Peru Visually Impaired Tour
An experience to remember
Sustainable accessible tour for people who are blind or partially sighted, their families and friends.
We aim to work mostly with eco-friendly hotels, lodges, restaurants, guides so we can spread the benefits of tourism to all members.
Our accessible tours are desinged in a way we can experience attractions through use of senses like smell, touch and taste. Tours are done in small group basis, focusing on safety protocols and authenticity
Highlights
- Experience Machu Picchu, by sounds of being on top of Andes and touching the rock formations at the citadel;
- Also travel throught the Sacred Valley of the Incas on the spectacular Andes train as well as through the Colca canyon;
- Explore ancient Incas ruins such as Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Sacsaywaman and Tambomachay by detailed explanations of passionate guides with possiblity to touch and feel rock formations;
- Taste the delicious Peruvian cuisine as you also have comprehensive guided city tours of Lima and Cusco and Arequipa;
- Be surrounded by culture as we discover the Inca roots by touring Peru
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Destination
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Departure
Lima airport -
Dress Code
Casual, comfortable athletic clothing, hat and light jacket. -
Included
Activities and toursCertified bilingual guideFriendly accessible accomodationMeals mentioned in programPrivate transportation -
Not Included
Alcohol drinksInternational and national flightsMeals NOT mentioned in the programTipsTravel or medical insurance
1
Day 1: Arrive to Peru
Welcome to Lima!
You and your group will be picked up from the airport and transfered to your hotel.
You will have the afternoon free to rest and acclimatize. If time permitting, we will have an introduction and briefing about your Peruvian adventure.
2
Day 2: Lima city tour
Discover Lima on a guided city tour! Peru’s capital is a rich kaleidoscope of colonial architectural jewels, revered pre-Columbian sites, charming residential areas, and vibrant shopping districts perched over the blue Pacific.
Visit the Rafael Larco Herrera Museum to discover the largest private collection of pre-Colombian Peruvian art in the world. It is possible to touch some of the art.
Our tour continues to the city’s neighborhoods along the Pacific coast.
Dinner on your own. Meals included (B - L)
3
Day 3: Lima - Arequipa
Private transfer from the hotel to the airport, Flight Lima – Arequipa (not included).
Arrival, meet and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon we are going to visit the convent of St. Catalina,which has opened its doors in 1970.
Then we continue along the main Square, the Cathedral, the Church of the Society of Jesus, through the city by the Chili river, we head to the viewpoint of Carmen Alto, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the valley of Arequipa birth and Yanahuara colonial district.
Return to hotel Meals included (B)
4
Day 4: Arequipa - Colca
We will depart at 8:00 am from the hotel.
At the start of the journey from Arequipa at 2,350 meters above the sea level, we will be explained each of the volcanoes which guard the city Chachani, Misti and Pichu Picchu.
We will ascend through the side of the Chachani until reaching Pampa Cañahuas’ plain.
This area constitutes the National Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca. There, herds of Vicuñas will be spotted as well as a great variety of plants.
Moving on we will arrive to Pata Wasi (Pata=high Wasi=home), an Andean community at the opposite border of the reserve.
Here you might enjoy the natural formation of rocks and the the backside of the Misti and Chachani volcanoes. To prevent altitude sickness we will have an original Andean Coca tea or another hot drink in a rustic restaurant (service of bathrooms are here available).
Continuing on the road we will pass Tocra, a high plain at more than 4,500 meters, where we will go through lakes with migrant birds and get pictures of the Antiplano with its Llamas and Guanacos.
The highest point of our tour will be Pata Pampa (Pata=high, Pampa=land) located at 4,820 meters, where we will be close to the volcanoes Ampato, Sabancaya, Hualca-Hualca, Mismi, the source of the Amazon River.
At 13:00 hours approximately when we are getting close to the town of Chivay (3,651 meters) we will start to wonder at the spectacular multicolor view of the terraces of the Colca valley.
Lunch included at local restaurant, After lunch your guide will invite you to a visit a natural “hot springs” , where we will enjoy a relaxing bath (this is an optional visit, entrance fee and personal towels to the baths are not included)
Finally, after this exciting day we will head to your hotel at the Colca valley Meals included (B)
5
Day 5 Colca - Puno
Private transfer from Colca to Puno.
On the way back, we will pass through the villages, Pinchollo, Achoma and visit the towns of Maca at the base of the volcano Sabancaya and then Yanque.
The church of Yanque with its baroque façade is testimony to the cultural symbiosis in the colonial era.
Departure to the city of Puno through Patapampa, Chucura, Toccra, Vizcachani, Patahuasi.
Box lunch on route. Detour to Puno through Lagunillas, Santa Lucia, Cabanillas, Juliaca and finally arrival to Puno at approximately 18:00 hours.
Meals included (B - L)
6
Day 6 Puno
Morning we will take a boat to the Uros Island, which are made of reeds, rising six meters above the lake level.
They are anchored by logs and connected to each other by ropes.
The main activities of the people who live here are fishing and handcrafting several items that they sell to visitors.
Afternoon will be on your own to enjoy the cozy town of Puno.
Meals included (B - L)
7
Day 7 Puno - Cusco
Today we have a long drive through the “Paramo”.
We have a private trip on top of the Andes.
On the way to Cusco you will visit Andahuaylillas, Racqui and Pucará. Andahuaylillas (3198 m. above sea level) - originally Antawaylla or "field of copper" - is a small village dotted with a benign climate and easy-going people, located 24 miles (39 Km) south of Cusco and one hour by car from the city.
In the classic style of country churches, Andahuaylillas -built by the Jesuits in the late sixteenth century- is a simple construction made of thick adobe mud-brick walls, common in colonial buildings, and features a relatively modest structure: a single nave with a belltower and a façade with two solid stone columns that stand out against the others around the main entrance.
The Andahuaylillas Church was founded in 1580. The façade is quite plain, making contrast with the expressive richness of the viceregal Baroque art found inside (golden altars, murals, paintings and polychrome ceilings). If Michael Angel had worn a poncho and the Andean chullo cap, he would have undoubtedly signed his works on the walls of the church of Andahuaylillas. In fact, the superb murals that line the arches of this tiny chapel just 36 km from Cuzco, have given rise to its nickname, the Sixtine Chapel of the Andes.
The Raqchi archaeological complex is one of the most remarkable in Cusco. The archaeological place includes a great group of constructions like the temple, the colcas, the barracks, the bathroom of the Inca, the wall of four kilometers that surrounds most of Inca remains and the community.
This architecture represents the importance of Raqchi like base for the Inca military expansion toward the lake Titicaca. Pucara ( 3860 m. above sea level ) is located 107 km or 66 miles north of City of Puno. Pucara is famous for its pottery, especially the well-known “Toritos de Pucara” (Little Bulls of Pucara). The "Museo Litico de Pucara" (Pucara Stone Museum), displaying a good little selection of anthropomorphic monoliths, zoomorphic sculptures, ceramics, and other objects from the Pucara pre-Inca Culture (original and replica pieces).
Also its church located in the main square, is also worth a visit.
Arrive to Cusco late afternoon. Check in and rest.
Meals included (B - L)
8
Day 8 Cusco
After breakfast we have a city tour that includes a visit to the Cathedral, considered the best repository of colonial art from the Cusco school.
We'll continue the circuit to Qoricancha ("court of gold", also known as the temple of the sun), the religious and political center of Cusco during the Inca era.
Enjoy a guide visit & box lunch nearby Sacsayhuaman, just outside the city is Sacsayhuaman ("speckled falcon"), the fortress above Cusco whose precise zigzags of massive stone remain unmoved by the centuries.
For the afternoon we have prepared a private:intensive Culinary Experience in Cusco: -cooking class-
We will live a culinary experience with a unique vision of the food and culture of Peru using regional products such as quinoa, yellow peppers and trout. From the hand of a chef we will create gourmet fusion dishes and enjoy the most spectacular views that the city has to offer.
We will start touring the traditional outdoor market of San Pedro looking for ingredients. Then we will go to the kitchen facilities of the Rooftop Kitchen, to start the cooking lesson while enjoying the views. We will prepare an appetizer, a main course, a pisco sour and dessert, all of this with the company of an expert cheff
Meals included (B - L - D)
9
Day 9 Cusco - Sacred Valley
In the morning we will have a private lecture of Andean Music with Gustavo León.and his passion for one of the principal cultural manifestations of Peru: music.
An architect by trade but musician by heart, Gustavo has devoted almost all his adult life to researching and preserving ancestral Andean instruments and music.
Gustavo opens the doors of his home to us and offers an unforgettable soiree. Andean harp, charango, cajon . . . discover an infinity of indigenous instruments, traditional melodies, and learn about Peruvian history and culture through musical heritage that reflects a fascinating fusion between the Andean past with European, African and Asian influences.
We will have the opportunity to play instruments if we choose and hold casual Q&A with our host.
After the visit we will take off and drive towards the Sacred Valley.
Arrive to Sacred Valley. Check in hotel. Meals included (B)
10
Day 10 Cusco - Sacred Valley
We will visit the weavers’ workshop of Nilda Callañaupa, who 28 years ago decided to bring together like-minded women who shared her passion for weaving, and in time was able to motivate younger women who had lost interest in weaving to learn from their elders and connect once more with this ancestral art.
She began working in the yard of her own house in Chinchero, and in 1996 her project became the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, a strong organization dedicated not only to the preservation, but also the commercialization of beautiful, high quality textiles.
This visit will be greatly enriched with the explanation of the protagonist of this story, Nilda Callañaupa.
We will learn the whole process of the Andean fabric from spinning, dyeing, warps, girdle fabric, blanket fabric and fabric finishing.
After, we will enjoy a delicious buffet lunch.
Return to your hotel in the Sacred Valley. Meals included (B - L)
11
Day 11 Machu Picchu - Cusco
Early pick up and transfer to Urubamba railway station to board the tourist train Vistadome that goes through the Urubamba Valley or Sacred Valley of the Incas, to the fabulous mountaintop ruins of Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu was never discovered by the Spaniards.
For centuries it was buried in the jungle until Hiram Bingham found it in 1911.
The Holy City of Machu Picchu was built in stone among the flanks of two hills belonging to the eastern mountain range of the Andes, descending into the Amazonian upper sylvan.
There is no doubt that Machu Picchu represents an extraordinary example of architecture and engineering.
Upon arrival to the station, a private bus will wait to transfer you to the top of the ruins (30 minutes).
A guided tour of the ruins gives you some idea of what the city must have looked like.
Afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo station. Vistadome
Arrival to the station meet and transfer to your hotel back in Cusco
Meas included (B - L)
12
Day 12 Cusco - Lima
At the appropriate time we will transfer you from the hotel to Cusco airport to board the flight that will take you to Lima.
Assistance at your hotel or airport. Meals included (B)
PACKING LIST IDEAS CLOTHES
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Good, comfortable and strong walking shoes & comfortable walking trousers.
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Warm tops for the cool evenings in the highlands.
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Cool long trousers & long sleeves tops for the rainforest.
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Small umbrella and / or waterproof jacket or poncho for the rainforest & highlands (December – March)
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Bathing suite
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Comfortable clothes for the evening.
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Copy of your passport and insurance policy.
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Sunglasses
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Small backpack for short day trips or overnight stays
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Toiletries & wet wipes.
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Binoculars if you are interested in the local wildlife – especially birds.
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Insect repellent & antihistamines.
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Sunblock cream
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** Bring any medication you are taking.