Day 1

Flight into Lima. Pick-up at airport and transfer to the CEPROF Project. Dinner (if your flight gets in before 7 p.m.) and overnight at CEPROF, a Home for girls, ages 6 to 18, who have been abandoned or who are in physical and psychological danger.

 

Day 2

Tour of the CEPROF project. Around midday, we’ll go to Jorge Chavez Airport to get our flight to Cusco. Pick-up at Cusco airport and transfer to hotel, where you’ll have time to relax and allow your body to get used to the altitude. Free afternoon; we advise you to relax and eat very lightly. Night in hotel.

 

Day 3

Do-It-Yourself Day

We recommend that you visit: the Incan ruins on the outskirts of the city: Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay. The Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas; the beautiful MAP (Museum of Pre-Columbian Art); Qoricancha (the Temple of the Sun); the neighborhood of San Blas, with its aromatic alleys and Coca Shop, where they use coca leaves to make various products (infusions, chocolate, cakes, ice-creams, etc.)

Organized visit to PeruEtico project (lunch only): We’ll take you in a private car to lunch at the Hogar de las Estrellas, in the Larapa neighborhood. After eating with the children and teenagers who live there, you’ll learn all about this wonderful project, which houses over 30 differently-abled young people who have been abandoned by their families. Duration of the visit: approximately two and a half hours.

Night in hotel.

 

Day 4

Do-It-Yourself Day

We’ll offer you a private car and driver for the entire day. We recommend that you visit: Chinchero, with its Rainbow Temple; Moray, astounding Incan agricultural terraces; and Maras, impressive salt mines (still in use after 1,000 years) set against a landscape that will take your breath away.

Organized visit to PeruEtico project (lunch only): In Urubamba, the children of Mosoq Runa will be waiting for us for lunch. Ada will explain everything about the project, the children, the workshops and her ideas for development. It’ll be an afternoon you’ll never forget! In the evening, we’ll return to the hotel for a well-deserved rest.

 

Day 5

Do-It-Yourself Day

We recommend that you visit: Pisaq, with its impressive ruins and unique agricultural and handicraft market, whose colors and smells are surrounded by the town’s colonial architecture; Ollantaytambo, the Incan wonder, with its fortress and town perfectly preserved. In the afternoon, we’ll take the train to Aguas Calientes to begin our Machu Picchu adventure. Night in hotel.

 

Day 6

Do-It-Yourself Day

At dawn, we’ll live the ultimate dream: taking the bus from Aguas Calientes and entering Machu Picchu, the “lost city.” If you are feeling particularly energetic, you can also hike to the summit of Wayna Picchu. In the afternoon, we’ll take the train from Aguas Calientes back to Cusco. Night in hotel.

 

Day 7

We’ll come pick you up at 7 a.m. and take you to the bus terminal; the bus leaves at 7:30 for Puno. The “First Class” tourist bus (with heating, air conditioning, chemical toilet, DVDs, service on board and buffet lunch in Sicuani included) will make a series of stops along the way: Andahuaylilla, Rajchi and Pukara. Pick-up at the Puno bus terminal. In the evening (between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.), we will meet in the hotel with a representative from the Huayllano community. Night in hotel.

 

Days 8 & 9

Early wake-up call and breakfast. At 7:30 a.m., the community representative will come to get us at the hotel. We’ll go to the harbor, board a boat belonging to the Taquile locals, and set off to explore Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.

First, we’ll visit the floating Uros Islands, north of Puno bay. Next, we’ll head to Taquile, the lake’s biggest island, and dock on the north side of the island. From there, we’ll go to the small harbor of Huayllano. The Huayllano families will show us the island’s ancestral traditions; as their guests, we’ll eat their typical dishes and, for a night, live like locals.

In the evening, we’ll have dinner with our host family and watch a typical dance. Night in the host family’s home.

The next day, after breakfast, we’ll have time to explore the bay’s surroundings, the beach and some archeological ruins. Then, we’ll walk to Taquile town, where we’ll have lunch. Eventually, we’ll walk down to the harbor and return to Puno, arriving around 6 p.m. Night in hotel.

 

Day 10

Public bus option: Free morning in Puno. Departure at 2 p.m. and arrival in Arequipa around 7 p.m. Pick-up at the bus terminal and night in hotel.

 

Days 11 & 12

Do-It-Yourself Days

We recommend that you visit the Colca Canyon, a two-day tour, during which you will see alpacas, llamas, vicunas, guanacos and vizcachas, bathe in the valley’s renowned hot springs, and reach the Mirador de la Cruz del Cóndor, where the condors will soar right by you.

 

Day 13

Do-It-Yourself Day

Free day in Arequipa, the “white city.” Don’t miss: the Santa Catalina Convent, the museum of the Juanita Mummy, and the delicious local cuisine.

In the evening, we’ll come pick you up at the hotel to take you to the bus terminal, where we’ll take a comfortable, fully equipped bus (heating, air conditioning, chemical toilet, DVDs, service on board), arriving in Nazca at dawn the next day.

 

Day 14

Do-It-Yourself Day

We recommend that you: Fly over the Nazca lines, which takes about half an hour (the departure schedule is subject to change due to the weather and number of tourists); visit the Cantalloc Aquaduct, 2 kilometers from Nazca; visit the Antonini Museum (Italian Center for Pre-Columbian Studies and Archeological Research). In the late afternoon, we’ll take a bus to Paracas. Pick-up at the station and night in hotel.

 

Day 15

Do-It-Yourself Day

We recommend that you get up early, go to the Paracas port and take a motorboat to the Ballestas Islands. Then, you can explore the Nature Reserve, admiring the beautiful terrain and seeing animals in their natural habitat. In the afternoon, bus to Lima. Pick-up at the station and transfer to CEPROF. Dinner and night at CEPROF.

 

Day 16

Transfer CEPROF-airport. Flight out of Lima.

US$75 per person

 

The contributions will be given in full to the three Children’s Homes—CEPROF, Mosoq Runa and Hogar de las Estrellas—so that they may finance their own projects planned for 2010.

 

For more information, please see the PeruEtico Italia Association website.

 

During this tour, we will visit:

CEPROF Family Support Center – Lima

Mosoq Runa Children’s Home – Urubamba

Hogar de las Estrellas Association – Cusco

If the length of your vacation isn’t the same as the length of our tour, write us! Together, we’ll draw up an itinerary that suits you. Remember that our tours don’t have fixed departure dates; you decide when to travel!

 

Please note the following:

During visits to the Children’s Homes, we are guests. Please always ask permission to take photographs. In addition, it is expressly forbidden to give gifts or candy to the children. All donations can be given directly to the project director or representative.

If the Sacred Valley tour of Moray/Maras/Mosoq Runa/Chinchero falls on a Sunday, the Mosoq Runa children are not there, as they go home to their families. In this case, the itinerary will be modified so as to guarantee a visit to the project (by pushing ahead the visit to Machu Picchu).

Private tour: Lake Titicaca.

On Taquile, the houses are very simple and the services basic. The rooms are pretty and welcoming, and don’t worry about the cold; your hosts will provide blankets.

During the flight over the Nazca lines, the plane will tilt and circle so that you can see the designs. We don’t recommend this to people who have a fear of flying. It’s quite normal to feel a little sick afterwards!

From July to September, flights over the Nazca lines are sometimes cancelled because of low visibility due to the fog.

The project contribution will go to the projects Mosoq Runa, Hogar de las Estrellas and CEPROF. You will also be supporting the Hogar de las Estrellas and Mosoq Runa through the lunches you eat there and CEPROF through the dinners you eat and the nights you spend there.

 

This tour includes:

Flight Lima-Cusco with airline LanPeru (economy class).

All transfers airport-hotel and vice versa.

Train Ollantaytambo-Aguas Calientes (round trip).

Lodging in a family-run, three-star hotel, in double or twin rooms with a private bathroom and breakfast included.

Two nights at CEPROF (22 beds divided into 6 rooms with both private and shared bathrooms).

One night on Taquile Island on Lake Titicaca in a Huayllano family home.

All meals during the two days on Taquile.

Lunch in Sicuani during the trip from Cusco to Puno.

Dinner at CEPROF upon arrival in Lima (if your flight gets in before 7 p.m.) and coming back from Paracas.

Private car for the visit to the Hogar de las Estrellas in Cusco.

Private car for the visit to the Sacred Valley and Mosoq Runa.

Fully equipped bus from Cusco to Puno, Puno to Arequipa, Arequipa to Nazca, Nazca to Paracas and Paracas to Lima.

This tour does not include:

International flight to and from Peru.

Project contribution (50 Euros/US$75 per person).

Travel insurance policy (mandatory) that covers: emergency assistance, medical, baggage, ground transport, flight.

Airport taxes (around US$6 for domestic flights).

Lunches and dinners (except those specifically listed above).

Entrance fees for archeological sites.

BTC (Boleto Turistico del Cusco – Cusco Tourism Ticket).

Flight over the Nazca Lines (around US$75 per person).

Lunches at the Hogar de las Estrellas and Mosoq Runa. Each lunch costs US$15 per person (total US$30).

Suggested packing list:

Both light and heavy clothing

Windbreaker

Hiking boots

Swimming suit

Insect repellent

Sunscreen

Sunglasses

US Dollars (best conversion rates into Nuevo Soles)

By bus:

1 person: $1,790

2-3 people: $1,650

4-5 people: $1,590

6-8 people: $1,490

 

NB: Prices per person in US dollars.