CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

PSCDE4 - LIMA- –

SUMMARY

DURATION AND PERIOD 07 Days / 06 Nights LOCATION Department of Cusco TYPE OF TOURISM Archaeological Tourism ATTRACTIONS Archaeological and Historical complexes: Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, Tipón, Pisac, Pikillaqta, , , Maras, Chinchero, Living culture Andean Living Culture – traditional techniques of weaving, Community of Chinchero. Museums in Cusco Natural Reserves: Andean Flore and Fauna TYPE OF SERVICES  Private GUIDE – TOUR CONDUCTEUR English, French, or Spanish. Its presence is important because it allows to incorporate your journey in the thematic offered, getting closer to the economic, institutional, and historic culture and the ecosystems of the circuit for a better understanding. RESUME This circuit offers to get closer to the Andean culture and to understand its world view, its focus, its technologies, its mixture with the Hispanic culture, and the fact that it remains present in Indigenous Communities today. In this way, by bus, small boat, plane or walking, we will visit Archaeological and Historical Complexes, Communities, Museums & Natural Environments that will enable us to know the heart of the - the last heir of the Andean independent culture and predecessor of today’s mixed world.

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

CONCEPT The circuit that we offer named the four sides of the Inca Empire invites you to discover the reality of the 6 oldest civilizations of humanity, with a fully endogenous and autonomous development. When the conquerors came to the country they called , they found a confederation of about 200 kingdoms, brought together by the Inca people, or "ENQA" (in Quechua, they had the strength power or energy). It was built in about 170 years, and the last people were invaded by the Incas only 60 years before the Spaniards came. This is why for many local lords, the Spanish conquest was a chance to be released from this supervision, because the Tawantinsuyo nation or Land of the Four Regions, lacked unity. This country went from Pasto (Colombia) to Mendoza (Argentina) with a road network of more than 12,000 km. Peru, Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador are 4 of the 12 mega diverse countries in the world, and Peru is, by far, the most diverse country of all, with more than 10% of the planet's biodiversity. Crossing the South of the Inca empire, we offer you to discover the essence and history of a unique civilization, of which the Inca culture was only the last heir; as well as a mega diverse country with one of the richest seas and the driest deserts, where the sky becomes confused with the horizon, beautiful Andean valleys and the high jungle.

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

ITINERARY

Day 1: ARRIVAL IN LIMA  Arrival at the airport of Lima

BEGINNING OF THE SERVICES

 Reception and transfer to your hotel  Dinner not included  Night in your hotel Day 2: LIMA – CUSCO  Breakfast  Transfer to the airport  Flight Lima - Cusco  Arriving in Cusco, reception and transfer to your hotel  City tour of Cusco and visit of the following archaeological and religious attractions:

MUSEUM OF PRE-COLUMBIAN ART The Museum of Pre-Columbian Art is dedicated to the art of the ancient Peruvian cultures. Located in La Casa Cabrera (Cabrera House), it is found in one of the most peaceful and welcoming parts of Cusco, la Plazoleta de las Nazarenas (the Little Plaza of the Nazarenas), located one block from the main square. The history of the imperial city’s urban architecture is synthesized in this extraordinary historical monument; from the portions of the still- standing Incan wall to the balconies of the Republic, which open into the inside patio. The house served as a seat of Santa Clara until the 17th Century when it was bought by Don Jerónimo Luís de Cabrera and la Cerda, whose nobility can still be seen in the shield of arms on the stone gateway. Its pieces are famous icons of pre-Columbian art and have been exhibited in the most important collection of ceramics, and jewels in the ancient ; its rooms teach us about 3000 years of archaeological splendour in our country including the unique and famous selection of erotic pieces.

 Typical lunch

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

CATHEDRAL Religious colonial monument of extraordinary artistic value, where one can appreciate canvases from the 17th Century, beautiful indigenous carvings, the exuberant choir, and main silver-coated altar. Located in the Plaza de Armas, in what was once the palace of the Inca Wircocha (Suntur Wasi), Cusco’s main cathedral was erected in 1560 and finished in 1654, having taken 132 years to build. In style, the cathedral occupies an area of 4000m2, and its floor, with 3 naves and 10 side chapels, takes the shape of the Latin cross.

Nowadays, Cusco’s cathedral has 11 chapels, 1 sacristy, 1 meeting room, 7 altar pieces, 1 bass choir integrally carved from Cusqueñan cedar, and inside, contains more than 300 paintings and different carving and sculptures. QORICANCHA Later we will visit Qoricancha, a religious centre known as “the Temple of the Sun”. The impressive engineering used in this construction and its fine finish clearly demonstrate the mastery of Incan architecture.

SACSAYHUAMAN Located 3km from the city of Cusco, this impressive fortress is made of monumental stones weighing up to 12 tons, and using remarkable architectural techniques.  Return to your hotel in Cusco

 Dinner-show  Night at the hotel

Day 3: THE BELT OF : TIPON- PIKILLAKTA – PISAQ

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

 Breakfast  Pick up at your hotel  Transfer to TIPÓN According to the people of the area, this great open- roofed temple, dedicated to water, corresponds to the Wari (6-8thC), an important pre-Incan Empire civilization. The experts will recognize many elements of this culture which was later assimilated to the Inca Empire. In Tipón, the principal protagonist is water. There are terraces but they don’t appear having been used for intensive agriculture. We can also appreciate smaller constructions: bedrooms, a giant kiln, and aqueducts that stretch for kilometres and bring water from a high mountain lake. A lot of silence, wind and majestic landscape, and the sound of waterfalls, frame this very special site.

 PIKILLAQTA Visit of the pre-Inca town. Twelve kilometres from Tipón, the archaeological reserve of Pikillaqta (3350 m) is a combination of pre-Hispanic constructions and was strangely baptized with the Quechua name meaning “village of fleas” towards the end of the colonial time. The reason for this denomination is unknown, and we don’t know the original name either. Pikillaqta was originally a satellite city of the Wari, who, with great mastery, learnt the feats of the Nazca and Tiahuanaco cultures. After an unavoidable debacle, the Wari were replaced by the Chancas, tough people that had to face the emerging Inca Empire. They were finally defeated. Since then, the people of the Tawantinsuyo took over the city that was inhabited by “mitimaes” at that time. In this complex, a number of Wari constructions still exist. More than 700 buildings, 200 patios and several houses of up to 3 levels are still visible. They are distributed in blocks and straight streets. It is thought that at its height, the town of Pikillaqta was inhabited by around 10,000 people. Westwards, we can admire the impressive gate of Rumicollqa, where visitors used to make an offering they had prepared throughout their lives, because the “village of fleas”, was something like a waiting room for the capital of the empire.

 Lunch in Pisaq

 PISAQ Visit of Pisaq - This great archaeological complex is located in the P’isaq district, Calca province, 33km to the West of Cusco. The Spanish word “Pisaq”, is derived from the Quechua “p’isaqa”, “gallinacean”, a bird that is very common in the area, and very similar to the

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

partridge or lluthu. According to one theory, the Inca city of P’isaq takes the form of this bird, which was a tutelary deity of the tribe that lived in the region before the Incas. At first glance, surprise is inevitable. Later another sensation emerges: a deep respect for the creators of these 100-year-old buildings which are silent witnesses of the greatness of an empire. The beauty of its walls made from great blocks of polished stones with an extraordinary symmetry puzzles the visitors. P’isaq is composed of constructions such as houses, aqueducts, trails, bridges, a cemetery, walls and huge areas of great platforms.  Dinner not included  Night in the hotel in Chinchero Day 04: THE ROAD OF THE INCA KNOWLEDGE  Breakfast  Visit of Checoq The site of Cheqoq is challenging in more than one way. You will find stairs, platforms, rectangular buildings with roofs that may be covered with thatch, or “ichu” straw and which seem to be mainly warehouses or more precisely, Inca refrigerators. Traditionally, “qolqas” Colcas or warehouses are intended primarily to maintain reserves of food in optimal conditions, outside, in cool places. Further studies show that they were put in such a way that doors or windows are oriented in the coldest direction, capturing the coolest winds or icy nights. But here, additional elements appear: first the inner leads can capture currents of fresh air, but sometimes, the air is not the only way to control the refrigeration. It seems that there is a humidity control and temperature control. A drain system is clearly identifiable at the doorway. The engineers have melted the combined effects of water and air in certain conduits to generate a real circuit in thermoregulation as the principle of a refrigerator today. The cool wind funneled through conduits affects the water temperature and vice versa, maintaining a balance also transmitted to the stone and earth, and finally to room or storage areas for food and other items to keep. After visiting the town, we will watch Chinchero’s inhabitants dye the wool with native plants and weave it according to the traditional techniques from the pre-Inca period.  Visit to the archaeological complex of Moray

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

This is a unique archaeological complex with giant natural holes on the surface of the land that were used to build agricultural terraces or platforms with their respective irrigation canals. There is an average difference of 15°C between the highest and the lowest part of the site, some 30 m deep. In these formations, nature has created an environment, conditions, and microclimates, which nowadays is created by man thanks to greenhouses. Moray, thanks to its climatic conditions and other characteristics, was an important centre for the domestication, aclimatisation, and hybridisation of wild vegetable species that were modified or adapted for human consumption. It is a greenhouse prototype, or experimental biological station, rather advanced for its times. It helped the American people in the past bring to humanity 60% of the vegetable products that it consumes; it helped the Andean man consume 1500 different types of potato, 150 varieties of corn, and many other products.

 Visit of Maras The salt mines of Maras have existed since the pre-Incan era. They date back to a time in which salt was highly valued, and rationed accordingly. Salt was very important for Peru. Even though it was not wealth in the strict sense, it constituted a power factor. It was a form of payment to the State, a gift, an offering in times in which the preservation of foods- meat, fish, shellfish- was practically impossible without adequate salting.

This can be seen in the village of Maras where the most important inhabitants illustrated their weight in society by the opulence of the entrance ways in their houses, which still have the name of the families that built them.

The salt mines are located in an unexpected and surprising place. Hundreds of retention pools of salt were erected over the sides of the mountain, hanging in a little gorge that flows over the of the Incas.

The salt gets to the gorge via a river that comes out to the left of the gorge. Big quantities of salt mass at the core of the mountain. According to local inhabitants, there has already been some research into the origin and volume of the salt, however, none was successful. Slowly the salt dissolves in the water which comes to the surface.

Following this, the saturated water is drained through an infinite number of small canals, to pools in which centimetres of solar-heated water evaporates to let the salt deep down; the evaporation generates the star-shaped formation of the salt. The families which work with

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

each pool spend all day bent-down with their feet soaked in the salt water. Then, with little boards, they begin to scrub the salt stuck at the bottom of the pools. They make piles which are dried before packing the salt to lift it onto a man’s back and to be carried to one of the 6 deposits where they weigh the bags.

Nowadays, this work remains an exhausting task from another time that produces little money for a product that exists in quantity and is commonly imported.

 Lunch in Urubamba  Visit of Ollantaytambo, the last living Inca village - Located 80km north-east of Cusco and 40km from Machu Picchu by train, Ollantaytambo village is situated at 2792masl in Urubamba province.

At Inca times, the tampus were the living quarters which could accommodate thousands of people thanks to their gigantic granaries, their very well developed road networks and astronomic observatories. They were also characterized by their proximity to Cusco being located on the Inca Empire’s main road, which allowed the travellers to have a rest while going to important places like the Machu Picchu sanctuary.

Each one of this tampus or tambos owed its name to an important person in the Empire. In this way, Paucar’s tambo was Paucartambo and Ollanta’s, Ollantaytambo. This one is quite singular thanks to its strategic location.

This Inca village presents some characteristics proving that members from the upper class used to live there. In total, only Cusco and Ollantaytambo are built according to this model: whether on the highest part of the town (on the mountain side) or in the valley, the architecture is the same and differs from other Inca architectonic complexes. The residential district is composed of carved-stone walls and trapezoid-shape doors. Along the straight roads, the water flows in some perfectly designed canals.

Ollantaytambo also keeps the secret of two famous legends: the first one tells that God’s messenger, the Tunupa, arrived in the village a long time before the Inca Empire’s creation, and that he was disguised as an old man in rags. The inhabitants and in particular, the Curaca (chief) of the village, accommodated him with all the honours. In order to thank him, Tunupa offered him the stick he walked with. According to the legend, it turned into gold when the Curaca’s son was born. This first child, called Manco Capac, went out of Ollantaytambo brandishing it. After sticking it in a mountain close to Cusco (Huanacauri), he decided to build the Inca Empire and to found its capital there.

The second legend tells that an Empire’s general fell in love with the Inca Pachacutec’s daughter and he decided to kidnap her in order to marry her. From this general’s name, Ollanta, comes the name of the town.  Free diner

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

 Night in Ollantaytambo (possibility to spend the night in Aguas calientes) Day 05: MACHUPICCHU  Train transfer: Early in the morning, we will head up to Aguas Calientes and take the buses leading to the impressive citadel of Machu Picchu, where we will be able to appreciate the sunrise. We will observe one of the World’s Seven Wonders and its architectural techniques, which are unique in Peru.  Entrance to MachuPicchu The impressive and colossal citadel of Machu Picchu is one of the most important tourist attractions in Cusco. 400 years hidden by the mountains and tropical jungle, it was rediscovered in 1911 by the explorer Hiram Bingham. Machu Picchu was a cultural and astronomical observation centre, whilst also a private refuge for the Inca Pachacutec. It is made out of 2 large areas, one agricultural, and another urban, where its temples, squares and royal mausoleums stand out for the exquisite perfection of their construction.  After our visit, we will return by bus to Aguas Calientes  Lunch not included.  Return to Ollantaytambo by train and to Cusco by bus  Dinner not included  Night at the hotel Day 6 : CUSCO  Free day to discover the city of Cusco

Possibility to spend the day in the community of Patabamba to discover the Andean Weavers.  Lunch and dinner not included  Night at the hotel Day 7: CUSCO - LIMA  Breakfast  Transfer to the airport  Flight Cusco – Lima  Regarding the Schedule of your international flight, possibility to visit Colonial Lima  We will visit the Historical Centre of Lima, declared Cultural Legacy of Humanity by the UNESCO in 1991, where the center of the Spanish colony was found in the XVI century and built its first edifications.  Central Place Scenario of the Spanish discover of Lima by , it has served as a framework for some of the most important events in Peru’s history. It was originally surrounded by small shops. It was also used as a bullring and a place of execution of those convicted by the

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

Inquisition tribunal. Later, a stack of bronze (1651) was placed in its center, and it still adorns it today. Peru’s Act of Independence was proclaimed here in 1821. On its sides, we can see the Government Palace (north), the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace (east) and the Municipality of Lima (west).  The Cathedral of Lima Built in 1625 in and Renaissance style and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1940, it is a true example of colonial art at the time. While its façade is relatively austere, it has splendid altars inside “Churrigueresques”, a beautiful carved wooden choir stall and an altar covered in gold leaf and an admirable collection of paintings and sculptures from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.  The station of the “Abandoned” among others.  of San Francisco This beautiful colonial architectural complex consists of the church and the convent of San Francisco and the chapels of “El Milagro” and “La Soledad”. Built in the seventeenth century, its cloisters and courtyards are decorated with tiles from Seville and it has a spectacular library. It houses the Museum of Religious Art and the Zurbarán Room. The is built on a network of underground galleries and catacombs that served as a cemetery during colonial times and now can be visited by the public.

 Walk in the street “jirón de la unión”, pedestrian street of the center of Lima  Lunch  We will know San Martín place, its balconies and old houses.

 Return to the airport END OF THE SERVICES

SERVICES AND COMFORT

CUSCO LAMBAYEQUE Email: [email protected] Av. Manco Cápac 515 – Wanchaq Ca. M. M. Izaga 740 Of. 207 - Chiclayo www.chaskiventura.com T: 51+ 84 233952 T: 51 +74 221282

INCLUDED  Entrances to the mentioned places  Official guide of tourism  4 lunches, 1 dinner  6 nights in Hotels  Private transport  Bus to Machupicchu  Train Ollantaytambo– Machupicchu – Ollantaytambo NOT INCLUDED  Meals not specified  Tips for the team  Extra drinks  National flights Lima-Cusco/Cusco-Lima WE RECOMEND  Camera and/or video camera with extra battery  Light clothing, comfortable shoes, rain coat, cap  Rucksack or suitcase  Extra cash, particularly for those interested in purchasing handicrafts  Water bottle, insect repellent, sunscreen (the sun is much stronger in altitude), personal toiletries  Personal medicines. CUSCO Tel : (00-51-84) -233952 LAMBAYEQUE Cel.: (00-51- 74) 978163131 / RPM *510276 WWW.CHASKIVENTURA.COM [email protected]