Itinerary in Peru

The following information is a general itinerary for your 20-day Peruvian painting and yoga adventure. Our itinerary is not written in stone, and can be adjusted to conform to the group's wishes. Our guide Santiago will be with us the whole time, facilitating our travel and excursions. He has many years of experience in leading trips to his native Peru.

Day one: You will be greeted at Lima airport and brought by van to your comfortable hotel in Lima. Spend 2 days in Lima exploring the Cathedrals, and places of interest. You will have daily morning yoga classes and afternoon painting sessions with Linda.

Day 4: We will travel to Cusco, and rest in comfortable hotel while acclimatizing to the altitude. We will stay here for about 5 days, during which time we will explore different ruins, cathedrals and places to paint. Daily morning yoga sessions. Free time to rest or explore by yourself. Painting experiences each day. We will visit different sites in the Sacred Valley.

Day 9: You will travel by train to Aguascalientes, a small town nestled below Machu Picchu, where we will stay for 2 days. We'll take the bus up the mountain for a long day of exploration of the ancient Inca City of Machu Picchu. The area around Aquascalientes and Machu Picchu offer the painter and photographer spectacular views of the Andes Mountains! After our time here, we will return by train to Lima to relax and go to the beach. There will be time for yoga, painting and just "hanging around" and exploring.

Day 12: You leave for the Amazon for a long comfortable bus ride through the Andes all the way to Shipasbamba, a remote village with many interesting views from the windows. Our modern bus has reclining seats that make sleeping, dozing or listening to music a pleasure, while watching the amazing scenery fly by.

Day 13: Your 5 days in the Amazon will include many varied adventures. You'll meet your "host family", where you will live and eat authentic home-cooked Peruvian cuisine. Walking tour of the village. Breakfast every morning with host family.You'll have a chance to practice your Spanish, and visit the local school and learn about Peruvian education. During this time, we will perform "community service", during which time you can paint with the children, and maybe even do yoga with them. We will purchase greatly needed supplies such as paints, pencils, notebooks and rulers. You'll sample the real life of Peruvians in a remote village. We'll visit a nearby waterfall, have a bon-fire and hiking (for those who are willing). Games with the community (optional).

Day 18: Bus to Lima. Relaxing bus ride experiencing spectacular Andean scenery. A perfect time to rest, relax and dream.

Day 19: Arrive in Lima and relax around the hotel. Free time to integrate experiences, pack and prepare for flight home the next day.

Day 20: Last yoga session. Relax in morning before transferring to Lima airport.