In the time of the Incas, from the main square of Cusco, 4 roads departed towards the 4 cardinal points. These roads connected the different towns that made up the Tahuantinsuyo (territory covered by the Incas). We will explore the path that led to the jungle and we will visit some of its temples dedicated to Andean spirituality and astronomy.

The historical center of the city of Cusco is an open-air museum that combines Incan and colonial architecture. It tells the story of both periods, and how the fusion of the two cultures gave rise to the customs and traditions still practiced by the people of Cusco today. 

The hike from the Misminay farming community to the Maras salt mines will reveal the agricultural technology developed by the ancient South American people for seed adaptation.  In the middle of farm fields and with the impressive view of the Vilcanota mountain range we will walk down to the Maras salt flats, a place that dates from over 800 years and is still used by locals to extract the popular pink salt in a very sustainable way.

The walk to Huchuyqosqo offers a beautiful mosaic of natural landscapes as well as a recently restored Incan trail that skirts the mountainsides and ravines. Huchuyqosqo, meaning Little Cusco, was an astrological, religious, and agricultural site located at the top of the mountain...

The hike begins at approximately 4300 meters above sea level. The sensation of contemplating the landscape from the top of the mountains is a unique experience. It descends progressively, managing to appreciate to one side, the enormity of the sacred valley. This hike gives us the possibility to enjoy the tranquility of the place and to meet again with nature. The hike ends at 2960 meters where the temperature will be higher and there will be more vegetation.

We will visit Chinchero, a ceremonial site from the Incan period with agricultural terraces built into the mountainside. This site was used as a refuge for Manco Inca, leader of the Incan resistance after the Spanish invasion. From there, we will walk down an Incan trail through a canyon that will lead us to the Sacred Valley.

To get to the Qimsaqocha lagoons, we will walk across the heights of the mountains. At over 4000 meters above sea level, we will see a whole new ecosystem that is home to a variety of native species of plants and animals. Here lives a small population of local families that maintain ancestral practices related to Andean world view and agriculture.

Peru is known for having the largest variety of potatoes in the world. There is a place in the Andes where the locals preserve the tradition of growing potatoes at over 4000 meters above sea level. Above all, they protect the legacy and ancestral knowledge that dates back over 8000 years ...