Morning orientation and welcome. All travelers will gather this morning with your national guide and receive further information on the program and this week’s activities.

After the welcome briefing, the group will explore Peru’s capital, a rich kaleidoscope of colonial architecture, revered pre-Columbian sites, charming residential areas, and vibrant shopping districts perched over the blue Pacific. See the 16th century Plaza Mayor (main square) still graced by the government palace, city hall and a cathedral. Next you will visit San Francisco Convent, built in the 17th century, and its “catacombs” that functioned as an ancient underground cemetery. The tour continues along the city’s lovely Pacific coast through the enchanting neighborhoods of San Isidro, Miraflores and Larco Mar. 

Lunch will be provided this afternoon at Huaca Pucllana Restaurant.

This afternoon, head to the Pueblo Libre District and visit the Larco Museum, an eighteenth-century Viceregal mansion that houses more than 3,000 years of Peru's pre-Columbian history. The museum boasts a supremely fine collection of gold and silver jewelry and worship paraphernalia that demonstrates the superb skill of ancient Peruvian gold and silversmiths. The visit will be greatly enriched by the curator of the museum, who will provide in-depth explanations and serve as a unique conduit to the past. All areas are illuminated to showcase the beauty of the museum’s pieces.

Dinner will be provided at the Café del Museo.

Overnight: Jose Antonio Deluxe Hotel (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Professional members of the program will head outside the city to spend the morning at one of the facilities run by the Association of the Beatitudes. This nonprofit is led by Father Omar Sánchez, to provide shelter, care, and comprehensive development, as well as cover the material, educational, medical, affective, and spiritual needs of children, adolescents, young people, adults, and elderly who have a disability, special need for education or suffer from illness, poverty, abandonment and/or are victims of discrimination, violence, and social exclusion. Part of your visit will include helping with lunch, organizing their pantry or similar activities in one of their facilities.

Guest program
This morning, guests will take a stroll around Barranco, considered to be the city's most romantic and bohemian, being the home and working place of many of Peru's leading artists, musicians, designers, and photographers. In the 19th-century. While there visit the Pedro de Osma Museum which exhibits Peruvian artistic pieces from the fifth to the eighteenth century. The delights of the visit lie as much in the collection of exquisite artefacts and intriguing artworks which adorn each of the galleries, as in the elegance and the classically styled mansion. This afternoon, discover colonial art in the Barbosa-Stern Collection. Since 1966, Eduardo Barbosa and his wife Silvia Stern have collected an impressive compilation of Spanish colonial art.

Dinner is by individual arrangement (own expense).

Overnight: Jose Antonio Deluxe Hotel (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Immediately after breakfast, depart the hotel for your flight to Cusco. Elevated approximately 11,100 feet above sea level, Cusco is a World Heritage Site and the former capital of the Inca Empire. 

Altitude Sickness - We recommend you check with your personal physician to see if an altitude sickness medication is right for you. Those who live at sea level, or a lower elevation should pay particular attention.

Lunch will be provided this afternoon. 

This afternoon, continue your professional interaction with a local university or social workers from a local clinic or hospital. Depending on availability of hosts your discussions will focus accordingly on topics of mutual interest including education and training of social workers in Peru, settings they are working in currently and where the greatest need is in their communities. Cusco is the gateway to the Valley and other rural areas so often various services are only available in the bigger cities. Discuss how the gaps are filled in those settings and the support those programs get from the government. 

Guest Program

This afternoon guests will explore the artistic and bohemian neighborhood of San Blas, home to many renowned artists. Through narrow, cobblestone streets, we arrive at the main plaza of San Blas, which is surrounded by many well-known artisan workshops, such as Mondial, Olave, and Mérida, among others. We will take our time to visit some workshops and contemplate the artist’s works. Next, we will continue to the San Blas Church, built in 1563 on top of an Inca Sanctuary. Take part in a culinary experience later today with the chef’s unique vision of the food and culture of Peru using regional products.

Dinner is by individual arrangement this evening. 

Overnight: Jose Antonio Cusco (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Today professionals and guests will head to the Valley early after checking out of your local hotel. Make the drive to spend the day with Sacred Valley Health or a similar organization. Sacred Valley Health was formed in 2012 to improve access to healthcare in remote communities of Peru’s Sacred Valley. With a dedicated staff, we recruit, train, and support promotoras (community health workers) who provide fundamental health education in their home communities.

Begin your visit with an introduction to their organization and a briefing on your activities today in the community. After a coffee break head out for a community visit, tour and talks on health with the local people. Enjoy a traditional lunch before having time with the promotora staff. Head back to the office to debrief and wrap up for the day.

Casa Andina Premium Valle is centrally located to the Valley and has free Wi-Fi, onsite dining, room service, a bar, garden, a spa, and coffee shop for your convenience. They also supply oxygen for those in need of assistance due to the altitude. 

Dinner will be provided at the hotel this evening. 

Overnight: Casa Andina Premium Valle (or similar

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Check out of your Sacred Valley hotel and head to the train station for your ride to the Machu Picchu area. 

Please note: Today’s itinerary includes moderate physical activity with some low-difficulty hiking.

Enjoy your privately guided tour of the archaeological ruins of Machu Picchu this morning. Known as one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world, the Andean mountaintop was used by the Inca people as the foundation of hundreds of stone structures, with construction starting in the early 1400s. Explore the terraces, corridors, temples, the solar clock (Intihuatana), and other sacred places within the citadel with your guide. 

Lunch will be provided at the Sanctuary Lodge after your morning tour and lecture with your guide. Stop at the central market to look for local souvenirs near the train station. 

Take the train back to Cusco late this afternoon where you will check back into your Cusco based hotel with time for a late dinner on your own arrangement. Food and beverage options will also be available for purchase on the train.

Dinner is by individual arrangement.

Overnight: Jose Antonio Cusco (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Today the group will spend the day with the villagers of the Cuyuni community to learn about their day-to-day life through demonstration and participation in daily activities. Arrive at the community to be greeted by traditional music played by musicians as you walk with the villagers to participate in a ritual offering of gratitude to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the Apus, mountain protector deities. Meet with women in their characteristic colorful dress and learn about the herding practices of the villagers. Next, learn about the agricultural routine: planting, harvesting, rope braiding, plowing the fallow earth and loading the llamas with champa, cut and dried sod that is a primary source of fuel. Here in the fields, you will see a demonstration of a huatia featuring flavorful Andean potatoes cooked on wood inside of a small, dried earth oven. 

Share lunch with the villagers, cooked from a variety of local products from the region.

Participate later today in the Llama Pilluy ceremony (Llama Festival), with dancing and music that commemorates the llamas as principal work companions and cargo carriers for the community. Visit the weavers in a community work session and learn how they spin the animal fiber and use dyes made from natural products from the region. See weaving on back strap looms, the traditional technique used to produce some of the most beautiful textiles of the region. 

Return to the hotel for some time to rest and get ready for dinner.

Say goodbye as you reflect and share memories over a farewell dinner at Map Café this evening.

Overnight: Jose Antonio Cusco (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast, unearth the histories of Inca and Spanish colonial Cusco. During your tour of Cusco, you will see Sacsayhuman, a citadel north of the city and the former historic capital of the Inca Empire. 

Also visit Tambomachay, the bath of the Inca; Qenco (Kenko) which is one of the largest holy places and believed to be a place where sacrifices and mummification took place; and last stop to see Puca Pucara, a site of military ruins. 

Continue your tour back in town walking through the Main Square, where you will see the Cathedral and admire its exquisite vestibules and priceless paintings from the Cusco School of the 17th and 18th centuries. Last stop is to see Qoricancha (the Golden Temple), dedicated to the worship of the Sun God, whose interior walls were said to have been covered in gold.

Lunch and dinner are by individual arrangement on Saturday, October 21.

Head to the airport later today for your flight to Lima where you will connect to your late evening flight back to the United States.  You will arrive back in to the US October 22.

Please note: All itineraries are subject to change based on availability of hotels, flights and hosting organizations at the time of finalization of booking. Comparable meetings and activities will be arranged should an itinerary change be necessary. 30 days before departure, a finalized itinerary will be available and reflect final details. 

Jennifer Thompson is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. She graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Social Work and obtained her MSW from Columbia University in 2005. Ms. Thompson has worked in the nonprofit and public sector for more than a decade, serving in programmatic, advocacy and management roles. She began her career at the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission and served as a Sr. Adviser to Mayor Michael Bloomberg on a number of citywide initiatives including homeless services, affordable housing, transportation and infrastructure. In the nonprofit sector, she developed programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for young breast cancer survivors at Sharsheret, and most recently was the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Girl Scouts, where she led advocacy initiatives that included a collaboration with the office of the First Lady, Michelle Obama, and her initiative, Let Girls Learn. Ms. Thompson is passionate about advocating for social workers in both traditional and non-traditional roles throughout New Jersey. She resides in Bound Brook with her husband and son. When she is not advocating for the profession, she is active in her community, serving on a number of committees and volunteering at her son's school.