Peru: Women's Expedition

Bienvenidos! Welcome to Lima, Peru. Your Women’s Expedition begins with a 2pm welcome meeting at your hotel, where you’ll meet up with your local female leader and fellow female travellers. After your meeting, head out to explore downtown Lima on a walking tour with your leader. This part of the city is full of historic buildings, manor houses and grand churches – the perfect place to see historic and modern Lima play out side by side. From here, continue to Alameda Chabuca Granda park, home to inviting food stalls run by Lima’s local women. Pick up some tasty snacks, then meet one of the women to hear how she has made a living for herself and supported her children's education through her food stall business. This evening is free for your own discoveries of Lima – the city is known for its fantastic food scene so be sure to ask your leader for tips on where to grab a bite to eat.

Say goodbye to Lima this morning and board a flight bound for Cusco (approximately 1.5 hours). The former centre of the Incan Empire, the city of Cusco is like a history book come to life. On arrival, take some time to settle in then head out to get to know the city on a walking tour with your leader. Check out the spectacular Plaza de Armas, the heart of the city, flanked with colonial and Inca buildings and ornate churches. Your dinner tonight is certainly a special one. Dine at Mama Seledonia’s, a restaurant that supports single mothers from underprivileged backgrounds by providing them with employment while teaching culinary and hospitality skills. Specialising in delicious and traditional Cusco dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients, this is sure to be a meal you won’t forget.

Travel from Cusco to the Sacred Valley (approximately 1.5 hours), famed for its Inca ruins and fertile farmland. Here you will visit the Umasbamba community, made up of around 32 families. The community relies on the production of textiles for income, so while here you’ll meet the talented female weavers who skilfully craft colourful pieces. Check out the Umasbamba Textile Museum, opened by the community to give visitors insight into their customs, practices and craft. Join your hosts for a tasty homecooked lunch where you’ll have the chance to try guinea pig, a staple ingredient for communities in the Andes. Bid farewell to your newfound friends and continue to Ollantaytambo, where you will spend the evening.

The next four days will be spent following in the footsteps of the Inca as you complete the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. First, travel by minivan to the 82-kilometre marker and meet your trekking crew, including female porters and a cook. Your first day is an uphill trek to the campsite, sitting 3100m above sea level. Pass by the Inca sites of Ollantaytambo, Huillca Raccay and Llactapata, and take in unforgettable views of Veronica Peak dusted with snow. When you arrive at the campsite, take the chance to put your feet up, tuck into a good meal and catch up with your travel buddies.

Today marks the most challenging day of your trek, but with your female guide and porters leading the way, you should have all the encouragement you need! Climb a long, steep path (approximately 5 hours) before reaching the highest point of the Inca Trail. Known by the ominous moniker of ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’, this section of the trail can be tough, but is equally rewarding. Sitting at a height of 4200m, the views over the valley below are simply unbeatable. From here, descend towards your campsite in the Pacaymayo Valley at 3650 metres.

Begin the day by climbing through the Pacaymayo Valley to Runkuracay pass (3980 metres). Awe-inspiring views of the snow-capped peak of Cordillera Vilcabamba make every step worth it. From here, spend the next two to three hours descending towards the ruins of Sayacmarca, then continue over the trail’s third pass to the ruins of Phuyupatamarca (3850 metres), also known as 'Town Above the Clouds'. Start the two-hour descent down the Inca steps to the final night's campsite by the Winay Wayna archaeological site.

Get ready for the most scenic day of trekking, and the greatest finish line you could imagine – the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu. Rise bright and early at 4am and fuel up with breakfast. Say goodbye to the porters who have accompanied you this far as they descend to the train station, then begin your final day of walking by 4.30am. The final checkpoint opens at 5am, at which point you’ll get back on the Inca Trail and complete the last leg of the trek. The walk to Intipunku (the Sun Gate) takes around two-and-a-half hours. Weather permitting, enjoy unforgettable views over the ‘Lost City of the Incas’ as you enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate. Here you’ll link up with a local guide who will take you through the ruins and tell you stories of its history and the ancestral people of the region from a female perspective. The true purpose behind Machu Picchu may always be a mystery, as no historical records of the complex exist, but most archaeologists believe it to be the 15th-century headquarters of Emperor Pachacuti. After exploring one of the world’s most spectacular sites, return to Ollantaytambo by train and then on to Cusco by private vehicle.

With no activities planned for today, your Women’s Expedition comes to an end after breakfast this morning.