Ancient Inca Empires & Vast Valleys

Explore one of the richest and most diverse cultures in South America with a trip to Cusco and the spellbinding Sacred Valley. Students immerse into the Quechua culture with a homestay that teaches them traditional cooking, house building, weaving and traditional farming. Students visit impactful reforestation and community composting projects before visiting the iconic Machu Picchu.​

Where: The Sacred Valley, Cusco, Peru
Duration: 4 days +
Number of participants: 6+
Date: Flexible 
Cost: From $599 p/p*
Language: Spanish or English
SDG's covered: 

Activities

• Tour of UNESO-listed historical centre of Cusco
• Cooking class in Cusco
• Tour of the Temple of the Moon
• Homestay with Quechua community - traditional farming, cooking, weaving
• Visit to women's weaving corporation. 
• Visit to a reforestation project
• Visit to Machu Picchu
• Multi-day Lares or Salkantay trek
• Visit to local recycling initiative
• Lectures and talks from expert anthropologists, archaeologists, historians. 
• Market visit and student challenge
  

Example itinerary

Day 1: Arrivals & introduction to the program
Private airport transfer. Hotel check in. Welcome dinner, brief tour of Cusco's beautiful historical centre.

Day 2: Market visit and cooking class
Visit the local market to find an array of locally-sourced food. In teams, choose the right ingredients for you as we enjoy a cooking challenge led by local expert chefs.

Day 3: Visit Temple of the Moon
Set off with a local guide to visit an archaeological site with many insights into Inca culture and history. Enjoy some free time in Cusco's centre before dinner. 

Day 4: Community homestay experience
Arrive at the community and meet your new families for your unique homestay. Learn how this community self-sustains itself using traditional cooking, house-building, weaving and crafting techniques.

Day 5: Pachamanca - underground cooking
Students get a unique opportunity to make one of the community's most traditional meals using nature to cook the food. Enjoy and afternoon visit to the archaeological site of Pisac.

Day 6: Trip to Aguas Calientes
Enjoy one of the continent's most epic train journeys winding through the spellbinding Sacred Valley. Explore the markets in the town of Aguas Calientes.

Day 7: Machu Picchu trek
Explore one of the wonders of the world. Led by an expert guide, discover the extraordinary history of this ancient city and the remarkable construction methods used by the Incas. Return to Cusco after lunch.

Day 8: Visit to a Quechua women's weaving corp
​Discover a social enterprise spearheaded by native women that has addressed the balance of uncontrolled tourism in the Sacred Valley. Students learn weaving techniques from the locals and enjoy a community lunch together. Return to Cusco for final meal.

Day 9: Departures:
Private transfer to Cusco's international airport in plenty of time for your flights home.

contact us

What is included

• Free teacher place for every 10 students that sign up
• ​All meals (we've chosen varied dishes to give a real taste of the Peruvian cuisine)
• Accommodation (rooms are shared but privates are available on request and at an extra cost) 
• Private transport - buses and small jeeps depending on the size of the group
• All scheduled excursions and activities
• Local guides and translators
• Safety documents - risk assessment, safety protocols, liability cover
• Health Insurance
• One Kagumu guide for every 8 students