Peru: Learn, Serve & Immerse on a Social Impact Tour

Arrive Lima and transfer to flight to Cusco.
 
Upon arrival in Cusco, you will be greeted at the airport by a Global Family Travels representative and transferred to your hotel. Free time to relax for the rest of the day and to acclimatize to the high altitude and recover from jet lag.
 
If we have time before dinner, enjoy a short walking tour orientation of Cusco city to recommend places to eat, change money and other needs.

Flight:  1.5 hrs from Lima to Cusco

Hotel: Tierra Viva or equivalent

Location : Cusco, Peru

We start our day with a welcome orientation breakfast with Celeste Marion, Co-Founder of Manos Unidas and Staff.  

Partake in the wonderful Easter Parade, and then we visit nearby ruins, including:

• The fortress of Sacsayhuaman, (also known as the “Royal House of the Sun”)  is a colossal structure of enormous stones, carved and fitted together with incredible precision, surrounding a paved area containing a circular stone structure believed to be a solar calendar. The ruins also include a 500,000-gallon water reservoir, storage cisterns, ramps, citadels and underground chambers.
• Qenqo Temple was an extremely holy site for the Incas. Their dead were judged and possibly embalmed in Qenqo’s winding tunnels, and blood sacrifices were offered to the heavenly gods. Its carved tunnels and chambers are an amazing work of ancient architecture. 
• Puca-Pucara, the red fortress which was part of defense of Cusco in particular and the Inca Empire in general
• Tambomachay, a series of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls that run through the terraced rocks.

After a lunch we stroll through Cusco’s Main Square, where we will discover the Cathedral and admire its exquisite vestibules and priceless paintings from the Cusco School of the 17th and 18th centuries. Next, we will see one of the most impressive buildings of Incan Cusco: the Qoricancha (the Golden Temple), a temple dedicated to the worship of the Sun God, whose interior walls were said to have been covered in gold. 

 
Hotel: Tierra Viva or equivalent (B,L)

Today we visit the ancient ruins of Moray.  Once used as an agricultural testing ground, the site's system of circular terraces descend 490 feet (150 m) from where we will stand, serving as a perfect testament to the level of advancement achieved by the Incas, who excelled at building masterful constructions in harmony with nature. Our journey will continue until we reach the Salt Pans of Maras. The sight of this still-operating salt mine, in use since Incan times, will amaze you with the stark white of the steeply descending salt pans juxtaposed against the green of the surrounding mountain slopes. 

After buffet lunch at Muña in Urubamba , continue to the town of Ollantaytambo (Ollanta). We will visit and be given an introduction to Awamaki and will learn about our service project.

Hotel:  Apu Lodge or similar hotel in Ollanta (B,L)

After breakfast at hotel, we will drive about an hour and a half to Patacancha, a Quechua village in a nearby valley above Ollanta where Awamaki works with women in a textile cooperative.  Today we will begin our service project in support of the women artisans of this community. We will have lunch on site and continue with work through the afternoon. Our service project will be determined by what the needs are at the time of our trip.

In the late afternoon, we will meet our homestay families. Awamaki’s Homestay Association consists of local Ollantino families and village families, all of whom have years of experience hosting tourists and Awamaki staff and volunteers. Our homestay families provide food in a healthy manner, mostly cooking on a clay stove over a fire, and provides a magical, local, insightful experience to travelers. In these villages, families have electricity but really only a few lightbulbs. Floors may be dirt, and walls not plastered (ie, just mud and rocks). No showers, and you may need to walk through the family's dirt or grass patio to reach the bathroom at night, but beds are cozy with wool blankets, and it is a place unlike almost any other in the modern world. You may be with a small family or a large one with lots of children and, often, cuy (guinea pigs)!  

Dinner and homestay accommodation. (B,L,D)

Afer breakfast with homestay families, we will observe a traditional weaving demonstration and try our hand at making a bracelet.  The community of Patacancha is located in the mountains above Ollantaytambo at about 3800 meters (12,500 feet) above sea level.

Patacancha maintains an agricultural way of life. Families live in adobe homes with thatched roofs, speak primarily Quechua, and most weavers have limited Spanish ability. Here, community members maintain strong cultural heritage, continuing to wear the red hand-woven textile clothing that the area is known for.

Lunch will be provided in the home of one of the weavers. After lunch, we will learn the basics of basket weaving from local artisan Pancho Carbajal. Pancho’s family has been weaving baskets for generations. Meet the family and get comfortable in the patio for your lesson. Take off your shoes; much of the work is done with your feet! During your 4-hour workshop, you’ll make a beautiful huaman pita woven Peruvian basket to take home. It makes a great gift – if you can bear to part with it!

In the evening back in Ollanta we will have our second development discussion and this time, we will look at impact stories. We will have the opportunity to learn from a Peruvian staff member at Awamaki about her work with the women artisans through a Q&A session.

Hotel:  Apu Lodge or similar hotel in Ollanta (B,L)

After an early breakfast, we will take a train to Machu Picchu, a World Heritage site and one of the most impressive legacies of the Incan civilization.
After a tour of Machu Picchu, we will have the opportunity to hike around After a tour of Machu Picchu, we will have the opportunity to hike around the ruins, relax among the stone walls and grassy nooks, and take in the magnificence of the site.

A bus takes us back down the mountain to Aguas Calientes to catch our train back to Ollanta. 

Late afternoon bus back to Cusco and dinner.
 
Hotel: Tierra Viva or equivalent in Cusco (B,L)

After breakfast at our hotel, we will visit Manos Unidas school for a welcome greeting and learning session.  

Our day will start in the school’s gym with a welcome greeting and an introduction to “disabilities in Peru.” You will learn what life is like for families with special needs children and the social constructs that MU is working against to create a more inclusive society.  You will hear stories from MU founders and success stories from the last 10 years. (1 hour).  
 
Next, we will tour the school campus and visit classrooms where you will meet MU students (preschool - adolescents) and hear directly from teachers.  

• 11:00 am Coffee break served by MU teens
• 11:30 -1:00 pm Mini Special Olympics!  We will engage in a variety of organized sports and recreational activities together with our students. Each classroom of students (6-8 students) will present a different sport activity in which travel members, children and adults alike, will be able to participate. The Olympics will finish with a participatory awards ceremony.
• 1:30 Lunch on site: Manos Unidas school venue hosts a large, beautiful restaurant that is rented by a great local chef. We will enjoy a typical “Cuzquenan” lunch with a gorgeous view of the mountainous countryside surrounding the school before heading back to Cusco city.    

We will meet Manos Unidas vocational training program youth (ages 18-25), who are preparing for the workforce.  “Inca educa” is this non-profit supporting 20 students in vocational training, which includes several different modules from restaurant service to hotel and housekeeping. You will enjoy eating meals in the student-run “Café Manos Unidas,” and have an opportunity to participate in vocational activities with youth with special needs and their families, and learn about their final projects related to inclusive employment

Hotel: Tierra Viva or equivalent in Cusco (B,L,D)

After breakfast, we visit with families whose children attend MU School, and learn about how they benefit from Manos Unidas and learn how they live.  An orientation about our service project with the community will also be given. (this will be determined based on community needs at the time, but an example is building a wheel chair ramp).

One of the most important components to the success of MU students is their family, which is why we have built in a visit with MU families on a small group basis. You will have the opportunity to see the student in their home life and interview the parents and interact with the children in the home environment.  

After enjoying a picnic lunch with families, we continue with our service project. There may be opportunities to participate in the purchase of the materials and assembly or light building. Each project will be specific to the need of the family.

Later, we return to Cusco where you can enjoy dinner in the city.

Hotel: Tierra Viva or equivalent in Cusco (B,L,D)

After breakfast at hotel, we will travel to Pisac, a beautiful place where Incan and colonial influences have reached a perfect balance and created the unique way of life of the local inhabitants.  Return to Cusco in time to depart for flight to Lima. (Or ask us about optional 2-night side trip to the Amazon jungle).   

Evening flight home

DAY 1, APRIL 11: Arrive Lima and transfer to flight to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco, you will be greeted at the airport by a Global Family Travels/Manos Unidas representative and transferred to your hotel.

DAY 2, APRIL 12: Orientation breakfast with Founder of Manos Unidas. Afterwards, we visit nearby ruins and stroll through Cusco’s Main Square.

DAY 3, APRIL 13: Visit the ancient ruins of Moray and salt pans of Maray on our way to Ollantaytambo, where we will  learn about Awamaki.

DAY 4, APRIL 14: Early morning transfer to to Quechua village, Patacancha, service project and lunch with artisans in the indigenous village. Dinner with homestay families.

DAY 5, APRIL 15: Breakfast with homestay family. We will enjoy a weaving demonstration, have lunch in weaver's home, and learn about Quechua life.  In the afternoon we will have weaving lessons and our second development discussion return to Ollanta.

DAY 6, APRIL 16:  After an early breakfast, we will take a train/bus to Machu Picchu, and have the opportunity to hike around the ruins.  Dinner back at a restaurant in Cusco.

DAY 7, APRIL 17:  Full day at Manos Unidas School and a Mini Special Olympics on site.

DAY 8, APRIL 18:  Visit with families whose children attend MU School, service project with families in their homes.

DAY 9, APRIL 19:  Travel to Pisac before returning to Cusco to fly out later in the day.

A note:  Our philosophy at Global Family Travel’s is to let the country be your guide.  We will certainly do all we can to offer you everything that is on the schedule. However, should an unexpected event arise, we suggest that our travelers be flexible to change plans so that we can deal with the issue or take advantage of the situation.   Meals included in the program cost are listed as B (breakfast), L (lunch) and D (dinner) for each day.  

By engaging in the work of Awamaki and Manos Unidos, you will immerse within the communities they serve and make deep connections with the local people, learning first-hand how they benefit from the work of these two NGOs.   You will also be welcomed by the diverse Peruvian people who take pride in offering incredible services and experiences to visitors that include traditional foods, celebrations and festivals. 

• Engage with and learn from our non-profit partners who help improve the quality of life of individuals with disabilities and empower rural women with skills-based education and vocational skills. 
• Experience Semana Santa – the Easter Parade – in Cusco
• Travel by train to the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World
• Stay with a Quechua family in a Andean village to experience traditional ways of life alongside your hosts. 

Explore and visit the Patacancha indigenous community and learn about traditional weaving.