Day 1, Saturday Oct. 16th – Fly from the USA to Lima, Peru. After passing through Immigration and Customs, you will be met by a guide. If you arrive in the evening, you will be taken to a hotel where you can sleep and shower.
No meals included today except those provided by the airlines, overnight in Lima (Miraflores area), Peru.
Day 2, Sunday Oct. 17th - Group members who arrived on separate flights will meet each other as well as Dr. Paredes and Pepe Arancibia over breakfast in the morning. We'll leave on a private bus, driving south into some of the driest desert in the world. During the day we'll stop at the Huacachina lagoon, which is a remarkable oasis with a lagoon and palm trees surrounded by huge sand dunes. After an explanation about the area by Dr. Theo Paredes we will do some walking and exercises around the lagoon and have lunch in a restaurant located at front of the Oasis. Then we’ll drive onward to Nazca.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight in Nazca.
Day 3, Monday Oct. 18th - Today we will have a full day in Nazca city. In the morning we will do a flight over the Nazca Lines which remain a mystery even today. During the flight you will observe giant figures in the middle of the desert which represents many animals and other biological forms, as well as geometric figures. We will then continue with an archeological tour visiting the aqueducts which consist of 40 subterranean channels used by the Nazca culture to get water and visit the Paredones which was an archeological complex during the Inca period. It is built with adobe and was used as an administrative center to control trade between the coast and Andes area. We will finish the day with an explanation about how the Nazca civilization made ceramics, and a drive to the town of Paracas on the Pacific coast.
Breakfast is included. Overnight in Paracas.
Day 4, Tuesday Oct. 19th - Visit the Ballestas Islands in the morning to observe sea lions, seals, pelicans, penguins, and other marine birds. On the motor boat trip over to the Islands, the famous "Candelabro" can be seen; an enigmatic drawing that many people believe is related to the Nazca Lines. Then we will continue the trip to Paracas National Reserve; it is a unique protected area of Peru that has a marine ecosystem. We will visit the hall of interpretation of the reserve and viewpoints of birds and beautiful golden cliffs, red sand beaches, and an azure sea. During the day we will have the opportunity to work with a sacred plant medicine. We’ll drive back to Lima at the end of the day.
Breakfast and dinner are included. Overnight in Lima.
Day 5, Wednesday, Oct. 20th – 9:00 AM flight to Cusco. Travel by coach to the town of Pisaq in the Sacred Valley, check into our hotel, and lie down for at least two hours to help acclimate to the altitude of 8000 feet. This will be a slow-paced day to facilitate acclimatization, but there will be an opportunity to walk around the center of town and explore the famous Pisac market.
Breakfast is included. Overnight in Pisac.
Day 6, Thursday, Oct. 21st – Drive through the Sacred Valley to the picturesque town of Ollantaytambo, where houses are built directly on Inca foundations and original Inca water channels still flow alongside streets. We will explore the archeological site above Ollantaytambo before driving back to the Cusco area and donTheo’s beautiful healing center of Poqen Kanchay which is located in the town of San Jeronimo. Relax in the sauna before dinner.
Breakfast and dinner are included. Overnight at Poqen Kanchay.
Day 7, Friday Oct. 22nd through Day 10, Monday Oct. 25th - After breakfast, begin the daylong drive through the cloud forest on our way to Villa Carmen, a ranch located on the fringes of the Parque Nacional del Manu. The Parque is a cloud rainforest which lends itself to a wide range of biodiversity, from a huge selection of orchids to a myriad of fluorescent butterflies. It is a jungle with mountains, as opposed to the flat Amazon basin. There are incredible rivers and waterfalls, and special trees, called “grandmothers”, visited by the locals.
Villa Carmen is an old ranch begun a century ago by a Spaniard on the land that belonged to Garcilazo de la Vega, daughter of the last great Incan emperor. All meals are prepared fresh daily from produce and livestock in the traditional style of the area. The accommodations are in double or triple rooms, some with private bath and some with a common bath area. We will explore the jungle by day, joined by local people who are very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. We will be working here deeply for 3 nights with the sacred plant known as the vine of death, Ayahuasca, guided by Dr., Theo Paredes and by Pepe Arancibia. We will be looking for re-establishing the order and balance in our physical, mental and spiritual bodies. The ceremonies will allow us to do both cleansing and healing.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included all days. Overnight at Villa Carmen.
Day 11, Tuesday, Oct. 26th – Daylong drive returning to Poqen Kanchay, stopping in the picturesque town of Paucartambo for lunch. Relax in the sauna at PK prior to dinner there.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Poqen Kanchay.
Day 12, Wednesday Oct. 27th – Flight back to Lima at 9 AM. Day tour to Caral, which was inhabited between roughly 2600 BCE and 2000 BCE, enclosing an area of 66 hectares. Caral was described by its excavators as the oldest urban center in the Americas, a claim that was later challenged as other ancient sites were found nearby. Accommodating more than 3,000 inhabitants, it is the best studied and one of the largest Norte Chico sites known. At 8PM we will arrive at the Lima airport to check in for our return flights to the USA.
Breakfast is included.
Day 13, Saturday, October 31st – complete your journey to home. Please plan to rest and relax through the remainder of the weekend (and for a few days beyond if possible). You'll need time and patience for the transition back to everyday life.
OPTION - On Day 12, Wednesday Oct. 27th you can travel with Pepe Arancibia to visit Machu Picchu, recently affirmed as one of the seven wonders of the world. This will be an all-day trip with an expert guide who will help you to see and understand this beautiful sacred site in a way that few visitors ever know. Along the way you will experience what National Geographic has named one of the ten most beautiful train rides in the world, descending from the Inca town of Ollaytambo into the orchid-filled rainforest area in which Machu Picchu is located.
In the evening, return to Poqen Kanchay for a relaxing sauna and delicious dinner.
Breakfast, box lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at Poqen Kanchay.
Day 13, Thursday, Oct. 28th - Flight back to Lima at 9 AM. Day tour to Caral, which was inhabited between roughly 2600 BCE and 2000 BCE, enclosing an area of 66 hectares. Caral was described by its excavators as the oldest urban center in the Americas, a claim that was later challenged as other ancient sites were found nearby. Accommodating more than 3,000 inhabitants, it is the best studied and one of the largest Norte Chico sites known. At 8PM we will arrive at the Lima airport to check in for our return flights to the USA.
Breakfast is included.
Day 14, Friday, Oct. 29th - complete your journey to home. Please plan to rest and relax through the remainder of the weekend (and for a few days beyond if possible). You'll need time and patience for the transition back to everyday life.