Peru & Bolivia
Faculty: Holly Shelton, Sarah Kerrigan
Class Meeting Time: Mondays, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Trip Dates: May 2027
Cost: $2,400
Highlights
Did you know that potatoes come from Peru, and more than 4,000 varieties grow there? Get off the beaten path and up into the Andes Mountains!
On the Peru-Bolivia trip, you can expect multi-day trekking and camping with unparalleled views from the top of the world. Visit Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Learn to cook local dishes and experience the magnificent Peruvian cuisine, one of the most top-rated in the world. Participate in traditional weaving techniques and ancient Incan astronomy.
Go island hopping and travel by reed-boat on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. Authentically connect with local communities and cultures through homestay experiences. Expand your time in the Peruvian highlands with excursions into the Amazon rainforest and Bolivia. Explore peace, justice, and reconciliation in the context of colonization, indigeneity, and ecojustice.
What sets this trip apart?
- cultural immersion (community visits and homestays)
- hands-on activities (artisan workshops & cooking lesson)
- challenges in nature (trekking and biking)
Moderate to high levels of fitness recommended (but you have time to prepare). Spanish-speakers welcome, but not required as we’ll have multilingual guides. Go on a trip that would be harder to do on your own. If you’ve ever wondered what a purple potato would be like, this is the trip for you!
Tentative Itinerary
| Day | Tentative Itinerary | |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Arrive in Peru; (if time, Miraflores Boardwalk & Pyramids) | Lima |
| Day 1 | Transfer to Amazon ecolodge: hike with canopy tower | Puerto Maldonado |
| Day 2 | Amazon ecolodge: parrot salt-lick and caiman cruise | Puerto Maldonado |
| Day 3 | Amazon ecolodge; transfer to Cusco; planetarium | Cusco |
| Day 4 | Ollantaytambo living Inca city; cobblestone & market | Sacred Valley |
| Day 5 | Cultural Workshops (ceramics, guinea pig caretaking, chocolate making, etc.); master weaver demonstration | Sacred Valley |
| Day 6 | Lares Trek Day 1 with a guide, cook, and gear porters; mountain views, alpacas, and traditional living | Chaullacocha Homestay |
| Day 7 | Lares Trek Day 2 with a guide, cook, and gear porters; mountain views, alpacas, and traditional living | Camping |
| Day 8 | Lares Trek Day 3 ends at Lares hot springs; cooking class | Aguas Caliente |
| Day 9 | Visit Machu Picchu! Transfer to Cusco. | Cusco |
| Day 10 | Cusco city tour & four ruin sites | Cusco |
| Day 11 | Other city realities, tracing migrant paths | Cusco |
| Day 12 | Guided bus tour transfer to Puno | Puno |
| Day 13 | Lake Titicaca islands: Uros & Amantani | Amantani Homestay |
| Day 14 | Lake Titicaca islands: Amantani & Taquile | Puno |
| Day 15 | Transfer to Bolivia; Lake Titicaca island: Isla del Sol | La Paz |
| Day 16 | City tour; cable car; Moon Valley | La Paz |
| Day 17 | Biking the “Road of Death” from altiplano to rainforest | Coroico |
| Day 18 | Coroico Rainforest ecosanctuary for wildlife | La Paz |
| Day 19 | Flight home | Back to Portland! |
