QUOTE
Experience Peru – 9 Day Tour
Prepared for:
Poly Prep Country Day School | Teresa Calvo
Proposal Date: February 27, 2024
Valid until: March 27, 2024
Empowering Students Through Travel Since 2006
Explore a country with vibrant cultural heritage and four distinct geographical zones – coast, desert, mountain, and jungle.
Activities & Attractions
- Explore Lima’s colonial historic quarter
- Discover limeño flavours in a local cooking class
- Learn about textile traditions in Cusco
- Explore Incan ruins surrounding Cusco
- Participate in a local community’s weaving ceremony
- Learn about Incan agricultural methods while visiting Incan terraces in Pisac
- Travel through the breathtakingly beautiful Sacred Valley
- Buy souvenirs in Ollantaytambo
- Visit one of the man-made wonders of the world, Machu Picchu
- Learn about pre-Incan salt mines at Maras
- Get acquainted with a local Quechua scholarship student and their rural community, including a weaving class and home-prepared meal
- Visit Huaca Pucllana in the centre of Miraflores, Lima, to learn more about pre-Incan civilizations
Trip Details
Accommodations
- 8 nights’ accommodations at 3 star hotels
- Double occupancy for participants
- Overnight Flight
- Night 2: Lima
- Nights 3,5,6, 7: Cusco
- Night 4: Ollantaytambo
- Night 8: Lima
Meals
- Breakfasts and dinners are included while in Peru
- Participants will have opportunity to buy extra snacks or meals on their own
Transportation
- Return Intl Economy Airfare from JFK to Lima
- Coach airfares within Peru as needed
- Private coach bus as needed for duration of tour
Additional Personnel
- 1 Evolve Tours Director for duration of tour
- Local guides and staff as needed
Exclusives
- Creative trip programming and leadership activities
- Pre and Post Trip Curriculum
- Forever Green by Evolve Tours- Carbon Offset this whole trip (ask for details)
Insurance
- Add $250.50 per student for medical, baggage, cancellation and trip interruption coverage- with CFAR, cancel for any reason up to 75% of trip tuition.
Package Price is based on
Students
18
Chaperones
3
Price per student
$4900
- Prices subject to availability and change until contract signed
- Total Package price may vary if number of paying customers changes
- Does not include airline baggage fees if applicable
- Tips for drivers and guides are appreciated
- Happy with what you see? Sign a 2-year contract with Evolve and pay the same rate for two years. Ask us for more information. *Based on same group size
TICO #: 50017336
Itinerary
Day 1: March 12, 2025
Travel to Peru
Depart on our flight to Lima, the capital of Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535 and now one of the biggest cities in the Americas.
Day 2: March 13, 2025
Lima
| Morning | In the morning, dive straight into the city center to take a guided tour of Lima’s historic quarter. See monuments and sites of importance such as the Convent of San Francisco, the vast Plaza Mayor, Lima Cathedral and more. Learn about the colonial charm of the city and the multiple different stages of its historical development. |
| Afternoon | Head to a cooking class with Sky Kitchen to make causa, ceviche, lomo saltado and more. Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world and is becoming as famous as French, Chinese and Indian given its distinct flavours and delicious recipes. Lima is a great place to experience this given the prominence of seafood and the original fusion dishes popular in the city. |
| Evening | In the evening, enjoy a quiet stroll around Barranco, a picturesque area with views over the Pacific and large houses with picturesque balconies and interesting street art. After dinner, head back to the hotel. |
Day 3: March 14, 2025
Cusco
| Morning | Wake up bright and early to board a flight to Cusco, imperial city and centre of Tawantinsuyu, the Incan Empire which reigned for three centuries before the Spanish invasion. Cusco, with its extensive archaeological remains and historic buildings, tells many stories of the Incan past, the Spanish conquest, and the modern history of cultural fusion. |
| Afternoon | Explore the many sights of this historic city: visit Barrio de San Blas, a picturesque neighborhood filled with artisans and craft shops, the Arzobispo Palace, the Main Cathedral and Plaza San Francisco’s Botanical Gardens. After visiting the remains of the Temple of the Sun at Qorikancha, now the site of Spanish church Santo Domingo, head next door to the Centre of Traditional Textiles, with its informative and engaging exhibits about weaving traditions and natural dye techniques in Cusco. |
| Evening | In the evening, head to San Cristobal church overlooking the iconic red tiled roofs of the city for wonderful views right down the valley. Enjoy a delicious dinner of Andean staples like potato, corn, and (if you’re feeling brave!) guinea pig.Settle into the hotel after a busy day of sightseeing. |
Day 4: March 15, 2025
Ollantaytambo
| Morning | After breakfast at the hotel, head through the twists and turns of the Andes, stopping at some of the major archaeological sites around Cusco – Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Tambomachay and Pucapucara. Many of these sites served as guard communities where messengers head out to spread news of the Incan Empire, or traders and visitors arrived and gained entry to Cusco. |
| Afternoon – Early Evening | Continue on to the Sacred Valley and after visiting Pisac’s impressive, almost vertical terraces that clearly demonstrate the labour intensive farming methods of Incan and pre-Incan civilizations, visit Amaru, a local community’s weaving association, to see one of the Andes’ most important cultural traditions in action and a meal of local ingredients all grown by the community as part of their self-sufficient lifestyle. Here, the women of the community will guide you on a tour of their land, where they will teach you about their deep connection to Pachamama (Mother Earth); treat you to a delicious meal, made with fresh organic “zero-mile” ingredients directly from the land; and show you the step-by-step weaving process – from natural dyes to setting the warp to backstrap weaving.Afterwards, continue the breathtaking drive at the base of sheer mountain slopes and lush fields through the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo. Enjoy an easy walk through the small town centre with its small buildings and overhanging balconies. Visit the bustling town market for some souvenirs, then enjoy a delicious dinner near more imperial ruins, including impressive terraces overlooking the town. |
| Evening | Enjoy an Evolve-led activity in Ollanta after dinner tonight. |
Day 5: March 16, 2025
Machu Picchu
| Morning | Wake up bright and early: today we will visit one of the “New” Seven Wonders of the World and a prominent UNESCO World Heritage Site; Machu Picchu.
We’ll travel from Cusco through the Sacred Valley to the town of Aguas Calientes. En route, our train journey will take us alongside the Urubamba River, with incredible scenery of towering mountains and colourful forests. |
| Afternoon | When we arrive in Aguas Calientes, or Machu Picchu town, we’ll opt to take a short bus ride up along the switchbacks to the Machu Picchu citadel and begin our day visit. After an introductory walking tour, the morning is free for exploration and discovery of this magnificent site, which was built on a mountaintop and surrounded on three sides by the Urubamba River. |
| Evening | Take the bus down to Aguas Calientes and enjoy lunch and shopping time before jumping in the train back to Ollanta and a further transfer to Cusco.Enjoy a good rest after a busy day. |
Day 6: March 17, 2025
Cusco
| Morning – Afternoon | This morning, head to Maras. Take a short walk through the countryside to the seldom-visited town of Maras and its pre-Columbian salt mines– still in use today with salt being collected with traditional techniques- as well as the Incan agricultural terraces of Moray. We will learn about how methods from the ancient past remain relevant to food production today in this private tutorial. See the salt pools up close, and bring some mineral-rich salt back home with you. After, explore the textile centres in Chinchero before heading back to Cusco. |
| Late Afternoon | Once we return to Cusco, enjoy some more time in the city centre and then head to a chocolate making workshop with ChocoMuseo, where we will learn about the cacao bean and its production from bean to bar. |
| Evening | In the evening, enjoy a delicious dinner with our own homemade chocolates for dessert. Return to the hotel. |
Day 7: March 18, 2025
Day on the Land: A Quechua student's life
| Morning – Afternoon | This morning, return to the Sacred Valley to meet a scholarship student from a local youth development program.
Come visit the student’s families on their farm in the rural community of Socma, near Ollantaytambo, for a traditional family feast, an opportunity to try out their farm tools, and a day on the land. There’s even an option to go on a short hike to witness the majestic waterfalls that are Socma’s pride and joy! |
| INCLUSIONS |
|
| Evening | Return to Cusco to pack up for the next day’s flight to Lima. |
Day 8: March 19, 2025
Lima
| Morning | Take a morning flight back to Lima, where there will be some more time to explore the neighbourhood of Miraflores and enjoy its outdoor patios and cafes. |
| Afternoon | In the afternoon, head to Huaca Pucllana, the impressive pre-Incan archaeological site used as an administrative and religious centre of the Lima culture between 200 and 700 AD, as well as by later civilizations such as the Wari. Enjoy the guided tour over this extensive site and learn more about the many different cultural traditions that ruled through the eras on this land. |
| Evening | In the evening, enjoy some time to shop and relax before returning to the hotel and packing for the next day’s flight. |
Day 9: March 20, 2025
Lima
| Morning | Arrive at Lima airport for the trip back home, ready to share the many details of what we learned about Peruvian history and culture. |
| Afternoon | Stopover |
| Evening | Arrive back home. |
