| September 2 |
Arrive Cusco and settle into accommodations. We meet Carla Woody at our lodging for the opening circle at 4 PM to frame the intent of our journey. Continue at group dinner getting to know each other. Overnight Cusco. |
| September 3 |
We enter the world of Andean mysticism at a private temple near Cusco with Doña Vilma Pinedo as our guide. She introduces us to the teachings, divination and ceremonies of the Andes. Free time after a late lunch to meditate in the garden, explore a sacred site nearby or optional coca reading. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast and lunch included. |
| September 4 |
An hours’ drive outside Cusco brings us to more teachings with Doña Vilma at a site informed by traditional usage for centuries. Late afternoon through the evening we have an audience with a well-known Altomisayoq (a designation for the highest level of priest-mystic in the Andean Way) and touch the invisible world. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast and lunch included. |
| September 5 |
Today we embark on a daytrip coming to a point 90 minutes outside Cusco where we leave our vehicle for a 2-mile moderate walk on a path along a remote canyon to a very special place. For here we will encounter the condor?powerful beings of the Hanaqpacha, the Upper World. We meet them in their natural habitat, as they soar through their domain and finally come home to roost in the canyon walls just below us. Given their curiosity, don’t be surprised if they come close enough that we can hear the whoosh of their wings. Overnight Cusco. All meals included. |
| September 6 |
In the morning there is free time to explore the streets of Cusco or optional coca readings. Early afternoon we gather at a sacred site outside Cusco where we meet Q’ero paq’os for community and despacho ceremony framing further travels. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast and lunch included. |
| September 7 |
We leave Cusco early morning to begin an 8-hour journey where we climb to the highest point of the Manu Biospere and then descend into the Cloud Forest. We spend our first night in a rustic lodge, a transition to the Manu rainforest where protected wildlife and over 1000 species of birds live. Overnight Cloud Forest. All meals included. |
| September 8 |
Our travels take us into the tropical lowlands to the small village of Atalaya to board our boat for a 2-hour ride on the Alto Madre de Dios River to a point deep into the jungle, with magnificent views of the Andes along the way. We come to rest at the foot of the Pantiacolla Mountain Range, where the Andes and the lowland tropical rainforest meet, and we have a good chance to see birds and plants from both zones. For the next three nights we stay in this beautiful site, in a comfortable lodge with surrounding trails and optional nature exploration. Here we meet respected Elder Don Alberto Manqueriapa who carries the rainforest in his soul. Overnight Manu. All meals included. |
| September 9 |
Over the next two days, we open ourselves in earnest to the mysticism of the rainforest, engaging in ceremony with Don Alberto, the voices of the trees, plants, birds, monkeys, and encounters with spirits, for what they have to show us. Overnight Manu. All meals included. |
| September 10 |
Don Alberto continues the ritual teachings of his people. Inasmuch as this is a time of new
learning, it’s also a space for integrating the initiation journey we have been on—in a natural
place so alive with growth and sound that we find our own still point within it. Overnight Manu. All meals included. |
| September 11 |
At dawn we board the boat to return to Atlaya, and then continue on by bus ascending back into civilization, preparing for re-entry and home. We arrive in Cusco in the evening. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast and lunch included. |
| September 12 |
Free time to rest, reflect on the journey and further discover Cusco on your own. We end this day with a late afternoon closing circle and farewell dinner. Breakfast included. |
| September 13 |
Fly home. |
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Note: We build flexibility into the schedule. Activities may be adjusted to accommodate the weather, if required. |
