Peru, Machu Pichu, Amazon Retreats
Two Adventure Options in the Mountains and Amazon of Peru!
Trip 1: Sacred Valley Yoga – Machu Picchu: July 21-31, 2019
$2,195 for 10 Nights
Early bird: $1,995 if deposit of $300 paid by January 1, 2019
Trip 2: Amazon Wildlife Adventure Tour: August 1-15, 2020
$4,995 for 14 Nights
Can include Machu Picchu; please details below
Join Roy Holman, Liz Gross and Jason Westlake for a trip of a lifetime!
Yoga, Hiking, Meditation, Wildlife and Sacred Ceremony
We have been researching the Sacred Valley of Peru for several years, and suddenly it all fell together. We wanted to find the perfect place to stay, and we found it in Sach’ay Munay. We wanted to plug in with sacred ceremonies with genuine and compassionate indigenous guides, wisdom keepers and spiritual teachers, and we found them. And we wanted to to do all this at an affordable price, less than other trips to the Sacred Valley, and we did it! (See Trip 1)
Then, to top it off, along comes Jason Westlake, who has done some research work in the Amazon, and has a special permit to take one group a year into a rare, remote region, where the tourists do not go, to see amazing wildlife and nature. (See Trip 2 for 2020)
It was truly a magical trip from beginning to end – people, food, and sacred valley were absolutely the best! Do it, you won’t have any regrets! I’m still daydreaming about the peace and beauty of all the ruins/terraces. Peru came home with me.
Carol, San Francisco, 2018 Peru retreatOptions:
Yoga Retreat and Sacred Sites: Includes 10 nights in the Sacred Valley, yoga, meditation classes, Machu Picchu visit: July 21-31, 2019. $2,195 (Early bird $1,995 if deposit paid by January 1, 2019)
Amazon Wildlife Adventure Tour: access by river into remote Amazon, inaccessible to general public, wildlife galore! August 1-15, 2020. $4,995 Note: This trip can include the 3 day Machu Picchu option, extra $750
Additional Optional Add-ons:
Lake Titicaca: 2 nights (July 18-20) ………………………………. $350
Trip 1: Yoga Retreat Theme: Facing, Feeling and Clearing the Fear
As my teacher in India, Sri Bhagavan said, ““Fear is the greatest obstacle on the spiritual path. Confront your fears.” On this retreat, we will explore our various fears and their many faces: anxiety, apprehension, worry, control, and settling for less than full on living. Do not worry, we won’t force anyone to do anything wild, although we will invite those who are willing to walk through a very short cave at the end of the retreat,
at the sacred site of Saqsaywaman near Cusco.
At the same time, it is crucial that we do not get stuck in lower vibration fear and worry as we move forward into this shift on Earth into a New Paradigm of higher energy and joy and love.
Why Peru, Machu Pichu and the Sacred Valley?
Machu Picchu lies at the far end of the Sacred Valley. This sacred Incan site is the most visited anc
ient ruins in the hemisphere. Machu Pichu is like a magnet, attracting mystics, yogis and adventurist from all over the world. This 15th century sacred site was kept hidden from the invading Spaniards, only discovered by the West in the early 20th century.
But the Sacred Valley is so much more than Machu Picchu. What awaits us are amazing villages, temples, ruins, waterfalls, hikes, ceremony along the Urubamba River and surrounded by majestic mountains. We will visit during the dry season, without the rains, with cool mornings and warm sunny days.
Accommodations and Meals
eft is a picture of the yoga space. Our home for 7 of the 10 nights is Sach’ay Munay, which translates as “Love from the Heart” or “Love from the Ancient Forest”. Sach’ay Munay is the perfect place for our visit to the Sacred Valley. It is within range of all the amazing villages, hikes and Machu Pichu itself. It has amazing chefs and food, fresh from the organic garden. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. The yoga space is sacred and comfortable.
Your guides for the yoga retreat part of this trip: Roy Holman and Liz Gross 
The Peru retreat was amazing! It was more than I had ever anticipated. Every day had something wonderful to offer – morning yoga, incredible day trips, opportunities to learn from the local residents, meaningful workshops, and delicious Peruvian meals shared with wonderful yogis. I left renewed, hopeful, and with a bubble of positive energy around me that I continue to share with my family and friends.
Glen, 2018 Peru retreat
Itinerary for 11 Day Yoga Retreat
Note: Included are all activities, guides, entry fees, transport, classes, lodging and meals (3 meals a day for the first 6 days). Down below you will see some listings of activities, options and meals NOT included.
Day 1: Sunday, July 21
- Shuttle picks you up at airport in Cusco
- Arrive in van from Cuzco to Sach’ay Munay
- Gentle Yoga (Roy)
- Easy day to adjust to altitude. Lunch, then Dinner
- Intros / Orientation / Meditation
Day 2:
- Morning gentle yoga (Roy) then B-fast
- Short Waterfall Hike, then Lunch
- Earth Ceremony
- Gentle afternoon Yoga (Liz)
- Dinner
Day 3:
- Meditation, then Yoga (Roy) then B-fast
- Tipon: Temple of the Waters Despacho ceremony (Don Basillio)
- Pisac Market
- Afternoon yoga (Liz), then dinner
Day 4:
- Meditation, then morning Yoga (Roy)
- B-Fast
- Playshop: Facing the Fear
- Sweat Lodge Option
- Yoga (Liz)
- Dinner
Day 5:
- Meditation / Yoga (Roy) then B-fast
- Quinsacocha hike, meditation
- Pisac ruins and hike to town
- Dinner
Day 6:
- Yoga (Roy), then B-fast
- Playshop: Aligning with Divine
- Free Time, lunch
- Dinner
Day 7:
- Meditation, then Morning Yoga (Liz)
- Free time, museum option
- Lunch at hotel, Yoga in afternoon (Roy)
- Dinner, Kirtan
- Last night at Sach’ay Munay
Day 8:
- Meditation option, then Morning Yoga (Roy), b-fast
- Shuttle to Ollantaytambo (ruins, market)
- Option hike to Machu Picchu on Inca Trail
- or … train to Aguas Calientes (near Machu Picchu)
- We all spend night in Aguas Calientes at Hotel Tierra Viva
Day 9:
- Early departure for Machu Picchu!
- Later, depart on train to Ollantaytambo
- Spend night in Ollantaytambo
Day 10:
- Shuttle to Sacsatwaman sacred ruins and fear-facing in cave!
- Shuttle to Cusco, check into San Francisco Plaza Hotel
- Last night in Cusco
Day 11:
- Depart for airport or other options
Optional Add ons before regular trip:
- Lake Titicaca visit (2 night trip / July 18-20) $350)
Summary of what Package Price includes:
You might consider purchasing travel & flight insurance, if you are concerned about health or cancelation. One highly rated company is InsureMyTrip.com although there are many others.
Note: Machu Pichu and the Sacred Valley are now very costly. Our prices are lower than most tours, without sacrificing quality.
- 10 nights accommodation: 7 nights in the Sacred Valley at Sach’ay Munay, 1 night in Ollantaytambo, 1 night Aguas Calientes, and 1 night in Cusco
- All Yoga, meditation and various other classes, workshops
- Retreat Leaders Roy & Liz and local guides Valerio, Don Basilio & Julian
- Domestic transportation (Vans, taxis, buses)
- Train ride to/from Aguas Calientes
- Machu Picchu bus, entrance fee and guided tour
- Machu Picchu options: Inca Trail hike, Mountain hike, etc.
- Airport transfers from/to Cusco
- Entrance tickets to various ruins, Sacred Valley sites
- Andean wisdom keeper blessings and ceremonies
- Guided trip to Pisac, Tipon, & Quinsacocha with sacred ceremonies
- All meals except for three lunches and three dinners
Not included / Extra costs and options:
Airfare to and from Lima / Cuzco
Meals: five or six meals after leaving Sach’ay Munay (Days 8, 9 & 10)
Alcoholic beverages (but no alcohol at retreat center please)
Gratuities to guides (maybe 60 total)
Options and added trips listed above
Extra activity options:
- Cocoa Readings ($60)
- Coaching or healing sessions with Liz or Roy (various pricing)
- Sweat Lodge ceremony (approx $35)
Travel Details
Note: I will give more in depth details by phone or email, but this should get you started:
I have been on several other yoga retreats and can say that this one with Roy and Liz in Peru was beyond my expectations in many ways. From the sound bath and despacho ceremonies to hiking in ancient ruins and yoga classes in the gorgeous temple at Sach’a Munay, it was amazing.
Karuna, 2018 Peru RetreatTrip 2: Amazon Wildlife and Nature Adventure!
August 1-15, 2019
Amazon Jungle Yoga Adventure Safari – With Machu Picchu option
Overview: I am honored to be teaming up with Jason Westlake on this adventure. Jason did some volunteer work in the Amazon and now has permission to take one group per year into a remote area of the Amazon, where they have seen Jaguars, tapirs, and countless other wild creatures, not to mention tribes out of touch with the outside world!
There are less than a handful of regions left in the tropics that are still unspoiled by man. Many places in the Amazon are now sterile, with little of the wildlife left that used to inhabit their areas.
The difference between a region impacted by man and a place non-impacted by man is staggering. A pristine jungle feels like the planet Pandora on Avatar. A place impacted by man looks like any other forest that you’ve come to know – one devoid of wildlife, a forest that you wouldn’t know feels sterile. That is, until you experience the jungle in its pristine form.
Manu National Park is one such place that still exists. Manu has been minimally impacted by man because it has been protected and made off limits to everyone. Manu feels like no other forest or jungle that I’ve ever been to.
-Manu Park has some of the HIGHEST BIODIVERSITY of species in the world.
-Manu boasts over 1,000 species of birds and hundreds of species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and more.
-Manu has some of the last remaining tribes in the world who have yet to be contacted by the outside world.
The short video trailer below highlights some of what we saw and experienced in our 2012 trip.
On Jason’s 2012 and 2014 adventures, they saw and experienced hundreds of species of animals, from small beautiful butterflies to the jaguar. In their first trip, we saw much, much more than most people do who visit the area. We have seen:
- Jaguars
- Encountered the Uncontacted Mashko Piro Tribes
- Capybaras
- Peccaries
- Tapirs
- Giant River Otter
- 9 species of monkeys
- Saddleback Tamarin
- Deer
- Ocelot
- Jabiru
- Many frogs and amphibian species
- Many reptile, lizard and snake species
- Piranha
- Many butterfly species
- 225 species of birds
- Cock-of-the-Rock
- Toucans
- Macaws
- Parrots
- Many hummingbird species
- Tanagers
- Motmots
- Quetzals
- Caimans
- And much more
Purpose of the Retreat
This trip will also be about a lot more than exploring and seeing wildlife. This adventure will remove you from the busyness of your life and bring you face to face with what matters most to you.
You will be unplugged for 14 days. You will have all of the distractions and background noise cleared out of your life for two full weeks. There will be no noise from civilization and nothing to keep you from connecting with what’s most important in life.
This retreat is meant to take your breath away and leave you in awe. This adventure will have you visiting a region that few people in the world ever get to see.
The group will get to know each other well on this trip. Our down time will be used to create relationships and to bring to each other goals we’d like to achieve, problems you’d like to see resolved and more. Any trip I lead is about much more than sightseeing.
Retreat Leaders
Led by Jason Westlake and Roy Holman. Jason already led two retreats in the Amazon Jungle and takes groups on retreats around the world. Before he was manning the front desk at Oxygen Yoga Studio, he was taking people on adventure safaris around the world.
Roy has led over 60 retreats all over the world. This will be his second retreat in Peru.
Scientific Research Project on Climate Change
The reason why Manu is still untouched is because the government set aside the whole park as off limits. No one is allowed in. No tourists. No roads. No corporate endeavors like logging or oil drilling. The only people allowed in the area are scientific researchers at the research station of Cocha Cashu.
Jason volunteered at Cocha Cashu in 2012 and have an ongoing agreement that allows him to bring 8 other people per year to the research station. We will be visiting Cocha Cashu for 5 days, learning from some renowned researchers and helping on one of their projects on climate change.
In return, part of the proceeds from this adventure will go to fund the project we will be assisting on. We will learn from John Terborgh, who has been doing research in Cocha Cashu for 40 years. John is an encyclopedia of knowledge about the jungle and about conservation.
Native Machiguenga Tribes
The Machiguenga tribes have had contact with the scientific researchers over the years, but practically no one else. They don’t leave the park and no one else is allowed into the park. They are one of the few groups of people who are not part of the global world. No internet. No electricity. They live off the land and live like they have for thousands of years.
Jason spent time with Juan, one of the leaders of the tribes, who has 2 wives and 15 kids. One of the kids who showed him how to fish for piranha is 16 years old and is already married with 2 kids. Many of the kids of the tribe are malnourished partly because of the practice of the men eating first and women and children eating last.
We’re going to have an opportunity to spend some time with this tribe. They will teach us everything they know about the jungle, which is more than any Ph.D. could know. In return, we will share with them some social and practical matters that will hopefully sustain the wellbeing of their tribe.
Spending time with the Machiguengas in their village will be a defining moment in your life and will leave you with an experience that will reshape how you view the world.
Itinerary
Day 1: Depart from Cusco by van. Descend into the Cloud Forest by Van. Stay at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge. Chances for viewing Cock-of-the-Rock and many other cloud forest species, including many endemic bird species and monkeys. Trogons, parrots, tanagers, toucans and other exotic species.
Day 2: Spend morning at Cock-of-the-Rock lodge for more wildlife and bird viewing. Descend further down the mountains to Amazonias Lodge for more wildlife viewing. Potential for viewing capybaras and more.
Day 3: Spend morning in the cloud forest for wildlife viewing. Embark by boat down the Madre de Dios River and arrive at Boca Manu for more wildlife viewing in the evening. One past trip we encountered Uncontacted Tribes on this stretch of river. Night walk in the jungle for reptiles and amphibians. Stay at Hummingbird lodge.
Day 4: Spend all day at Hummingbird lodge for many species of hummingbirds. Day walk for monkeys, with possibilities of the emperor tamarin and saddleback tamarin. Night walk for reptiles and amphibians, including snakes.
Day 5: Depart early morning to go upstream on the Manu River. Enter Manu Park. Chances for viewing caimans, turtles, 9 species of monkeys, jaguars and more. Arrive at Machiguenga lodge. Night walk for potential of viewing poison dart frog and other reptiles and frogs.
Day 6-10: Arrive at Cocha Cashu and spend 5 days assisting the scientific researchers and spending one day visiting the Machiguenga village of Maizal.
Day 11: Depart early morning for Machiguenga lodge and visit Cocha Salvador. Chances for wildlife viewing along the river including jaguars, monkeys, giant river otters, peccaries and other species. Return to Machiguenga lodge. Night walk for reptiles and amphibians.
Day 12: Depart Machiguenga lodge and return downstream past Boca Manu to Tapir lodge. Stay overnight camping on a wooden platform for chance to view tapirs.
Day 13: Depart Tapir lodge. Spend evening at Cocha Otorongo. Piranha fishing. Night walk for reptiles and amphibians. Stay at Macaw clay lick Lodge.
Day 14: Depart for Puerto Maldonado. Fly from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco.
Optional 3 Day Add-on: Before trip, July 28-31, $750 extra
Day 1: Visit Ollantaytambo and the Sacred Valley, optional hike on Inca Trail
Day 2: Tour Machu Picchu and return by train to Ollantaytambo for a night
Day 3: Shuttle back to Cusco. Tour city of Cusco, including SaqsaywamanT
Trip Cost: $4,995 U.S. (you are responsible for your flight to and from Cusco, Peru)
Optional 3-Day Add-on to Visit Machu Picchu – $750 US
Dates: Aug 1-15, 2019 – 14 days. Add-on with Machu Picchu – Aug 19-21. Pls arrive the day before and prepare to leave the day after. You will be picked up at airport in Cusco the day before.
Space is limited to 8 people. The boat can’t hold more than 8 participants nor are we allowed to bring any more than 8 participants into the restricted zone.
A deposit of $995 US is required to reserve your space for the Amazon Wildlife Adventure. Yoga Retreat in July 2019 requries a $300 deposit. After you register, you will be directed to deposit payment page.
You can also contact Jason at jasonwestlakecoach@gmail.com or at 360-799-3033 if you have any questions.
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Note: For the Yoga Retreat, Take off an additional $50 if you have taken an international retreat with me!
holmanhealth@gmail.com Roy Holman (425) 303-8150
Checks can be sent with REGISTRATION to: Roy Holman, 1917 Rockefeller Ave, Everett, WA 98201
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