Day 1: Arrival
(Friday) Most flights arrive in Lima in the evening. We'll stay in a hotel close to the airport tonight to maximize sleep and minimize back and forth travel before tomorrow morning's flight to Cusco. A welcoming Pisco Sour at the hotel is great way to meet your fellow travelers and the CULTURE
XPLORERS trip leader. We'll have an informal briefing of what to expect in the days ahead, along with some finger-foods and drinks

Day 2: Cusco
We fly early in the morning to 'the navel of the world', also known as Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca empire. After a hot coca tea to help us adjust to the altitude (roughly 12,000 feet!), we'll explore the city on foot, visiting some of its many beautiful squares, buildings and churches. Note: take it easy this afternoon! Give your bodies time to adjust to the altitude.

Day 3: Textiles
Nilda Callanaupa has done more to revive and promote the Peruvian textiles tradition than anyone in the last 20 years. She is a world-renowned expert on the subject, having given lectures at Harvard University and National Geographic's headquarters in Washington DC. Nilda is our host today and she takes us to one of her favorite weaving villages, Patabamba, to introduce us not only to the art of Andean weaving, but as importantly, to the people of this colorful village.

We'll have a picnic lunch and time to explore on foot the spectacular terrain here in the Urubamba (Sacred) Valley.

Day 4: El Senor de los Temblores
After breakfast, we'll drive up to Tamomachay for a downhill trek, taking us through some well preserved Inca ruins. We'll have a picnic lunch before finishing the descent back into Cusco via Saqsayhuaman, with dramatic aerial views of the city.

Afternoon: we will walk to the Plaza de Armas (Cusco's central plaza) to watch the beautiful religious procession, El Senor de los Temblores. Thousands of faithful parade around the main square with a statue of Jesus Christ. This statue was credited with saving the town from a deadly
earthquake in 1650A.D. and ever since, El Senor de los Temblores has been Cusco's patron saint.

We'll have a bird's-eye view of the entire procession from our balcony-restaurant overlooking the plaza. Bring your camera!

Day 5: Inca Trail
We'll board the 'backpackers' train at 6:30am from Cusco to kilometer 104. Here, we disembark for a one day hike along the legendary Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Those that prefer not join us on the 4-5 hour hike may take the train directly to Aguas Calientes, the town just below the ruins, where we will meet in the early evening.

For those of us that hike, we'll explore several Inca ruins along this beautiful trail, including the spectacular Winay Wayna before passing through the famous Sun Gate and down into the legendary Machu Picchu before sunset.

We'll head down from the ruins by bus to Aguas Calientes to join the rest of the group for dinner, saving our exploration of Machu Picchu itself for the next morning. Tonight, we have time to visit the local thermal baths.

Day 6: Machu Picchu
Breakfast is at 5:30am and we'll board the first bus at 6am to get to the ruins by 6:30. Yes, this is early! However, you won't want to wait around for the hordes who descend upon the site by 9:30 or 10am.

So, appreciate the early morning 'quiet time' with our expert guide. You are free to descend at your own pace (we recommend the bus, however, the die-hard trekkers can head down by foot). Lunch is in Aguas Calientes and
we will meet at the hotel before boarding the train together for the trip back to Cusco.

Day 7: Earth Offering
We will take a private bus to Yuarisque today to see a magical ceremony called 'Pago a la Tierra' or payment to the earth. This shamanic earth offering dates back one thousand years to pre-Inca civilizations. Like most things religious in Peru, there is a mix of Catholic and indigenous beliefs
and symbolism. The scenery is as magical as the ritual itself. We will hike (1-2 hours, steep and fairly strenuous) to reach an Inca archeological zone with small agricultural villages sprinkled throughout the surrounding mountains.

After the ceremony and a picnic lunch, we'll visit with the nearby farming community and have the opportunity to experience everyday life in the mountains as we stop for tea in the villagers' homes.

Tonight we celebrate! Dinner at one of Cusco's best restaurants. After all, this will be our last night together in Cusco and we have so many new stories to reflect upon!

Day 8: Villa el Salvador
We'll fly back to Lima in the morning, then get ready for a truly unique afternoon visit to Villa el Salvador.

This shanty town one hour south of Lima has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and has won the prestigious Principe de Asturias prize for social development (Spain's equivalent to the Nobel). We will come away amazed, not by the poverty we witness (which exists all over Latin America and most of the rest of the world), but by the unique system for community self support and the focus on education and economic self reliance. It is this Andean model which gives Villa el Salvador an escape route from the poverty which overwhelms many other shanty towns.

We meet our host for the day, Manuel German Canterac, a dignified and tireless man who teaches at a local high school, heads a Sunday school and community library and has his own voluntary greenhouse project for the students in the afternoons. He shares the tumultuous history of Villa el Salvador with us, takes us on a walking tour to better understand this unique place and finally brings on a visit to the high school where he teaches.

Note: CULTURE XPLORERS has adopted Manuel's school and contributes to infrastructure improvements there.

Return to Lima for a parrillada (BBQ) on the terrace of the hotel.

Day 9: Lima
You are free to spend the last day in Peru as you wish. Our trip leader will arrange a city tour of Lima in the morning taking in some of the major sights, however, you are free to go shopping, write postcards and or do whatever else you like before getting ready for the journey home. After a
final dinner in a restored 17th century mansion, Manuel will take you to the airport for flights back to the US.