Sacred Valley, Peru

A trip to South America’s third largest country will not disappoint! Peru is synonymous with natural beauty and is one of the worlds most varied countries with its multicultural traditions, customs, history and heritage.

Peru was the cradle of ancient civilizations that began to appear over 10,000 years ago. The layers of human civilization in Peru date back 12,000 years and experts believe that there are about 100,000 sites of archeological importance located throughout the country with about 10,000 of these having been excavated. Of course, the Incan site of Machu Picchu is definitely the most well known site.

Peru is also home to 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 84 of the planet’s 117 Life Zones and one of 10 of the worlds most bio-diverse countries. Peru also has 28 individual climates!

It is home to more than 1800 species of birds and 10% of all the reptile, mammal and fish species that exist on Earth. It also has 3,500 varieties of orchids!

Spanish is the official language of Peru however 47 other languages are spoken including Quechua and Aymara.

Peruvian cuisine is based on a melting pot of traditions and fusions that can be traced back thousands of years and is considered to be one of the most delicious on the globe. The national beverage is a traditional drink called Pisco - a white grape brandy.

Over the past decade, Peru has boasted the fasted growing economy in South America and has the worlds biggest reserve of silver and Latin America’s largest reserves of gold, lead and zinc.

Avocados, grapes, asparagus, organic bananas, blueberries and paprika along with coffee, cotton and Alpaca wool are major export products.

LIMA, THE CAPITOL OF PERU (2 nights)

★ Guided Tour of the Historic Centro of Lima — including The Rafael Larco Herrara Museum and The Cathedral de Lima, as well as the Miraflores Boardwalk and El Parque del Amor (The Love Park) located on the cliffs of Chorrillos overlooking the Pacific Coastline. You are certain to be captivated by the view! We will spend our first two nights at Antigua Miraflores Hotel.

THE SACRED VALLEY (6 nights)

When arriving at the Sacred Valley, it is impossible not to be impressed by the beauty of the Urubamba Mountains and the green fields bathed by the waters of the meandering Vilcanota River. The Sacred Valley of the Incas is a valley in the Southern Sierra of Peru that contains many famous and beautiful Inca ruins. It was called the Sacred Valley because it contains some of the best land in the region and was not a part of the Empire but the property of the Emperor or Inca himself. We will be staying at an incredible retreat center called Munay Sonqo.

★ Guided Tour of Pisaq Archeological Ruins, Quinsacocha Lagoon and the Pisaq Market —The Pisac ruins are among Peru's most intact ancient sites, and a perfect example of ingenious Inca architecture. The cliff hugging agricultural terraces built into the mountains are astounding! Five times the size of Machu Picchu, these terraces used by the Inca farmers, are built on top of a mountain that towers over the small town of Pisac; the views of the countryside are spectacular and the ruins are remarkable!

★ Guided Tour of Maras, Moray, and Chinchero — The Maras Salt Mine was used by the Incas to harvest salt and is still used today. There are thousands of salt ponds located here belonging to local families. From the air this area looks like a giant patchwork quilt!

The Moray ruins look like an amphitheater but that is not what it was… Incas were geniuses in agriculture and plant cultivation and, nowadays, it is believed that they used those ruins as an agricultural laboratory. Each level of terraces has a different temperature, different microclimate, and the design and orientation to the sun suggest that Incas experimented with plants and crops here. Experiments have also shown that the soil comes from several Peruvian regions. Cool Fact… although this region of Peru suffers from flooding in the rainy season the Moray Ruins never flood!

The quaint village of Chinchero, believed to once have been a great Inca City has ruins that consist of a series of nested terraces built for farming and some are still used today. The soil is fertile and it’s one of the best areas in the Sacred Valley for growing potatoes. When the weather is perfect you can see many high mountains around, including one of the most significant ones, the snowy peak of Salkantay.

MAKING OUR WAY TO MACHU PICCHU (2 nights)

★ Ollantaytambo — Snow capped mountains embrace this lovely little Inca town with steep stone terraces carved into the hillside. This is believed to be a former Inca administrative center and a control point for the entrance to the Amazon corner of the Inca Empire.

Ollantaytambo Ruins is a vast site characterized by an extensive set of agricultural terraces which are higher and broader than usual Inca's terraces. Another distinguishing element are the old storehouses, you can see from the ruins when looking on the other side of the valley; and also the Temple of the Sun standing on the top. All the large stones come from the quarry on the other side of the valley, approximately 5 kilometers away — and the Inca people did not use animals or wheel to move stones from one place to another and created everything by human labor and power. Hmmmm…??

From Ollantaytambo we board the train to…

★ Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aquas Calientes) — where we will spend the night, allowing us to be at Machu Picchu in time for Sunrise the following morning. We will be there to receive the first rays of the sun as they illuminate one row of granite stones at a time. Pure Magic! We will have a guided tour to learn all about the history, legends and mysteries of this special place after which you will have time to explore on your own or just sit and soak up the vibes.

Machu Picchu is South America’s greatest attraction and is one of the 7 New Wonders of the World and home of the ancient Inca civilization and known as “The Lost City of the Incas”. It is a mysterious wonder. A city of stone built without the aid of wheels or iron tools. This is the best example of Inca engineering. More than 600 terraces prevent the city from sliding down the mountain.

The ruins are located within the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary, a UNESCO site. The Sanctuary spreads over an area of 32,592 hectares in the basin of the river Vilcanota-Urubamba Machu Picchu is significantly lower in altitude than Cusco (over 11,000 ft above sea level) and the altitude of Machu Picchu at 7,970 ft above sea level.

Machu Picchu is believed to have been a summer retreat for Inca leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. For hundreds of years afterwards, its existence was a secret known only to the peasants living in the region. That all changed in the summer of 1911, when on July 23rd American Archeologist, Hiram Bingham arrived with a small team of explorers to search for the famous “lost” cities of the Incas.Traveling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their way from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer told them of some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain. The farmer called the mountain Machu Picchu, which meant “Old Peak” in the native Quechua language. The next day—July 24—after a tough climb to the mountain’s ridge in cold and drizzly weather, Bingham met a small group of peasants who showed him the rest of the way. Led by an 11- year-old boy, Bingham got his first glimpse of the intricate network of stone terraces marking the entrance to Machu Picchu.

Some interesting Machu Picchu facts:

• Amazingly, no wheels were used to transport heavy rocks for the construction of the city.

• Structures at Machu Picchu were built with a technique called ldquo ashlar. Stones are cut to fit together without mortar. Remarkably, not even a piece of paper can fit in between two stones.

• The citadel has two parts: Hanan and Urin according with the Inca tradition.

• In the Quechua native language, “Machu Picchu” means “Old Peak” or “Old Mountain.”

• Many of the stones that were used to build the city weighed more than 50 tons. How did these stones get up the mountain? Some were chiseled from the granite bedrock of the mountain ridge. For others, hundreds of men pushed the heavy rocks up the steep mountain side.

• On the Inca Trail, many porters sleep with a shiny metal object or mirror beneath them. They believe it sends away spirits coming up through the earth and whisks them away. Ask any guide or porter, and most will tell you that sometimes they have experienced the feeling of being pulled out of their tents by spirits of the past.

CUSCO (1 Night)

★ Now that we’ve spent the week gradually acclimating to the altitude we are ready to head to Cusco. This high altitude, architecturally and historically important city was the Capitol of the Inca Empire from the 13th to the 16th century. According to legend, the city was built in the shape of a Puma, a sacred animal of the Incas. By the year 1448, the Empire covered 1,800,000 km (690,000 sq mi) For the Incas, this was the belly-button of the world. From this place the Incas ruled the vast empire and during this time Cusco flourished but in November of 1533, an expedition led by Spanish Conquistador, Francisco Pizarro captured and plundered the city. Although many of the buildings and other constructions built by the Incas were destroyed by the Spanish, the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many of the churches and houses you’ll see today are built in the European and Colonial style.

An interesting fact is that constructions that remained left from Inca times survived several devastating earthquakes until today. In contrast, the newer buildings from the Spanish times have had to be rebuilt repeatedly as they did not last.

You’ll have time to explore this ancient and vibrant city on your own upon arriving here from Machu Picchu. Old ways are not forgotten here, colorful textiles keep the past vivid and alive. Here you might have the opportunity to experience a traditional wild fiesta or carnival or, in contrast, notice a solemn Catholic ritual. It’s all here in this thriving tourist center!

We will enjoy our final dinner together this evening and fly back to our homes — hopefully feeling more energetically balanced, fulfilled by spending time and sharing the adventure of a lifetime with new friends and also with a deeper understanding of the history and culture of Peru.

★ Despacho Ceremony — Payments to the Earth or Pachamama, are rituals of ancestral origin that are part of a system of reciprocity (gratitude) between the material world and the spiritual world. This is a ritual whose purpose is to return to Mother Earth what she has given you and what we can aspire to; our deepest desires about life, what we hope to achieve in our lifetime and what we wish for our loved ones.

★ Sound Healing Ceremony — Sound has been utilized in various cultures for thousands of years as a tool for healing and helping us move from a place of imbalance to balance. Singing Bowls are used to create calming sounds that relax the body and the mind. Sound Healing synchronizes brain waves to achieve profound states of relaxation, helping to restore the normal vibratory frequencies in our bodies.

★ Natural Planetarium — We will have the opportunity to do some real star gazing with a local expert astronomer. He will offer us a journey through the history and mystery of the universe, space, stars and time and a different way to observe the most important stars in the Southern Hemisphere and guidance about the constellations and, of course, the majestic Milky Way.

★ Seva (Service) Project — Planting trees or visiting a local school. As is true of all Grace in Nature Retreats, we believe in the importance of giving back to the communities that we visit. Our service projects always end up being one of the most fun, fulfilling and rewarding experiences of our adventure!

★ Spa Treatments — There are four therapists at your service while at our retreat center, all offering different types of treatments so you can choose your preference. Any treatments can be scheduled upon arrival and they are very reasonably priced!

★ Day Walk to Apu Pitusiray — This guided trek to magical Apu Pitusiray will take about 2 hours each way but it will be worth it! You’ll see a stunning lagoon along with epic views of the valley. ($40 - approx. 6 hrs)

★ Horseback Riding — From the horse ranch in Huaran, Calca, head out with an experienced guide on a route carefully selected to enjoy the beautiful views of the Sacred Valley. The route will include Inca roads, ancient agricultural terraces, hydraulic channels and beautiful grazing areas. Respectful tourism is always practiced as you kindly interact with the local communities you may pass through. ($75 - approx. 3 hrs)

★ Coca Leaf Readings — In this ancient Andean tradition using the sacred Coca Leaf you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions that you’ve been looking for answers to. The traditional use of the Coca Leaf plays a central role in every Andean collective ceremony of transcendence; baptisms, marriages, deaths etc… The sacred character and potency of the plant, which has made it an object of reverence. This sacred leaf not only enriches social solidarity but also facilitates ritual communication with the divinities. ($60 per session - approx. 30 minutes)

Machu Picchu is on most people’s bucket list to see within their lifetime but there is so much more to do, see and experience in this beautiful and bountiful land!

Of course, there are thousands of fascinating and unique places to visit on this planet we call Earth but Peru is one of those places that stands above the rest.

Here are just a few reasons you should go….

1. To experience its culture and visit the awe inspiring ancient ruins. The ancient Inca Ruins of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu are considered to be among the most mysterious and beautiful in the world.

2. To meet the people. Many Peruvians still have a direct link with their Inca ancestors and preserve the Quechua culture with pride. You’ll find that most people are helpful and extremely polite and many have never traveled beyond their own city or village. Hearing their stories makes for an interesting learning experience.

3. To enjoy their handcrafted goods. The history, culture, art and exceptional skills combine together to create some of the most exquisite textiles in the world along with jewelry, musical instruments, wood carvings, paintings and more! By purchasing items such as this you are helping to preserve important traditions and support the families that make them.

4. To indulge in the cuisine. It is said that Peru has one of the best and most varied cuisines in the Americas. Come and test it out for yourself!

5. To soak up the healing vibrations. Machu Picchu is one of the many energy vortices on the planet and visiting is said by some to be truly transformational. It is believed that your vibrations and frequency will begin to match the surrounding energy. Machu Picchu is considered to be one of the most spiritually aligning places to visit because it opens and resonates with all of the Chakras.

Based out of NYC, Gina Benson is a Registered Yoga Teacher and certified Ayurveda Practitioner and Holistic Nutritionist. She has a deep respect for both practices and, in 2017, created Yogaveda Health & Healing with the mission to dedicate her life, studies, and career to bettering the experience of living for others. Gina's vivacious personality, gentle heart, and strong faith make her the optimal healer. With her love of Yoga and Ayurveda (Yogaveda), as well as her specialty in women's health, Gina believes she can change the lives of many by bringing them to a state of balance and peaceful harmony. Gina hopes to spread the knowledge and healing powers of these practices with her clients and students to help maintain healthy lifestyles customized for every individual. To learn more about Gina and her offerings, visit www.yogavedahealth.com.

“I recently returned from the Grace in Nature retreat that took place in the Sacred Valley. Although one may think of this as simply a trip or a vacation, I consider it a profound experience. It is hard to explain the significance of visiting the ancient ruins of Pisaq, Moray and Machu Picchu. Each day I had the opportunity to learn about the ancient civilizations and the current life in Peru. Our guides on this adventure were open and caring about Peru and the lessons it has to offer.

The accommodations were wonderful and the itinerary was full but not overwhelming. When I reflect on this trip, one casual after dinner event that keeps coming to mind was the viewing the night sky, the stars of Southern Hemisphere, with a local astronomer. It was breath taking to see the Milky Way bookended by the Andes. 

Karen and Gina guided our group, which became a family through all of our time in Peru. It was an experience of a lifetime and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have shared it with such wonderful people. I would recommend this adventure for all!”

— A.S.

“I just returned from the Peru trip and it was a dream come true! Traveling with Grace in Nature is very special because it’s a small group experience and Karen Score spends a lot of time planning and creating amazing experiences for her group — and she travels with us! That's not something you will get from the large group tours.

Machu Picchu was one place I had always wanted to see but I never could have pieced together all the travel arrangements like Karen did. I left home with expectations of seeing amazing places in Peru and was so glad that someone chose beautiful hotels and great meals for me! I came back home with memories and friendships for a lifetime! 

Traveling with Grace in Nature you get more than you could ever hope for. From the very first email, to the moment you say so long to your new family of friends, Karen and Gina will make you feel comfortable, cared for and well taken care of.  

YES! Travel with Grace in Nature!”

— Jamie Lemnotis

READ MORE...