JOURNEY TO pERU
Conscious and Intentional Travel.
Remembrance, reverence + relationship with spirit, place, people, and nature.
ποΈ October 13β20, 2025
π Cusco, Peru (+Sacred Valley, Saqsayhuaman, Amaru & Qinsacocha)
*optional add-on of all-inclusive tour to Machu Picchu at the end of the journey
Email me to inquire: lizzy@lizzymcdonald.com
JOURNEY TO PERU.
This is not a luxury retreat.
Itβs a journey. An immersion. An experience.
A shared path of reverence, connection, and remembrance.
Our guides on this trip are the local people and the land who share their hearts with those willing to remember.
Lodging. Weβll stay at PachΔnanda, a soulful, simple community center nestled in the hills above Cusco, near the ancient temples of the monkey and the moon. Itβs not a hotel. Itβs a space built for healing, ceremony, and being β with an incredible geodesic dome temple that opens to the bright Andean sky. A node of the Inkan prophecy β a space for awakening a new earth.
Meals are prepared with love by the resident chef, and the basics are beautifully cared for so you can focus on presence.
All rooms and bathrooms are shared.
This is a communal experience: rustic, intentional, and stripped of excess.
Who is this for?
This trip is for those who feel the call to the Andes of Peru.
For those who feel the call to travel with presence and humilityβ not to be healed or served, but to listen, to learn, to land.
To fly with the Condor.
To return to a land that activates something inside of you.
Itβs for those who want to be guided, not by an itinerary, but by the pulse of the place and the people and the unseen worlds that live so integrated amongst things in this part of the world.
We ask before we enter, and we allow the spaces we encounter to lead.
This is for those who want to share a traditional Pachamanca meal cooked in the earth.
Sip a prideful glass of homemade chicha morada, deep purple and sweet.
To walk the markets of Cusco, lured in by fresh juice ladies and compelling smiles.
To lay under blankets beneath the geodesic dome at Pachananda, watching the stars turn and the sun rise over Apu Ausungate.
To be with the rhythm of the day. Taking rest with choice. You get to choose your own, be your own.
This is for those who understand that this is not about being changedβ itβs about remembering. Awakening. Becoming. The prophecy of the new earth lives here.
If you come, come with reverence. Come with flexibility. Come with your own rhythm, too. And let it all weave together inside of you, as it may.
πΏ Whatβs Included:
β’ Airport transfers (pickup + drop-off in Cusco)
β’ 7 nights lodging at PachΔnanda (shared rooms and bathrooms)
β’ All vegetarian/vegan meals, lovingly prepared on-site
β’ Hikes or horseback to nearby sacred sites (Temple of the Moon + Monkey)
β’ Guides tour of Saqsayhuaman
β’ Day trip to Amaru, Peru Paru, Qinsacocha
β’ 2 days with Don Victor and Celia, Paqo medicine people of Qβero Nation who will share healing and teachings with us
Itinerary
Please note this itinerary is subject to change.
Day 1
Arrival. Settle in at Pachananda, rest, sip coca tea together to help adjust to the altitude.
Day 2
Grounding. Nothing better than getting your feet on the earth and breathing in the fresh air of somewhere new to land. We will stay close to home and explore the surrounding neighborhood, host to two pre-inkan ruins, the Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Monkey as well as an Incan Citadel, SacsayhuamΓ‘n.
SacsayhuamΓ‘n is an enormous ceremonial complex made of massive interlocking stones, some weighing over 100 tons β without mortar. Itβs believed to be a Temple of Lightning and a powerful initiation site aligned with the solstices
These places are sacred and people treat them as such to this day. A local guide will share about plants. There is also an option to take this journey and a tour of the land on horseback.
Day 3 Cusco. This is a choose your own journey day. A short taxi or a long walk down the hill and many steps will get you into the city of Cusco. We can go together, and folks are welcome to explore as they wish. Think colorful, aromatic markets, sacred sites and stone, chocolate, shopping in the artsy neighborhood of San Blas, or people watching over coffee in the main Plaza de Armas. We will meet in the evening for an optional fine-dining experience.
Day 4 The Sacred Valley. Amaru We will travel together down from Cusco into what is know as the Sacred Valley. Here we will visit the Pisac artisanal market Our Guide for Day 4 is Lucia
Lucia is a community leader, mother, and skilled weaver from the highlands of Amaru. Sheβs part of a collective focused on responsible tourismβoffering an intimate glimpse into the ancestral ways of her community.
On Day 4, after trekking to the mountain lakes of Kinsa Cocha and passing through Paru Paru, Lucia will welcome us into her home for a traditional lunch. Sheβll guide us through ancestral weaving practices and the use of local plants for natural dyeingβ where color, pattern, and story come together in ritual.
We then yield to the locals, with a special day whose details are still coming together. Highlighting a traditional panchamanca meal, baked in an earth oven underground. It is not just a meal, but a celebration of interdependence and a communal social rite.
Day 5 + 6
Pachananda & Andean Wisdom Teachings
with Pβaqos Don Victor + Celia , Qβero Nation + Dora
Together we enter the heart of Andean cosmology and practiceβ learning ancient practices for energy healing (such as saminchakuy and chaninchakuy), and working with the sacred coca leaf ceremonially (hallpay). Thought story, practice, and ceremony, we connect with Pachamama, the Apus (sacred mountains), the elements, and the ancestors. A traditional despacho (offering) as well as an evening fire ceremony will anchor the days teachings.
Depending on the flow of the group, we will either remain at Pachananda or further teachings, healing, and integration or take a short day trip to a nearby sacred site (such as Huacarpay, Huaypo, or Quillarumiyoq). Both paths offer direct experience of the Andean ways of relating to the land, the cosmos, and the community.
Bio: Don Victor Churas Quispe, Qβero Nation was born into the Qβeros Nation in the high Andes of Peru and was initiated on his spiritual path at a young age through a lightning strike while tending his familyβs herds. Raised by his grandfather, a revered Paqo, and his grandmother, a well-known healer, Don Victor was immersed in traditional Andean teachings from an early age. He later trained for 14 years with Master Tupacanchi Adolfo Ttito Condori and comes from a powerful lineage of healers, including his wife Celia, her father Don Marcelino Samata (a Pampamasoyoq), and her grandmother DoΓ±a MarΓa Apaza, the renowned Altomesayoq. Known for his joy, humility, and deep integrity, Don Victor is dedicated to walking and transmitting the sacred path of Qβero wisdom.
Day 7
Free Day
Choose your journey. A full-menu of services is available to you to choose a la carte from nearby healers. Massage, reiki, acupuncture, shamanic healing, and more. Explore Cusco further, or the local sites around Pachananda.
Day 8
Departures.
Optional post-journey trip to Machu Picchu. For an additional fee (subject to interested parties) we can organize your transport, lodging, food, and tour to visit Machu Picchu. There is also an option to trek in to the site.
You are responsible for your own journey.
The itinerary weaves culture, nature, spirituality, simplicity, and joy. And we allow ourselves to synchronize with that rhythm.
Travel in South America moves on its own time β si dios quiere (as God wills) as they say. And in the Andes, up near the sun, it can be intense. The altitude alone is a teacher. Which means we donβt over-plan. We leave space. We let the land, the people, and the pulse of the group lead us.
Youβll be responsible for your own emotional and energetic care, but you wonβt be alone. Skilled practitioners are available on-site, as is the companionship of your fellow travelers.
If you need to rest or step back at any time, that choice is honoredβwe respect the unique pace of each participantβs process. This trip welcomes those ready to lean into travel with humility and presence.
Who this trip is NOT for
This trip is NOT for those seeking a luxury vacation or private accommodations. If you prefer individualized schedules or a highly curated, pampered experience, this is not the right journey for you. It also may not suit individuals unable or unwilling to participate in shared activities, communal meals, and group living situations. Those who struggle with flexibility, self-awareness, or respect for diverse cultures and environments may find this trip challenging. Additionally, if you require privacy beyond shared rooms or expect all programming to be mandatory, this experience may not meet your needs.
Group size is limited, and rooms at PachΔnanda range from 2-bed to 5-bed shared setups. The Qβero overnight will be very simple. All programming is optional.
Payment
πΈ $2450 early bird thru July 15 ($1000 deposit required now)
$2,750 (flights not included)
*payment plans available
Please email me directly to inquire more: lizzy@lizzymcdonald.com
