PERU AND BOLIVIA

EASTER

April 15 - May 1, 2011

This is a truly gorgeous time to visit Peru and Bolivia as rainy season is just ending, the mountains are heavy with snow, the hills and valleys lush green with spring growth and the rivers full with snow melt. Jessie returns to Peru after a 6-year absence ready to show you the best of the best. Remember the trip is offered to Jessie's student only, with the exception of those who have previously traveled with her and approved partners. We will move right into high play since the full moon is on the 18th. That will be a special night in Machu Picchu.

We will be joined by the Q'ero shamans for our work in the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco. Jessie's long and loving relationship with her Andean family will bring you into the extended family of these, the last of the Incas. Our journey has three distinct parts, our work in the Cusco area, our work on the Peruvian end (North) of Titicaca Lake and the Bolivian end (South) of Titicaca Lake. She has chosen the most memorable hotels, guides, and transport methods to make your journey one of ease and grace. Her many years of experience guide her choices and dish up all of the good and relevant tips for you. At the same time, her ability to hold space (in the places where she learned to do that) opens up the world of magical change to all participants.

Check the proposed itinerary carefully, remembering that our terms and conditions of travel apply (see Terms). Also allow travel time getting there and returning home, which can be a 2-day trip for Aussies and Kiwis. If you have any questions, send us an email at info@heartofthesun.com and we will happily answer them. This is the trip of a lifetime. Jessie advises that you come with a willingness to have your reality shifted bigtime! Registration deadline is March 1, 2011, however early registration is recommended.

TRIP ITINERARY

PERU April 15 - April 25, 2011

April 15: Arrival in Lima (if not before), overnight at La Hacienda Hotel. NOTE: If you wish for an extra night in Lima that can be arranged at extra cost, as can be tours of the gold museum and other sites. Our hotel is in Miraflores (sea level) within walking distance to the sea and a complete shopping plaza.

April 16: We fly from Lima to Cusco, the Indigenous capital of Peru from Incan times, lunch in Cusco (money change opportunity), transport to the Sacred Valley. We begin here, at low altitude (2300 m/7000 ft), to safeguard your health. Check into Hotel Pakaritampu in Ollantaytambo, relax, walk the town and ruins. We will meet in circle this evening for group work.

April 17: We are joined by the Q'ero shamans and our interpreter (quechua, spanish, english). Opening ceremonies, ruins of Ollantaytambo, an important strategic citadel of the Inca's and home to the dwarf priestesses.

April 18: Taking overnight bags, we hop the train to Machu Picchu (a short walk to the station from our hotel). There we check into the Hotel Presidente for our two-night stay, meander around Aguas Caliente. After dinner, we take a bus up to the Machu Picchu ruins for full moon ceremony with the Q'ero shamans. We come back to our hotel, a jolly lot indeed, for a good night's sleep.

April 19: This is a day of options. It is a good day to explore the ruins, but you might also want to hike out the Inca Trail to Winay Wayna, or up Huayna Picchu's steep trails for a spectacular overview of the Machu Picchu ruins. There are also hot springs in Aguas Caliente and many shops to explore.

April 20: Morning in the ruins on a walking meditation to the high altars with Jessie. We try for the first bus up there before the tourists begin to arrive. After the meditation, there will be some free time to explore before meeting at our hotel for the 3 PM train back to Ollantaytambo. We will have a group catchup in circle this evening.

April 21: We will take ride down the entire Sacred Valley to Pisac, another prominent Inca Citadel where there is a beautiful Inti Huatana - the hitching post of the sun as well as a very good look at tombs in the side of the mountain. We meander Pisac's famous markets and have lunch there.

April 22: Today we move on to Cusco for an overnight and day of exploration. We will be staying at the Hotel Torre Dorado, which is outside the noise and pollution of downtown Cusco and close to the airport. Jessie will be happy to show you around on a tour that includes the Coricancha (Sun Temple and center of the Inca Empire), downtown Cusco, San Blas, and the ruins of Sacsayhuaman (this link will take you on a good tour of Cusco area) for those who want a good climb (elevation here is 3773 m/11,500 feet). We will have our closing ceremonies with the Q'ero shamans at the Temple of the Moon above Cusco and take them out for a group dinner downtown. This marks the end of our travel in Peru and, sadly, our parting with the shamans.

April 23: We leave Cusco for Titicaca Lake (all of the altiplano and the rest of our trip are at 4265m/13,000 ft elevation), flying to Juliaca then by bus, traveling to our hotel south of Puno, the Taypikala Hotel. Here we settle in the village of Chucuito for 3 nights with views of the lake, nearby temples, beautiful gardens, a spa, and peace and quiet. This is a good night for a circle.

April 24: Easter Sunday. We will spend Easter at the hotel, integrating, enjoying the gardens, spa and little village. The spa is available and massages can be arranged. Exploring our small village of Chucuito is an eye-opener. Across the road, a short walk takes you to a dock on the lake.

April 25:We will visit the floating island culture of the Uros Indians, boating out to them on Titicaca Lake. After touring Sillustani, the graveyard of the shamans, we will go into Puno for an evening of shops and dinner. One of the most memorable moments on these trips is being at Sillustani for sunset. It is always different, usually not calm, often cold, wild, and exhilarating - a favorite of Jessie's.

BOLIVIA April 26 - May 1, 2011

April 26: We travel overland to Bolivia, stopping at the Interdimensional Portal of Amaru Muru. At this mysterious doorway carved in the side of the mountain's dragon spine, the group will have an individual experience with the portal followed by a group meditation. Then we journey on into Bolivia to Copacabana where we board a hydrofoil and fly over the water to Sun Island. We will make a stop at Moon Island to see the Priestess of the Sun Temple ruins, then our boat will leave us on Sun Island for a 3-night stay. Llamas will carry our bags (a good reason for them to be light) as we hike, visiting a few sites on the way to our hotel, Pasada del Inca (for some photos only). Check out the breathtaking perpetually snow-capped Cordillera Real in the distance with standout peak of Illampu (6368m/20,892ft) .

April 27: We will hike the spine of Sun Island today. Great views and a long walk indeed.

April 28: We will leave this day open for options on Sun Island or trip to Moon Island.

April 29: Down the 250 steps to our hydrofoil and the last leg of our voyage across the lake to Huatajata. Though a bit touristy, Inca Utama Hotel and Spa (for write up and photos) on the lake is a lovely setting for our last two night's stay in Bolivia. There are Indian villages, crafts and indigenous entertainment, several options for dining, and it should be quiet (as opposed to downtown La Paz).

April 30: Today we will mix the day between free time (possible massage or other spa treat) and seeing some attractions. In the evening we will work with the Kallawaya's, the White Medicine Men of Bolivia.

May 1: We will spend our last day at Tiwanaku ancient cultural ruins. There is a good museum and we will have a guide. This is the city that Jessie wrote about in the Mammacocha chapter of the Lineage book. Its pyramid and sunken temple remains an enigma. It is an important site to research on your own prior to the trip as much has been written about it in New Age books (Fingerprint of the Gods being one of the first). After our tour, we will see a bit of downtown La Paz, a city of millions in a bowl of the Earth with the great mountain, Illimani(6368m/20,892ft), guarding it. We will visit the Witch's Market are of La Paz, have our complimentary ($30 cap and you pay the balance) last dinner together, then head for the airport and home. Most fights out of La Paz are at night, connecting to major airlines in Lima (for example Lan and American Airlines), which leave Lima around midnight so your actual departure will be the 13th of April.

TRIP COST: $3850 USD A $500 US non-refundable deposit holds your space.

click on our Peru/Bolivia Travelogue

What is included: Double occupancy lodging (single rooms and suites available at extra cost) with breakfast. All transport within Peru/Bolivia including air flights from Lima to Cusco and Cusco to Juliaca, train to Machu Picchu, buses and boats, including hydrofoil and all airport transfers. All contributions to the Q'ero shamans, their expenses and those of our guides/translators, entry fees to designated ruins and sacred sites, baggage handling, our closing dinner in La Paz, all dinners and 4 out of 6 lunches on the Bolivia segment of the trip.

What is not included: Your flight from home into Lima and return from La Paz to home. Dinners and lunches in Peru, two lunches in Bolivia, taxi rides in Cusco and Lima for your extra excursions, excess luggage (please check Lan for restrictions), spa treats, group tips to bus drivers and tour guides who have been with us regularly - this is a courtesy that should come from the individual and it is 1-3 soles a day, for example (around .50-$1.00/day USD), museum tickets not on tours including the optional Coricancha entry fee in Cusco, airport departure tax on leaving Bolivia ($25 USD) and possibly a similar airport tax if you are traveling through Lima to leave the country.

Upon registration, you will receive information about what to bring, the weather, and tips on the culture. You will also be given a information about trip payments. Our refund policy is on our Terms page. Please print that page, fill in the trip registration and return it with a signed release form for each person coming (minor signed by parents). Trip insurance is an option you might want to explore. The best preparation possible is your work with Jessie in circle and to get in shape for the altitude and hiking. We cannot be responsible for your health on this trip but will make sure you get adequate attention. Remember that we will be working with health facilities in a third world country. If altitude is an historic issue for you, you may want to consider staying home. We do take every precaution to ease you into higher and higher altitude but you must be responsible for your own physical well being. It is worth it to come with good aerobic capacity.