(EMAILWIRE.COM, December 22, 2011 ) SEATTLE, Wash.— Southern Explorations, specialists in South America travel is announcing an exciting Peru tour that offers adventurers the chance to experience Peru’s “Festival of the Sun”, or Inti Raymi, which only comes once a year. Guests will experience this amazing cultural event within the Inca heartland, while experiencing Machu Picchu and other cultural highlights.
The entire week is full of colorful processions and dancing, culminating with the religious ceremony of the Inca Empire at the legendary Inca ruins of Sacsayhuamán. Along the way, travelers have have an opportunity to bargain at the vibrant markets of Piscac, experience the best of the famous city of Cusco, and spend winter solstice, one of the most important days of the year for the Incas, in the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. The tour carries on to the hidden city of Machu Picchu, where travelers spend two days exploring its mysterious ruins and the surrounding cloud forests before returning to Cusco for the exciting Inti Raymi Celebration.
The Inti Raymi ("Festival of the Sun") in ancient times was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti which also marked the winter solstice and a new year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere. Since 1944, every year on June 24th, a reproduction of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at Sacsayhuamán attracting thousands of tourists and local visitors. This exclusive tour offers travelers the chance to combine two once in a lifetime events: Experiencing Inti Raymi and traveling to Machu Picchu.
This tour sold out in 2011, so travelers are encouraged to book early. Dates: June 18-25, 2012. $2095 per person for 8 days. For more information about Southern Explorations visit www.southernexplorations.com or contact Justin Laycob at Justin@southernexplorations.com.