Machu Picchu

Five thousand years ago the mysterious inhabitants of Peru built the most advanced civilization known in the Western hemisphere until modern times. The ancient Andeans built massive pyramids, complex observatories, grew sustainable sources of food, accomplished sophisticated astronomy, and had a coded information storage system that remained secret until scientists decoded it in the 20th Century.

The legacy of Andean wisdom has opened the door to more questions than it has answered: Who were these people? Where did they come from? And, perhaps most important of all, what did they know in their time that may help us solve the personal, and global crises of living we face in ours? The answer to these and similar questions lies in unlocking the secrets they left behind—the secret of fast-growing, high yield and sustainable crops, the use of minerals, rare herbs and heart-based emotion for advanced healing of the body, the keys to 100-plus-year-long human life spans, and much more!

• Fact: The Andes Mountains of Southern Peru is one of only 5 places in the world today with the highest concentrations of people living over 100 years of age!
• Fact: The secrets of ancient Andean wisdom are preserved in the traditions of ancient peoples including the Q’uero, Quechua and Aymara peoples of today, as well as the archaeological discoveries that are happening now!
• Fact: Ancient Andeans built sophisticated agricultural terraces that could optimize soil temperature by 5 degrees at a time to find the best conditions for their crops!

JOIN GREGG BRADEN on this once-in-a-lifetime journey as he shares the Andean discoveries of sustainable living that we can apply to ourselves, as well as our families, within our communities, and between our nations. Through a powerful synthesis of easy-to understand science and the wisdom traditions of the past, Andean Secrets of Sustainable Living is a multi-experiential program designed to find new meaning, and give new hope, for the positive new world that is emerging before our eyes!
©2012-Gregg Braden all rights reserved.

Itinerary The Sacred Valley Day 1/July 29: Travel to Lima, Peru. Day 2/July 30: Morning flight from Lima to Cusco and then drive to the Urubamba Valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with high peaks of the Andes surrounding it. The Incas' belief was that the gods lived in these mountains. Take the rest of the day to relax, acclimate, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. A welcome buffet lunch, then introductions of staff and meeting with Gregg Braden* in the late afternoon. Ollantaytambo Day 3/July 31: Meeting and seminar. Later, for those who wish, hike up into the mountains on a trail to see the majestic mountains and the ancient Incan terraces still being used to this day. Truly, the Apus continues to bless this place of inner peace and nourishment. Or, take the rest of the day to relax, journal or shop. Greetings from the warm-hearted people of Peru Day 4/August 1: Seminar time with Gregg. Today visit the ancient Incan town of Ollantaytambo. This important site is situated at the end of the Sacred Valley in the midst of spectacular mountains, and we will take a while to savor their inner power and majesty. Ollantaytambo is most famous for six enormous stones, so huge that some say only magical powers could have moved them there. If time allows, you will have the opportunity to shop in the colorful shops and Town Square of present-day Ollantaytambo, which adjoins the ruins of the ancient city. Travel to the ancient Incan village of Chincero, where the terraced farmlands of the Incas are still visible. Chincero was the main population center for the entire Sacred Valley in Incan times and today an active traditional “weaving” center. Later today a Peruvian Shaman will do an ancient Incan ceremony and welcome blessing with the group. Day 5/August 2: Meeting and seminar time with Gregg. Later visit and share in a prayer ceremony at the ancient ruins of Pisac, a superb Incan center high on the mountainside. Pisac covers an entire mountain and is located in a spectacular surrealistic mountain setting with a variegated green carpet of intact Incan terraces flowing up to the peaks. The temples here blend perfectly with their environment. The most sacred temple contains the famous "Intihuatana" stone, or "Hitching Post of the Sun." This is speculated to have been a solar clock and astronomical and astrological calendar as well as a prayer site. Visit and be up close to see first-hand, alpacas, vicunas and llamas at a local textile factory. Machu Picchu Day 6/August 3: Board the first class tourist train for mystical Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. It was here that the Incas succeeded in combining the wonders of civilization with those of nature. The sheer beauty of what is considered by some the most dramatic place in the world overwhelms you as you are immediately drawn into its "still alive" mysteries. After an extensive guided tour with your spiritually oriented guide, you have free time to explore and meditate here. Meeting with Gregg. Day 7/August 4: This morning, before it is open to the public, visit Machu Picchu to experience sunrise over the magnificent ruins. Experience a special meditation and ceremony with Gregg. Afterwards, morning and mid-day free time around Machu Picchu. If you would like to, you may go to the nearby local, rustic hot springs at Aguas Calientes or bathe in the wonderful Vilcanota River, fed by pure mountain springs. Travel back to the Sacred Valley in the late afternoon and overnight. Day 8/August 5: Travel to Cusco, elevation 11,400 feet, the “navel of the earth” according to the Incas, their Holy City, and center of the ancient Incan civilization. Moray Cusco is the oldest inhabited city in the Western hemisphere. When the Spaniards arrived here the beauty of its edifices, surpassing all they had yet seen in the New World, astonished them. Gold in the form of intricate religious symbols and artifacts was seen everywhere. Our stay in Cusco is centrally located, making it easy to enjoy this wonderful town where ancient, original Incan walls and cobblestone streets blend with colonial Spanish architecture. On the way to Cusco, see Moray, an unusual Inca archeological site, consisting mostly of several enormous terraced circular depressions, the largest being about 98 feet deep. Maras Experts say Moray was an experimental facility for crops. The Incas planted wheat, quinoa, panti, grain and kantu flowers here, experimenting with different altitudes and light intensities. The deeper something was planted, the cooler it was, thus simulating the high altitude conditions. The temperature difference between the lowest and highest levels can be up to 15 degrees Celsius or 59 degrees Farenheit. The crater-like formations descend to a depth of approximately 150 meters (492 ft). Each plant reacted differently to water and sun ray quantities, as well as to temperature variations. Moray also has an irrigation system of canals, like many other similar ones in this part of the country. On the way to Moray, see Maras and its salt mines made up of about 3000 small wells. These have been active and producing since the Inca times. See how the salt is recovered from these mines. Meeting with Gregg. Coricancha Day 9/August 6: Seminar time with Gregg. Also presentations by local experts on herbs and floral medicinal plants used by the Andean people. Enjoy a walking tour to visit the Coricancha, the "enclosure of gold." Its perfect architecture and stonework reflect the fact that it was the most important, most sacred temple in the entire Incan realm, the sacred hub of the mystical Incan Empire. The essence and feeling of this temple was the heart of this land and is not to be missed. Its Altar of the Sun, the holy of holies of the ancient Incas, still remains. Also, you will have free time today to explore charming Cusco, including wonderful shopping opportunities. Lake Titicaca Day 10/August 7: Travel to Puno on a beautiful first class tourist train and enjoy spectacular scenery on your way to Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. Incan legend tells us that children of the Sun, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, emerged in a shower of spray from the deep waters of Lake Titicaca to found the Incan Empire in Cusco, where Manco Capac's golden staff sank into the ground. Anyone fortunate enough to look upon Lake Titicaca today cannot help but feel the same sense of awe that the ancient Incan peoples had when viewing their sacred lake, their spiritual birthplace. With lofty snow covered peaks rising above distant shores, the vast blue lake at 12,400 feet elevation presents one of the most breathtaking panoramas of the Andes. The 3,000 square mile lake is located in the "altiplano" which extends for hundreds of miles across Peru and Bolivia. On the grassy plains graze herds of llamas and alpacas, whose fine wool is woven into clothing and sold in the markets of Cusco and all over the Andes. Meeting with Gregg. Day 11/August 8: Board a boat to cruise on spectacular Lake Titicaca. Go to the floating reed islands of the Uros Indians, who created these man-made islands centuries ago to live on in order to escape the warfare throughout the area. Then experience Taquile Island, a remote surviving center of Incan culture. (It is also in this area around Taquile Island that there have been numerous sightings of UFOs, which are sometimes said to immerse themselves deep within the water.) You will enjoy the exhilarating feeling that emanates from this sacred lake. A soothing and nurturing sense envelops people here, which is a wonderful way to culminate this part of your spiritual odyssey. Brief meeting with Gregg. Hayu Marca Day 12/August 9: Seminar and meeting with Gregg. Later today, experience Hayu Marca, the site of mysterious ruins discovered only in recent years. The door, or the “Puerta de Hayu Marca” (Gate of the Gods), has been at some time in the distant past carved out of a natural rock face and in all measures exactly seven meters in width with a smaller alcove in the center at the base. Day 13/August 10: If time allows see the mysterious stone towers of Silustani on your way to the airport. Then fly to Lima in the afternoon to connect to the flight back to the U.S. Day 14/August 11: Take a very early morning flight from Lima to the U.S.

*Note: Intensive seminars with Gregg Braden will take place throughout this program. Exact times to be announced on site. Note: Itinerary subject to change.