See the world differently.
Engage your senses, your soul and your spirit.
Experience the customs, cultures and healing techniques - both spiritual and physical - of ancient cultures. Enjoy a vacation that will leave you refreshed and rejuvenated.
This year, enhance your well-being and awareness
on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to...
Discover spiritual wisdom
and nature's healing secrets...
in the heart of Ecuador and Peru
Opportunity Travel presents...
Ecuador: Secrets of the Shamans and
Peru: Spirit of the Incas
May 6-23, 2005
"It's amazing that in just eight short days 20 strangers can become such dear friends. We sit in a formal dining room. Starched white tablecloths drape a large table set for us - such a contrast between our days spent in the rainforest. Many of us are dressed in the items bought during our trip: sterling jewelry, beautiful leather, alpaca sweaters and shawls.
"We spend an inordinate amount of time snapping photographs of each other...desperately trying to capture the feelings we have at this moment and hopefully carry the warmth back to our respective homes. It will be nearly impossible to express how wonderful this journey has been..."
--B. Thompson
This is how one participant in our Secrets of the Shamans tour last fall described the final night of her experience in Ecuador. She wasn't the only one who felt this way. Others told us they felt "positively changed by the experience" and that it was "the trip of a lifetime." That's why we felt compelled to expand on and offer this event to more of our most adventuresome readers.
Dear Traveler,
Last fall, we took two groups of insightful travelers deep into the heart of Ecuador, where traditional healers have known for centuries what modern medicine is now confirming...that our physical and spiritual selves are linked...and that we still have a lot to learn about - and from - "nature's medicine."
Now, we'll do it again...and this time we have added an additional day
to learn even more about the history and culture of Ecuador. And...we
have extended the tour to include a week in Peru...the most magical of
places...where we will travel on a spiritual quest to Machu Picchu and
the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Our trip to Ecuador and Peru will focus on learning about...and experiencing firsthand...the spiritual rituals and natural healing remedies still practiced by descendants of the ancient inhabitants of these countries - the Quichua and Otavalo Indians of Ecuador and the Incas of Peru.
Here shamans, curanderos, tribal chiefs, and citizens still live in harmony with nature...tending their crops, performing their sacred ceremonies, and employing healing traditions that go back to the dawn of time.
These gentle people are descendants of the ancient healers who discovered many of the plants and other species that are the basis for modern medicine - from codeine for pain, to quinine for malaria, to podophyllotoxin for cancer. For a short time, you will live among them, learn from them and see how they blend ancient wisdom with more modern traditions.
In Ecuador, you will learn about ancient traditions - and how they can improve your life today
 In Ecuador, you'll voyage to villages hidden deep in the virgin Amazon rainforest and to small communities nestled in the valleys of the Andean highlands. In the expert company of Oswaldo Muñoz, a noted botanist and ecologist, you'll look from the inside at a fascinating - and rapidly disappearing - way of life.
This is a truly unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the ways of a culture poised on the brink of extinction...and to learn how ancient traditions in health and healing can benefit you today...
- Find out for yourself how (and why) "what the locals eat" - organic fruits, vegetables (most of which we guarantee you have never seen before), fish, and meats prepared simply, according to recipes passed down through generations - will enhance your health and well-being. You'll feel rejuvenated, renewed...fresh.
- Uncover age-old solutions to balance your moods and improve your outlook...without the dangerous drugs or psychotherapy that are all-too-common in Western medicine today.
- Soak away your troubles in natural, thermal hot springs created by below-the-earth heat of nearby (but not too near) majestic volcanoes.
- Escape the unhealthy drudgery of days spent under fluorescent office lights in a climate-controlled building...travel with us to reconnect with the earth and discover the pleasure of the natural rhythm of the world. And you just may find in this outer haven...an inner one.
This simple way of life is on
the brink of disappearance
"I have traveled all over the world but never have I enjoyed this kind of experience. When the Shaman told us we were going to visit the herb garden, I pictured a nice manicured little herb garden. Was I in for a surprise! His herb garden was more than 300 acres of every herb imaginable!"
- R. Taylor
The exquisite natural beauty of Ecuador - from the lush, virgin rainforests to the glaciated peaks of the Andes - and the welcoming warmth of Ecuador's people make any visit here special, but this program promises much more. You will have an opportunity to experience firsthand a culture still rooted in nature and spirituality. If you like, you can even participate in the ancient healing ceremonies.
The truth is, this may be the last chance you have to experience a culture of this sort, because this simple way of life is at risk. Population growth, modernization, and environmental destruction are taxing natural resources around the world. The next generation of indigenous is increasingly tempted by modern influences and is shunning the ways of their ancestors in favor of city life.
Yet for now the elders, the shaman, are still with us...and willing to share their invaluable knowledge. And that is what we are headed to Ecuador to learn.
Share in the therapeutic promise
of the natural world
Let me back up for a moment and give you a little background about shamans. What, exactly, are they? According to a leading authority, a shaman is a person who can will his or her spirit to leave the body and journey to an upper or lower world.
Common elements unite shamanic traditions around the world, primarily - curing disease, preventing famine, controlling the weather, entering trances, fighting evil spirits, traveling up to the spirit world, or conveying souls to the underworld. In most communities, the shaman is the only tribal member who fully understands and serves as a link between the "real" world and the "spirit" world.
Another shared trait of shamans is that they are expert botanists.
In the rainforest, these healers can often identify almost every single species of tree or plant...by smell, appearance, or feel of the bark - a feat no university-trained botanist could match. And the shaman's knowledge of the ecology of these plants...when they fruit or flower, what pollinates them or preys on them...is just as impressive.
Most western scientists believe that as nature continues to provide us with a cornucopia of new medicines, traditional shamans will be the ultimate sources of knowledge about which species offer therapeutic promise and how they might be best employed.
Revive your body and mind in healing,
hot-spring waters
 You'll learn the secrets of those indigenous experts directly from them when you join us this October. It's an easy flight from Miami into Quito, Ecuador's capital city. Though you'll arrive late in the day, we've chosen an intimate, luxury hotel where we can promise you a good night's rest and a generous breakfast in the morning - fresh, organically grown fruit and breads with your choice of juices and teas. The good eating starts immediately...
The next day we will take a tour of colonial Quito and tell you about the country's history. We'll stop at a private museum and retreat on the equator where you'll find about the impressive magnetism of the equatorial line. Our journey into the rainforest begins the following day as we head south of Quito along the "Valley of the Volcanoes" toward Baños, a small town on the eastern flank of the Andes, which sits quietly at the foot of the smoldering Tungurahua Volcano.
En route we'll pass through the Indian market towns of Salcedo and Salasaca, where you'll find a rich selection of local fruits and vegetables - vanilla, avocado, yucca, maize, manioc, guava, and more - as well as goats, llamas, and other animals for sale, and a fine selection of handcrafted wares. The Quichua people in this region specialize in weaving ponchos and tapestries, in particular.
"Our guide, Oswaldo was just wonderful. His incredible knowledge about the indigenous people, the foods and plants and the country was very impressive."
--S. Carol
Baños is renowned for its thermal baths - healing waters heated by the same forces that fire the nearby volcano. We'll stay for a night just outside of town in a lovely mountain resort. The air here is clean and crisp. And you'll have time to relax, stroll through the grounds, swim in the baths, and talk with Oswaldo, our guide.
Founder of Ecuador's eco-tourism association and an expert in Ecuadorian cultures and folklore, Oswaldo has a wealth of information and insight to share. He'll travel on to Peru with us, and throughout our time together, he'll lend his expertise and talk about how you can take what you're learning in Ecuador back home with you...to live healthier, longer. I promise, though you'll have been here only two days at this point...already you'll start to feel energized, restored.
Into the Amazon by canoe...
From Baños we'll delve into the heart of the Amazon. Traveling by motor coach we'll follow the Napo River until the time comes when we must cross it. Here we'll board motorized dugouts and travel a short distance up and across the river. From there, it is a 2-3 hour...and yes, somewhat strenuous...hike to a tiny village deep in the rainforest. This will be our base for the next three days...a jungle lodge of bamboo and thatch - elegant in its simplicity, really. I cannot promise hot water, but you'll find charming, proper quarters with comfortable beds.
And it's here that we've arranged for your first formal lessons - in cooking, medicine, and local traditions. You'll learn how the indigenous people use plants from the rainforest for medicinal cures and healthier living. And you'll have the unusual privilege of sitting in on a traditional healing session and even participating if you like. These are truly spiritual gatherings, and you'll find yourself transported to a world you could barely have imagined...it's the kind of experience you'll think back on years later, as you reflect on a lifetime of travel, and remember it vividly.
"I only have one question since my return from Ecuador - when is the next trip? I would go back to the jungle in a heartbeat. The people on the trip and the tribe we got to know so well were truly wonderful. You put together a great package. Many Kudo's."
--M. Bernier.
All your meals are included throughout this trip, and here in the jungle - as elsewhere we'll explore - you'll find the food all-natural, nourishing, and plentiful. In the highlands, you'll enjoy dishes like locro de papas, a creamy, cheesy potato soup served with avocados...or llapangachos, small potato pancakes topped with dollops of cheese. In the jungle, plan on a mostly vegetarian menu...fresh-caught fish, grilled to perfection... delicious fried yucca...eggs gathered in the early hours... succulent mangos, papayas, bananas, pineapples...sauces spiced with ginger and allspice, which grow wild all around. And chocolate sauce made on the spot from freshly picked cacao beans. Not only will you dine well...but you'll learn the traditional methods of cooking, lessons you can take home with you.
Rejuvenation in the Andean highlands
Leaving the land of rainforest remedies behind, we'll journey next out of the thick jungle and into the Andean highlands north of Quito, to the serene countryside inhabited by the Otavalo Indians. This is a long trip, so we'll stop for the night at the cloud forest community of Papallacta, where you can once again luxuriate in the warmth of thermal hot springs while watching the stars twinkle overhead.
We'll spend two days at our base outside of Otavalo, the Hostería San Luis, with beautifully manicured grounds, breathtaking views of the Andes Mountains and welcome stone fireplaces to keep you warm at night.
As in the rainforest, near Otavalo we'll visit local Shamans and learn about their culture and medicinal traditions. You'll have a chance to partake in a healing ceremony quite different than that of the rainforest Quichua. Employing elements of smoke, water, and anointing alcohols, a shaman will guide his subject to uncover hidden resources within themselves - to reinvigorate the soul...cure a phobia...find an inner peace...
Silver jewelry...balsa birds...handmade flutes...
 A journey to this part of Ecuador would not be complete without a trip to the Otavalo market - the largest indigenous market in the country, and the perfect place to find everything from leather handbags and shoes to painted balsawood birds, handmade flutes, silver jewelry inlaid with lapis and turquoise, woven jackets, ponchos, wall hangings, and more...all finely crafted and for sale at prices a fraction of what you'd pay at home. The ideal spot to shop...don't forget to leave enough room in your suitcase to take things home.
From Otavalo we'll travel back to Quito in time for our flight to Lima, Peru and the second half of our South American adventure.
From the headwaters of the Amazon
to the towering volcanoes of the Andes...
and on to the magical, mystical Peru...
the home of the Incas.
 From Quito we'll fly to Lima where we'll check into the charming Posada del Inca Hotel, one of a small chain of first-class Peruvian hotels. This one is in Lima's Miraflores district, a beautiful beachfront community with upscale shopping, elegant residences and trendy restaurants, cafes and nightspots. You'll have plenty of time to enjoy a Pisco Sour or two...the traditional drink of Peru.
After a good night's rest, we will spend the next morning touring Lima's colonial center and historical highlights. One of our favorites is the San Francisco church and monastery, famous for its catacombs, although we think it should be just as well known for its remarkable library, with antique texts dating back to the time of the conquistadors. We'll stop for lunch at El Señorio del Suco, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and known for its criollo (coastal Peruvian) seafood and meats. In the afternoon, we'll head for Lima's most famous archeological sites and museums, for a solid introduction to the wonders of ancient Peru with emphasis on the Inca and their spiritual and healing traditions.
The next day it's 'early to rise' for our morning flight to Cusco. We'll check into the Hotel Libertador, in the heart of Cusco's colonial center. The Libertador is an elegant mansion, built around a central courtyard on an Incan stone foundation. Parts of the building date back to the 16th century when Francisco Pizzaro was an occupant.
Cusco - golden city of the Andes
That afternoon, we'll tour Cusco's most famous sites, including the ornate La Catedral and its great repository of colonial art. This is one of the most beautiful and ornate churches in Latin America, and Cusco is one of the most beautiful colonial cities we have ever seen. It is said that when the conquistadors first saw Cusco as they topped the mountains overlooking it, they could not believe their eyes. The city literally glittered in the sun...all its pyramids and buildings were covered in gold and silver. With the arrival of the Spaniards, that all ended as they stripped off the gold and silver and sent it home to Spain. Soon, they were dismantling the buildings altogether, building their cathedrals and other buildings on the foundation of ancient temples, homes and marketplaces of the Incas.
"I've traveled all over the world with many different travel groups. Your attention to detail is the best. Congratulations."
J. Meili
One large ruin that does remain near Cusco is Sacsayhuamán, known for the large impressive rocks used to build it - some weighing 300 tons. How did the Incas get them there without tools or machinery? This is just one of the mysteries archeologists have yet to unravel. We will visit Sacsayhuamán our first afternoon in Cusco. That evening, over dinner, a local herbalist will tell us about the plants and herbs used by Peruvian shamans in their healing ceremonies.
The next morning, we will travel by motorcoach to the ancient sites of Moray and Maras. Moray is a fascinating place...a series of experimental agricultural terraces carved into a huge bowl on the side of the mountain by the Incas. Each terrace supposedly has a varying microclimate and here the Incas worked to discover the optimal conditions for their crops. Maras is another site where the Incas used terraces to channel salt-laden stream water and harvest salt trough an elaborate evaporation process. From Maras, we will hike into the Sacred Valley where we will be met by our motorcoach and transported to our hotel.
El Valle Sagrado - the very special Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley is where the ruins of many Incan communities are found...Pisac and Ollantaytambo being the most well known. This is a special place, indeed. At a lower elevation than Cusco, the climate is perfect here...warm days and cool, crisp nights. Rivers and streams twist prolifically through this area, making it a very fertile place for crops and livestock. You may be lucky enough to see a condor flying regally overhead!
That evening, we will stay at Willka T'ika guesthouse with cabanas set around a tranquil, colorful garden. Willka T'ika specializes in yoga, massage, healing and shamanism workshops...you can be sure they will have a special treat for us. That afternoon - by special arrangement - we will visit the Indian village of Willoq. We will get to see inside the homes of the local people and see how they go about their daily lives. This trip is not on the regular tourist's itinerary and you can expect it to be very memorable.
Our next day begins with a visit to Ollantaytambo, former site of a massive Inca fort and one of the few places where the Spanish lost a major battle during the conquest. From the top of the steep terraces here, you will see how the Inca managed to transport huge blocks of stone from one side of the river to the other - by painstakingly diverting the river channel!
This afternoon, perhaps the most intriguing part of our journey begins as we catch the train to Machu Picchu, South America's best known and most spectacular archeological site. The train meanders from the highlands through fertile river valleys into tropical forest that is so dense and lush that there may still be hundreds...or even thousands...of Incan ruins under its growth.
Magical, mystical Machu Picchu
It is almost impossible to do justice to Machu Picchu in a written description. This is the Lost City of the Incas, 'discovered' by American historian Hiram Bingham not even 100 years ago, in 1911. To get the full effect of this extraordinary place, we will depart the train and hike the last few miles of the Inca Trail so that our first sighting of Machu Picchu is from its famous 'Sun Gate,' high above the ruins themselves.
We will spend the next full day exploring the grounds of Machu Picchu and I can't even begin to describe all that you will see and experience here. The Ceremonial Baths...Funerary Rock...the Sacristy...the House of the High Priest...you will see and learn about all these special places from Oswaldo and our additional Machu Picchu guides. Many books have been written and films produced about this magical place and I urge you to bone up in advance on the individual sites with this compound and beyond. If you wish, you can make the steep mountain climb to Huayna Picchu. You will walk through cloud forest part of the way but your effort will be paid in full by the spectacular views of Machu Picchu.
While we explore Machu Picchu during the day, we will stay in the nearby town of Aguascalientes at night, in the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, one of the most luxurious hotels in the area. This is a little town that is growing fast, and on our final morning here you will have time to relax, explore the town or pick up Peruvian souvenirs to go with all those you purchased in Ecuador.
On Saturday afternoon, we will take the train back to Cusco and check in once again at the Hotel Libertador. That evening we will have a special farewell dinner together, and certainly, with regret, we will prepare for our flight to Lima the next day and on to our homes from there.
An astounding value for the journey of a lifetime
You might expect that with all the inside introductions...the logistical arrangements...the meals...the airfare...the hotels...that this trip would cost you $10,000 or more. That's what the glossy-brochure tour operators charge for this sort of expedition. But it won't cost you that much. Not even close.
STRICTLY LIMITED
TO 22 PEOPLE
Ecuador: Spirit of the Shamans and
Peru: Spirit of the Incas
May 6-23, 2005
Pricing: $5385 based on DBL occupancy SGL Supplement $556
(Available except in Amazon Region) |
This unusual 17-day journey, which includes your airfare from Miami
to Ecuador, your airfare to Lima, Cusco and back to Lima, your airfare
back to Miami, all airport transfers, 16 nights first-class hotel accommodations
(basic but comfortable in the jungle), almost all meals, private air-conditioned
transportation throughout the program, train tickets to Machu Picchu,
professional bilingual tour guides and naturalists, healing sessions
and lessons, guided tours in both Ecuador and Peru, and all taxes is priced
at just $5,385 per person, based on double occupancy. The single supplement
is $556.
Limited to just 22 people, this trip promises you a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Throughout the journey, you'll stay in safe, comfortable accommodations and eat healthy, world-class meals prepared with natural ingredients.
We've made faultless arrangements and taken care of every detail so you don't have to worry about getting from place to place or battling language barriers. You can concentrate, instead, on discovering the secrets of these ancient cultures...and how they can help guide and improve your life.
To reserve your place, call my office immediately at (800) 926-6575
or (561) 243-6276 or e-mail: info@opportunity-travel.com.
This trip will sell out in just days. This is a traveler's trip...an adventurer's
expedition...a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and learn from a
world that your grandchildren may only read about in their history books.
Sincerely,
Barbara Perriello,
Director, Opportunity Travel
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