About This Retreat
There’s a reason that Machu Picchu is high on so many people’s travel bucket list. Visiting the Lost City and the Sacred Valley is like stepping into another world. The awe-inspiring UNESCO World Heritage Site is perched on a mountain ridge some 2,400m above sea level and commands jaw-dropping views over the surrounding landscapes. We have created an unforgettable journey for you to discover Machu Picchu and many other sacred spots in Peru.
Our home-away-from-home is Willka T’ika. Our exquisite eco-friendly sanctuary is located between the world heritage site of Machu Picchu and the Incan capital of Cusco. You will find inspiration, refreshment, revitalization, and a wonderful connection to Mother Nature through Willka T’ika’s peaceful energy and mystical surroundings. Located in one of the most energetically charged places on earth, this retreat will facilitate mind, body, and spirit connection.
We will visit nearby ancient Incan ruins, ceremonial sites, temples, and an abundance of cultural activities. Our days will be filled with exploring winding rivers, charming villages, and high mountain meadows grazed by herds of llama and alpaca.
In addition to our Journey to Machu Picchu our retreat will include daily yoga and movement practices, delicious farm-to-table vegetarian meals, authentic Andean rituals with local healers, guided adventures through Incan sites, tours of our renowned Seven Chakra Gardens, and warm-hearted service from our professional and devoted Quechua staff.
Cost:
- $4500 Shared Garden View Room
- $5500 Private Garden View Room
— - $4775 Shared Luxury Room
- $5775 Private Luxury Room
*These are our early bird prices and are valid until June 15th, 2024.
How To Get There:
When:
March 15-22, 2025
8 days / 7 nights
Cusco: 2 days / 1 night in Cusco
Machu Picchu: 1 day at Machu Picchu
Willka T’ika: 5 days / 6 nights at Willka T’ika
Where:
Inclusions & Highlights
- Daily yoga classes taught by Carleen
- Private local guides
- All transfers, trains and bus tickets. This includes a group shuttle to and from the Cusco Airport.
- Organic gourmet vegetarian meals daily when at Willka T’ika
- Guided tour around the Seven Chakra Gardens
- Authentic Andean offering and fire ceremony with Q’ero Pakko healer
- Visit to an Andean Mountain School
- Hiking the P’isaq ruins, ceremony, and shopping in the famous market
- Visit to Urubamba’s authentic market, Seminario Pottery Studio, and alpaca factory store
Does Not Include
- Additional activities not included in the itinerary
- Tips
- Spa treatments
- Travel insurance
- Flights to Cusco
- Private transfers (if your flights do not line up with the group transfer times)
- Meals not included in the itinerary
- Alcoholic beverages
About our Accommodation:
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Willka T’ika is the perfect base for our retreat, it is Peru’s premier luxury wellness retreat and boutique hotel and the original yoga center of the Sacred Valley. The property is serene, sustainable and enchanting with a gorgeous setting to tune into the pure Sacred Valley energies and meditate or relax in the renowned Seven Chakra Gardens. We will practice yoga in spacious, sun-filled studios and have organic, vegetarian “farm to table” meals prepared for us daily. Our passionate local guides are experts in Andean culture, history and cosmology. In addition to our daily hikes and adventures you will have the ability to book additional healing treatments at Willka T’ika including solar-heated floral baths under the stars, Andean spa and massage, and crystal light therapy. Choose from a garden room or a slightly larger luxury room and prepare to completely unwind and reconnect in the Sacred Valley.
Sample Itinerary
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SAT March 15
Retreat begins with a group transfer from the Cusco airport to our hotel conveniently situated in the historic center. Plan to arrive in Cusco by 11a.m. to acclimate to the altitude.
3:00 pm: Meet our guide in the hotel lobby for a brief group orientation meeting. Late afternoon walk through the cobblestone streets of San Blas, where your guide will point out fascinating Incan stonework en route to the Korikancha Temple, the holiest site during Incan times.
6:30 pm: Group welcome Peruvian dinner.
*Dinner provided.
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SUN March 16
AM: Visit the Inkan site of Saksaywaman overlooking the city of Cusco. By these majestic ruins, a traditional K’intu blessing invites you to tap into the presence and energies of Pachamama, Mother Earth.
PM: Enjoy a picnic lunch, then drive to Willka T’ika in the Sacred Valley through spectacular Andean mountain scenery. After a brief intro by the guide and leader, the Willka T’ika Quechua staff will welcome you to the retreat center, and help you schedule time for Andean spa services and the use of the beautiful yoga, meditation and ceremonial spaces.
*Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.
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MON March 17
AM: Today is dedicated to Pachamama, Mother Earth. After an invigorating yoga practice relax in nature and enjoy a tour of the Seven Chakra Gardens. Meet our pakko, a very special Q’ero healer, visiting from the high Andes. Optional guided walk through the nearby Rumichaka farming neighborhood where Quechua campesinos live. More challenging hikes along scenic routes into the valley are also possible.
1:00 pm Lunch.
PM: After lunch, participate in coca leaf blessings and a sacred “Despacho” ceremony. Optional private coca leaf readings may be available. After dinner, our pakko invites guests to an authentic and transformative Andean fire ceremony to honor Pachamama, yourself and your loved ones. The ceremony will remind us to focus our intention for this journey and serves as a wonderful preparation of mind, body and spirit for the pilgrimage to Machu Picchu.
*Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.
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TUES March 18
AM: An ayni day. Drive through the Sacred Valley to a Quechua mountain school supported by the nonprofit Willka T’ika Children’s Fund. Since 1995, Willka T’ika has supported high mountain communities where few tourists are privileged to visit. In a reciprocal ayni exchange, the group offers an activity the children can enjoy. The warmth and joy of the children, and their openness in bringing guests into their daily lives are special moments not easily forgotten. Afterward, enjoy a riverside picnic lunch.
PM: Continue to the spectacular ruins of P’isaq, overlooking impressive Incan terraces. Hike up the ruins or walk quietly in a silent personal vision quest. Return to the main square of P’isaq by bus and visit the famous, colorful market filled with woven goods, jewelry, wall hangings and hand-painted beadwork. Enjoy café or tea in the market square. P’isaq is a photographer’s dream. Return to Willka T’ika for a late afternoon yoga session before dinner.
*Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.
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WED March 19
AM: Early breakfast. Tourist train to Aguas Calientes. Tea/coffee and snack served on train. A bus takes you to the sunlit terraces of Machu Picchu. Enjoy a fabulous guided tour of the ancient “City of Light.” Experience a journey through the masculine energy temples of political and spiritual power, followed by a deep reconnection of feminine earth energies.
PM: In the afternoon, hike to Inti Punku, the original Incan Gateway to the Sun or to the Incan bridge. Late afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo where you will transfer to Willka T’ika in time for a late, light dinner.
*Breakfast and dinner provided. Lunch on your own in town.
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THURS March 20
AM: Visit the ceremonial site of Ollantaytambo and its famous Sun Temple. Lunch on own in the quaint picturesque town.
PM: Enjoy a group yoga & journaling session followed by free time to enjoy Willka T’ika. Meditate in the Chakra Garden of your choice and allow yourself time to receive the ancestral crown chakra energies beneath the 1000-year-old lucuma tree. Enjoy an Andean Spa treatment, or crystal light therapy session. For the more active, there will be an option to choose from a variety of hikes, including the nearby Maras Salt Flats and activities through the valley and up the mountains.
*Breakfast and dinner provided. Lunch on your own in town.
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FRI March 21
Our day will start with a guided morning hike to the town of Urubamba through farming neighborhoods, a visit to a lively Peruvian market, a wonderful alpaca factory, and the famous Seminario ceramics shop.
1:00 pm: Lunch; free time and restorative yoga.
6:30 pm: Farewell dinner.
*Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.
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SAT March 22
10:00 am: Check-Out Time. Option for early morning yoga, meditation or a closing circle before breakfast at 8am. Group shuttle will depart for the Cusco airport at 10am to connect to Lima, and outbound flight home. Group should plan for flights out of Cusco between 2-5pm.
*Breakfast provided.
