An Ancient Connection: A Wild Retreat - Tier 1

Peru

June 27th - July 3rd, 2027

Many of us have dreamed of seeing Machu Picchu since we were children…seeing it in textbooks, documentaries, and imagining what it would feel like to stand along the clouds overlooking one of the most ancient places on earth. This is the chance to experience it with your own eyes: to hike ancient paths, witness the vastness of the Andes, and stand in awe with women in community.

Cusco, Peru

June 27th - July 3rd, 2027

Pricing - $3,450

01
Expert Guidance, Transportation & Housing

02
Cultural Immersions

03
Connection to Pachamama

You deserve this

Cusco Cultural Experience - A Tier 1 Wild Retreat

This retreat is the first of our new style of tiered wild offerings - this allows safe spaces to meet you where you are in your relationship with the outdoors. This adventure will be a Tier 1 Wild, this means that our hikes will range between 2-5 miles.

While we will be heavily involved in the cultural aspects of Cusco and Peru, we will be moving our bodies on walking tours and a few hikes at elevation. Some of these walking tours may last all day, up to 10-12 hours so while we will be in several urban settings, we will still be physically exerting ourselves.

This will require mental and physical preparedness, especially learning about life at altitude leading up to our adventure (See “Things to Note” below).

    • 1-2 meals a day

    • Fully Guided Treks and Tours

    • Paid Cultural Experience

    • A day tour of the Sacred Valley 

    • Entrance to Rainbow Mountain Peru

    • Entrance to Machu PIcchue Archaeological Site

    • Entrance to Cusco Cathedral

    • Entrance to Qorikancha 

    • All accommodations: Cusco, Aguas Calientes

    • Transportation from Cusco Airport to Hotel and back

    • Train Tickets (To get to Aguas Calientes Train & Back)

    • 7 Days, 6 Nights Lodging 

    • Attendee Swag Bag

    • Memories that will be cherished

    • Friendships to last a lifetime

  • Passport Information & Photo Required at Booking

    • In order for us to book entry into these archeological sites, the Peruvian government requires a photocopy of your passport.  We will collect this when you sign your contract with us.

    • Ensure that your passport does not expire before January 2028. Some countries will not let you enter with a passport expiring within 6 months.

    Retreat Bookings are Final

    • By August 2026, all retreat bookings are final. We cannot offer any level of retreat exchanges with this booking as we will be purchasing all entrances into the archeological sites at this time and once purchased, we cannot make any changes.

    Gear Requirements

    • This trek will require specific gear requirements that you may need to purchase and become familiar with using prior to the trip. You will receive an in depth list of what will be required, providing plenty of time for you to get comfortable with prior to the trip.

    Roadtrip Style ~ We are moving Locations

    • We will be moving locations and hotels throughout this trip. Packing on the lighter side would be recommended to make these hotel transitions easier.

    Elevation Preparedness: 

    • Cusco rests at 11,000 ft. This means from the moment you land in Cusco, you may be experiencing elevation rates higher than you ever have. 

    • We give time to allow the bodies to acclimate but please do your research to prepare your mind and body.

    • Stay Hydrated. Even leading up to the retreat you should be drinking an extra 1-1.5 liters of water above your recommended fluid intake for your body. 

    • Find a good electrolyte you like and bring it on the trip!

    • Meet with your doctor prior to the trip to assess readiness and physical adjustments you may need to make to set yourself up for success.

    Being flexible

    • Peru is a beautiful country with a strongly developing economic status. That being said, there may be specific life comforts you are used to at home that may be different here. We ask that you come with an open mind and heart as we experience this beautiful country together.

    • Airfare

    • Additional water on the trail

    • 1-2 meals a day + Snacks

    • Alcohol

    • Tips for the tour porters and staff (We recommend budgeting $35-45 USD for the guides and tour staff if you feel inclined to tip)

  • Choose a Retreat
    Browse our upcoming events to find the one that feels right for you. We host events year-round in all different locations and climates.

    Reserve Your Space

    Apply below and we will respond if you are a good fit! You will then be sent a contract and deposit to complete.

    Review the Welcome Packet
    After booking, we'll send you a Welcome Packet with everything you need to know—detailed schedules, packing list recommendations, add-ons to consider, and more.

    Book Your Travel
    We'd recommend booking your transportation to and from the event as soon as possible, to ensure you can arrive without any complications or delays.

    Get Packed & Join Us
    Now all that's left to do is pack your bags and get excited for your new adventure.

Learn more about our Tiered Retreats

Some details of our epic adventure through Peru:

  • Day 1 - Arrival

    • Arrive at the Airport in the morning and be picked up and brought to our lodging in Cusco

    • Afternoon Cultural City Tour - Roughly 5 hours

    • A Group Dinner in Cusco

    • Walking Distance / Time: 5 hours

    • Elevation: 11,000 feet

  • Day 2 - Acclimation Day

    • Breakfast at the Hotel

    • Cultural Immersion; We are working with local vendors to develop a cultural peruvian experience for us

    • A Group Dinner in Cusco

    • Walking Distance / Time: 5 hours

    • Elevation: 11,000 Feet

  • Day 3 - Aquas Calientes

    • Leave Cusco early in the morning to head to the Sacred Valley all Day tour and visiting Maras and the salt pools.

    • Visit Ollytaytambo Inca Town 

    • Train Ride to Aquas Calientes for our overnight

    • Group Dinner

    • Walking Distance / Time: 11-12 hours

    • Elevation: 11,000 Feet

  • Day 4 - Machu Picchu

    • Early morning Bus ride to Machu Picchu before sunrise before our guided tour throughout the site

    • We will spend time at the site before heading back for lunch before a train ride and transport back to Cusco.

    • Late Night Group Dinner in Cusco

    • Walking Distance / Time: 3-4 hours 

    • Elevation: 10,000 Feet

  • Day 5 - Sacred Valley

    • Breakfast at the Hotel

    • Then we will take a bus Sacred Valley Tour

    • Walking Distance / Time: 5 hours

    • Elevation: 11,000 Feet

  • Day 6 - Rainbow Mountains

    • Early Wake up as we head out to the Rainbow Mountain. We will pick up breakfast on the way (about 1.5 hour ride)

    • Travel back and Group Dinner in Cusco.

    • Walking Distance / Time: 5 miles (2-4 hours)

    • Elevation: 16,000 Feet

  • Day 7 - Departure

    • Final Farewell Breakfast at our hotel

    • Travel to the Airport

An adventure we will never forget:

01 / Expert Guidance, Transportation & Safe Housing

We will be partnering with a highly rated local tour company to guide us through our adventures and hikes. All of our trail guidance, transportation, and lodging is expertly taken care of. This gives you peace of mind to enjoy our time together exploring this ancient and beautiful land.

02 / Cultural Immersion

Expect cultural immersion, scenic day hikes, beautiful accommodations, nourishing meals, and intentional moments to fully absorb the magic of the journey, every step of the way.

A thoughtfully curated experience through Peru designed for beginner to moderate hikers seeking awe-inspiring scenery, immersive cultural experiences, and approachable adventure, all balanced with comfort, restoration, and spaciousness along the way. 

03 / Connection to Pachamama

We will deeply connect Pachamama, or Earth Mother in the Incan Culture, through the sacred lands. The natural world and spirits have been worshipped for thousands of years in these sites. We honor the culture and history before us and the care we must take to respect the land.

Nestled in the ancient Andes Mountains, we will explore the sacred valley and awe inspiring ancient civilization of the Incan People, standing at sites we’ve always dreamed of.

  • In the heart of Cusco, we will be staying in a castle-esque hotel, centrally located to the Plaza de Armas. This allows us to easily walk and explore the ancient city of Cusco and soak up the culture while here.

    We will be moving hotels several times throughout this trip. We will also be staying in the beautiful Aguas Calientes the night before we travel to Machu Picchu. This is a very small town, famous for being housed at the foothills of this archeological phenomenon.

  • Machu Picchu, built around 1450, is the symbol of strength of the ancient Incan Empire. The ancient engineering of the “ashlar masonry” is so precise, designed to withstand earthquakes, and is over 60% foundation-based, leaving so much of the ruins still in-tack. 

    Machu Picchu sits at about 8,000ft above sea level, protected by neighboring mountain peaks and often shrouded in the canopy of clouds. It is known as one of the 7 Wonders of the World and visited by roughly 1.5 million people per year. 

    The Incan empire, though spanning over what is now Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Columbia is largely recognized and appreciated at sites like Machu Picchu and neighboring ruins. The Incas had a fascinating approach to farming by carving into the side of mountains to terrace their crops down the mountain.

    Throughout our time together, we may see references of Pachamama, meaning Earth Mother. The Incas deeply revered Pachamama and the nature spirits, including Inti, the Sun God. We will be spending time together in beautiful Pachamama, respecting all that she has given and sustained us through. A deep reverence to respect not only our earth but this culture will be a pillar of our experience together.

Meet Your Hosts!

  • Rachel Priest

    Rachel has been teaching yoga and leading retreats for over a decade. She is an explorer at heart, inspired to adventure the world from a place of curiosity and joy. Through life, she has collected travel stories, underwent self discovery and built a community that continues to support her through life’s many adventures. Rachel is a student of the body, its ability to move throughout the world and celebrates this mind-body connection through many expressions.

  • Bri Wenke

    Bri Wenke is a multidisciplinary artist, facilitator, and podcast co-host. Her work explores the raw terrain of being human through figurative painting, immersive exhibitions, intimate workshops, and global retreats designed to foster reconnection and embodiment. As an ultrarunner, Bri draws direct parallels between endurance in the body and the excavation process of making art, continuously moving toward what lies beneath the surface. Bri loves all things nature: hiking, trail running, backpacking... and of course being the stoker of the campfire.

Who This Retreat is For:

  • The woman who is ready to see with her own eyes ancient, archeological sites she has always dreamed of

  • The woman who enjoys learning about cultures and ancient civilizations

  • The woman who is ready to be inspired and awed 

  • The woman building her connection to nature and self

  • The woman ready to step into another time and experience ancient cultural traditions

  • The woman wanting to move her body but is building her relationship to hiking

  • The woman ready to try new foods, smells, and life of a deeply connected peruvian and incan people to the land

Is this adventure calling your name? Apply to this retreat by filling out the questionnaire x

“As someone who has always dreamed of hiking beautiful trails, I’ve never really had anyone to go with…which has prevented me from pushing myself. This retreat changed that for me, and feeling the pride of submitting the Italian alps was something I’ll never ever forget!”

- Wild Retreat Attendee

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Please book your travel in and out of the Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ). 

    Arrival Date: June 27th, 2027 - by 11am local time

    We will have transportation arrange to pick you up from the airport and bring you to the cusco hotel. We can work with anytime but so that you can ensure you are in attendance for our First Group dinner, please try to arrange your flights to land at before 11am on the 27th. You may also decide to arrive a day or so earlier to acclimate to the elevation. We can recommend hotels if you decide to come earlier. Our Cusco City tour begins at 1pm on the 27th.

    Departure Date: July 3rd, 2027 - Any departure time works

    We can work with out local agency to accommodate any departure time. We will have our last breakfast together in the hotel but understand flight needs vary and you need to book early in the day. Hotel check out is at 10am.

  • No, Attendees are responsible to book their own airfare and, depending on the retreat, may be responsible for their own transportation to/from the airport. Please review what's not included on the specific retreat page.

  • All bodies require different things to feel good, just as ours do. Please note important restrictions and allergies when submitting your payment, we will make sure you’re taken care of.

  • Yes! It is important to us that everyone has the option to attend. Payments can be made in installments, chosen at check out. The first payment is needed to reserve your space and note, this first payment acts as your deposit and is non-refundable. If you are unable to complete the retreat payments, your space is given to another attendee after several attempts to resolve.

  • For a tier 1 trek, we do not have a specific training plan. If you review the itinerary and are concerned about any of the treks, we recommend meeting with your doctor to come up with a physical readiness plan, not only for the elevation but also the movement required.

  • For this offering, we will not be doing any overnight treks or backpacking. Therefore, a daypack 10-15L backpack should be plenty. You want to ensure you always have enough room for a 2-3L water bottle, snacks, personal belongings, and anything else you may need for a day of adventuring and movement.

    We will be sharing an in-depth gear list / recommended packing list after you book your spot to help you pack and prepare!

  • It may have been a little bit since we’ve all shared a bedroom with siblings, college dorm friends, or roommates— but we promise stepping outside of your comfort zone is worth it! We ensure that if we are in lodging where we share a bed, at least a queen-size mattress is provided!

    Don’t worry, we won’t be spending much time in our rooms. We will be adventuring the world together through the activities of the retreat and our rooms a quiet oasis to return to and rest.

  • If the retreat is outside of the United States, then yes you will need a passport. Please ensure that your passport does not expire within 12-months of the retreat date. Some countries will not allow re-entry

    If you need a new passport, don’t wait to get it. Passports can take 4-6 months to process.

  • We will share a packing list for all retreats after you book the experience so you don’t need to worry about figuring out what to bring, we’ve got you!

  • Every group is different, but we always have a wonderful, diverse mix of age ranges on each and every trip: from late 20’s to late 60’s. All ages are welcome! (beyond age 18)

  • All of our lodging will be a shared space with 1 other attendee! As we will be moving hotels several times during our trip, we recommend you pack light and prepare yourself for the shifting of hotel arrangements. 

    We will assign you with one roommate throughout the trip to help with room assignments as we transitions to our different hotels.

  • While we understand emergencies happen, all sales are final.

    For this offering, we will be unable to make any ticket exchanges after August 2026. This is when we are submitting all passports to the Peruvian Government to buy our entry tickets into Machu Picchu.

    Therefore we highly recommend Travel insurance as we will not be able to provide any refunds of exchanges for this Peru Trip.

Healing is never a solo journey. Since 2019, we have had the privilege of hosting retreats all around the globe, guiding a community of 200+ women, coming from our previous company- Ember and Solis. As we gather on each new experience, the same outcome prevails each time: we remember transformation of connection. 

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Why Choose Wise Women Retreats?

  • We know how exhausting it is to be a woman in today’s society. To make all the plans, cover all logistics, have to be on top of all the details so things don’t fall through… These retreats are an opportunity for you to take off this hat and just receive.

    We do the planning, we make the reservations, WE take care of YOU. All you need to do is show up with your heart and ready to experience incredible change together.

    As artists, facilitators and travelers of 10+ years, we have the experience and expertise others may be missing x

  • Rooted in the belief that The Body is the Blueprint, our retreats create sacred spaces where women come home to themselves through movement, creativity, nature, and presence. This is where wounds soften, stories are honored, and the impossible feels possible again. Together, we cultivate resilience, spark joy, and rebuild trust — in our bodies, in each other, and in the journey ahead! We laugh, we cry, we play, we explore.. together x

  • We believe that all women and those identifying as women deserve safe spaces to explore themselves and the world. We are a zero tolerance company and our commitment to you is to create a safe experience to unfold. If at any time there this policy is not respected, we handle the situation immediately to ensure that all attendees are treated with loving kindness, inclusion, and opportunity.

Additional Offerings:

If this offering doesn’t feel aligned to what your body currently needs, review other upcoming experiences below. All designed to support you and your journey! x

See Upcoming Retreats