Your tour starts with hotel pickup in Cusco. You will board a vehicle and head to visit the “Amaru” community located in the Pisaq district, at an altitude of 10,550 feet. There are around 190 families that live in the community, with an average of 4 children per family. Even though the community is very close to the cities of Pisaq and Cusco, they still preserve their ancestral traditions, such as agriculture, cooking, weaving and music, keeping alive the old dances and songs and winning contests all around Peru. People in Amaru are very conscious of the strength of their bio-diversity and cultural heritage.
Learn about this community and how they have worked to recover the biodiversity with reforestation of native and medicinal plants in the hillsides. They've also worked in the revival of their traditional handcraft techniques (weaving, ceramics, bone artwork), allowing them to keep their cultural legacy as one of the most important protectors of the Andean Traditions.
You will interact with the community and learn about their daily life. You will then participate in a weaving workshop which includes a hike to the native forest and a visit to a nursery. There, you will choose the plants to be used to dye the fibers and then head back to learn the weaving process. You will learn about sheering and hand spinning and weave in the 'telar de cintura' (waist loom). Enjoy time with the community, take pictures and have a unique experience.
You will enjoy snacks and a traditional lunch prepared with local ingredients and after lunch, you can take part in other activities such as reforestation, agriculture and walking around town. Your tour ends with drop-off in Cusco.
With your visit, you can directly benefit the residents of the Amaru community and, indirectly, you will encourage conservation of their environment. This includes the wild and native flora and fauna and keeping the traditional arts and techniques alive. This will reinforce the community's identity and provide new sustainable development alternatives.