Visit The Realm of The Incas

We can arrange tours any time of year. Let us know your
preferred dates and your flexibility. The more people on the tour, the less expensive
it will be. We can also expand the tour presented here to include additional destinations.

Email rnisbet@yahoo.com

Begin by clicking here for a slide show.

Machu Picchu


                                                                                                                  Photo by Richard Nisbet    1975

"We felt completely safe.... I heartily recommend this excursion for all who like to walk and wonder. Peru reminded me of the best mystery novels where all the evidence is presented but you have to come to your own conclusions."  

Dale Halton  Charlotte NC

The very name evokes a sense of mystery. Machu Picchu was never discovered and desecrated by the Spanish conquerors. It is a place of mystery and power. You will have the time to sense that mystery and power.

This is a Less is More tour. Whereas most visitors who visit Machu Picchu get only a few hours, you will have two half-days to explore one of the most impressive ancient civilization sites in the world.   And you'll be there in the morning before the hoards arrive.

And so it will be throughout the tour. We believe that dashing from site to site for a quick glance doesn't do justice to the remains of this civilization. We believe that taking the time to absorb what you are seeing will enrich your experience. It will also be less hectic and more relaxing.

We also believe that you should have free time to go your own way, perhaps to hike to the top of Wayna Picchu (the tall mountain beyond Machu Picchu) or just sit somewere and take it all in. This tour will be a learning experience. You will be accompanied by Richard Nisbet, photographer, author, student of the Incas and long-time resident of Cusco who will guide you through the lore and history of the sites you are visiting. To get an idea of what you're in for, go to:
www.cuscotales.com & www.ancientwalls.net

After a full day and night in Lima, the tour will concentrate on three places:

Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo and Cusco & environs.

With plenty of time to shop and aquire some authentic Andean handicrafts at bargain prices.

Ollantaytambo (oy yahn tie TAHM bow) is the only town in Peru where people still live in original Inca dwellings. The town remains in the basic original form, with huge stone walls and an intriguing system of canals that feed water from above the town, through beautiful fountains, then through the town and down into the fields to irrigate the maize and potato crops that grow there.

The featured ruin is an unfinished temple at the top of a hill bordering the town. Most tourists only get a running glance at the temple before they are hauled off by bus after an hour or so. On this tour, you will have time to expl0re the town, the ruins and, if you like, hike up the road through some of the most spectacular and vertiginous mountainscapes you will ever see.

For those who are taking digital photos, and who care to share them, we will have several evening slideshows using photos taken by the guests. The idea is to cement the experiences in your mind and to share observations and impressions. This is an optional experience but one that should be lively.

 

                                                                                                                    Photo by Kurt Bennett      1999

Ollantaytambo

"This was probably the easiest vacation trip I’ve ever had. I like that! It was active, informative and interesting. I lived my dream to see Machu Picchu!"

Tom Thomas, Telluride Colarado

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Montage photo by Richard Nisbet 2003

"Everything was taken care of without a hitch: transportation to and from the airport, transportation to the sites, food, and entertainment. I highly recommend this trip with Richard and his excellent staff. It is certainly an adventure you will never forget and one I would do
over again without hesitation."                  Karen Henderson, Telluride Colorado

Cusco

The Incas called it "The Navel of The World", and indeed it was the center of their world. There is something very special about this place. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western Hemisphere. It is layered with history that shows in the buildings of the town. There are original Inca Walls 500 or more years old that are surmounted by Colonial Spanish architecture. The area around Cusco is rich in monuments of Inca history, which is also Inca mystery, for the Incas had no system of writing that we know of. They relied on word of mouth over the centuries, leaving a verbal account of their history that is riddled with questions.   There is a wealth of history in Cusco that most visitors are never told. You will be told. And your appreciation of this wonderful place will be deeper for it.

All photos by Richard Nisbet except where indicated

Details and Prices