Peru Yoga Adventure: Yoga, Hiking and Cultural Connections with Annie Barrett, E-RYT 500, and Steve Scheuerell, Ph.D.

Transcription

1 Peru Yoga Adventure: Yoga, Hiking and Cultural Connections with Annie Barrett, E-RYT 500, and Steve Scheuerell, Ph.D. July 19-30, 2015 Take a yoga adventure into the heart of the Peruvian Andes! Join a group of yoga and travel enthusiasts to explore the ancient wonders and welcoming people of the Sacred Valley of Peru. Enjoy staying in charming Andean towns with vibrant markets and delicious Peruvian cuisine. Daily yoga sessions combined with visits to highland Quechua communities, Incan ruin sites, community programs, and hikes through the cultural landscapes of the Sacred Valley and surrounding mountains will bring rejuvenation, engagement, and awe. As retreat leaders, we bring Spanish speaking fluency and a passion for knowing the people and places of the Sacred Valley, to the point of having created a home and gardens here. Join us, Annie Barrett, experienced registered yoga teacher and bilingual educator, and Steve Scheuerell, professor at The Evergreen State College with experience teaching and leading groups in Peru, for an unforgettable yoga adventure in the Andes. 12 Day, 11 Night Itinerary: Sunday July 19, Day 1 Arrival in Cusco. A van from the Pisac Inn will meet you at the Cusco airport and bring you to the town of Pisac, a 45 minute scenic drive down into the Sacred Valley where we will begin our journey together. Pisac is home to spectacular Incan temples and terraces, a thriving artisan market, and great hiking. We will gather for dinner together and preview trip details. Lodging: Picac Inn, Pisac. Monday July 20, Day 2 Begin the day with yoga followed by breakfast. After breakfast, we will have a guided visit to Kusi Kawsay, a non-profit school rooted in Andean traditions that aims to empower economically challenged children from Pisac and remote communities in the Pisac vicinity. After the school tour, we will walk along Incan corn terraces to Ccata Chacra Farm (Steve and Annie s Pisac home) where we will learn about native tubers, grains, and fruits, then have a delicious lunch of local ingredients al fresco amidst views of the Sacred Valley and surrounding mountains. After lunch you are free to relax or wander the extensive artisan market in Pisac before meeting up for dinner. Lodging: Pisac Inn, Pisac Tuesday July 21, Day 3 Begin the day with yoga followed by breakfast. After breakfast, we will visit the extensive Incan site above Pisac, enjoy a picnic lunch in the archaeological park and hike back down to Pisac in the afternoon. Late afternoon free time followed by dinner. Lodging: Pisac Inn, Pisac.

2 Wednesday, July 22, Day 4 Morning meditation and yoga starts our day. After breakfast, we leave Pisac for several days, driving an hour down the Sacred Valley and crossing up to visit the fascinating Incan agricultural site of Moray. From Moray, we will take in impressive mountain vistas while hiking down to the valley floor, passing through the Salineras, a vast collection of salt evaporation ponds sculpted into a valley. These have been the regional salt source for thousands of years, still hand worked in the traditional way. Below the Salineras we will meet our van and drive 20 minutes to the Incan fortress town of Ollantaytambo. Here we stay in the old Incan part of town, walking pedestrian-only streets lined with original stone work and Incan canals en route to our lodge for 3 nights. Dinner together. Lodging: Apu Lodge, Ollantaytambo. Thursday, July 23, Day 5 Day Trip to Machu Picchu! We will rise at dawn and catch the train to Aguas Calientes. Enjoy breakfast on the scenic hour and a half train trip, traveling along the roaring river between mountain peaks into lush subtropical forest. From Aguas Calientes, we bus up to the entrance of Machu Picchu where we will meet our guide and experience Machu Picchu for the day. Enjoy a picnic lunch and be mesmerized by this amazing place! In the late afternoon we return by bus to Aguas Calientes where participants are on their own for dinner before our group returns by train to Ollantaytambo in the evening. Lodging: Apu Lodge, Ollantaytambo Friday, July 24, Day 6 After a long travel day to Machu Picchu, we will enjoy breakfast and a leisurely morning yoga session together and then visit the ruin site of Ollantaytambo, wrapped around the ancient town in the shape of a giant llama with classic stonework, sun calendar, and ceremonial baths. In the afternoon, participants are on their own to relax, explore the original Incan pedestrian streets of Ollantaytambo, or climb up to Incan grainery buildings. We will have an afternoon yoga session al fresco in the garden of Apu Lodge and we will meet up in the evening for a delicious dinner in town. Lodging: Apu Lodge, Ollantaytambo. Saturday July 25, Day 7 Enjoy breakfast at Apu Lodge, and then prepare to travel up valley back to the Pisac area. Along the way, we will stop in the important market town of Calca where we will meet with workers from DESEA Peru, a community project working with highland communities to improve community health care, nutrition, and to provide clean water using bio-sand water filters. We will enjoy a local hike and then return to Pisac where we will enjoy a late afternoon yoga session followed by dinner. Lodging: Pisac Inn, Pisac. Sunday July 26, Day 8 Enjoy morning yoga at the Pisac Inn and spend a little time enjoying the wonderful open air Sunday Pisac market. Then we drive 45 minutes above Pisac to the Quechua town of Amaru to meet with a cooperative engaged in community-based tourism, where we will have lunch and learn Quechua community traditions and be shown the weaving arts. Amaru is known for its traditional weaving patterns, natural dyes, and very fine quality textiles. We will enjoy a sumptuous lunch and dinner of local ingredients cooked for us by the hosts in Amaru and stay the night in a family operated guesthouse. Lodging: Amaru

3 Monday July 27, Day 9 Enjoy breakfast in Amaru with our hosts. After we say our good-byes in Amaru, we will hike up and over to the neighboring community of Viacha via mountain lakes and ridge views. In Viacha, we will harvest potatoes in the traditional way and enjoy a picnic lunch that highlights huatia, field roasted potatoes and condiments. After a leisurely lunch where you can learn about traditional agriculture practices, we will return to Pisac. Late afternoon yoga in Pisac followed by dinner. Loding: Pisac Inn, Pisac Tuesday July 28, Day 10 After morning yoga and breakfast, we will drive to Cuzco, visiting the immense fitted stones and ceremonial grounds of Sacsaywaman that forms the Puma head of Cusco city. We will arrive in the San Blas district of Cuzco with plenty of time to wander the cobblestone streets before enjoying a delicious dinner. Lodging: Amaru Hostal, Cuzco Wednesday July 29, Day 11 Last full day! Breakfast followed by a short walk to the main historic plazas and central covered market. The rest of the day offers options for visiting local sites, markets, and museums of this fascinating regional capital and center of the ancient Incan world. Meet up for afternoon yoga session followed by group dinner. Lodging: Amaru Hostal, Cuzco Thursday, July 30, Day 12 Departure Day. After breakfast at Amaru Hostal, we say our good-byes. Amaru Hostal will arrange transport to airport. Participant Requirements Participants must be in good health and physical condition. Walking and hiking on uneven surfaces is required to explore the region. The majority of our time will be spent at an altitude of between 9,000-10,000 feet. We will make time for acclimatization in the early days and leave ample time for rest and relaxation along the way. Accommodations and Meals We will have overnight lodging in the following towns: Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Amaru and Cusco. In each location, participants will be lodged in moderately priced and lovely hotels or hostels chosen by Annie with private bathrooms except for one night in Amaru where participants will have shared bathrooms. In most cases, we will have breakfast where we stay. Breakfasts typically consist of fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, eggs, bread and coffee or tea. On many days, we will enjoy delicious picnic lunches while out on our excursions, and Annie will select her favorite local restaurants for dinners. Quinoa, rice, corn, potatoes, vegetables, meat and poultry and fresh fruit are the main foods consumed in the Andean region. Vegetarian meals are available. If you have specific dietary restrictions, let us know, and we will make accommodations.

4 Yoga Yoga and meditation sessions will be included most days of the trip in either the morning, afternoon or while on our day excursions, depending on the schedule. The richness of the culture and the awesome setting of the Sacred Valley add a powerful and inspiring element to our practice. Please bring your own yoga mat. Retreat leaders Annie Barrett is passionate about yoga and travel and is a fluent Spanish speaker. A registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance, Annie s teaches yoga as a heartfelt exploration of mind, body and spirit. She first visited the area in 1995 and has been visiting the Sacred Valley of Peru with her family regularly since Annie s husband, Steve Scheuerell, has brought college groups to the area and will assist with logistics and education on geography, Incan stonework, and tradition food and agriculture. Together they are very knowledgeable about the area and have extensive connections. They will be your general guides for the region, and will collaborate with local guides in rural communities and Incan sites to optimize participant learning. Retreat package The retreat package is $2500 per person for double accommodation and $2700 for those preferring a single room. If you are traveling solo and would like to share a room, please let us know and if possible, we will match you with another person on the retreat. No refunds are provided for arriving late or departing early, or for activities or meals in which one does not participate. The package includes: 11 nights accommodation (5 nights in Pisac, 3 nights in Ollantaytambo, 1 night in Amaru, and 2 nights in Cuzco) Transport to and from Cusco airport All listed regional transportation, including train to Machu Picchu Retreat leaders and local guides Daily yoga/meditation sessions Daily tours and activities per itinerary Entrance tickets to all itinerary sites Tips for guides and service providers All meals except two lunches and one dinner

5 The package rate does not include: International airfare to and from Lima Domestic flight between Lima and Cusco Two lunches and one dinner Alcoholic drinks Snacks and bottled water Personal items, souvenirs Travel to Peru Our Peru Yoga Adventure begins in Pisac on June 30 (PM) and ends in Cusco on July 11 (AM) after breakfast. Participants must have a valid passport. An entry visa is not required for U.S. or Canadian citizens. Peru is a popular travel destination in June and July. We recommend booking early for international and domestic flights. Multiple US carriers as well as Latin American carriers (LAN, TACA and Copa Air) fly from the U.S. to Lima with connections to Cusco. We will work with your flight schedule and arrange transport from Cusco to Pisac. Book your flight into Lima, the capital of Peru. Depending on the arrival time of your international flight into Lima, you may or may not have to spend a night in Lima. Many flights from the U.S. to Lima either arrive in the late evening or early morning. Allow at least 3 hours between your international flight into Lima and your domestic flight to Cusco if you are switching airlines in Lima in case of arrival delays. Flight time from Lima to Cusco is one hour. When flying to Cusco, request a window seat on the left side away from a wing for epic views of mountains and Cusco. Weather and clothing needs July is in the dry season in the Peruvian highlands; on average it is mostly sunny with the daytime temperature reaching 70 F during the day, and the high 30s F at night. Pack clothes with layering in mind. The days start brisk, warm with the sun, and then cool quickly with the 6 pm sunset. Night is chilly. Consider casual, quick dry travel pants and similar long sleeve shirts to shield skin from the intense sunlight. Shorts are not traditional worn in the region, but they are used to tourists. Pack a raincoat/shell layer, sunhat and sunscreen. Good footwear for walking/hiking is necessary. Excellent woven or knitted sweaters, socks, leg warmers, hats, and mittens are sold in abundance if you pack light.

6 Group size This trip is limited to 10 people to ensure personalized attention and to facilitate easy transportation to the many activities and sites. A minimum of 6 people is necessary to run the trip. Book early for this trip! Airline ticket prices are less expensive when booked many months ahead. As well, we need to reserve your Machu Picchu train tickets well in advance. Contact Annie with questions and/or to register for this Yoga adventure. anniecbarrett@outlook.com