The Peaks + Pathways: A Wild Retreat - Tier 3

Peru

July 5th - 12th, 2027

 Designed for the women ready to bare their soul to the mountain and trek toward Machu Picchu step by step, this journey is an invitation into both physical challenge and deep personal transformation. A pilgrimage that asks you to meet yourself fully….within your mind, body, and spirit….as the mountain shapes you along the way.

Cusco, Peru

July 5th - July 12th, 2027

Pricing - $3,750

01
Expert Guidance, Transportation & Housing

02
Immersion Into Self

03
Connection to Pachamama

I'm Up For Adventure!

An Immersion of Self - A Tier 3 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 3 Wild, this means that our hikes will range between 7-16 miles for several days in a row, at extreme elevation of up to 16,000 feet.

This retreat is designed for women who already have a consistent relationship with hiking, and feel prepared to meet the physical demands of trekking to Machu Picchu. Once we begin the trail, we move forward together with no change in plans: through changing terrain, altitude, discomfort, awe, and the emotional layers that can surface when we are deeply immersed in nature and challenge.

This journey asks for resilience, trust, and a willingness to stay present with yourself through the experience. There may be moments that stretch you physically or emotionally, and we will meet those moments with compassion, support, and care for one another along the mountain. 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 the Salkantay Trek

    • Entrance to Machu PIcchue Archaeological Site

    • Entrance to Cusco Cathedral

    • Entrance to Qorikancha 

    • During the Trek Amenities

      • One Duffle Bag during the Trek - This will be carried by our trail guides & porters (11lb max)

      • Trekking Poles 

      • Backpack Cover

      • All Meals During Trek

      • Basic hygiene Products

      • Private Camping Equipment

      • Trail Snacks and Water (extra can be purchased)

    • All accommodations: Cusco, Sky Domes, 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.

    Personal Responsibility

    • This is an incredible experience that we will embark on but you are responsible to train to prepare your body leading up to the trek. Once we begin, we are not liable for you and if you cannot complete the trek, you must work with our local guides to create an exit strategy where you assume all costs. We will not provide refunds to any retreat fees or associated costs with leaving the trek early.

    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 schedule time to meet with our team!

    Complete Retreat Interview with Hosts.

    Due to the physical requirements and complexities that this trek requires for personal and group safety, we will be meeting with each applicant to ensure this is the right fit for all parties. If so, we will share the contract and invoice to you after our meeting.

    We may suggest a different offering based on the discussion as our utmost priority is to keep you and all women safe, both physically and emotionally during these experiences.

    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

Details of this unforgettable trek 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 - Sacred Valley Tour

    • Leave in the morning to go to the Sacred Valley

    • We will be visiting marketing, ruins, and other natural landscapes before enjoying local treats. 

    • Visit the Women textile weaving shops

    • Travel back to Cusco for a Group Dinner

    • Elevation: 11,000 Feet

  • Day 3 - Trek Day 1/4

    • 4:30am Hotel pickup before a few hour drive to our starting point. We will have breakfast and then begin our trek.

    • We will hike to see Humantay Lake today and stay in the sky camp under the stars together, sharing all meals during the trek days

    • Walking Distance / Time: 6.5 miles

    • Elevation: 14,000 Feet

  • Day 4 - Trek Day 2/4

    • We will be completing the Salkantay Pass this day, covering roughly 15miles, gaining 3,000ft of elevation with our highest point at over 15,000ft!

    • We will stay at the Mountain Sky View Campsite this night and commune over our meals to let the experience settle.

    • Walking Distance / Time: 15 miles

    • Elevation: 15,000+ ft / 3,000ft climb

  • Day 5 - Trek 3/4 Day

    • We will have a lighter trail day on this day, about 7 miles in distance as we work out way down the mountain to our Jungle Domes.

    • We will have more free time this afternoon to recover and explore the jungle

    • Walking Distance / Time: 7 miles

    • Elevation: 10,000 Feet

  • Day 6 - Trek 4/4 Day

    • Today we will get our first glimpses of Machu Picchu from the trail as we slowly descend the mountains.

    • We will walk to the town of Aquas Calientes where we will be staying in a hotel

    • Walking Distance / Time: 16 miles

    • Elevation: 10,000 Feet

  • Day 7 - 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 in the evening.

    • Late Night - Group Dinner in Cusco

    • Walking Distance / Time: 3-4 hours 

    • Elevation: 10,000 Feet

  • Day 8 - Departure

    • Final Farewell Breakfast at our hotel

    • Travel to the Airport

A trekking trip that supports, guides, and expands:

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 / Immersion Into Self

For the woman craving wild landscapes, physical challenge, cultural immersion, and the deep satisfaction that comes from pushing beyond the familiar.

An adventurous journey through Peru created for experienced hikers ready to explore dramatic mountain landscapes through longer trekking days, higher elevations, and more demanding terrain, without sacrificing beauty, connection, or thoughtful comfort.

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.

Moving throughout the Andean Mountains, we will meet our souls on the mountain, alongside the ancient spirits of those who have walked before and alongside us through this sacred land and Pachamama (Mother Earth). 

  • Throughout this Tier 3 Trek, we will be staying in multiple locations. First in the heart of Cusco, we will be staying in a castle-esque hotel, centrally located to the Plaza de Armas where we will start and end our time together. Throughout the trek, we will be staying in various sky domes and beautiful sky camp sites. Lastly, our night before visiting Machu Picchu, we’ll stay in Aguas Calientes then eventually make our way back to our Cusco Hotel.

  • 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 chasing challenge, altitude, and transformation

  • For the woman craving wild landscapes, physical challenge, cultural immersion, and the deep satisfaction that comes from pushing beyond the familiar.

  • The woman who is ready to meet herself on the trail and all that comes up through challenging the body and mind.

  • The woman who wants to see what the mountain reveals to her and bare her soul on the trail.

  • The woman wanting to push her limits, to see what she is capable of through devotion and discipline

  • The woman desiring to excavate her internal landscape while admiring the nature landscapes 

  • The woman ready to be wild, dirty, and the ferocious feminine on the mountain

  • Please see our Tier 3 guidelines here

Ready for an Adventure? Apply to this retreat by filling out the questionnaire x

“I have always been an outdoor lover, but put trips like this on hold for years, because I had no one to go with. My partner and close friends aren’t exactly hiking enthusiasts… so I almost gave up on seeing the world this way. I’m so grateful to have found a community of women who love the raw outdoors as much as me! And I cannot wait to attend another trip!”

- Wild Retreat Attendee

Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Arrival Date: July 5th, 2027 - by 11am local time

    We will have transportation arranged 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 5th. 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 5thth.

    Departure Date: July 12th, 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.

  • Yes, we offer a Tier 3 Training plan for this retreat! You can request this when booking the retreat for an additional fee and we will provide it to you. 

    Additionally, we highly recommend meeting with your doctor to come up with a physical readiness plan, not only for the elevation but also the movement required. This trek is going to be strenuous and multi-day. It is very important to be training 3-4 months in advance of this experience to ensure you are support your physical and mental well-being on this retreat.

  • As we will be having porters and staying in jungle domes and different campsites, you will not have to carry all belongings in your pack like food and camping materials.

    We recommend a 15-25L backpacking back pack so you can carry all of your clothes and other basic belongings. 

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

  • You are responsible to prepare your body and mind for this trek. Once we begin, we are not liable for you and if you cannot complete the trek, you must work with our local guides to create an exit strategy where you assume all costs. We will not provide refunds to any retreat fees and you will assume all associated costs with leaving the trek early.

  • 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