Explore Machu Picchu with Incredible Entrepreneurs
An 8-Day Once-In-A-Lifetime-Adventure With Impact-Based Entrepreneurs
OCTOBER 14-21, 2023
Be one of 14 incredible entrepreneurs in magical Peru, for an unforgettable 8-day experience. Get ready to scale your business, your mindset, and your life.
Get acquainted with the wonders of the Incas in this exhilarating introduction to Peru. Embrace cultures past and present in the hills surrounding Cusco and delight in the amazing views of the Sacred Valley as you travel by rail to Machu Picchu.
Explore ancient ruins
Visit historic museums
Shop local markets
Experienced local guides
Learn about valley traditions
Travel Style: WOW
All of the highlights, culture, access, and I-can’t-believe-we-did-that moments, all at a great price.
Service Level: UPGRADED
Comfortable tourist-class accommodations with character; mix of public and private transport.
Physical Level: INTERMEDIATE
Some tours may include light hiking, biking, rafting, or kayaking in addition to walking.
Trip Type:
INTIMATE
Small group experience; Max 14
WHAT TO EXPECT
Itinerary
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included.
Get ready for a very busy tour exploring the best of Peru in a week.
You will be picked up from your hotel at approx 10:00 am (10:30 from Aug-Dec) and taken to a local market and restaurant to prepare and enjoy a traditional Peruvian meal. You will return to your hotel around 13:00.
Please note that hot water shortages and power outages can be fairly common in Peru (even in upgraded hotels and private homes). We appreciate your patience and understanding that these occurrences are outside of our control.
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, our Chief Experience Officer will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.
Board an early flight to Cusco, once the capital of the Inca empire, then drive to Urubamba through the scenic Sacred Valley. Explore the terraced salt pans of Maras, which have been used for salt extraction since pre-Inca times, and tour the Inca site of Moray—believed to have been an agricultural laboratory where priests would test soils and crops. Later, we’ll enjoy a meal of local specialities, prepared in a pachamanca, or underground stone oven.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… yup, it is a plane, actually.
Private transfer to the Lima airport to catch a flight to Cusco.
Private Vehicle
Times includes all stops and visits enroute through the Sacred Valley.
Moray Ruins Guided Tour
Explore the ancient site of Moray, which archeologists believe was used to conduct agricultural experiments. Walk down through the great circular terraces and notice how the temperature shifts with the depth – sometimes as much as 15°C (27°F)!
Las Salineras Pre-Incan Salt Pans Guided Tour
Visit the pre-Incan salt pans of Las Salineras – still in use today. Marvel at the terraced pools set amongst the beauty of the Sacred Valley.
Traditional Pachamanca Dinner
The thousand year-old tradition of pachamanca involves baking an assortment of meat and vegetables in an oven of hot stones, earth, and grass. Meat is usually seasoned with local spices and wrapped in a banana leaf before it’s placed on the hot stones and can include lamb, pork, chicken or guinea pig. Savour this traditional meal prepared by an experienced chef.
Accommodation
Hotel Antigua Miraflores (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Continue exploring the Sacred Valley with a visit to the Parque de la Papa, or Potato Park, a rural Andean community working to preserve hundreds of varieties of native potato. During this exclusive experience, you’ll walk through the park with a local guide to learn about potato cultivation, traditional weaving, and the importance of both these practices to Andean culture. We’ll also tour the fascinating Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo and Pisac and enjoy a meal at the G Adventures–supported Parwa Community Restaurant in Huchuy Qosqo.
Private Vehicle
Times includes all stops and visits enroute through the Sacred Valley.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Traditional Andean Experience
In Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Inca, six communities of approximately 6000 indigenous people are working together to preserve over 700 species of potato – a cornerstone of life here. As part of an experience exclusive to National Geographic Journeys travellers visit this area, named “Parque de la Papa” (“Potato Park”), to learn about life in an Andean agricultural community. Walk through the park here with a local guide, dropping by the seed bank (which has direct ties to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway) and then head out to the fields to watch the planting or harvesting process, depending on the season. After, enjoy some of the delicious varieties of potato and visit the small stone hut where traditional weaving takes place. Learn about the natural dyeing process and witness alpaca wool strands being transformed into beautiful textiles through a centuries-old backstrap weaving style. Your visit to this special community means this local enterprise can continue earning an income that supports their development and conservation goals.
Your G for Good Moment: Parque de la Papa (Potato Park)
Parque de la Papa (meaning “Potato Park”) serves two important purposes for the community of Pampallacta: the preservation of agricultural biodiversity and economic opportunity. National Geographic Journeys travellers visit the park to learn about life in a rural agricultural Andean community and take a tour of the seed conservation program, which is preserving heritage potato species. They also learn about traditional planting, harvesting and indigenous weaving practices.
Pisac Ruins Guided Tour
Tour the fascinating hilltop citadel of Pisac, an Incan ruin with plunging gorges, a ceremonial centre, and winding agriculture terracing that’s still in use today. Be captivated by this truly amazing site sitting amid sweeping green valleys and mountain peaks. Explore the back of the site to see a pocketed cliff across Kitamayo Gorge, which once contained hundreds of Inca tombs.
Your G for Good Moment: Parwa Community Restaurant the Sacred Valley
Contribute to sustainable tourism in Huchuy Qosqo, a small village of 65 families in the Sacred Valley, by eating at the Parwa Community Restaurant.
Ollantaytambo Ruins Guided Tour
Tour the town and fortress of Ollantaytambo with a local guide. Take a step back in time at this Inca archaeological site; it still shows signs of its former glory, including agricultural terraces, a Temple Hill, and storehouses. Learn how the area, overlooking the Urubamba River Valley, was an important stronghold during warfare between the Spanish and Incas.
Accommodation
Hotel Mabey Urubamba (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Catch an early transfer to the Ollantaytambo station and board a train to Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu. Ride through lush Andean scenery, enjoying breathtaking views of ancient ruins and everyday life. Settle into your hotel in Aguas Calientes, and choose from a variety of optional activities: take a relaxing soak in the local hot springs, visit a beautiful botanical garden, or wander the handicraft stalls in town as you prepare for an early start the following day to go up to Machu Picchu.
Please bear in mind that the town has several amenities, but is also geographically remote meaning services are sometimes more basic than one would assume. As the only option for travellers visiting Machu Picchu, the development of infrastructure has happened quite quickly, much without proper planning, and the focus on providing quality service may not be up to the standards experienced in other parts of the country.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Train
Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Hotel Mabey Urubamba (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
This morning, embark on a guided tour of Machu Picchu—the 15th-century Inca citadel famously introduced to the world by archaeologist Hiram Bingham in the April 1913 issue of National Geographic magazine. After being taken through the temples and terraces of this awe-inspiring UNESCO World Heritage site, return to Cusco by train.
Local Bus
Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Machu Picchu Guided Tour
Rise and shine – the best time to see the Lost City of the Incas is in the early morning light. Follow the local guide to Machu Picchu to learn about its history at a leisurely pace. Gain local insight into the Inti Mach’ay cave, Inti Watana, the Temple of the Water, the Temple of the Condor, and the Room of the Three Windows. Take time to sit and feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World (in a worldwide Internet poll).
Train
Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Hotel Taypikala Machupicchu (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Spend the day exploring charming Cusco. Opt to visit Plaza de Armas, the historic main square; the 15th-century Sacsayhuaman fortress; or some of the city’s museums and ornate churches. This evening, we’ll head to the Cusco Planetarium to learn about the importance of astronomy to the ancient Inca and, weather permitting, look out at the glittering, starry sky through telescopes.
Please remember that star gazing is completely weather dependent and sometimes there can be cloudy skies.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Cusco Planetarium
Look to the night sky for a different view of the city. Explore the Cusco Planetarium surrounded by the serene nature of the Llaullipata Ecological Reserve. Enjoy a presentation on the southern sky, contemporary astronomy, and the ancient Incas’ relationship with the cosmos. Check out the on-site museum and use the telescopes to admire the stars (weather-permitting).
Your Discover Moment
There’s plenty to see and do in Cusco, and we wanted to make sure that you had some time to take it all in. Feel free to relax or try optional activities like visiting Museo Inka, Museo de Historia Regional, and whitewater rafting.
Taypikala Hotel Cusco (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Fly back to Lima. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure or choose to take a half-day guided tour of the Peruvian capital. Visit the San Francisco Monastery, part of Lima’s World Heritage-listed historic center, and descend into its famed catacombs. Wander across Plaza Mayor, the city’s oldest public square, and enjoy Peruvian tapas and a tasting of pisco sours before returning to your hotel.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… yup, it is a plane, actually.
Private transfer to the Cusco airport to catch a flight to Lima. Private transfer to the Lima hotel.
Accommodation
Taypikala Hotel Cusco (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Depart at any time.
We’ll help arrange an optional transfer to the airport.
Departure Day
Meals included:
Breakfast
What This Trip Includes:
- Sacred Valley Guided Tour & 7-nights accomodations.
- Deep Group Fireside Chats, Designed to Change Your Life
- Train to Machu Picchu
- Machu Picchu guided tour
- Internal flights
Accomodations
Hotel – 7 nights (double occupancy, meaning two people to a room). You’ll get your own bed and we’ll pair you up with a rockstar entrepreneur buddy.
Meals
We will cover 3 meals a day (some days might be a light breakfast – but we promise, you’ll never go hungry).
Transportation
Public bus, train, private van, plane.
Staff & Experts
Representatives in partnership with National Geographic, in Lima and Cusco, specialist Inca Trail CEO (Chief Experience Officer) for Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
MEET YOUR HOST, KARAN NIJHAWAN
Karan Nijhawan has brought together thousands of humans over the years with the focus of creating community & connection.
As entrepreneurs, it can feel lonely when you are looking for “other people like me”.
People that want to focus on making an impact on the lives of others.
That’s what you can expect on this trip.
Someone will impact your life…and you will impact the life of someone else.
What Makes This Event Unique
Every day you’ll get to Mastermind on your business with fellow entrepreneurs.
Nightly fireside conversations led by community experts.
Give-back experiences to support the local economy.
Ready For An Adventure of a Life Time?
If your application is approved, we will require a $250 deposit to secure your spot!
Questions You Might Have
- Impact-driven entrepreneurs | we don’t care if you are just starting out, or have a 7-figure company, we’re here to grow together.
- Humans looking for inspiration, clarity on their next steps, and a community to call their own.
This experience is limited to 14 epic humans.
- 7 nights accommodations in a hotel (default is 2 people to a room)
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
- All local transfers (local flights, bus, car rides, etc)
- Tour guides and drivers that will educate you every step of the way
- Your flight to Lima, Peru
The default on our trip is 2 people to a room *you will have your own bed*. We can pair you with a participant that we know you’ll get along with, you can make a request, or you can bring a friend to join you on this adventure! Either way, we promise you’ll make lifelong friendships at this experience.
You’ll be sent a full packing list 2 months before departure!
Nope! Just a valid passport that is valid for at least 6 months after October 2023.
The full investment of the tour, dinners, accommodations, workshops, transfers, special experiences, is $5000 USD.
If you application is approved, you’ll submit a deposit of $250 to secure your spot.
We can offer payment plans if needed.