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( B= Breakfast; L =Lunch ; D= Dinner Included)
Saturday, October 25th:
Departure from home country for Cusco City via Lima.
Sunday, October 26th:
The program begins in Cusco, ancient capital of the Inkan Empire. Magical Journey airport transfer to comfortable hotel conveniently situated off the historic Plaza de Armas. Rest for a few hours and acclimate to the 11,000ft altitude before the program officially begins. At 1pm, your guide will meet you downstairs in the lobby. Magical Journey invites you to a welcome lunch, followed by a group orientation meeting with your leader and guide and an introduction to this special program. Late afternoon walk through the cobblestone streets of Cusco where your guide will point out fascinating Inkan stonework en route to the Korikancha Temple, the holiest site during Inkan times. Explore the remarkable technological wonders of this remarkable culture. Early night to rest or enjoy a walk through the San Blas Artists’ district, a quaint area filled with artisan and art shops. Stop in at one of the lively restaurants or coffee shops. (L)
Monday, October 27th:
After a buffet breakfast in the hotel, early bus to the Inkan ritual fountain at Tampumachay, the perfect starting place for our program on Andean cosmology. “Where there is water, there is life.” To the Andean people water is sacred, and we invite you to participate in a water ceremony to balance and open your energy centers, activating and enhancing your creative and healing forces. A brief coca-leaf ceremony will invite you to tap into the energies of Pachamama (Mother Earth). Continue onward with a visit to the sacred sites at Saksaywaman overlooking the city of Cusco. Impressive stonework and structures weighing hundreds of tons will leave you in awe. How did the ancestors of the Quechua and Inkans build those structures without the use of the wheel and steel implements? Return to Cusco for lunch on your own or free time to explore some of the quality silver shops on the main square. Group meets back at the hotel for afternoon departure to the Sacred 
Valley and Willka T'ika Garden Guest House, your base over the next week.
Orientation at Willka T'ika followed by a welcome dinner and introduction to our friendly Quechua staff who will take care of your needs during your stay. (B.D)
While at Willka T'ika there will be time to schedule a private massage/healing session in our healing rooms, a crystal bed treatment, or a soak in our hot outdoor Andean baths filled with minerals from Pachamama and medicinal herbs and flowers from the gardens.
Enjoy some of the wonderful offerings at Willka T’ika. Make sure that you set time aside to explore the seven healing gardens filled with medicinal herbs and flowers. Check out the array of unique Andean birds in the gardens.
In addition, the following optional services may be arranged once you arrive at Willka T'ika:
Spa in the Andes:
Enjoy an Andean full body massage with aromatherapy oils for $60 per hour. At night under the stars treat yourself to a solar bath filled with aromatic medicinal flowers from our gardens and mineral salts for purification for $20 per bath. A half-hour treatment on our crystal bed imported from the miracle healer John of God in Brazil is $30 for a half-hour healing session, a wonderful offering to balance body and spirit.
GUESTS PLEASE NOTE: The providers of the above services need to be paid in cash in US dollars (untorn bills) or Peruvian soles. Peru is a cash country. Providers cannot accept credit cards.
Hikes: There are many unspoiled hikes and trails in this area. Your guide will be happy to lead hikers along country trails where you will see everyday Andean life.
Willka T’ika facilities:
- Two magnificent sunlit yoga studios look out to the mountains and flower-filled gardens. The well-equipped studios are built from natural earth materials, with heating and hardwood flooring. The new Kuntur Runtu studio accommodates 25-50 for yoga. The Yogawasi studio is available for groups of up to 25.
- The Takiwasi music room has a supply of Andean musical instruments for your pleasure. Our Yachaywasi library with its cozy fireplace has a great selection of books on all subjects. Guests are encouraged to tune into nature or simply enjoy the peace and flowers in the gardens.
- A highly acclaimed coca-leaf reader can be brought in from Cusco upon request. If four or more people decide to do this together, she and a translator offer approximately half-hour readings for $35 per personal reading.
- River rafting on the nearby Urubamba River. The cost of this four-hour outing is $50 per person and includes lunch. You will be picked up and returned by the rafting company. Professional outfitters also offer mountain bike riding.
- Horse riding. Nearby stables offer guided rides on local trails. The cost is approximately $25 per hour.
Attention shoppers - Peru has markets filled with wonderful goods. If you like to shop, when you see all the Andean offerings, you will want to buy a variety of beautiful hand-woven goods, ceramics, music, alpaca sweaters, hats, gloves and loads of creative jewelry. Bring extra money for if you like to shop in foreign markets as there is plenty to inspire you.
Tuesday, October 28th:
Special day with authentic Andean ceremony. Morning yoga and buffet breakfast. After breakfast group orientation tour of the seven sacred gardens at Willka T'ika. Incorporating Andean symbols, these magnificent flower and herbal gardens bring wholeness to our being and have been built with love and guidance from nature. Group attunement and meditation in the gardens connect us with Pachamama and further enhances our connection to the energies of the Sacred Valley. Our guests are encouraged to spend time and meditate in the splendors of nature during their stay at Willka T’ika and during visits to nearby ancient sites.
Energetic guests may hike in the countryside, stopping at a neighbor's chicharia to see how the traditional drink is brewed. Chicha, made from Sara (sacred corn), is an important component in ceremonies to the Apukuna (mountain spirits). Our staff, all children of traditional Quechua campesinos will happily accompany you and invite you into their nearby homes. Others may wish to use the time to rest, paint and write in their journals. Early afternoon also is the best time to schedule coca-leaf readings. After an early dinner, an authentic pakko – a ritual specialist – invites the group to participate in a special Andean offering ceremony to Pachamama. Conducted for the well being of the group and practiced by Andean Quechua for thousands of years, this despacho healing ceremony invites you into their spirit-filled world. The despacho ends with a fire ceremony, preparing our mind, body and spirit for our pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. (B.L.D)
Wednesday, October 29th:
After yoga and breakfast, your day will begin with a very special visit to an Andean mountain school (weather permitting). For fifteen years Magical Journey has maintained contact with dedicated school teachers and traditionally-dressed pupils in isolated high mountain communities, in areas that few tourists are privileged to visit. With each visit, we see how Andean communities, so dear to our hearts, are progressing. The warmth and joy of the children and their openness in bringing us into their daily lives are experiences not easily forgotten. Visitors always are humbled and deeply moved by this cultural exchange.
After our visit with the community, we will make our way to the Ollantaytambo ruins with its wonderful stonework and sun temple. Return to Willka T’ika for relaxation and dinner. (B.L.D)
Thursday, October 30th:
After early yoga and breakfast, we welcome the sparkling energies of the day with a drive through the Sacred Valley to the spectacular ruins of P'isaq. Overlooking impressive Inkan terraces, we hike the non-tourist trail to the Inkan Temple of the Sun, a doorway to the upper Andean world of the Condor, messenger of the Gods. Optional meditation and optional hike down the mountain to the colorful market of P'isaq. Be prepared - this market offers a wonderful opportunity to buy woven goods, jewelry, colorful wall hangings and hand-painted beadwork, as well as wonderful photographic opportunities. Observe the colorful traditionally dressed campesinos coming to barter and sell their produce. Our guide will recommend some delicious options for an inexpensive al fresco lunch, where you can watch the lively activities of the market. Return to Willka T'ika in the afternoon with time to relax before dinner. Preparation for Machu Picchu. (B.D)
Friday, October 31st:
Morning train to Aguas Calientes, the lively village situated below the nearby Machu Picchu Ruins. After a brief check-in to your hotel, ascend by bus to the sunlit terraces of the historical Inkan center of spiritual and political power. In the morning you enter Machu Picchu as tourists and follow our special guide on a tour of the "Lost City of the Inka." Thereafter there is plenty of time to return in the afternoon as pilgrims for meditations and explorations in feminine and masculine energy sites. The guide will assist the group in deciding which areas they might wish to further explore or hike.
Meet at the hotel at 6pm. Weather permitting, the group is invited to participate in an outdoor shamanic healing ceremony. The healer uses special custom-made instruments to tune in deeply to the core essence of Machu Picchu. After the hour-long ceremony, Magical Journey invites you to a delicious three-course dinner in one of the finest restaurants in Aguas Calientes. (B.D)
Saturday, November 1st:
Full morning free to wander through the colorful town of Aguas Calientes, soak in the outdoor thermal baths, visit the shamans shop and general market for gifts, clothes and crystals, and have lunch along the river. The energetic wishing to climb Waynapicchu, Young Mountain, for a spectacular view of Machu Picchu, may leave on the 5:30am bus and must have ready approx $40 to reenter the ruins and $12 for a return bus trip. The guide will meet you back at the hotel in the afternoon at the appointed time to catch your afternoon train back to Ollantaytampu where you will transfer to Willka T'ika in time for dinner. (B.D)
Sunday, November 2nd:
A day of yoga and mindfulness. After Machu Picchu, participants welcome time to unwind and integrate their experiences. Massages and crystal bed healing sessions are available to pamper the body. Some of you may wish to hike into the village of Urubamba and visit the local ceramic studio where beautiful art is handcrafted or check out top-quality alpaca sweaters in a nearby shop. Farewell dinner celebration at Willka T’ika. (B.L.D)
Monday, November 3rd:
There will be one bus transfer for the group to Cusco Airport for the flight to the Lima airport and connecting flight home. Please coordinate your departure flight times with the group leader. Booking on the same flight works best. Passengers have to be at the airport one and half hours before the flight and it takes one hour and fifteen minutes from Willka T’ika to the airport. To avoid getting up at dawn, we suggest that you book your departure from Cusco at around 11:00-11:30am. Multiple flight departures may require multiple transfers from the guesthouse at 
additional cost. With some airline exceptions, overseas flights out of Lima tend to leave in the evening.
Lima is not an easy city to negotiate therefore an optional Lima city tour is available to the whole group. The tour allows for a stop in the colorful parks of the cosmopolitan suburb of Miraflores for lunch before visiting the Gold or Archeological Museums. You are transferred back to the airport in time to check in for your evening flight home. Depending on the size of the group and the time spent in Lima, there will be an additional cost of approximately $80 per person for the Lima day tour. (B)
Tuesday, November 4th:
Arrival in home city.
The order within this itinerary may vary to suit the needs of the group. The itinerary is subject to change in extraordinary circumstances. Weather in the Andes is unpredictable and may cause delays or cancellation of flights or activities. Changes in flights and train schedule are common in Peru. We work with authentic healers who are not always available on certain dates and therefore we may need to adjust the itinerary. We also select days to visit sites when fewer tourists are likely to be there. Though pricing is current at the time of publication and we make every effort to maintain this pricing, it is subject to change in extraordinary circumstances.
Radical Sabbatical and Willka T’ika Guesthouse cannot be held responsible for any unforeseen events in Peru or elsewhere that may disrupt this program offering.
We strongly suggest that all participants take out travel/health insurance to protect their travel investment.
$2,995 per person based on shared accommodation. $700 Single supplement, subject to availability.
Program begins and ends with group Cusco airport transfers.
Cost includes all programs and meals indicated in this itinerary. All quality hotels, transport, specially selected guides, all entrance tickets, workshops with authentic healers, a lunch in Cusco, dinner in Aguas Calientes, all breakfasts and all meals while at Willka T'ika. (B.L.D) indicates breakfast, lunch, or dinner included in the land costs.
Not included:
- International return flights from your country to Cusco via Lima.
- Please allow between $4-$14 for the meals not included in the itinerary.
- Airport departure taxes: Each participant must keep aside a total of approximately US$44 (US$32 for one international and $6.00 each for two domestic departures).
- Optional Lima day tour and other Lima expenses.
- Second day entrance/bus ticket into Machu Picchu ($52).
- Individual airport transfers.
- Tipping to service providers ($80).
- Guide tipping (group discretion).
Tipping: It is customary in Peru for each group to tip their guide who will be with the group the entire time at the end of the program. Past participants comment on how much the guide enhances the journey. The amount of this tip is entirely up to the group’s discretion.
Flights: Please coordinate the flight times with The Radical Sabbatical guru to ensure that you all arrive together. Peru is currently a very popular travel destination and we advise that early international and domestic flight bookings are essential.
