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We are
please to provide any itinerary you wish, and can combine many diverse
elements of your choice. Our experienced team can also advise you
about what to see and do. Different members of your group can also
choose different options and excursions. Below we have listed a
sample of the more popular sight-seeing trips
We have a selection of activity breaks, such as
white water rafting, climbing and cycling. Is this all? No, we we
also have places available at native villages where you can learn
local crafts ... or learn to survive as a native in the jungle. For
real cultural exchange experiences, we can arrange for you to stay
in small towns and rural villages, talk to locals and participate
in local traditions and crafts. You can meet with, and even stay
with, Native Quechua families, and we are happy to arrange for a
language translator as required
Our packages are booked with experienced local professionals
- at local prices. All offer complete service, including all internal
flights and transfer costs, hotels (2 to 5 star), meals, tour guide
and excursion costs - although some entrance charges may apply,
these are only a few Dollars - otherwise all costs are included
We have compiled the following Fact sheets:
Tourist Information
(If your browser gives a login pop-up window, please click 'cancel'
to download) |
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Lima
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The first settlers reached Peru some
20,000 years ago. They brought stone tools and were hunter-gatherers,
living off game and fruit. Some of them settled in Paccaicasa, Ayacucho.
The most ancient Peruvian skeletal remains found to date (7000 BC)
show the ancient settlers had broad faces, pointed heads and stood
1.60 meters tall. The early Peruvians left examples of cave paintings
at Toquepala (Tacna, 7600 BC) and houses in Chilca (Lima, 5800 BC)
Lima is a sum of colours, textures and sounds.
It is a cosmopolitan capital par excellence where the taste is acquired
from the flavour offered by its street-side cooks frying anticuchos
or soft picarones in syrup against a backdrop of colonial balconies,
old houses, and churches with secret tunnels. Like its inhabitants,
Lima, the city of kings, is a rare and exciting mix of nationalities,
styles and forms. While other major cities in the Americas and around
the world strive for modernity, the urban landscape of Lima maintains
the age-old texture of its rich tradition.
Lima also offers many beaches and sports. The beaches
of Ica and Sante Maria are renowned for their good sand and sea
sports. Less than 100 km south of Lima lies Asia, a very Western
Holiday paradise. It is home to the rich and famous, and a truly
great beach resort during the summer months. In the evenings famous
TV personalities and Models frequent the discos
Asia also hosts International tennis tournaments,
and most of Lima's beaches offer Sandboarding, boats and water scooters,
surfing, deep-sea fishing and diving. You can also join cruises
to the Galapagos Islands, made famous by Darwin. Lima is also famous
for 'Puento', which is a form of abseiling from a bridge |
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Chan
Chan
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Long before
the Incas, the Chavín civilization (1500-400 BC) achieved
considerable prowess in architecture, engineering and agriculture
in the northern highlands. Along the north coast, the Moche civilization
(200 BC-700 AD) is famous for its realistic pottery (portraits carved
into pots and gourds) and its pyramid-shaped temples
The same area was later controlled by the Chimú
kingdom (900-1450 AD), who founded Chan Chan, their
capital,an immense mud-brick citadel featuring 12-meter-high walls
and superb architectural work. Built by the banks of the Moche River
in the department of La Libertad and called it Jang-Jang, which
in the ancient Mochica language means "sun-sun". The city
was the urban center of a vast regional state which covered half
of the Peruvian coast, stretching from Tumbes on the Ecuadorian
border down as far south as Lima. All roads branched out from Chan
Chan. |
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Cuzco
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Nestling
in the southeastern Andes, the city of Cuzco is Peru's premier tourist
attractions and one of the main destinations in the Americas. Held
to be the abode of the gods by the Incas, Cuzco was the capital
of the great pre-Colombian empires: the Tahuantinsuyu. Its name
in Quechua, the Inca language, means "the naval of the world",
as it was the hub of a network of roads that spanned much of South
America, ranging from as far north as Colombia down to northern
Chile and Argentina.
During their reign, the Incas (1300-1500 AD) were
to make Cuzco the center of their empire, building major constructions
such as Sacsayhuaman, Pisac and Koricancha. It is here that myth
and history merge, where the Inca roads, the towns, people and traditions
are a living example of the Andean spirit, sacred and monumental
Modern day Cuzco is an exciting blend of sounds
and colours, breath-taking architecture, sumptuous foods of many
styles, and spontaneous night-life |
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Nazca
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The Nazca Plains (there are four areas
in total: Palpa, Ingenio, Nazca and Socos) lie in the department of
Ica, some 460 km south of Lima. The Nazca people (200 BC-900 AD) etched
an impressive series of figures etched into the desert floor known
as the Nazca Lines, while graves belonging to the Paracas culture
(800 BC-600 AD) have unearthed superb weaving's which point to the
magical and religious vision that governed the lives of this ancient
civilization Just two hours from Ica, 50
square km of desert floor were covered centuries ago by vast drawings,
figures of mammals, insects and deities. The Nazca Lines, discovered
in 1927, are the most extraordinary legacy left by a culture that
flourished in 300 BC. The lines are a series of complex designs,
some up to 300 meters long which can only be seen in their true
dimension from the sky, from an altitude of at least 1,500 feet.
The Nazca culture is not believed to have been capable of manned
flight. But the question remains as to how they crafted the drawings,
what technology they used and what purpose the lines served |
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Lake
Titicaca
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Located in the department of Puno, with
a surface area of 36 180 hectares, the national reserve in practically
its entirety covers the world's highest navigable lake. The Titicaca
Reserve is split into two separate sectors: the first, which lies
in the Bay of Puno itself, protects the totora reed clumps which provide
sustenance to the Uros-Chulluni communities; the second, which is
located in the Huancané area, features less-visited totora
marshes, but which are equally rich in species and just as interesting.
In the area there are 60 bird species, including the Titicaca grebe,
14 native fish species and 18 types of amphibians, including the giant
Titicaca toad. On Titicaca Island ruins of
a temple mark the spot where, the legendary founders of the Inca
dynasty, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, were sent down to Earth by
the Sun. Life in the Incan empire was measured by a thousand year
cosmic cycle called an Inti, which means 'Sun'. This thousand year
cycle was then divided into halves, each of which was referred to
as a Pachakuti. Briefly, this equated to 500 years of Inca rule,
500 years of Spanish rule. We are now entering the next 500 year
period
Many of the world's spiritual leaders, as well as
indigenous teachers, acknowledge that the energy of the planet shifted
in 1987 from the masculine energies of Tibet to the feminine energies
of Peru, and more particular, Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu, and The
Sacred Valley of the Incas. This area is the acknowledged portal
through which the new feminine energies are entering Mother Earth
'Pacha Mama". Please click
to learn more about this enthralling Inca legend, 'Lake Titicaca
and the House of the Golden Sun Disc' by Joshua and Vera Shapiro
For greater detail, also click
to read a fascinating article 'Tiahuanaco, Archaeoastronomy and
Cataclysmic Myths' by Martin Gray
Our excursions to this wondrous place, include the
Incan myths and legends, as related to the sights you see, and are
completed by a tour of ancient Tiahuanaco, on the Bolivian shores
of the lake - Bolivian visa required |
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Machu Picchu
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The ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu
is the star attraction of Cuzco. Discovered in 1911 by US explorer
Hiram Bingham, the citadel is deemed one of the world's finest examples
of landscape architecture.
Machu Picchu ("old mountain" in Quechua, the ancient language
of the Incas) nestles on top of a mountain saddle high above the Urubamba
River in the middle of the cloud forest. It was both a center of worship
and astronomic observatory as well as the private retreat of the family
of Inca ruler Pachacútec.
It is split into two major areas: the agricultural zone, made up of
terracing and food storehouses; and the urban zone, featuring the
sacred sector, with temples, squares and royal tombs which have been
carved to an extraordinary degree of perfection. The stone staircases
and canals are found throughout this unique archaeological site. Over
the citadel looms Huayna Picchu ("young mountain" in Quechua),
which can be climbed up a steep stone-paved trail. |
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Jungle
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The vast Peruvian
jungle, which surrounds the wide and winding Amazon river, is divided
into two differentiated areas: the cloud forest (above 700 masl),
which features a subtropical, balmy climate, with heavy rain showers
(around 3000 mm a year) between November and March, and sunny days
from April to October; and the lowland jungle (below 700 masl), where
the dry season runs from April to October and is ideal for tourism,
with sunshine and high temperatures often topping 35°C |
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Plastic Surgery
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Lima is
now a famous centre for Plastic Surgery, and attracts people from
all over the world. The reason is two-fold: The great skills of
the surgeons, who are able to complete the most intricate and delicate
of surgery. Secondly, price - as it is far cheaper to have your
beauty therapy here than in the North Americas
Although we can suggest reputable local Surgeons,
this is for you to decide. What we do is to provide packages that
support the surgery - leaving you time for consultations, and post-operative
recuperation and checks. It may be you prefer to choose a secluded
location, especially where facial beauty is concerned - we can find
the right place to suit your needs, and also one that is interesting
to visit. Please email for further information |
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