Highlights
- Learn from the experts with a full day's weaving class at the Centre for Traditional Textiles
- Visit traditional rural weaving communities in the Sacred Valley
- Vist the atelier and workshop of pre-eminent textile artist Maximo Laura
As the country with the longest tradition of textile production, pre-dating pottery from over 10,000 years ago, textiles are integral part of Peru’s rich culural heritage. This fascinating seven day Textile Traditions itinerary gives you an in-depth introduction to textile production and its importance in historic and contemporary daily life. Learn to weave with experts (adapted for complete beginners or those with know-how!), meet local weavers in a rural village, visit the country’s best museums and galleries and understand more about the revival and preservation of textiles with our expertly designed Peru textile tour. Throughout your journey you’ll take in the country’s magnificent highlights -Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu – with ample opportunity to visit the best shops and craft centres to take home exquisite Peruvian textiles of your own. You’ll also meet important figures in Peruvian textiles today on this textiles tour, as we introduce to our textile Specialists.
Daily Summary 7 Days / 6 Nights
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Day 1
LimaView on map
Arrival to Peru
An English-speaking Aracari representative will be expecting you from your international arrival, will greet you and give you your customized welcome pack with a booklet of your trip itinerary and other useful information before whisking you off to your hotel, assisting you with all check-in procedures.
Accommodation options
- Day 2
Lima - CuscoView on map
Cusco's City highlights
Transfer to Lima Airport for your domestic flight to Cusco this morning.
Since its narrow alleyways were originally designed by the Incas as a city for walking, start your exploration of Cusco on foot. Begin at the Plaza de Armas, the Main Square, which is marked by the exquisite Spanish Colonial architecture and ornamentation imposed by Spanish colonists to exert religious and political influence. Underneath it all, however, you can clearly see remnants of Inca Cusco in the solid stonework. Visit Koricancha, the most sumptuous “Sun Temple” in the Inca Empire, and the breathtaking Cathedral, a repository for Cusco’s colonial art, as well as many other important archaeological relics and artifacts. You will also stop by the colourful San Pedro market and pass through the charming neighborhood of San Blas. Next, visit Sacsayhuaman, an Inca citadel atop a hill, on the outskirts of the city. Not only are the imposing terraces of masterful stonework a sight to behold, but the vistas overlooking the sienna rooftops of Cusco provide a whole new perspective to the city you traversed. Afterwards, return to your hotel.
Accommodation options
- Day 3
CuscoView on map
Weaving class at the Centre for Traditional Textiles
Learn ancient weaving techniques with a one-day class led by a private instructor at The Center for Traditional Textiles in Cusco (CTTC). The CTTC is a non-profit organization established in 1996 to aid in the survival of traditional Andean textile traditions and to provide support to weaving communities. Learning to weave on a traditional backstrap loom is a challenging but rewarding experience. Young girls in Chinchero begin learning when they are about 6-8 years old. The first textiles they weave are thin ribbons called jakima. Your personal instructor from Chinchero will guide you through the ancient process of learning to weave on a jakima, beginning with plain-weave and moving on to a simple design called the tanka ch’uru. The day will consists of three hours of weaving in the morning, a break for lunch and then a further three hours of weaving in the afternoon. The class is tailored for complete beginners to those with know-how!
You will also have the opportunity to meet Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, the founder and director of the CTTC and expert on Cusqueñan textiles who has worked tirelessly building the centre with the aim of reviving textile traditions in her community.
Accommodation options
- Day 4
Cusco - Sacred ValleyView on map
Meet the locals in a traditional weaving village
Leaving Cusco, drive to the Sacred Valley for a day with traditional weavers. Your guide will collect you from your Cusco hotel to travel to one of the communities that the Center for Traditional Textiles in Cusco works with in the Sacred Valley.
On the way to the weaving village, you will make a brief stop in Chinchero (3,800m/12,500ft). Higher than Cusco and the Urubamba Valley, Chinchero was once home to the great conquering emperor Inca Topa Yupanqui and is said to be the birthplace of the rainbow. The town is known for its colourful Sunday market where locals come from nearby communities to sell everything from textiles to produce. Home to another of the Center for Traditional Textile’s locations, the stop in Chinchero will provide you with an opportunity to purchase high quality textiles before visiting a weaving village where textiles are made.
As well as learning about traditional weaving techniques and seeing artisans in action, the weaving village visit includes a traditional lunch at the community and a chance to interact with its members. Following lunch, you will head to your hotel.
Accommodation options
- Day 5
Sacred Valley - Machu PicchuView on map
Visit the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel this morning to transfer to the train station of Ollantaytambo to board the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu. On arrival in Aguas Calientes you will board a bus to reach the entrance of Machu Picchu.
“Magnificence” is the only word to describe the scene, as you gaze upon the ruins of Machu Picchu. The main destination on many travellers’ lists, the ‘lost city of the Incas’ is a man-made marvel that has become a symbol for the ingenuity and prosperity of one of the most expansive empires in Latin American history. Only a century ago were the incredible ruins uncovered; a two year-excavation led by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham and the National Geographic Society of Washington DC allowed Machu Picchu to gain the prominence that it deserves. Its fascination is due in part to its position, high on a mountain ridge and 2,430m/7,972ft above sea level. Believed to be an Inca settlement built to control the economies of neighboring communities, it is associated with being the royal estate of Pachacuti, the great Inca who sparked the expansion of the empire. Enjoy a 2-3 hour guided visit of Machu Picchu before spending the remainder of the afternoon exploring the ruins.
Afterwards, return by bus to the foot of Machu Picchu for your train to Ollantaytambo. From here a private transfer will return you to Cusco.
Accommodation options
- Day 6
Cusco - LimaView on map
Discover Lima's top museums and galleries
Transfer to Cusco airport for your domestic flight to Lima.
This afternoon explore Lima. One of the main fascinations of Lima is the concentration of ancient history in the area; not only do the origins of the city pre-date the Spanish foundation of the city by several millennia, its museums are full of the artistic treasures of magnificent pre-Columbian civilizations that flourished throughout the coastal deserts of Peru. Your visit will include Amano Museum, a Pre-Columbian Textile Museum. The permanent exhibit includes an impressive collection amassed by private owner Yoshitaro Amano including over 600 ancient textiles as well as ceramics from Pre-Inca cultures. The history of textiles in Peru is presented, including the development of the Chavín, Paracas, Nasca, Moche, Huari, Sihuas, Lambayeque, Chimú, Chancay, Chuquibamba, and Inca cultures. The museum exhibits more than 120 textile works representing the long history of cultural development in pre-Columbian Peru. In addition to the exquisite textiles, there are exhibits that showcase the production of textiles, displaying various tools and raw materials utilized and documenting ancient techniques such as dyeing, spinning, knotting, looping, and use of looms.
Accommodation options
- Day 7
LimaView on map
Meet textile artist Maximo Laura & Departure
Maximo Laura is an award-winning tapestry weaver internationally recognized as one of South America´s pre-eminent and most unique textile artists. His tapestries intertwine ancestral Peruvian techniques, symbols, memories and myths with contemporary aesthetics. For your visit you will be collected from your hotel and taken to visit Maximo’s studio and gallery, which showcases his private collection, where you’ll meet the artist himself. Maximo will show you around the gallery and demonstrate the techniques used to create his world-renowned masterpieces.
Departure from Lima International Airport.
Aracari specializes in tailormade travel. Here are just some of our further trip suggestions. Contact us for more bespoke ideas to inspire your travels.
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Journey pricing as of 2022
Basic Pricing - US$4,200 per person
- Based on four people travelling together in double or twin occupancy for this 7-day itinerary
What's Included?
- 6 nights in a hand-picked and personally tested selection of Peru’s best accommodation options in the region
What's not Included?
- Domestic flights (quoted separately).
- Alcoholic beverages.
- Tips.
- Travel Insurance.
- International Flights and airport taxes.
- Neither personal expenses nor any other service not specified in the itinerary.
Peru textile tourIn-depth introduction to Peruvian textiles - Day 2
