Ancient Civilizations and Sacred Sites of Peru

Join us for what promises to be a unique and transformative travel experience in the Andes Mountains of South America.

This trip is focused on the many ancient civilizations that evolved in the diverse landscapes of what is now Peru.

It has been designed and customized for a small, intimate group of travelers who are looking for the quintessential trip to explore ancient South America. We will mostly have our own transport, except for planes, trains, and certain boats. Quality accommodations and food will also be paramount.

For those that have already traveled to Peru, this trip will likely give them a much more in depth and comprehensive experience of the ancient cultural sites that they had previously visited, as these sites can often be rushed through before they are fully appreciated or understood. But for many other people this may be the only trip they will ever do to this part of the world, and so our guide, Jim Berenholtz, a lifelong student and scholar of ancient cultures, has put together an itinerary that includes all the essential highlights of an Andean sacred sites pilgrimage. Jim has traveled four times through Peru, and twice guided tours there, so he knows the region very well. We will also have local guides to share their expertise with us wherever we visit. And our trip is timed to coincide with key Andean cultural festivals, celestial events and astronomical alignments important to the ancient peoples.

Our journey begins in the Peruvian capital of Lima, where we will orient ourselves to the ancient history of this land by visiting many of the city’s outstanding museum collections that house exceptional cultural art and artifacts. On the solstice we will travel north of Lima to visit the recently discovered river valley ruins of Caral, whose pyramids have been dated to more than 5000 years of age, making this site the oldest known center of ancient civilization in the entire American hemisphere. Next we fly to Cuzco, ancient capital of the Inca empire, and host for the Inti Raymi Festival of the Sun on June 24, an annual ceremonial event that draws indigenous musicians and dancers from throughout the high Andes region. This colorful spectacle is a feast for the eyes AND ears, and gives evidence to the fact that Peru’s ancient cultural traditions are still very much alive. Then it’s on the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where in addition to the usual, albeit quite impressive sites visited, we will explore some rarely visited ancient sites, including the amazing circular terraces of Moray that burrow deep down into the Earth.

Of course no trip to Peru would be complete without a visit to the legendary and awe-inspiring cloud forest mystical retreat of Machu Picchu, which is our next stop. But whereas most tours only stay there for part of one day,  our tour gives us two and a half days to explore the many wonders of Machu Picchu in depth, with lots of hiking and time for meditation. Don’t forget to bring your cameras because the lighting is often spectacular at Machu Picchu with great photographic possibilities.

 Inti Raymi Festival June 24, 2015

Jim Berenholtz

Following our in-depth visit to Machu Picchu, we return back to Cuzco, and the next morning fly to Lima for our connecting flights back to our home countries. For those that wish to explore a bit more, there is a special optional extensions offered to this journey –  a full day visit by air RT from Lima to Nazca, where we will both walk AND fly over the famed Nazca lines, etched into the desert landscape many centuries ago by a sophisticated and symbolically rich culture.