Peru Overview
Known as Pachamama by the Incas, Mother Earth is seen as the feminine soul of nature and the provider of everything in life. Global Family Travels is pleased to offer a 10-day regenerative wellness journey to the charming country of Peru, focused on ancient Andean traditions of the Sacred Valley, allowing visitors to learn about how we can heal our earth and empower women.
We will journey to discover traditional ceremonies that connect the divine feminine energy with practices that steward the earth and offer a deeper connection to oneself and the planet.
With Vicki Weeks, global educator and Peru expert, as your trip leader, you will learn about the ancient history and traditions of the Sacred Valley and immerse yourself in the lives of rural Andean women, shamans, and artisans. You will also support various community organizations, including Awamaki, Potato Park, and the ANDES Association.
Learn more about Peru in our latest blog post: Peru’s Sacred Valley: Regenerative Travel to Support Community and Pachamama
Supporting Andean Communities
Location : Cusco, Peru
Global Family Travels is passionate about creating community-based, family-friendly trips that are truly meaningful, encouraging travelers of all ages to become both stewards of the environment and citizens of the world. Guided by our three travel pillars of “Learn, Serve & Immerse,” we partner with local and global non-profit partners to develop experiences in support of education, conservation, cultural preservation, and economic growth, which fosters cross-cultural understanding and creates global citizens.
We are pleased to work with the ANDES Assocation and Awamaki to offer this enriching trip to Peru’s Sacred Valley, to allow travelers to learn about Andean traditions through the lens of regeneration and nature.
Learn, Serve & Immerse
Location : Cusco, Peru
Learn - At Global Family Travels, we believe that the most powerful way to learn is through first-hand experience. We let the country and its people be your teachers, while taking in the charm and history of Sacred Valley cities and sites in Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, and other towns. While on the trip, you will be immersed in the community, meet community members, and learn about the powerful connections they have to our sacred earth.
Learning themes and experiences unique to your trip include:
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Engage with and learn from our non-profit partner, Awamaki, who is working to empower rural women with skills-based education and vocational skills.
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Learn how our non-profit community partners, Andes/Potato Park and Awamaki, preserve Andean cultural heritage, economic systems, and Indigenous traditions.
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Visit and learn about the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
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Participate in ancient Andean transformational healing traditions and rituals such as an herbal cleansing temazcal ceremony, a Sound Healing Ceremony with a “Curandero del Sonido” - a healer of sound, and a K’intu Coca Leaf Ceremony.
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Experience the sacred beauty and Inca history of Cusco and Ollantaytambo.
Serve - By visiting the various communities and our non-profit partners in this unique itinerary and engaging with and supporting humble potato farmers and weavers, you are being of service! There is also the option to engage in a service project facilitated by Awamaki to support local women weavers. Options will be determined a month prior to travel, based on the needs of the community.
Immerse - While on the trip, you will be immersed through meeting members of the community, or even working alongside them in the various service project tasks. A highlight of the trip is the option to spend one night with a host family in Potato Park, living as they do, helping to prepare meals and participating in the daily routine of the house. You will also participate in multiple ceremonial experiences of ancient Andean culture designed to cleanse and heal.
Throughout the trip, you have opportunity to practice your Spanish, create relationships with people from the Andean culture, and learn about global issues in a way that changes how you think and act when you return home.
About Trip Leader Vicki Weeks
Vicki Weeks is a leader in the global and experiential education field. Her interest in learning through intercultural challenges has led her to create and facilitate unconventional travel experiences for youth and adults in over ten countries. She holds a M.Ed in International Education from Harvard and lives in Seattle, Washington. Her company, Global Weeks, uses global connections and educational innovation to help schools and other organizations incorporate meaningful global and experiential education into their curriculum. She has been to Peru 20 times over a 40-year period and feels a deep connection to the Sacred Valley. She practices yoga, meditation, and cold-water swimming, and loves to spend time outside, create ceremonies, and sing whenever possible.
About Awamaki
Awamaki is a Peruvian non-profit organization that works with rural women to empower them with skills-based education and connect them with access to the market so they can earn an income, support their families, and help transform their communities. Awamaki achieves this through women’s artisanal fair-trade crafts cooperatives and sustainable tourism. The group works with nearly 140 women in five different communities. Learn more about Awamaki here.
About ANDES Association
Potato Park, supported by the Association for Nature and Sustainable Development (ANDES), is a biocultural territory dedicated to the conservation of biological and cultural diversity in the Andes mountains near Pisaq. The Potato Park is not just a conservation initiative for varieties of potatoes. It is, above all, a bio-cultural territory dedicated to the conservation of the heritage of six indigenous communities that live here; the landscape and its elements also include knowledge, traditions, innovations and the worldview of the over six thousand inhabitants. This 35 square mile park is administered by the five Indigenous communities of Amaru, Chawaytire, Pampallacta, Paru Paru and Sacaca. ANDES Association and community members of the Potato Park are our hosts as we will learn about their work and participate in the daily routines of the Indigenous peoples. Learn more about Potato Park here.
About Peru & its Culture
Location : Peru
Our visit to Peru will center around its Sacred Valley, the heart of the ancient Incan empire. As such, the trip will provide us with unique insight into the culture and traditions of the Ancient Incans. Many of our planned activities include traditional Ancient Incan ceremonies, described below.
Pachamama Offering Ceremony – Pachamama is an Andean goddess, whose name translates to “Mother Earth.” The Andeans honor this fertility goddess through offering ceremonies, which we will engage in on the third day of our trip. During these ceremonies, Andeans give back to Mother Earth by presenting small gifts to the goddess on a ceremonial blanket.
Temazcal Ceremony – Temazcal ceremonies are an ancient ritual practiced by many ancient civilizations from across the Americas. Our trip will include a full day focused on temazcals. These purification-focused ceremonies see participants enter a sweat lodge filled with steam, which is meant to cleanse one’s body and mind.
K’intu Ceremony – K'intu ceremonies are also tied to the goddess Pachamama. As their name suggests, these prayer ritual ceremonies revolve around k’intus – groups of three coca leaves. The three leaves correspond to the three worlds – lower, middle, and upper – as well as the three energy centers of the body – belly, heart, and mind.
About Global Family Travels
Location : Seattle, WA, USA
Global Family Travels' vision is to unite humanity and inspire travelers to take responsibility for the challenges and opportunities facing our increasingly inter-connected planet. Much more than a traditional tour operator, Global Family Travels’ mission is to provide authentic community based “Learn, Serve and Immerse” travel experiences, as means to foster cross-cultural understanding and create global citizens. By using tourism to help solve community challenges, we organize sustainable travel experiences in partnership with local and global non-profit organizations. Our local Seattle Community tours and global trips often support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including education, access to clean water, conservation, gender equality, and the preservation of diverse and indigenous cultures.
Global Family Travels also offers travel advisor services, to help plan custom trips for families, multi-generational travel, individual adventurers, or spiritual seekers.
Expect to Expand Your Family Circle when you embark on a Global Family Travels trip!
Visit our website for more information.
Climate Change Initiative: Tomorrow’s Air
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Carbon Removal: According to the State of Global Carbon Dioxide Removal Report by University of Oxford, natural methods of removing carbon from the atmosphere are not enough by themselves due to the amount of pollution currently in the atmosphere. Innovations in removing and permanently storing carbon emissions are needed to conserve nature and reverse the course toward further climate change.
Tomorrow’s Air: Global Family Travels is passionate about encouraging tourism that is not only sustainable but regenerative. To help with our mission, we seek to partner with like-minded brands such as Tomorrow’s Air, which operates within the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
Tomorrow’s Air is a collective of carbon removal innovators that work to permanently remove and store carbon from the atmosphere. Travel is a large contributor to global emissions, and we feel it is important to educate and empower travelers to support efforts that combat climate change! Therefore, as of January 2024, Global Family Travels will include a $25 contribution to Tomorrow’s Air into every trip. Clients may opt out of the $25 donation by emailing us to request its removal from your invoice.
Lima Hotel: Costa del Sol Airport
This hotel is strategically located within the Jorge Chávez International Airport, which offers a large number of services and amenities. It is perfect for travelers in transit, since it offers the tranquility and convenience of walking to or from a flight in a few minutes. It also offers business facilities that are designed to have a productive stay and business meetings.
Pisac Hotel: Royal Inka
Location : Paucartambo 428, Písac, Perú
This hotel is located only 35 minutes from the city of Cusco, in its majestic “Sacred Valley of the Incas.” It offers rooms with a beautiful view of the mountains and rustic style furniture. The hotel also includes amenities such as a restaurant, bar, spa, game room, cinema room, and conference room.
Ollantaytambo Hotel: El Albergue
Location : Av. Ferrocarril 1, Ollantaytambo 08675, Perú
Located in the heart of the Sacred Valley, El Albergue Ollantaytambo is a family-owned boutique hotel that offers exceptional hospitality, sustainability, and community involvement. Its commitment to these values is reflected in every aspect of the hotel, from its on-site organic farm to its support of education and conservation. The Finca El Albergue houses the Kuska School, Valle Sagrado Verde, as well as the Andean Distillery and Café Mayu. By staying at this hotel and hiring its services, you are also contributing to these programs. The hotel promises to give 1% of all its sales to these programs.
The retreat price is based on the type of room you choose at El Albergue. We are offering two different choices of rooms:
1. Garden Room – Double Accommodation (Default) - $3,525 (for total trip)
The Garden Room is the default selection for this trip. The rooms are located in the El Albergue Gardens, furthest from the train platform. The Superior Garden rooms have one queen bed, one twin bed, and a private bathroom.
2. Standard Room – Double Accommodation - $3,325 (for total trip)
Looking to save some money and still have the resort experience? We also offer Standard Double rooms (pictured above) which are located in El Albergue's main building. The Standard Double rooms have one double bed, one twin bed, and a private bathroom.
Cusco Hotel: Cusco Antigua
Location : Carmen Bajo 243, Cusco 08003, Peru
Cusco Antigua is a boutique hotel in the heart of Cusco. Its philosophy is simple: put others first. This means that the staff treats everyone like family, participate in their community, support those who do good, and create a structure that allows the hotel to grow while protecting Pachamama, their provider. It offers amenities such as a restaurant, spa, yoga, and oxygen chamber. Its rooms are beautifully appointed and mix colonial charm with modern comfort.
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