Cusco (we have a friend's rate at the Antigua Casona San Blas).  Check-in to rooms, lunch, afternoon activity (description below), evening yoga, welcome debrief, dinner, overnight Explora

A good way to get to know the surroundings of Explora Valle Sagrado and the community of Urquillos, a hike where the active use of irrigation channels for local farming can be observed, where the quiet way of life and work prevailing in this area of the Sacred Valley is maintained.

Lunch and dinner included at Explora

Morning yoga, breakfast, full day activity, evening yoga, dinner, overnight Explora.

We will visit the community of Huayllafara in the valley of Lamay, stopping along the way for a briefing on existing conservation projects and then reaching the hike’s starting point. Once in the community, we will take part in farm work –based on the Andean calendar– learning about different local plants and crops. We will also get to know farming tools and techniques passed down through generations. Lunch will be prepared by community members using local produce.

Breakfast and dinner included at Explora, lunch included in the community

Morning practice, breakfast, Full Day Activity (description below), evening practice,  dinner, overnight at Explora

We leave by van to Chinchero, where we begin a steep ascent through crops with views of the pampa, the valley of Urquillos and the snowy peaks that crown the mountains. We walk to the Machu Kolka archaeological center, formerly used as a product storage warehouse. We explore the place and enjoy a privileged view of the valley.  After a picnic lunch, we'll walk through orchards and communities to familiarize yourself with the rural landscape and its culture. This Racchi exploration takes place at a mean height and offers panoramic views to the Sacred Valley and its snowed capped peaks. It provides a good chance for acclimatization and to understand the area’s geography.

Breakfast and dinner included at Explora, picnic lunch included outdoors

Morning practice, breakfast, full-day activity (description below), evening practice, dinner, overnight Explora

This hiking takes us through a reserve aimed at preserving forests and endangered birds. In the dry season, the snow-capped Verónica and the mountains surrounding it are the main attractions. During the rainy season, views may be obstructed by clouds, but then the ground steals the limelight.

Breakfast and dinner included at Explora, lunch included on the activity

Free day!  Optional Machu Picchu Excursion (+$400 per person).  Morning practice, breakfast, activity of choice, dinner, overnight Explora.  Yoga might not be possible depending on activity choice.

Morning yoga and breakfast at Explora.  You can relax at the spa, schedule a massage (we have a 20% discount), or join other guest excursions at the lodge (you'll need to confirm the night before, no extra cost).  Option to make a reservation for a fine-dining lunch at Mil restaurant (extra cost).

All meals included, lunch location depending on activity choice.

Morning practice, breakfast, transfer to Cusco, optional hike to Inkilltambo, afternoon practice at Exhala, dinner at Piedra y Sal, overnight Antigua Casona.  For those who opt out of the hike, you'll be dropped off at the hotel and will have a free afternoon in Cusco.  Box lunches included.

Closing practice, breakfast at hotel, 11am check-out.  

If you add extra nights in Cusco, we'll do our best to make sure you're in the same room.  Just let us know your booking information.