Rural Tourism Package

Your trip begins in Ollantaytambo. From there
you will enjoy a beautiful drive ascending nearly 1000 meters up the Patacancha
Valley. Following the Patacancha River, you will pass small farms, Incan
agricultural terraces, little-visited ruins, a colonial church, and stunning mountain
views. Upon arrival in one of the upper Andean villages of Patacancha or
Huilloc, Awamaki’s partner artisans will meet you and welcome you to their
cooperative’s weaving center.

The artisans
will lead you in a sharing of Quechua culture and traditions, and a demonstration
of the entire weaving process. They will show you how alpaca or sheep wool is
spun into yarn by hand on the pushka, the traditional Andean drop
spindle, and you can give it a try. They will explain how different local
plants and materials are used in the dyeing process, and show you how they dye
the yarn. They will demonstrate the warping of the traditional backstrap loom
and the weaving process, including a discussion of the traditional pallay designs
used in their villages. Finally, the artisans will teach you to weave a small
bracelet on the backstrap loom in a one-on-one lesson.

An Awamaki
representative will accompany you on the whole tour to support and facilitate
your visit, and translate any discussion or questions you may have for your
hosts.

After the
demonstration, you will visit a traditional home with the invitation and
guidance of one of the cooperative members, and enjoy a nourishing, traditional
home-cooked meal including soup and a main course. The village visit will end
with the opportunity to purchase textiles directly from the women who hosted
you for your tour.

After the
private market, we will head back down the mountain to Ollantaytambo and make
one final stop at the Awamaki store, where you can see the work of all
Awamaki’s partner womens’ cooperatives, including the artisan’s textiles made
into contemporary accessories.

Sustainable and respectful tourism

We created our sustainable tourism program in partnership with
our partner Quechua women’s cooperatives. We aim to allow women artisans to host
tourism on their own terms, in a way that is beneficial and sustainable for
their village. We will ask you to respect guidelines around photography that we
have created together with the artisans. Included in your tour price is fair
and generous compensation for your hosts, regardless of whether they sell a
weaving during your tour. Thank you for being part of this work!

Logistical Information

Because we are a small non-profit, we
are not able to guarantee a private tour. There may be other visitors in your
tour group. However, most of our tours are very small, between 2 and 6 people.

Itinerary

• Picturesque drive
  from Ollantaytambo to a rural Quechua community in the Patacancha Valley
  (Patacancha or Huilloc)
• A warm welcome from members
  of our women’s artisan cooperative upon arrival at their weaving center
• Demonstration and discussion
  of Andean backstrap weaving as it relates to Andean culture and history
• Demonstration and
  explanation of the traditional weaving process, led by the artisans
• One-on-one weaving
  lesson taught by the artisans
• Typical local lunch
  with traditional soup and entree
• Visit a traditional
  Quechua home with the invitation and guidance of one of the cooperative members
• Opportunity to buy the
  artisans’ handmade textiles
• Return to
  Ollantaytambo

Things to Bring

• Water and refillable water bottle
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable shoes
• Warm layer
• Rain jacket (just in
  case!)
• Small bills in soles
  if you plan to purchase from the artisans
• A small snack, optional