FIBER OF THE GODS
Andean Culture, Artisans and Alpaca in Southern Peru

April 23 - May 7, 2027 (SOLD OUT!)

Optional post-tour Machu Picchu extension May 7 - 8
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Group of alpacas standing in front of a large, rocky mountain with a cloudy sky overhead.
Close-up of tall green cacti with long sharp spines, one cactus has a white flower blooming at its base while others have closed buds, set against a rocky background.
View of a historic church tower through an open, large, dark green wooden door with decorative metal studs, in a historic Mexican city with cobblestone streets, city rooftops, and cloudy sky.
A woman dressed in colorful traditional clothing and a white hat is sitting on a floor, knitting with yarn. She is surrounded by various colored wool and sheep wool on the ground, with a brown wall behind her.
Woman in traditional colorful clothing and a large sombrero hat, smiling outdoors in a courtyard with stone and grass ground, and a building with a red-tiled roof in the background.

Alpaca wool has long been revered as the "fiber of the gods," prized by Incan royalty and woven into the very fabric of Andean culture. Inspired by this legendary fleece, our journey travels through southern Peru — from Arequipa and the Colca Valley to Lake Titicaca, Checacupe, Cusco, and Ollantaytambo. Along the way, we'll immerse ourselves in centuries-old textile traditions and the artisan communities, landscapes, and historic sites that shape them, meeting textile experts, designers, cooperative members, alpaca researchers, knitters, weavers, and community hosts. The program weaves together museum and site visits, private artisan encounters, village stays, guided archaeological tours, and time spent in some of Peru's most culturally significant regions.

This tour is spent at high altitudes, mostly between 7,000 - 12,500 feet.

DATES:

April 23 - May 7, 2027 (14 nights) SOLD OUT!

COST & DETAILS:

$6,000 per person based on double occupancy / + $1,600 single supplement

Limited to 15 participants

$1,500 deposit due upon registration / Final payment due December 31, 2026

Tour begins in Arequipa and ends in Cusco

Please request full itinerary for more detailed information about cancellation policy, insurance, etc

OPTIONAL POST-TOUR EXTENSION:

Optional post-tour Machu Picchu extension

May 7 - 8

$1,195 per person, shared room / + $175 single supplement

THIS TOUR IS SOLD OUT - REQUEST TO BE ADDED TO WAITLIST

This price includes:

  • An expert local bilingual guide plus a tour host

  • Accommodation

  • Transfers to and from airport

  • Workshop, studio-tour, artisan, and entry fees

  • Most meals, including tips

  • Local transport in a private van

  • All tips excluding a tip for our main guide

Does not include:

  • International airfare

  • Travel/medical insurance (strongly recommended)

  • Personal shopping, laundry etc

  • Alcoholic drinks

  • Some meals (as detailed on itinerary)

  • Optional tip for our main guide

A landscape with a herd of llamas grazing on mossy rocks and patches of water, with a mountain range in the background under a cloudy sky.
A red textured wall with white decorative patterns and a blue metal door. There is a small window with metal bars and hanging clothes or fabric on the left side. The sidewalk in front has a yellow-painted curb.
Close-up of various colorful woven rugs with intricate geometric patterns and fringed edges.
A woman in traditional Mexican clothing, wearing a colorful embroidered shawl and a large decorated sombrero, holds an embroidered textile with geometric and animal motifs. She is standing outdoors with a rustic brick wall and stone steps in the background.
A woman wearing traditional Andean attire, including a white embroidered blouse, a fabric vest with colorful embroidery, a wide-brimmed hat with decorative cutouts and floral designs, and a braided hairstyle with beads and ribbons.

AREQUIPA, COLCA VALLEY, LAKE TITICACA

Arequipa is known as the “white city” for its colonial-era architecture constructed with sillar, a white volcanic stone. Three massive volcanoes overlook the city which has been the center of commercial alpaca manufacturing in Peru for a century. From Arequipa, we explore southern Peru, traveling through stunning high-altitude plains to reach the Colca Valley and Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca.

Highlights include:

  • In Arequipa, meet a local textile expert and visit Mundo Alpaca Arequipa; visit the studio of a contemporary fashion designer who works with alpaca and collaborates with indigenous knitters and weavers from throughout Peru

  • Visit a high-altitude alpaca research center and be welcomed by a llama procession

  • Enjoy the magnificent scenery while driving through the altiplano where alpaca, llama and vicuña roam

  • Visit the extraordinary pre-Incan and Incan Sillustani funerary towers

  • A private boat journey on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, to visit a renowned knitter on Taquile Island; also visit the floating Uros islands made from reeds

  • In Colca Canyon, enjoy a river-side hotel with geothermal hot springs; see pre-Incan agricultural terraces; witness majestic condors flying up from deep in the canyon

  • Learn about the textile traditions of people in the Colca Valley who are descendants of the pre-Inca Collagua and Cabana civilizations

  • Take in the view at the top of Patapampa Pass, one of the highest paved passes in the Americas at 16,000 feet

INTRODUCING OUR GUIDE

This is a special opportunity to explore Peru with an exceptional guide. Andrés Cordero is passionate about Peruvian arts, culture, food, politics and history. A Lima native, Andrés is a seasoned tour leader with more than 20 years experience leading tours in Peru and South America. Andrés is a warm host and a natural at connecting people. His strong connections make each of our artisan visits meaningful.

A smiling man with gray curly hair and a beard, wearing a colorful striped traditional garment, standing outdoors with a wooden fence, greenery, and a building with a tiled roof in the background.

CHECACUPE, CUSCO, OLLANTAYTAMBO

Leaving behind the altiplano of the Puno region, we enter the Cusco region where the landscape becomes more lush and mountainous. Along the way, we will stop in different villages to visit several artisans and see their extraordinary work. You will come to identify regional differences in the textiles we see. After spending time in Cusco, our trip ends in Ollantaytambo, the gateway to Machu Picchu which guests can visit as an optional post-tour extension.

Highlights include:

  • Drive through stunning Tinajani Canyon, which features sandstone spires and cliffs, unusual iant puya plants, and shepherdesses tending to their alpaca herds

  • Visit several accomplished and award-winning indigenous textile artisans in their homes and villages

  • Visit the renowned Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco and meet founder Nilda Callañaupa

  • Visit pre-Incan and Incan archeological sites including Racchi, Sacsaywaman and Ollantaytambo

  • Enjoy lunch in a former chapel hosted by two local art restorers

  • Explore the shops, restaurants and historical sites of vibrant, beautiful Cusco

  • Stay in a delightful historic hotel located at the Ollantaytambo train station

  • Experience an alpaca ch’uyay ceremony at the beautiful mountaintop home of a community of alpaca farmers and artisans

THIS TOUR IS SOLD OUT - REQUEST TO BE ADDED TO WAITLIST

OPTIONAL POST-TOUR MACHU PICCHU EXTENSION

May 7 - 8

This extension includes round-trip rail from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (closest town to Machu Picchu); Machu Picchu bus and entrance ticket; guided visit of the ruins; time to explore independently as permitted by the current circuit system; lunch at Inka Terra in Aguas Calientes, one night hotel accommodation at El Albergue hotel in Ollantaytambo and breakfast following morning; transport from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.

Ancient Inca ruins at Machu Picchu nestled in green mountains with clouds in the sky.
A woman in traditional clothing standing in a grassy field surrounded by grazing llamas, with mountains and cloudy sky in the background.
Fresh ears of corn with green husks partially peeled back, surrounded by red tomatoes.
A historic stone church with two bell towers topped with crosses, set against a partly cloudy sky and rolling hills in the background. The courtyard in front features a circular pattern created with bricks and stones.
A red stucco walkway with multiple stone arches, potted plants on both sides, and a bell tower visible at the end under a partly cloudy sky.
An elderly woman dressed in colorful traditional clothing and headdress, holding a piece of embroidery. She is standing indoors with posters on the wall behind her.
“If you want to travel in a personal, meaningful way that is filled with just the right amount of activities and experiences, don’t miss this opportunity. Small groups with a talented, knowledgeable woman whom you will love and appreciate for her attention to detail. I’ve travelled extensively in my lifetime and these trips have been the most organized I’ve been on yet.”
— JM Jones