Join Mary Farrell, certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher on this life-changing journey to Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.  Awaken your adventurous spirit in the incredible, ancient lands of Peru.  

This special retreat will feature daily yoga sessions, meditation, a traditional despacho ceremony, guided tours of Cusco and the Sacred Valley and the impressive Wonder of the UNESCO World Heritage site, Machu Picchu.  With thoughtful intention, this adventure will serve not as just a once in a lifetime opportunity, but offer unforgettable experiences in harmony with Mother Earth.

Relax and reconnect with your inner truth in one of the most beautiful and special places in South America. Learn about the Incan culture, their connection with the cosmos, music, food, and more on this 8 day journey.

After arriving in Cusco this morning, we'll board our transfer to the Retreat Center in the Sacred Valley. 

We will be dropped off at Willka T'ika Retreat Center (https://www.willkatika.com), which will be our home for the majority of our retreat.  After checking in, we'll take a tour of the center and their beautiful gardens and have the afternoon free to explore the center and surrounding area if we'd like. We'll meet for dinner as a group.

Meals Included - Lunch and Dinner

We'll start the morning with a yoga session in the gardens, followed by breakfast.  Afterwards, we'll spend the day on a guided tour of the Sacred Valley.  

We'll begin in Awanacancha at a farm where we can see and feed llamas, alpacas and vicuñas and even take selfies with them!   From there, we'll head to Pisac, where we will visit terraced Inca ruins that are situated high on a mountain. From here, we will climb to the top of the ruins and take in amazing views of the Sacred Valley. 

We will then head to the town of Urubamba where we will have lunch in a local restaurant, and visit an authentic market.  Here we'll see local families selling things such as fruits, vegetables, flowers and natural medicinal plants, and have the opportunity to taste local fruits and other foods.

About a 30 minute drive away, we'll visit Ollantaytambo, one of the best preseved Inca towns in all of Peru. Many of the original buildings from the 15th century are still standing. It's an important town - it was home to the Inca emperor Pachacutec and later served as a military checkpoint for the Incas trying to protect the roads to Machu Picchu from the invading Spaniards. 

Our final stop for the day will be the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco in Chinchero. We'll visit a women's weaving cooperative to watch a demonstration of local weavers. They use traditional Inca techniques for dyeing fabric and for weaving traditional patterns.

After leaving Chinchero, we'll be dropped off at Wilka Tika with time to rest and relax before dinner.

Meals Included - Breakfast and Dinner

We'll start our morning right with a group yoga session in the yoga pavilion at the center, followed by breakfast.

After breakfast, spend the day exploring the area on your own.  You can take a local excursion, go into town to explore the markets, or get a spa service at the retreat center! 

We'll meet for our second yoga session this afternoon, at 4 pm.  Afterwards, we'll meet in the dining room for a delicious vegetarian dinner.

This evening, after dinner,  we'll have the unique and special opportunity to participate in a traditional Andean offering and transformative fire ceremony with a high level pakko. The ceremony serves as a wonderful preparation of mind, body and spirit for our pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. 

Meals Included - Breakfast and Dinner

Today we'll embark on an exciting 2 day adventure with a local guide, starting with the Maras Salt Mines and Moray ruins, and ending the day at the base of Machu Picchu, in Aguas Calientes. We'll spend the night at a local hotel in Aguas Calientes and depart for Machu Picchu early in the morning.

We'll start the day at the Maras Salt mines, with about 5000 separate salt ponds that have been used since pre-Inca times. The local community works cooperatively to maintain the balance between salt and sweet water, evaporation and keeping the pond walls in good order. The strong Andean sun evaporates the water to leave the highly-prized salt, some of which is white, some red and some brown. 

After leaving the salt ponds, we'll head to the Moray ruins, which is an unusual and spectacular set of ruins; concentric circles that are thought to have made up an Inca agricultural laboratory. Some of the terraced circular depressions are almost 100 feet deep, creating a wide variety of temperatures within them.

In the afternoon, we'll board the train for the beautiful ride to Aguas Calientes, about a 2 hour journey. Once in Aguas, we'll check into our hotel and have the rest of the day to explore this very cute little town. 

 Meals Included - Breakfast

Today we'll spend the day at Machu Picchu, exploring the extraordinarily beautiful setting, built in the 15th century.  It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna. 

We'll take the first shuttle at 5:30am, and plan to stay until about 2pm.  After leaving Machu Picchu, we'll head back to Aguas Calientes to visit the thermal hot springs the town is named for. 

After the hot springs, we'll have the rest of the day free to explore the town of Aguas Calientes and relax after a busy day! 

Meals Included - Breakfast

After breakfast this morning in Aguas Calientes, we'll start our journey back to Cusco. After arriving in Cusco, and after we settle into our hotel and have lunch. After lunch the rest of the day is yours to explore the beautiful city! 

Meals Included - Breakfast

After breakfast this morning, we'll gather for a tour of Cusco and it's amazing archaeological sites!

We'll begin our tour at the Temple of the Sun, El Koricancha and learn the history of one of the finest examples of colonial architecture built on an Inca temple.  We'll admire the neighboring Convent of Santo Domingo, one of the most noteworthy Spanish colonial buildings of Cusco.  After leaving the convent, we'll continue on to the ancient fortress and temple of Sacsayhuaman park. Shaped like a puma’s head it’s an excellent example of Andean architecture.  Next, we'll explore the remains of the stone labyrinth of Qenqo and see the tower of Puca Pucara. 

Our last stop of the day will be the Water Temple of Tambomachay to discover the source of spring water, before heading back to the city.

Tonight, we'll head to a local restaurant for a delicious dinner.

Meals Included - Breakfast & Dinner

This morning, we'll meet for our final yoga session before our goodbye breakfast. After breakfast, we'll transfer to the airport in Cusco for our flight home.

Meals Included - Breakfast