Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about
Peru Retreat 2025
As new questions may arise from guests, more information will be added to this list.
1. How’s this 8-day retreat different from other group trips to Machu Picchu, Cusco and Sacred Valley?
This retreat is facilitated by Michelle Chua, founder of Root 2 Rise Yoga, a California-based community of diverse people who have gathered for Yoga classes, nature immersions, arts-integrated mindfulness activities, meditation, international and local retreats and other whole-being wellness practices since 2010. Our retreats welcome people from different ages and walks of life that care to immerse in down-to-earth social interaction, cross-cultural appreciation and ways of integrating our Yoga and mindfulness philosophy and practices into meaningful connections with ourselves, each other, our Mother Earth and Life.
Our time-tested itinerary was crafted soulfully in collaboration with a well-established conscious travel company based in the Peruvian Sacred Valley with on-the-ground knowledge and respect for the local communities. Our retreat gives back to the local communities, supporting a children's school fund through our collaboration with a retreat center. We work with professional local guides and drivers, authentic indigenous healers and Quechua staff that seamlessly organize the logistics of our activities with genuine hospitality.
2. Who is guiding this retreat, and what is her experience?
Michelle Chua, a Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher and Certified Reiki Practitioner, has been creating, organizing and facilitating Yoga retreats since 2012 in California and since 2014 internationally—in Costa Rica, Bali, Peru and Thailand. Find a list of her past retreats here. She founded Root 2 Rise Yoga community inspired by a mission: (1) Share Yoga with people of diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds; (2) Facilitate soulful community and nature connection; and (3) Share wellness resources that empower inner and outer peace, vitality and harmony. She believes that as we root into the deep love that is our essence, we can all rise together in whole wellbeing and consciousness. Read Michelle’s bio here.
3. Is it safe to travel to Peru?
We will be traveling to areas commonly visited and protected for tourism under the guidance of a reputable local Peruvian guide that works regularly with the retreat center we’ll be staying at. The guide stays well-informed of safety in the areas we'll visit. This retreat will be our second one in Peru, staying at the same retreat center and visiting many of the same areas. During any travel, it is always important to practice “street smarts," being aware of your surroundings. Upon your completed retreat registration, you’ll receive detailed information to help you prepare for a healthy, safe and fulfilling adventure in Peru.
4. What’s the background on the luxury eco-sustainable Yoga retreat center where we’ll be mostly staying during this retreat?
The retreat center has been featured on CNN Travel, Vogue and Yoga Journal. It was founded in 1994, by a world traveler who visited the Sacred Valley in the 1980s, was captivated by the powerful healing energy of the area and returned year after year. As a longtime Yoga practitioner, she wanted to create a retreat center synergizing Andean culture and cosmology with Yoga philosophy and lifestyle.
Over the next two decades, she cultivated long-term relationships with authentic native healers and knowledgeable local guides. (The itinerary for this retreat integrates their authentic expertise.) It is the first Yoga retreat center in the Sacred Valley and was constructed through land revitalization, using local materials and giving back to nature through the many gardens planted on site. An extended Quechua family warmly manages the wellness center, with over 20 local people on the hospitality staff. The center also has a charity that funds children’s education in the nearby Andes mountains, at a school we’ll visit during the retreat. Proceeds from the center’s artisanal shop support the charity.
5. What’s the weather when this retreat happens in June?
June through August (the winter months) are generally sunny and dry, with temperatures ranging from 40-77 degrees Fahrenheit. Occasionally, it may rain at Machu Picchu. Temperatures are cooler in the early morning and evenings.
6. What’s the elevation where this retreat takes place?
Approximate elevations above sea-level: Retreat Center in Sacred Valley 9,420 feet, Cusco 11,150 feet, Machu Picchu 7,800 feet. You will need to be in moderately good health to acclimate to the high altitude.
7. What are the Andean spa treatments and add-on activities I can choose from?
Upon acceptance of your retreat application, you’ll receive a welcome email with a menu of additional services, such as various types of massages, facial treatments, solar baths, private Reiki sessions and experiences, such as arts workshops or additional excursions you can book and pay for upon arrival at the retreat center.
8. When should I book my flights to arrive and depart for this retreat?
Upon acceptance of your welcome email with details for travel, you’ll be prompted to book your flight into Cusco airport to arrive before 11am on June 21, 2025. Plan your departure flight from Cusco between 2-5pm on June 28, 2025. Airport transfers are included in your retreat within these times.
If you arrive in Cusco outside the included pick-up time, you can book your private transfer at $65 for 1-2 people or $35 per person for 3 or more people. If available, you can also book extra nights at the hotel in Cusco before the retreat starts at your personal cost. More details about the hotel will be provided a few months prior to the retreat. Late check-out from our retreat center can be arranged at $25 per participant, subject to availability. A private taxi to Cusco airport is about a 75-minute drive and has a greater additional cost than the arrival transfer, due to distance.
9. Will I have access to internet at our accommodations?
Yes, you will have free WiFi at the hotel and retreat center and are encouraged to minimalize your phone and internet usage to support reflection and mindful presence during your retreat.
This retreat is facilitated by Michelle Chua, founder of Root 2 Rise Yoga, a California-based community of diverse people who have gathered for Yoga classes, nature immersions, arts-integrated mindfulness activities, meditation, international and local retreats and other whole-being wellness practices since 2010. Our retreats welcome people from different ages and walks of life that care to immerse in down-to-earth social interaction, cross-cultural appreciation and ways of integrating our Yoga and mindfulness philosophy and practices into meaningful connections with ourselves, each other, our Mother Earth and Life.
Our time-tested itinerary was crafted soulfully in collaboration with a well-established conscious travel company based in the Peruvian Sacred Valley with on-the-ground knowledge and respect for the local communities. Our retreat gives back to the local communities, supporting a children's school fund through our collaboration with a retreat center. We work with professional local guides and drivers, authentic indigenous healers and Quechua staff that seamlessly organize the logistics of our activities with genuine hospitality.
2. Who is guiding this retreat, and what is her experience?
Michelle Chua, a Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher and Certified Reiki Practitioner, has been creating, organizing and facilitating Yoga retreats since 2012 in California and since 2014 internationally—in Costa Rica, Bali, Peru and Thailand. Find a list of her past retreats here. She founded Root 2 Rise Yoga community inspired by a mission: (1) Share Yoga with people of diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds; (2) Facilitate soulful community and nature connection; and (3) Share wellness resources that empower inner and outer peace, vitality and harmony. She believes that as we root into the deep love that is our essence, we can all rise together in whole wellbeing and consciousness. Read Michelle’s bio here.
3. Is it safe to travel to Peru?
We will be traveling to areas commonly visited and protected for tourism under the guidance of a reputable local Peruvian guide that works regularly with the retreat center we’ll be staying at. The guide stays well-informed of safety in the areas we'll visit. This retreat will be our second one in Peru, staying at the same retreat center and visiting many of the same areas. During any travel, it is always important to practice “street smarts," being aware of your surroundings. Upon your completed retreat registration, you’ll receive detailed information to help you prepare for a healthy, safe and fulfilling adventure in Peru.
4. What’s the background on the luxury eco-sustainable Yoga retreat center where we’ll be mostly staying during this retreat?
The retreat center has been featured on CNN Travel, Vogue and Yoga Journal. It was founded in 1994, by a world traveler who visited the Sacred Valley in the 1980s, was captivated by the powerful healing energy of the area and returned year after year. As a longtime Yoga practitioner, she wanted to create a retreat center synergizing Andean culture and cosmology with Yoga philosophy and lifestyle.
Over the next two decades, she cultivated long-term relationships with authentic native healers and knowledgeable local guides. (The itinerary for this retreat integrates their authentic expertise.) It is the first Yoga retreat center in the Sacred Valley and was constructed through land revitalization, using local materials and giving back to nature through the many gardens planted on site. An extended Quechua family warmly manages the wellness center, with over 20 local people on the hospitality staff. The center also has a charity that funds children’s education in the nearby Andes mountains, at a school we’ll visit during the retreat. Proceeds from the center’s artisanal shop support the charity.
5. What’s the weather when this retreat happens in June?
June through August (the winter months) are generally sunny and dry, with temperatures ranging from 40-77 degrees Fahrenheit. Occasionally, it may rain at Machu Picchu. Temperatures are cooler in the early morning and evenings.
6. What’s the elevation where this retreat takes place?
Approximate elevations above sea-level: Retreat Center in Sacred Valley 9,420 feet, Cusco 11,150 feet, Machu Picchu 7,800 feet. You will need to be in moderately good health to acclimate to the high altitude.
7. What are the Andean spa treatments and add-on activities I can choose from?
Upon acceptance of your retreat application, you’ll receive a welcome email with a menu of additional services, such as various types of massages, facial treatments, solar baths, private Reiki sessions and experiences, such as arts workshops or additional excursions you can book and pay for upon arrival at the retreat center.
8. When should I book my flights to arrive and depart for this retreat?
Upon acceptance of your welcome email with details for travel, you’ll be prompted to book your flight into Cusco airport to arrive before 11am on June 21, 2025. Plan your departure flight from Cusco between 2-5pm on June 28, 2025. Airport transfers are included in your retreat within these times.
If you arrive in Cusco outside the included pick-up time, you can book your private transfer at $65 for 1-2 people or $35 per person for 3 or more people. If available, you can also book extra nights at the hotel in Cusco before the retreat starts at your personal cost. More details about the hotel will be provided a few months prior to the retreat. Late check-out from our retreat center can be arranged at $25 per participant, subject to availability. A private taxi to Cusco airport is about a 75-minute drive and has a greater additional cost than the arrival transfer, due to distance.
9. Will I have access to internet at our accommodations?
Yes, you will have free WiFi at the hotel and retreat center and are encouraged to minimalize your phone and internet usage to support reflection and mindful presence during your retreat.
