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Your Hosts
Your hosts and founders of Peru Cultural Journeys, Fielding Wood Vizcarra, an American from Taos, NM and her husband, Roman Vizcarra, a native of Peru, invite you to participate in a truly unique travel experience that makes a positive difference in our world.
Born in Peru, Roman has traveled worldwide teaching about the Quechua people. He loves to share an intimate knowledge of his people’s traditions and belief systems: their music, dance, art, food and customs. A professional guide, Roman speaks fluent Spanish, English, German and Italian. He studied Agronomy and then traveled and lived in Europe for 12 years, studying painting, playing traditional Andean music – and meeting his future wife. Roman and Fielding settled in Peru in 1993, married and started their family. Having married an American Roman has also lived in the US for several years and returns regularly for family visits and for intertribal exchange work. Together they established Pisac Inn, began Peru Cultural Journeys and built their home in Taray. They have dedicated the past 16 years to cultural and social work with local people, including the establishment of four Andean Cultural Centers and a school, Kusi Kawsay, with the vision of providing the space to practice and celebrate local traditions. “We are very active promoting the Andean culture on a grassroots level. The idea is to inspire others and have cultural centers and schools emerge like wildfire, and so encourage a resurgence of the practice of local belief systems by the Quechua people.”
Roman has lived in and traveled to many areas of his country, gathering a wealth of traditional knowledge to share with others. He maintains a deep respect and passion for the traditional Quechua people and a calling to promote their human rights as equals. His focus is to remind the world that traditional belief systems are valid and that Andean cosmology and practices are a valuable part of universal wealth. Roman shares with passion his life vision: the recuperation and revaluation of his culture.
Fielding is originally from Lexington, Kentucky, and moved to Taos N.M. at age 11. She went to The Madeira High School in Virginia, and then on to the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she received her BFA. She spent her junior year abroad in the Education Abroad Program (EAP), studying painting at Bellas Artes in Venice, Italy. Roman was living in Italy at the time, and since their first encounter in Venice life was never the same for either. “I remember the first moment we met, Roman said that when he settles down and has his family he wants to be in his land, and raise his children in his traditions and customs. I thought that was beautiful and so important. I never imagined I would be the one joining hi.”
She was indeed the one to join him. Fielding has embraced her new life in the Andes with love and gusto, embarking upon numerous cultural projects, cultivating several businesses and most importantly raising three children Suni, T’ika and Katari. “We have lived in Peru for 19 years and have created a very wonderful life here. This culture celebrates family. For raising children it is ideal; here children are a focal point of joy. It is easier to live a simple, healthy life, not bombarded with so many unnecessary distractions. This allows for a higher quality of life in the truest sense.”
As an American living in Peru, Fielding understands the importance of hospitality, of exchanging insights, of creating your home away from home. She enjoys using her artistry and inspiration to create itineraries that fulfill each guest’s travel preferences and dreams.
Guides and specialists: All of our guides and specialists are local and indigenous. They are exceptional people who commonly share the vision and life ethic based on Andean respect and reciprocity, and honor their ancestral heritage. Most are fluent in English and Spanish and also speak the local language of Quechua. When not fluent in English, we provide necessary translation.
Woven Itineraries
We envision our tours as tapestries, artistically composed of excursions, cultural events, cuisine and worldview – interconnected to the fantastic landscape, ancient archeological sites and cultural continuum.
For the Quechua everything is related and connected: art, science, spirituality, social organization, and daily life. Our itineraries are carefully woven to celebrate the colorful layers and diverse elements of authentic Andean culture. From your accommodations to your meals to your destinations, each day offers multiple opportunities to engage in the sophisticated and gentle culture of this ancient region. Most importantly, the entire tour is composed from an indigenous point of view, thereby offering learning experiences and unforgettable memories that will enrich your life.
The journey you will embark upon with Peru Cultural Journeys is based on a traditional holistic approach where astronomy, geometry, geodesics, engineering, hydraulics, mythology, history, politics, artistic expressions, rituals, music, dance and spirituality are all tied together to master the art and science of agriculture —the essence of Andean culture.
Not the typical tour, Peru Cultural Journeys offers the insider version of authentic Peru. We maintain a high quality of excellence in our tours always respecting, honoring and celebrating the indigenous perspective. This allows for a richer voice than that of many conventional historical versions.
Ways to travel with Peru Cultural Journeys
Peru Cultural Journeys offers unique and educational travel experiences. Local Andean specialists guide you, while imparting their extensive knowledge of the region and its people. We combine these guided tours with diverse cultural events, which affords an authentic and in depth cultural immersion on all of our trips, whether you choose to join a Small Group, or customize your own Private Group.
Small Group
Join a small group of like-minded travelers with set dates and a set itinerary.
Private Group
Customize an existing Peru Cultural Journey itinerary, or we will help you design your own tailor made journey, allowing more flexibility with a personalized and exclusive touch. Travel in the intimacy of your own private group of family and friends, and chose your arrival and departure dates.
Machu Picchu & More
Beyond the tourist trail and into the heart of this mystical land.
Come discover and celebrate the grand diversity and richness of Peru found in the spectacularly wildly differing landscapes and the melting pot of ethnicity, ancient history, culture and cuisine.
From soaring peaks and pre–Columbian sites to the lush Amazon Rainforest, Peru beckons with the allure of the ancient and mysterious. Join Peru Cultural Journeys for a genuinely authentic educational experience in this spellbinding country and its most significant sites, including but not limited to the “lost city” of Machu Picchu.
Discover Peru alongside the country’s finest travel guides, imparting an indigenous point of view based on astronomy and sacred geometry. Our local guides and native Andean specialists share a profound insight and a deeply personal connection to their culture, land and people. They simply open doors to their world, and invite you to be a part of a shared vision to preserve and celebrate this valuable endangered tradition.
Catch the sun rising over Huayna Picchu as the morning mist parts to reveal Machu Picchu. Then explore this pre-Columbian astronomical center with a foundation of understanding the profound Quechua worldview that your guide meticulously imparts, elaborated with the unfolding of each day. This wealth of information becomes the solid groundwork from which you can discern the Inca wonders. Contemplate ancestral ethics and values. Participate in indigenous rituals and personally engage with Andean educators, farmers, artists, musicians and visionaries to gain an authentic understanding of Peru’s deep cultural roots. On select Special Interest Trips, and Andean Immersion Series, you directly engage with Andean specialists in activities such as traditional medicine, music, weaving, astronomy: all ancestral treasures not only practiced today, but still developing.
Sacred Valley of the Incas
Beyond Machu Picchu, Peru offers an incredible array of travel destinations. Experience the culinary art of Peru, and explore the ancient civilizations. Venture to the pristine Amazon rainforest and its winding river system. Delve into the less frequented southern region of the country and discover the breathtaking beauty of Colca Canyon, said to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Visit Lake Titicaca, known as the mythological place of origin. Discover the hidden gems of the high Andes in the Sacred Valley and Cusco, being our speciality local.
Whether your Peru journeys take you to Machu Picchu or further afield, Peru Cultural Journeys is proud to offer an outstanding blend of genuine authenticity, comfort, hospitality and service at every step of your journey, leading you beyond the tourist trail, into the heart of this mystical land.
Imagine a Peruvian cuisine exploration with hands–on cooking, or delving into a cross – generational adventure enhancing strong family connections. From artistic expressions & archaeology, to astronomy and traditional dance & music, we weave them all together to create your personalized dream trip to Peru.