Today is the first day of the The Project World School Peru Family Adventure! All families are required to arrive in Cusco this day.

Some families will opt to arrive in Cusco a few days early in order to acclimatize. Other families will be arriving on this day from their home countries via Lima.  All families will be met in Cusco, either at the airport or a prearranged pick up spot according to your arrival times.  Project World School will transport all families to our retreat site in Amaru, a small community above Pisac.

Families will be arriving throughout the day, greeted by hot coca tea, delicious snacks and warm showers. As night falls, we all gather in the community dining room to meet, greet and enjoy a locally sourced welcome banquet dinner.

Today is a slower paced day, dedicated to getting settled, grounding ourselves, learning about our hosts and the surrounding Amaru community and learning about each other as we begin to co-create our worldschooling community.

The day is broken into a few local workshops. Before breakfast, we’ll offer a morning yoga sun session to get our bodies connected to the earth. After breakfast, we will explore the surrounding farm land known as “chakra” and learn about the local yields from  quinoa, potatoes and corn crops. We’ll even try our hand at harvesting. Then we’ll make an earth stove called a huatia, a true collaborative effort, and cook our freshly harvested potatoes the traditional way.

Together, we’ll learn the traditional practice of making Chuño, dehydrated potatoes a process dating back before the Incas. (yes, it’s a ” shoes off activity”.)

After lunch we’ll take a medicinal plant walk and collect herbs and learn about the the plants healing properties and prepare teas for all of us try.

Throughout the day, we have plenty of time to sit in the garden, drink tea, rest and play.

We’ll enjoy dinner together in community, then participate in that day’s closing circle. 

After breakfast, our private transportation will arrive to our group to explore the salt ponds known as Salinas de Maras. Cascading down a hillside valley like uneven steps, the salt ponds legend says they were first created sometime in the 1400s by the Incas. Salt is harvested from the patchwork of shallow pools via a process of evaporation. A natural spring feeds a salt-rich stream that flows down into the pools, then the water is allowed to evaporate and then the salt crystals are scraped off the ponds. 

After Maras, we’ll head to Pisac for lunch. Pisac is a bustling and fast-growing colonial village at the base of a spectacular Inca fortress perched on a mountain spur. After lunch, you’ll  have hours to shop and explore Pisac town from the numerous shops filled with handmade goods, weaving, jewelry to the vegan cafes, health food and shaman supply stores. If you like, you’ll have time to explore Jardin Botanico, the village’s botanical garden hosts a giant courtyard full of beautiful flora local to the area.

After a few hours, we’ll return to our hilltop community above Pisac, enjoy dinner together then participate in that day’s closing circle.

After breakfast, we’ll head to Cusco, to explore the sacred city of the Incas. We’ll explore the history through immersion, starting in the Plaza de Armas. We’ll examine the differnt building styles laden throughout the city and make a svanager hunt.

We’ll have lunch at the largest market, the San Pedro market and be able to sample the local foods. After lunch we have two workshops:

1. A flute making workshop where every member will make their own Andean pan flute and learn about the history of the region through music at Sabino’s workshop.

2. A chocolate making  workshop, learning about one of Peru’s largest crops and exports.

It will be a long day in Cusco, but we assure you, everyone will leave happy and satisfied. We’ll return to our hilltop community above Pisac, enjoy dinner together then participate in that day’s closing circle.

Every year Project World School volunteers with Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary for a day of service. This will be our 6th consecutive year to give back to our host community in the form of service.

Cochahuasi cares for and rehabilitates animals that have been rescued from poaching, illegal trading and outright abuse and focuses on the education of locals surrounding animal rights and conservation efforts.

Our service will be hands on, cleaning the animal’s habitats, preparing the food, picking up trash and in some cases feeding the animals. It’s a great day for service for all ages.

We will be involved with fundraising efforts to support the animal sanctuary before the retreat starts based on the needs of the organization. One year we raised money and built a habitat for the anteojo bear. Another year we raised money and help build winter shelters for the llamas, alpacas and vicunas. Each year a new project will be our focus and this year will not be an exception. 

Our day will start early after an early breakfast. We’ll break for a packed lunch at the Sanctuary, then at 4:00 return back to our hilltop community above Pisac, to rest, enjoy dinner together then participate in that day’s closing circle.

After a busy day of service, we have a relaxing morning scheduled (with the option of early morning yoga before breakfast). We’ll leave around 11:00 am, making our way to  Chinchero, a community known for weaving and textiles. We’ll spend the afternoon together with a family community Project World School has been visiting for 7 years  to learn the traditions of weaving.

The family will prepare a delicious hearty traditional lunch for us, then we’ll begin our weaving workshop. We’ll learn everything about the weaving process, from washing the wool, spinning the sheeps wool into yarn to using natural tints from plants and insects to dye the wool. Then, we’ll have a chance to learn simple weaving techniques by making bracelets together. 

In the evening, we’ll return to our hilltop community above Pisac, enjoy dinner together then participate in that day’s closing circle.

Today, we get an early morning start, our private transportation picks us up as we head back towards Cusco for a day of archeology, history and exploration. Our itinerary today includes visits to four archeological sites: 

Sacsayhuaman
Visitors to this magnificent Inca fortress, which overlooks the city of Cusco, cannot fail to be impressed by the beauty and monumental scale of this important Inca construction. Sacsayhuaman can be variously translated as ‘speckled falcon’ or ‘speckled head’. The last interpretation refers to the belief that the city of Cusco was set out in the form of a puma whose head was the hill of Sacsayhuaman. The origins are uncertain but the fortress is generally attributed to the period of Inca Pachacuti, the man who essentially founded the Inca empire.

The main ramparts consist of three massive parallel walls zigzagging together for some 400m, designed to make any attacker expose his flanks. The massive blocks, the largest being 8.5m high and weighing nearly 300 tonnes, are fitted together with absolute perfection. 

Sacsayhuaman played an important part in the final defeat of the Inca Empire by the Spanish. Pizarro’s party entered Cusco unopposed in 1533 and lived there securely for more than two years before finally being caught unprepared by the rebellion of Manco Inca in 1536.

Qenqo
This is one of the finest examples of a rock artfully carved insitu showing complex patterns of steps, seats, geometric reliefs and a puma design. The rock is an excellent example of the Inca ‘Rock Worship’. In Inca cosmological beliefs the Incas held large rocky outcrops in reverence, as if they possessed some hidden spiritual force. On top of the rock are zigzag channels which served to course chicha (local maize beer) or sacrificed llama blood for purposes of divination; the speed and route of the liquid, in conjunction with the patterns made in the rock, gave the answers to the priest’s invocations.

Inside the rock are large niches and a possible altar. This may have been a place where the mummies of lesser royalty were kept along with gold and precious objects.

Puca Pucara
Situated on a hill with superb views over the surrounding countryside Puca Pucara was more likely a tambo, or kind of post house than an actual fortress. Travelers may have lodged here with their goods and animals before entering or leaving Cusco. An alternative theory is that it served as a guard post controlling the flow of people and produce between Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Tambomachay
Commonly referred to as the ‘Banos del Inca’ or Inca baths, Tambomachay was a site for ritual bathing. The excellent quality of the stonework suggests that its use was restricted to the higher nobility, who maybe only used the baths on ceremonial occasions. The ruins basically consist of 3 tired platforms. The top one holds four trapezoidal niches that perhaps were used as seats; on the next level an underground spring emerges directly from a hole at the base of the stonework and from here cascades down to the bottom platform, creating a cold shower just high enough for an Inca to stand under. On this platform the spring water splits into two channels, both pouring the last metre down to ground level.

In the evening, we’ll return to our hilltop community above Pisac, enjoy dinner together then participate in that day’s closing circle.

After a few busy days, we have a later wake up call. Before breakfast, we’ll offer a morning yoga sun session to get our bodies connected to the earth. After breakfast, we divide into groups depending on the adventure we choose. Choices are:

Inti Raymi -Festival of the Sun – for the culturally inquisitive, an excursion back to Cusco to witness the Inti Raymi festival. Each year on (the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere) Cusco celebrates the Inca Festival of the Sun. Created by Inca Pachacutec, Inti Raymi was a tribute to the venerated Sun God Inti. Nowadays, the festival draws thousands of local and international visitors to the ancient Inca capital – Cusco – to celebrate one of the most important events of the calendar year.

Activities at the Lodge – these include traditional classes and demonstrations on Jewelry Making, Cuy Preparation, Breadmaking and Traditional Dye/Paint Making. Elojidio and members from the surrounding community will be present to share these traditional processes with all who are interested in learning.

Day Hike Above Pisac – for the physically adventurous. This is a full on hike to the archaeological ruins of Pisac, a full day which will sport breathtaking views and ancient, wondrous buildings.

After the days events, we’ll reassemble for a community dinner then participate in that day’s closing circle.

Self Directed Sessions – This is the time for the community to share their interests with each other. While it isn’t mandatory, each participant is encouraged to lead a session or workshop on something that they are passionate or knowledgeable about.

Kids Storytime, Crafts & Games– This will also be free time for the kids, but we’ll provide structure activities to keep for them to choose from, but free play is also an option. Participation is optional. 

Free Time – This is a block of time for children and parents alike to do whatever they’d like. You might find yourself visiting Pisac, spending time in the local gardens, or organizing games with the other families.

Then, we’ll all come together to enjoy a community dinner then participate in that day’s closing circle.

Travel Day – Most of this day will be spent watching Peru from the window of a comfortable van. On our way, we’ll pass through many mountainous communities, roadside waterfalls and breathtaking sights. At one point, we’ll even drive through a glacier (snowball fights, anyone?).

Hotsprings in Santa Theresa – At the end of our journey, we’ll be rewarded with gorgeous, natural hot springs in the rural town of Santa Theresa. Here, we can relax and socialize while the rest of our worries melt away.

We’ll have dinner after the hotsprings, followed by circle, then sweet rest for the night. 

Full accommodation for the duration of the learning community retreat
•  All airport transfers
•  All ground transportation
•  Breakfast, lunch, and dinners during the retreat
•  Entrance fees to all the included attractions
•  All workshops, talks, guided tours, and classes throughout the retreat.
•  Filtered drinking water to refill your water bottles (water bottle not included).
•  Fun!

•  International airfare
•  Laundry
•  Snacks
•  Souvenirs
•  Other personal items
•  Meals on travel days (arrival & departure)
•  International flights from your home country to each retreat location are not included

Many of our meals will be prepared in our hostel by our hosts. Breakfasts will consist of fresh fruit, juice, eggs, fresh yogurts, cheeses and local breads. Lunches will be a combination of local dishes, salads, fish and other Andean flavors. On the days we have full-day outings, we’ll have prepared packed lunches for our trip, including sandwiches, fruit, chips and juice etc.. Dinners will be a combination of local cooked meals anddinners in local restaurants. We will make every effort to accommodate everyone’s diet restrictions including having vegetarian and gluten-free options. Please indicate any special needs on your application.

For the first 9 days, the Project World School 15 Day Peru Family Adventure will be centered in Amaru, a community just above the bohemian citadel of Pisac. We’ll be staying at Inti Qhawarina, a locally owned family guesthouse and farm. While still very much a rustic place, the rooms are comfy and well-designed and will make you feel right at home.

For the final 5 days, we’ll be on the move. On our journey to the magical Machu Picchu, we’ll spend 1 night in Santa Theresa, a town famous for it’s hot springs, 1 night at a local coffee farm, and 1 night in Machu Picchu town itself. On the way back, we’ll spend 2 nights in Cusco as everybody gets geared up for their travels home.

Every family will be given their own room (or two, depending on family size).

All participants must fly in and out Cusco’s Airport. To save money, search for international round trip flights to and from Lima, Peru. Then you will need to book separate flights from Lima on a local airline, either Star Peru or Peruvian Air for best flight prices. After you register, we’ll provide more information.