Highlights
- Immerse yourself in the ancient wisdom of Andean cosmology, natural healing remedies and a variety of meditation techniques.
- Discover the Seven Chakra principles with each day dedicated to a different energy center – paired by a a native natural healing remedy.
- Soak up the tranquility and energy of the Andes, while practicing Yoga, taking walks in the Chakra Gardens or relaxing in your Garden suites
- Explore the Inca ruins and the village of Ollantaytambo – one of the best preserved Inca sites preserving its original layout.
- Hike through the Sacred Valley to ancient Inca sites and local Quechua communities – guided by local experts.
- Climb to the ‘Sun Gate’ at Machu Picchu, where you’ll catch your first glimpse of the ancient wonder at day break.
- Dine aboard a spectacular 5* luxury train as it glides through the Sacred Valley, passing some of the country’s most dramatic scenery.
Deep in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, discover a wellness retreat designed to achieve complete rejuvenation of the mind and body. Every element of this wellness hotel has been carefully considered to provide the perfect place to reconnect with the Earth. From handcrafted guest rooms to ancient Andean ceremonies, Willka T’ika Wellness Retreat is a premium destination for those seeking the nature-based wisdom of ancient Andean cultures.
This private wellness retreat itinerary includes a 7-day wellness experience while based at Willka T’ika, with a visit to the main sights in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and of course Machu Picchu. The wellness retreat can be shortened to 3 or 5 days, depending in your available time. You will experience a unique wellness program modelled on Willka T’ika’s own Seven Chakra Garden. The agenda of each day designed to focus on a different chakra, or energy center – aimed at providing a complete, restorative experience.
Your day will start early, beginning with a yoga class followed by a leisurely breakfast. Having had time to relax and absorb your surroundings, you will then be guided through a series of wellness activities, therapeutic treatments or Andean ceremonies, with each session expertly paired with a specific plant and its essential oil. Alongside the schedule, there will also be free time for your own personal explorations, including the option to book one of the many natural massage treatments available.
At Willka T’ika, the vegetarian meals are prepared fresh for each sitting, lovingly crafted using the ingredients growing in the gardens of the retreat and the surrounding valley. The hotel’s chefs are all native to the area and have worked with the owners for many years – developing an inventive and nutritious menu.
This tailormade itinerary culminates in a visit to Machu Picchu, overnighting in a luxury lodge nestled in the cloudforest. The final days of this private journey will be spent in Cusco exploring the winding streets of one of South America’s most beautiful cities.
Daily Summary 12 Days / 11 Nights
- Day 1
LimaView on map
Arrival in Lima
An English-speaking Aracari representative will be expecting you from your international arrival flight, with a sign bearing your name. He will greet you with a welcome pack, brief you on your trip, and whisk you off to the Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport Hotel, assisting you with all check-in procedures.
Accommodation options
- Day 2
Sacred ValleyView on map
Transfer from Lima to Willka T’ika Wellness Retreat in the Sacred Valley and start of the Wellness Program, focusing on the Root ‘Earth’ Chakra.
An Aracari representative will meet you in the lobby of the Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport Hotel, one hour and thirty minutes before your domestic flight departure to assist you with check-out, and escort you to Lima airport for the domestic flight to Cusco.
Upon arrival at Cusco airport, you will be welcomed by your guide, and journey 1.5 hours to your Urubamba Valley hotel. Your arrival day to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, will be also mark the first day of the Willka T’ika Wellness Program.Today, all activities will be related to the Root ‘Earth’ Chakra to connect you with Pachamama or Mother Earth. Enjoy a guided walk through the Seven Chakra Garden and introduction to the Andean Symbology. A vegetarian
farm-to-table lunch will then be ready for you. The afternoon’s activities will include a personal natural remedy consultation with a medicinal herbal and flower expert, who will provide a personalized guide into the healing world of Peru’s plants – many of which grow in the Willka T’ika gardens.
Later you will participate in a K´intu Ceremony. The K’intu Blessing will be conducted by a special member of Willka T’ika's Quechua community, and represents the official opening of the wellness program, honoring the three worlds of the Andean Cosmology.
Day two culminates in the first yoga session of the retreat.Accommodation options
- Day 3
Sacred ValleyView on map
Focus on the Sacral Chakra at Willka T’ika Wellness Retreat
The Sacral Chakra (honoring water) day starts with early breakfast at 6:30am, after which you will board your private transport to the starting point of today’s trek through the Andes. It takes about an hour of trekking to reach the Pumahuanca River, where the Water Ceremony will take place. A picnic lunch will be served in this breathtaking scenery.
You will then head back to the hotel, where you’ll be welcomed to a Yin yoga session, based on slow-paced asanas that help incorporate new energy into your body.
In the evening, submerge in a bathtub carved from natural stone and energized by the sun, under a night sky bejeweled with the Milky Way, ch’askamayu. The steaming water will be infused with healing fragrant flowers, medicinal plants and Maras organic salts.
Accommodation options- Day 4
Sacred ValleyView on map
Focus on the Sacral Chakra at Willka T’ika Wellness Retreat
The Sacral Chakra (honoring the Fire) day begins at 6:30am, when you will be invited to a flow yoga class. After breakfast you will enjoy a trek to Salt Pans of Maras, before being returning to the hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon, you will take part in a coca leaf reading. This is a soul-revealing experience is performed by a traditional Andean healer, Layka.
Later in the evening the fire ceremony will take place with Qero in an authentic Andean offering and transformative ceremony, to honor Pachamama, yourself and your loved ones.
By the end of these three first chakras days, you will have cleansed your body and mind.
Accommodation options0- Day 5
View on map
Focus on the Heart Chakra at Willka T’ika Wellness Retreat
The Heart Chakra day begins with ‘Heart Yoga’. This yoga style is designed to help you to reconnect to the elemental forces mind and heart, body and soul.
You will then be shown how to prepare your own hydrosol blend. A hydrosol blend is made using essential oils – each oil has its own unique properties which will be explained by Willka T’ika’s healing experts.
After lunch, the afternoon’s activities will include a Cacao Ceremony. This ceremony combines the preparation and drinking of real cacao, accompanied by local music.
Finally, the day will end with crystal light therapy. Crystal light therapy combines color, light, quartz crystals and music to clear and realign the body's chakras, healing physical, emotional and spiritual illnesses.
Accommodation options- Day 6
View on map
Focus on the Throat Chakra, at Willka T’ika Wellness Retreat
On day six, you will focus on the Throat Chakra.
Start the day with a Mantra Yoga session. Mantra yoga is uses mantras to awaken the Self and deepen the meditative aspects of a physical yoga practice. Chanting mantras calms the mind, brings focus and is great for controlling the breath.
After this you’ll spend the morning with a complete detoxification experience, restoring body and soul while gazing at the stunning Pumahuanca mountains. After this inner cleansing, cool off in our medicinal plunge pool or Hampi Yaku – infused with the sacred plant essence oils.
In the evening enjoy the sound healing ceremony
Accommodation options- Day 7
View on map
Focus on the Third Eye Chakra, at Willka T’ika Wellness Retreat
Once you’ve eaten breakfast you embark upon a 30-minute drive from the retreat before hiking about 25 minutes up steep Incan stairs to an ancient cave site. The remains of an old Incan chakana altar make a great spot for meditation.
After the ceremony, you’ll make your way to the town of Ollantaytambo and its ruins. The site is unique in that it still preserves its original Inca plan, with people living in traditional cancha enclosures once occupied by the Inca elite.
Today you’ll choose your lunch menu in one of the best restaurants in town: El Albergue. The restaurant has created its menu using fresh organic ingredients from their own garden and the Sacred Valley, offering a selection of Peruvian and European flavors
Once back at Willka T’ika, guests can enjoy a traditional Andean massage. Willka T’ika offers a range of therapeutic spa treatments to restore the body, all infused with ingredients from the healing gardens.
Accommodation options- Day 8
View on map
Focus on the Crown Chakra at Willka T’ika Wellness Retreat
You will start the day with integration meditation and Ayni Ceremony with 1000-year-old Lucuma Tree. For millennia, the Quechua-speaking indigenous people of the Andes have depended upon one another for their existence. The Quechua word for this interdependent way of living is ayni, which means ‘today for you, tomorrow for me,’ suggesting that giving comes before receiving. Ayni is the thread that holds the fabric of Andean existence together.
After breakfast, you will board a private vehicle for 1.5 hours to the local mountain community Paru Paru. Here, you will have an opportunity to put ayni into practice, spending time with the community. Following the encounter, you will head to the Pisaq ruins, before heading to Pisaq town for a late lunch and time exploring the local artisan market.
Accommodation options- Day 9
View on map
Transfer from Urubamba Valley to Ollantaytambo train station and Machu Picchu visit.
Today your guide will meet you at the hotel and you will be driven by private vehicle approximately 20 minutes to the train station in Ollantaytambo to begin your journey to Machu Picchu. Here you will board the Vistadome train, featuring spectacular panoramic windows to make the most of the incredible scenic views.
For those wanting to arrive at Machu Picchu by foot and avoid the usual crowds, the one-day Inca Trail is the perfect option. You will disembark from the train half an hour before arriving at Aguas Calientes (the station that serves Machu Picchu) and cross a hanging bridge to the small but interesting Inca archaeological complex of Cachabamba.
After a brief visit of this site, you will begin a three to four-hour ascent to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna, a remarkable Inca site that is only approachable by foot. From here you will hike approximately 2 hours along the main Inca Trail to Inti Punku, or the Sun Gate, where you will catch your first glimpse of Machu Picchu below.
Later you’ll be transported for an overnight stay at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. Carefully set in high tropical cloud forest, the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel is excellent accommodation for a visit to Machu Picchu, featuring 85 bungalow-style rooms scattered throughout 12 acres of lush gardens along the Vilcanota River.
Accommodation options
- Day 10
View on map
Second Day at Machu Picchu and luxury train ride.
Take an early bus back for an activity-filled day at the ruins. Depending on your interests, there are a variety of excursions available – each varying in ability levels.
You will then alight the Hiram Bingham Train at Aguas Calientes to Poroy. Operated by Belmond, this is a must for those seeking the utmost level of luxury. Guests will enjoy a gourmet dinner during their spectacular journey through the Sacred Valley, passing lush landscapes and Andean villages.
Upon arrival at the Poroy train station, you will be welcomed by an Aracari representative and transferred approximately 20 minutes to your hotel in Cusco: Inkaterra La Casona. Operating like a private grand home as opposed to a commercial enterprise, the 11-room hotel’s serene ambience is backed by its reassuring eco credentials.
Accommodation options
- Day 11
View on map
Enjoy a full day exploring the city of Cusco.
Cusco (3,400m/11,155ft) was considered the navel of the earth and was the capital of Tahuantinsuyo (the Inca Empire), an empire that, at its peak, stretched northwards to the south of Colombia, southwards to northern Chile and Argentina, and eastwards across the Andes to the Amazon basin.
Spend the morning exploring the city’s sites such as the Plaza de Armas in the city center, the renaissance-style Cathedral and the exquisite stonework of Koricancha, or the Inca ‘Sun Temple’. You’ll also experience the bustling, open-air San Pedro market, where you’ll be mesmerized by the variety of unique fruits and potatoes, before sojourning to the outskirts of the city to view the important Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman.
The afternoon will be spent off the beaten track alongside our local guide, to the more artistic spots of the city. Guests will have time to explore the artisan shops, studios and cafes before heading back to the hotel for their final night.
Accommodation options- Day 12
View on map
Transfer from hotel in Cusco to airport.
An Aracari representative will meet you at your hotel 2 hours before your flight departure and escort you to the airport for the flight from Cusco back to Lima.
One of our Lima representatives will be expecting you from domestic flight with a sign bearing your name, they will assist you with all check-in procedures and escort you to the departure area to catch your international flight home.
International flight home from Lima.
Aracari specializes in tailormade travel. Here are just some of our further trip suggestions. Contact us for more bespoke ideas to inspire your travels.
If you would like to extend your wellness retreat itinerary to include other destinations in Peru, Bolivia or Galapagos, we will be happy to design a taylor made itinerary just for you.
Contact us here
Journey pricing as of 2024
Basic Pricing - US$10,000 per person
This is a sample journey and can be tailored to your interests and travel style.
- Based on two people travelling together in double or twin occupancy
- Price is per person for this 12-day itinerary
- Based on Hotel Selection: Costa del Sol Lima Airport, Willka Tika Hotel, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo and Inkaterra La Casona Hotel
What's Included?
This journey is based on two people travelling together in double or twin occupancy, excluding flights (international and domestic).
- Includes all specified services in the journey description
- All transfers and entrance fees
- A welcome pack on arrival including: a pre-loaded cell phone to contact your travel consultant at any time, a printed booklet packed with insider tips alongside your detailed journey and up-to-date recommendations on dining and shopping
- Hand-selected English-speaking guides
- Specialist guides (where noted)
- 24-hour support from our locally based team
- Accommodation at hotels as mentioned above.
- Meals: full board during the 7 day wellness experience, half board during the rest of the trip
- 3 organic vegetarian meals daily and 1 fresh cold-press juice each morning to nourish and detoxify your body.
- A customized detailed itinerary which includes historical information about the places you will visit, tips for the traveller, where to eat and where to shop, maps of the places you will visit, and a comprehensive reading list.
- Wellness activities: Yoga/Meditation classes local hikes to clear your mind/Spa treatment according to the program description.
- Andean ceremonies: Connect with Pachamama to open your spirit.
- Essential oil samples: to connect with the 7 Chakra Gardens.
- Fresh herbal teas from the Healing Gardens.
- Chakra Gardens Journal to guide you on your journey of transformation.
What's not Included?
- Tips
- Laundry
- Alcoholic beverages
- International Flights and airport taxes
- Personal expenses nor services not detailed in our itinerary
- Additional spa treatments other than those mentioned in the itinerary
- Willka T’ika 100% pure Essential Oils and Hydrosol
Wellness and Machu PicchuTreat Yourself to a Luxury Wellness Retreat - Day 2