Finally, initiate the core of your Peru spiritual retreat in the Sacred Valley. After a short flight from Lima to Cusco, your private transfer will deliver you to Willka T'ika Essential Wellness, the heart of this Peru wellness retreat. Indeed, the hotel offers several choices of yoga, spa treatments, cacao ceremonies, sound healing, and solar bath plunges.

Ker & Downey highly recommends beginning any journey to Peru's mountains in the Sacred Valley. This affords you the chance to acclimate to the region's high altitudes and avoid altitude sickness. It therefore allows you to fully appreciate the many archaeological sites and UNESCO World heritage sites ahead.

Day four opens with an energizing yoga practice before a private trek to Humantay Lagoon. Travel through breathtaking Andean landscapes and take part in a sacred ceremony to Pachamama, Mother Earth. Indeed, the experience honors the culture of the Inca's original people and offers a rare and moving cross-cultural connection. 

The next day, a local agronomist shares his research into more than 370 native potato varieties. He also offers tastings of wines and vodka he distills from native potatoes, sold to some of Cusco's best-known restaurants. Afterward, a visit to the Misminay community delivers an authentic Andean cultural exchange. As such, your Sacred valley tour will conclude with traditional music, dance, and hands-on participation in ancestral customs.

You will then continue your Peru spiritual retreat at the country's most sacred site: Machu Picchu. First, however, you will have the chance to explore Ollantaytambo, a still-thriving Inca village.

From there, the Vistadome train carries you through the Andes toward Machu Picchu. Along the way, take in the sweeping views of majestic mountains, the Vilcanota River, and remote Andean villages.

Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, a transfer delivers you to Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. Enjoy the hotel's spa and its glass-walled mountain-view dining room before your guided Machu Picchu exploration the next day.

Indeed, you will have an entire day to tour the sacred centerpieces of this Peru wellness retreat. A shuttle carries you up to the Inca citadel, where a private guide will lead you through Machu Picchu's hidden paths, temples, and terraces. 

Following your Machu Picchu tour, board the legendary Belmond Hiram Bingham train back to Cusco. Welcoming aperitifs, a multi-course dinner, and exceptional wines accompany the spectacular Andean scenery on the journey. A private transfer delivers you to Casa Clara by Ananay, your home in the heart of the city.

While here, enjoy a private walking tour through the charming streets of Cusco. Highlights, of course, include the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Archbishop's Museum, and Florencia y Fortunata, a social enterprise celebrating women in coffee. In addition, visit the contemporary art space at Totemiq and embark on a relaxed walk through Cusco's streets.

Finally, a seamless journey carries you to the second country featured in wellness tours to Peru and Ecuador. Bid farewell to your Peru wellness retreat and continue onward toward your Ecuador tour.

Papallacta, Ecuador

First, after a regional flight to Lima and connection to Quito, you will arrive in the highlands of Ecuador. Here, enjoy a restful overnight at Termas Papallacta Hotel, a thermal spa retreat set among volcanic peaks. The evening is yours to soak in the natural hot springs and decompress before the Amazon adventure ahead.

The Amazon Rainforest

This Ecuador tour then reaches its most wild and wondrous chapter over three days deep in the rainforest. From Papallacta, a morning flight carries you to Puerto Francisco de Orellana, known as El Coca. Next, a motorized canoe journey along the Napo River winds through the rainforest to La Selva Jungle Lodge. Upon arrival, a naturalist guide introduces the Amazon ecosystem with an evening nature walk along the Matapalo Trail.

In addition, embark on a guided hike to the observation tower, 120 feet above the forest canopy. From the top, colorful birds and primates come into view across the treetops. Later, the Charapa Trail winds from the lodge's butterfly farm to the edge of Lake Garzacocha, with tropical birds and monkeys overhead. The day closes with a night paddle canoe ride, where your guides search for caimans, boas, and owls by spotlight.

The clear sky of the Amazon offers extraordinary stargazing.

In between outings, however, enjoy yoga practices, spa treatments and relaxation time beside the property's natural pool. In the process, find yourself completely connected to the natural beauty of your jungle surroundings. 

Finally, a motorized canoe journey takes you to Yasuni National Park, one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems. Here, hundreds of parrots and parakeets descend to a clay riverbank in a spectacular natural display. A visit to a Kichwa family's chakra garden follows, offering an authentic window into daily Indigenous life of the local communities. That afternoon, piranha fishing on Garzacocha Lake offers a thrilling finale to your time in the Amazon.

Lastly, Ker & Downey's wellness tours to Peru and Ecuador conclude in the Andes Mountains. As such, you will return to Quito and retreat to the serene lakeside wellness hotel, Medina del Lago. Upon arrival, a special evening talk led by a native of the region shares the myths, folklore, and ancestral beliefs of the Andean highlands. The night closes with your first healing therapy of the stay.

Your final full day promises a wealth of beauty and culture of the Andes. The day opens at the Quitsato Sundial near Cayambe Volcano. Then, the famous craft market of Otavalo fills the morning with color and tradition. A visit to the workshop of a master weaver in the village of Agato follows.

That afternoon, the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve delivers sweeping views of the Cuicocha crater lake. Plus, a stop in the colonial town of Cotacachi, famous for its leatherwork, rounds out this remarkable South America vacation day.