Sherri Baptiste and France-Laude Gohard invite you to join them in this exciting adventure into the native wisdom and mystical practices of the Andean cultures while taking pleasure in yoga and NIA sessions. As we enter the spiritual realm of the native cultures we will also open up to our own universal self while practicing with these two very talented ladies.

Pre- tour option: Two nights in Lima to visit two of the most important gold museums in South America and the colonial city center..

Main Tour:

01 August, Sat. Cusco — Urubamba
Arrival at Cusco's airport where we will be met and transported to our vegetarian Yoga retreat; Willka Tika for three nights. We will drive through Urubamba, the lush "sacred valley" of the Incas, with stunning views of the high mountains. Few places can compete against the beauty and wealth of this valley, for this reason it received that name. Its character of "sacred" has endured and that magic continues seducing the visitors. Lunch will be at our retreat where we will enjoy the chakra energy gardens and an offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth). An outdoor healing, floral, solar bath will be offered to all participants. After a yoga stretch with Sherri we will meet for dinner. L/D

02 August, Sun Urubamba
After a yoga session with Sherri and breakfast we will visit the town of Chincheros and Pisac market.

The Sunday market at Pisac is a chaotic and colorful vortex of vendors and buyers. In spite of its popularity the market retains much of its local charm, where villagers from miles around gather to barter and sell their produce.

After lunch at one of the local restaurants we will set for for Urco (Temple of the Serpents/first chakra) where we will participate in a small shamanic ceremony. In the Andean Traditions the serpent is one archetype that represents life (DNA). We will return to Willka Tikafor a NIA session with France-Laude and dinner. B/L/D

03 August, Mon. Urubamba
After a yoga session with Sherri and breakfast we will visit the Wind Fortress of Ollantaymbo, (center of the fifth chakra) Ollantaytambo is rare if not unique in Peru.

The gigantic monoliths you see here are part of what was to be a shrine or temple. At some time unknown, and for reasons unknown, work mysteriously stopped on this huge project. You will be astonished by the steep hills, the perfectly cut rocks, many terraces that cover the mountain sides. This site has been linked to fantastic Tiwanaku in Bolivia for its similarities.

After lunch we will return to Willka Tika. Time to enjoy a massage and the healing gardens before meeting France-Laude for a NIA session. After dinner we will partake in a group ceremony 'Despacho', practiced by Andean Quechua communities for centuries as an invitation to enter the spirit world. B/L/D

04 August, Tue. Urubamba
After our yoga session with Sherri and breakfast we will be transferred to the five star spa Acqua, for the next three nights. Acqua Hotel Spa Sacred Valley, located in the Urubamba Valley at the shores of the Vilcanota River. This hotel is being built in a 10-acre terrain, property of an 18th century colonial hacienda, which is being restored to the quality and feel of its greatest years. After lunch at the hotel we will visit a Peruvian community where we will experience the achievements and predicament of their daily lives. This is a very moving experience and will allow us to give back to a place we are visiting! We encourage bringing winter clothes, school supplies, tennis shoes or money donations for the children and adults. Evening NIA session with France-Laude before meeting for dinner at our hotel. B/L/D

05 August, Wed. Urubamba
After yoga with Sherri and breakfast at our hotel we will visit Maras and Moray.
Moray. This site was built during the time of the Incas. This place was where they studied mystical plants and is for connecting with the uterus of Pachamama. We will participate in an exercise to connect with this energy. At the salty ponds of Maras we will connect to our 6th chakra. Lunch at a typical restaurant. In the afternoon visit to Pablo Seminario. In Urubamba, Pablo and a group of local artisans create colorful and lively designs every day. In the main atelier, Pablo Seminario makes the drafts of winged men and magic creatures with crowned heads and round eyes, which resemble traditional pre Inca pieces. NIA with France-Laude before meeting for dinner at our hotel. B/L/D

06 August, Thu. Urubamba
After yoga and breakfast we start a very special day visiting Tarawasi (3rd chakra) where will have a session of movements related to our personal power.

The complex of Tarawasi, a center for Inca rituals, was built with granite and polished until having the shape of a pillow.

After a picnic lunch we will continue to Killarumiyoc (The Moon Stone) archaeological site, consisting of terraces and carved stones in moon shape. The moon, one of the most important deities of Inka's named Mama Killa (Mother Moon) was the sister and wife of the Inti (sun). Return to our hotel for NIA with France-Laude and dinner. B/L/D

07 August, Fri. Urubamba — Machu Picchu
Early morning departure to the train station to board our train to Machu Picchu, an unforgettable ride! We will visit Machu Picchu including a fourth chakra ceremony which will attune us to the energies of this marvelous site. Overnight and dinner at the wonderful Inkaterra Pueblo Hotel. B/L/D

Located in the heart of Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary, it is one of the world's most appealing boutique hotels; a fusion of calmness, comfort, Andean style and architecture, and natural beauty which spreads over 12 acres of low-rise cottages, streams, waterfalls, plantations and wild forest interspersed by stone pathways.

Before dinner we can soak in the hot tub, partake in the twilight Apu ceremony — praying to the mountain gods, enjoy a special spa treatment or a book next to the fireplace.

08 August, Sat. Machu Picchu — Cusco
After a ceremony and meditation to close our previous day's visit to Machu Picchu we can visit the small town of Aguas Calientes, take an optional birding tour or return to Machu Picchu to visit and perhaps climb Huayna Picchu. In the afternoon we will board the train that will take us to Cusco. Casa Andina Private Collection, three nights. B/L/D

Located three blocks away from Cusco's Main Square, an old colonial large house from the 18th century becomes the finest boutique hotel in the city.

09 August, Sun. Cusco
After breakfast we will visit Koricancha, the Temple of the Sun, located in the sexual area of the Puma City of Cusco (navel of the world) where 43 seques (energy lines) converge. Meditation and movement centered around the 2nd chakra. We will continue to Sacsayhuaman, the Puma's head and 7th chakra, the crown of the head connecting us to the divine. Afternoon free to enjoy the many shops and scenic cobbled stoned streets of Cusco. Dinner will be at our hotel. B/D

10 August, Mon Cusco
Morning yoga and meditation with Sherri and France-Laude. Day free for personal visits and activities. Evening farewell dinner with show. B/D

11 August, Tue. Cusco
This morning we will bid farewell to Cusco to return to Lima and home or continue to our extension to Puno and mythical Lake Titicaca! B Optional extensions to Nazca Lines, Jungle Lodges, or other destinations within South America are also possible.

Cost per person in Double including meals/tours/classes/services as per itinerary:
Main tour land cost based on 15 members in double: $3940.00
Flight from Lima/Cusco/Lima approx. $250.00
Estimated International air $1300.00
Estimated domestic air $300.00
A non-refundable deposit of $400.00 is required to hold your space.
Second deposit of $400.00 on March 15, 2009 Final payment due May 25, 2009
Those taking our Bolivia extension would fly back home from La Paz.
Credit card payments incur a 4% service charge
Payments are non-refundable.
We highly recommend cancellation insurance and it is available upon request.
** Do to the variation of the dollar and oil prices which control transportation and
foodcosts, costing might fluctuate for20 09. We will attempt to minimize this whenever possible.

Downloiad trip application [pdf document]
or contact us 1-800-569-6228 or (415) 924-4627, info@cosmopolitanadventuretours.com

Extension to Bolivia:

Soaring majestically above sacred Lake Titicaca and often cloaked by ethereal mists, stand the mystic mountains of Ancohuma and Illampu. The Andean region birthed several sophisticated cultures, including the Inca and that of Tiahuanaco, which venerated high peaks as the abodes of weather deities and nature spirits. Archaeological remains found on the summit of dozens of mountains throughout Peru and Bolivia reveal that pre-Columbian people regularly ascended peaks in excess of 18,000 feet to perform ceremonies asking the spirits for life-giving rain.

These mountain spirits were known by different names. There was Illapa, the 'Flashing One', who as Lord of storms and lightning controlled the forces of wind and rain, hail and snow. The Aymara of the Bolivian altiplano had a similar deity named Tunupa who was associated with Illampu and another great mountain, Illimani. The Inca called their mountain deities apu and their goddess of the earth was venerated as Pachamama. Great condors, traditionally regarded as messengers of the mountain spirits and able to communicate through shamans, also watch over the sacred peaks.

Today people all across the Andes still ascend these mountains, continuing an ancient ritual of communion with nature spirits and the weather gods. Mt. Illampu (20,867 feet) and Mt. Ancohuma (20,957 feet), part of the same massif of peaks and permanently covered in snow, are also favored destinations of technical climbers and extreme skiers.

Far below these resplendent mountains is the lake of Titicaca. Situated at 12,506 feet and covering 3200 square miles, Lake Titicaca is over 1000 feet deep and has more than thirty (mostly uninhabited) islands. Three of its main islands; Amantani, Isla de la Luna (the island of the moon), and Isla del Sol (the island of the sun) figure richly in archaic Andean myths, and ruins of enigmatic temples are scattered throughout the hilly islands.

Legends say that long ago in a forgotten time the world experienced a terrible storm with tremendous floods. The lands were plunged into a period of absolute darkness and frigid cold, and humankind was nearly eradicated. Some time after the deluge, the creator god Viracocha arose from the depths of Lake Titicaca. Journeying to the islands of Sol, Luna and Amantani, Viracocha commanded the sun (Inti), the moon (Mama-Kilya) and the stars to rise. Next going to the island of Tiahuanaco, he fashioned new men and women out of stones and, sending them to the four quarters, began the repopulation of the world. Tiahuanaco became, and has remained to this day, the sacred center of the Andes; it is to South America what the Great Pyramid is to Egypt, Avebury is to England, and Teotihuacan is to Mexico. Over millennia the waters of Titicaca have receded and shifted, leaving Tiahuanaco twelve miles inland.

11 August, Tue. Cusco — Puno
We will travel by bus to Puno stopping at the most beautiful and important ritual centers along the way like Andahuaylilas, Racchy with the Temple of Viracocha —a power point for the Incas and probably the largest roofed building ever built by the Incas and the museum of Pucara. In the late afternoon we will arrive at the heart of the 'Mama Cocha' (Mother Lake), Lake Titicaca. Ceremony on the shores of Lake Titicaca to connect to the Feminine Ray. Overnight at the Libertador Puno Hotel B/L

12 August, Wed. Puno — Sun Island, LakeTiticaca (Bolivia)
After breakfast we will travel by land along the shores of Lake Titicaca into Bolivia and the 16th century town of Copacabana to visit the shrine and Basilica of our Lady of Copacabana. An ancient Inca site now a Catholic pilgrimage center with colorful local festivals. After a spectacular catamaran cruise we will arrive at Moon Island to visit the Sun Virgins Temple, Inak Uyu where the most beautiful maids of the Incas were sent to maintain an eternal sacred fire and eventually become the wife of the Inca nobles According to the legend the Sun God Inti sent down to earth his son Manko Kapak and daughter Mama Ocllo in order to improve the life of the Andean People. After descending on the Sun Island they founded the Inca Empire. The Islands of the Sun and the Moon represent two of the greatest natural and cultural monuments of South America.

We will continue to Sun Island identified as the birthplace of several revered entities, including the sun itself. A source of magnetic energy, the vertex of the earth and the cradle of the Inca Empire, the Inca couple Manco Kapac and Mama Ocllo appeared here and founded the Sun Empire. We will meet for a ceremony at the Temple of Pilcocaina before returning to our hotel, the Posada del Inca Eco Lodgefor overnight. B/L/D

13 August, Thu. Island of the Sun — Huatajata
In the morning we will visit the Inca stairs built by the Incas to reach the spring with three different openings — and three different tastes, the source of eternal youth. After lunch at the Uma Kolly archaeological restaurant and a visit to the small handicraft market we will cruise to Huatajata for an overnight at the Inca Utama Hotel and Spa. Two nights. Visit the Altiplano Museum, to learn about the cultural heritage of the Aymaras and the Incas, the colonial time and Jacques Cousteau Expedition to Lake Titicaca. Handicrafts and fisherman villages, the Mud Igloos of the Urus Chipayas; meet the Limachi family, builders of the RA II and Tigris for Thor Heyerdhal epic expeditions across the Atlantic Ocean and much more. Spend some time at the Kallawaya Natural Spa where we use thousand years' old methods and treatments for stress, well-being, and cosmetology. Audiovisual and night visit to "The Mystic World of the Kallawayas", natural healers of Bolivia authorized by law to practice natural medicine. They believe that you first have to heal the soul in order to heal your body. "Tata Benjo", -our Kallawaya- will bless visitors andanswer questions by casting his sacred coca leaves. Night visit to the Native Observatory "Alajpacha". Learn from the Aymaras Cosmovision and watchthe Southern constellations — just unforgettable! B/L/D

14 August, Fri. Huatajata
Today a full day hydrofoil cruise to Suriqui and Kalauta Islands where we will experience the local life as well as visit the ancient stone village and the largest Necropolis of the area — the mysterious Chullpas. Afterwards we will take part in an Aptapi Native picnic, sharing a moment with the local people. Suriqui is famous for its skilled boat builders, whose graceful creations of tortora reed have come to symbolize Lake Titicaca to the outside world. Return to our hotel for some spa treatments and relaxation. B/L/D

15 August, Sat. Huatajata — La Paz
After breakfast we will drive towards the capital of Bolivia stopping at magnificent Tiwanacu one of the oldest civilizations in the Americas. The Sun gate, the temple of Kalasasaya and the pyramid of Akapana are the sample of a glorious past. Tiwanaku culture was an agrarian based economy with an estimated population of 115.000 Aymaras. Overnight at the Ritz Hotel. Two nights. B/L

16 August, Sun, La Paz
Half day city tour which will transport us to a mysterious past where any corner, any street, is a hidden treasure, aliving history which treasures the pre Hispanic times with all their traditions and magic on its streets. The Native, colonial and modern areas, Indian Market, Witch Doctor's Market and breathtaking panoramas are all framed by the majestic "Illimani" mountain. B/D

17 August, Mon, La Paz — USA
Transfer to the airport for our flight home.

Approximate cost in double, depending on number of participants $1600.00

Downloiad trip application [pdf document]
or contact us 1-800-569-6228 or (415) 924-4627, info@cosmopolitanadventuretours.com