COLTUR Peru Photography Tour

PERU

a journey of photographic discovery

COLTUR  Peru  and  Adam  L.  Weintraub  are  pleased  to  present  PERU:  a  photographic  discovery,  a  program  specially   designed  for  travelers  interested  in  seeing  Peru  from  a  photographic  perspective:  how  to  work  with  the  locals,  how  to  feel  a   part  of  a  place  that  is  at  first-­‐glance  foreign,  and  how  to  consider  light  and  composition  while  creating  your  images.  This  is   an  immersion  course  on  adventure  travel  as  well  as  a  truly  authentic  glimpse  into  a  Peru  few  tourists  see.        

We’ll  tour  Peru’s  most  fascinating  cultural  sites  like  Machu  Picchu  as  well  as  take  an  insider’s  look  at  some  remote  weaving   villages,  and  of  course  Cusco,  itself  inspiration  for  legendary  photographers  like  Irving  Penn  and  Martin  Chambi.      

Photographer  Adam  L.  Weintraub,  now  living  in  Peru  after  traveling  there  for  many  years,  brings  humor,  spirit  and  insight  to   this  excursion.    

 

“From  the  very  first  glimpse  the  look  of   the  inhabitants  (Cuzco)  enchanted   me…Cuzco  is  the  center  of  the  ancient   Inca  civilization.”    

—  Irving  Penn      

"The  word  that  most  perfectly  describes   the  city  of  Cuzco  is  evocative.  Intangible   dust  of  another  era  settles  on  its  streets,   rising  like  the  disturbed  sediment  of  a   muddy  lake  when  you  touch  its  bottom."      

—  Ernesto  “Che”  Guevara  

All photographs included in this document are ©Adam L. Weintraub 2

LIMA  is  the  capital  and  largest  city  of  Peru.  With  a   population  fast  approaching  9  million,  Lima  is  the  fifth  largest   city  in  Latin  America.  Spanish  conquistador  Francisco  Pizarro   founded  Lima  in  1535,  as  "The  City  of  Kings."  It  became  the   capital  and  most  important  Spanish  city  in  colonial  South   America.    

Our  first  stop  visit  will  be  to  the  Larco  Herrera  Museum,   which,  founded  in  1926,  showcases  remarkable  chronological   galleries  providing  an  excellent  overview  on  3,000  years  of   development  of  Peruvian  pre-­‐Columbian  history.      

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This  visit  will  allow  passengers  an  understanding  of  Pre-­‐ Inca  Peru  and  permit  them  some  perspective  to  what  they   will  see  in  Cuzco  and  Machu  Picchu.  The  museum’s   curator  will  guide  the  visit.    

The  group  will  then  go  to  Barranco,  Lima’s  trendy   bohemian  district.  Once  a  mecca  for  beach-­‐goers,   Barranco  now  flourishes  in  its  idyllic  atmosphere.  Its   stately  Colonial  mansions  have  regained  the  splendor  of   years  past,  creating  wonderful  opportunities  for   photography.      

To  cap-­‐off  the  night,  we  will  follow  Adam’s  culinary   instincts  for  a  kick-­‐off  group  dinner.    

The  URUBAMBA  SACRED  VALLEY  is  a  laid  back   valley  near  Cusco  with  a  very  pleasant  climate  perfectly   suited  for  farming;  ruins,  gentle  mountain  slopes  and   scattered  farming  towns  frame  this  special  place.    

We  will  visit  Moray,  an  Incan  agricultural  experimentation   center;  Maras,  salt  mines  in  the  form  of  thousands  of  small   ponds;  and  our  base  for  these  days,  Ollantaytambo,  a  quaint   town  whose  beauty  lies  not  only  in  the  many  archaeological   vestiges  that  can  be  found  there,  but  also  in  that  it  is  one  of   the  very  few  towns  that  still  maintain  the  urban  planning  and   layout  since  Inca  times  (above).     4  

We  will  also  visit  Pisac,  renowned  for  its  indigenous  market   and  for  its  ruins,  which  date  to  the  same  time  as  Machu   Picchu,  and,  according  to  some,  are  equally  as  spectacular.    

 On  our  third  day  we  will  explore  the  Patacancha  and  Willoq   weaving  villages,  two  small  Andean  communities  that  for   many  centuries  have  lived  in  relative  isolation  from  the   outside  world.      

The  visit  to  these  two  communities  will  allow  guests  to  see   how  life  is  if  the  Andean  highlands,  and  how,  in  certain   aspects,  it  has  not  changed  for  the  inhabitants  of  these   areas.    

MACHU  PICCHU  

Although  16th  century  Spanish  chroniclers  do  mention  its   existence  and  locals  were  there  before  1911,  it  is  undeniable   that  it  was  Yale  archaeologist  and  Professor  Hiram  Bingham   that  brought  Machu  Picchu  to  the  world’s  attention  that  year   in  a  National  Geographic–sponsored  expedition.    

Two  thousand  feet  above  the  rumbling  Urubamba  River,  the   cloud  shrouded  ruins  have  palaces,  baths,  temples,  storage   rooms  and  some  150  houses,  all  in  a  remarkable  state  of   preservation.  These  structures,  carved  from  the  gray  granite   of  the  mountaintop  are  wonders  of  both  architectural  and   aesthetic  genius.     5  

Bingham  theorized  that  the  complex  was  the  birthplace  of   the  Incan  "Virgins  of  the  Suns",  although  more  recent   scholarly  research  has  convinced  most  archaeologists  that   Machu  Picchu  was  an  estate.  In  addition,  there  is  evidence   that  the  site  was  selected  because  of  its  position  relative  to   sacred  landscape  features  such  as  its  mountains,  which  are   purported  to  be  in  alignment  with  key  astronomical  events   important  to  the  Incas.    

Apart  from  a  privately  guided  tour  of  the  archaeological   complex,  participants  will  have  the  opportunity  to  enter  the   site  twice,  so  as  to  take  advantage  of  late  afternoon  and   early  morning  light.      

According  to  Inca  legend,  CUZCO  was  built  by  Inca   Pachacuti,  the  man  who  transformed  it  from  a  sleepy  city-­‐ state  into  a  vast  empire.      

Today,  Cuzco  offers  one  of  the  finest  mixes  of  pre-­‐ Columbian,  colonial  and  modern  mestizo  culture  of  any   South  American  city.  A  quick  walk  through  the  city  allows   visitors  to  see  the  influence  of  different  periods  of  history   with  the  naked  eye.  Inca  ruins  such  as  the  Temple  of  the  Sun   contrast  with  Spanish  churches  and  mansions,  underscoring   Cuzco´s  various  phases  of  development.   6

In  the  early  morning  we  will  visit  the  famed  Korikancha.   After  walking  around  the  city  to  photograph  local   Cuzqueños  in  their  everyday  life,  we  will  stop  at  the   principle  Cathedral  in  the  main  plaza.   After  photographing  Cuzco´s  nearby  ruins  in  afternoon   sunlight,  we  will  have  a  Martin  Chambi  evening:    

“Chambi's  magic  pulses  through  his  photographs,  the   unmistakable  magic  that  distinguishes  him  from  all  the   photographers  with  whom  critics  have  wanted  to  compare   him,  from  August  Sander  to  Edward  Weston,  Ansel  Adams,   Irving  Penn..”    Mario  Vargas  Llosa      

DETAILED ITINERARY DAY 01: USA - LIMA • Greet upon arrival and transfer to hotel • Overnight in Lima DAY 02: LIMA • Buffet breakfast • AM at leisure • Lunch at the CAFÉ DEL MUSEO • PM Larco Herrera Museum (guided by the curator) • Early evening walk around Barranco • Group dinner at own expense • Overnight in Lima • B, L DAY 03: LIMA – CUZCO – URUBAMBA SACRED VALLEY • Buffet breakfast • Transfer to the airport and flight to Cuzco • Transfer to Urubamba Sacred Valley • En route visit Moray and the Maras Salt Terraces • Gourmet picnic lunch with Andean religious ceremony • Evening stroll in Ollantaytambo with Joaquin Randall • Overnight in Ollantaytambo • B, L DAY 04: URUBAMBA SACRED VALLEY • Buffet breakfast • Full-day Pisac (ruins and market) • Evening photographic presentation by Adam • Overnight in Ollantaytambo • B DAY 05: URUBAMBA SACRED VALLEY • Buffet breakfast • Full-day Patacancha and Willoq Andean villages • Box lunch included • Overnight in Ollantaytambo • B, Box L 7

DAY 06: URUBAMBA SACRED VALLEY – MACHU PICCHU • Buffet breakfast • VISTADOME train to Machu Picchu • 2-Hour private guided tour of Machu Picchu • Lunch included • Overnight and dinner in Aguas Calientes • B, L, D DAY 07: MACHU PICCHU - CUZCO • Buffet breakfast • Early morning 5:30am bus back up to Machu Picchu • VISTADOME train to Cuzco • Free afternoon and evening • Overnight in Cuzco • B DAY 08: CUZCO • Buffet breakfast • AM Cuzco Walking City Tour • Lunch at “Quinta Eulalia”, a typical Cusqueñan eatery • PM Archaeological Tour: • Martin Chambi evening • Group farewell dinner included • Overnight in Cuzco • B, L, D DAY 09: CUZCO – LIMA - USA • Buffet breakfast • Transfer to the airport and assistance with flight • Flight to Lima • Greet and assistance with connection • Flight to the US • B

THE ONES TO BLAME Adam L. Weintraub is a freelance professional photographer formerly based in Seattle, WA. In 2010, he and Xiomara – his Cusquenan wife – moved to Cusco. Adam is a former threeterm President of Blue Earth Alliance; founder of PhotoExperience.net photographic workshops with a cultural and culinary accent; a member of the American Society of Media Photographers; and he serves on the Advisory Board for the Photographic Center Northwest. Adam assists in efforts to create a permanent archive in Cusco of the famed Peruvian photographer Martin Chambi. His recently published book, Vista Andina, offers a contemporary photographic perspective on the Andean region of Cusco. As Teo Allain Chambi, grandson of the great Martin Chambi, says in the introduction to Adam’s book: “Adam takes us into the magical world of the XXI century Cuzco, transporting us to improbable areas which breathe authentic atmospheres full of color, light, contrasts and composition.”

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COLTUR Peru is a “54 year old” Peruvian DMC, family owned and run since inception and now in its third generation of management. At COLTUR Peru we believe that the cornerstone of our differentiation vis-à-vis the rest of the marketplace is the amount of time we are willing to spend with customers to really understand what they are looking for. This, paired with the passenger’s background, past travel experiences, and expectations, is crucial to be able to deliver a life- experience.