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Women’s Quest Peru Co-Ed Retreat
May 10-17, 2025

May 9th – Arrival Day
Most are flying in on Friday to Encantada.
• Airport pickups
• Encantada taxi will have a Women’s Quest sign
• Pick up at the airport in Cusco when you arrive at any time
• Transfer to the Hotel Encantada

ENCANTADA – Casa Boutique Spa
San Blas, Calle Tandapata 354
Cusco, Peru
Tel: (084) 242206
Fax: (084) 241888
reservas@encantadaperu.com
www.encantadaperu.com

May 10th – Saturday: Ceremonial Opening & Sacred Sites
Morning
• 8:00–9:00 – “Awakening the Senses” with Colleen on the lawn overlooking Cusco
• 9:00 – Opening Ceremony with Gaby and Ñaupa Taki Group for our first connection with the Spirits of the land and the Sacred Mountains

11:00 – Visit to Sacsayhuaman and Huacas around Cusco
We will hike (straight up) above Cusco to explore the expansive area of Sacsayhuaman including the carved boulders and hidden underground caves of Qenqo. We will visit the “Heart Temple” to honor Pachamama, the Cosmic Feminine Spirit. In Quechua it is called Kusilluchayoq, or “the place of the monkeys.”

We’ll also visit the “Temple of the Moon” (Amarumachay – the shelter of the Celestial Serpent), and the ceremonial cave at Qenqo.

Late Afternoon
• Picnic lunch from CICCIOLINA RESTAURANT
• Visit the fortress of Sacsayhuaman to explore its majestic zigzagging walls and stonework. Gaby will guide us through the theories and spiritual meaning of this sacred space.

Evening
• 7:00 – Welcome dinner at A Mi Manera  

May 11th – Sunday: Chinchero & Inca Trail Waterfall Hike
Morning
• 7:00 – Breakfast at the hotel
• 7:45 – Depart for the Sacred Valley
• 9:30 – Visit Chinchero, a village at 12,000 ft famous for its women weavers

  • Visit the “Traditional Andean Textiles Center” for a demonstration of ancient techniques using natural dyes and hand weaving.

Afternoon
• Lunch with Jorge’s family in Chinchero – a beautiful feast with his mother, father, grandmother, aunts, and cousins. Intimate cultural experience and “up close and personal” weaving demo

Evening
• 6:00 – Dinner in Urubamba (OYO)
• 8:00 – Check-in at Casa Colibrí Eco-Lodge, Urubamba (means “hummingbird house”)
Tel: +51 84 205003

May 12th – Monday: Full-Day Pisac Exploration
Morning
• 7:30–8:30 – Yoga
• 8:30 – Breakfast
• 9:30 – Journey to Pisac

Pisac is as large as Machu Picchu but less preserved due to Spanish contact. Still, it offers magnificent temples, extensive terraces, ceremonial fountains, hillside tombs, and exquisite stonework. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/peru/cusco/ruinas-de-pisac

Afternoon
• Lunch on your own (OYO)
• Explore the artisan market in Pisac – excellent shopping

Evening
• Dinner at Huacatay in Urubamba (OYO)

May 13th – Tuesday: Pumahuanca Sacred Gorge & Despacho Ceremony
Morning
• 7:00 – Yoga
• 8:00 – Breakfast (WQ pays)
• 9:00 – Hike to Pumahuanca Gorge with Riccardo and Benito (Andean priests)

This guided hike leads to sacred waterfalls, ancient ruins of a priestess retreat, and remote Quechua villages.
We’ll end with a cleansing ceremony using special herbs to prepare for our journey to Machu Picchu.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/peru/cusco/valle-de-pumahuanca

Afternoon
• Picnic lunch
• Afternoon rest and preparation for ceremony

Evening
• 4:00 – Despacho Ceremony with Riccardo and his family from the Q’ero community (they travel three days to meet us)
• Dinner near hotel
• Pack a small overnight bag for Machu Picchu 

May 14th – Wednesday: Pilgrimage to Machu Picchu
Early Morning
• Breakfast
• 6:00 – Depart hotel for Ollantaytambo train station
• 7:00 – Vistadome First-Class Train (1.5 hours)

Afternoon
• Box lunch/snacks for the hike
• We’ll stay in the ruins until sunset – a quiet, spiritual time

Evening
• Dinner at Indio Feliz (OYO)
• Overnight at Hotel Santuario, Machu Picchu
Tel: +51 980898023

May 15th – Thursday: Sunrise & Huayna Picchu Hike
Morning
• Rise before dawn
• Early breakfast at hotel (bring a baggie/snack for the trail)
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/peru/cusco/circuito-huayna-picchu

  • Hike Huayna Picchu – steep staircases, sacred ruins, and incredible views
    • 1 mile, 1180 ft elevation gain, with cables in steep sections
    • Poles allowed (but not inside Machu Picchu)

Afternoon
• Lunch in town or up at the site (OYO)
• 12:00–4:00 – Free time for massage, hot springs, or market shopping
• 4:20 – Train back to Sacred Valley (arrives ~6:10)

Evening
• 7:00 – Dinner at Chuncho Restaurant 

May 16th – Friday: Choose Your Adventure + Farewell
Morning
• 8:00–9:00 – Yoga
• 9:00–10:00 – Breakfast 

10:00–2:00 – Optional Adventures (payment required):

  1. Salt mine walk with WQ guide (No payment for this hike)

https://www.alltrails.com/es/ruta/peru/cusco/media-luna-salineras-de-maras?sh=taonii

  1. River rafting
  2. Biking
  3. Horseback riding

Evening
• Farewell dinner at a special restaurant in Urubamba 

May 17th – Saturday: Integration & Return
Morning
• Yoga
• Breakfast
• Visit to Cerámicas Seminario in Urubamba

This beautiful studio, founded by Pablo Seminario and Marilú Behar, is more than a gallery—it is a living temple of creativity. Their ceramic work tells the story of ancient Andean culture through fire and clay. A deeply spiritual final stop.

Afternoon
• Lunch in town (OYO)
• 2:00 – Depart for Moray – a sacred site of spiraling terraces used for energetic transformation

Standing in Moray’s silence, we feel the echoes of the ancestors and receive a final blessing from the Sacred Valley.

Evening
• 5:30 – Transfer to Cusco Airport
• 8:00 – Flights depart to Lima

Important Contacts
• Gaby Cell – +51 84 984991427
• Encantada – +51 84 242206 / 241888
• Casa Colibrí – +51 84 205003
• Hotel Santuario – +51 980898023
• Colleen – +1 720-951-0762

Meals
• WQ pays for all breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners
• 4 lunches OYO, 3 dinners OYO

Tipping
• Please bring $90 in an envelope for Gaby to distribute to guides, musicians, drivers, and hotel staff (collected first night) Make sure the dollar bills do not have any tears in them and are new if possible. (they won’t take them otherwise)
• Suggested overall tip for the week:
Gaby $100–$150 per person
Jorge $50 per person