The program includes the following day and overnight excursions in Peru.
Lima City Tour (orientation)
Pachacamac Pre-Inca Ruins (field trip))
Paracas Natural Reserve (field trip)
Cuzco & Machu Picchu (2 to 3 days)
or, Amazon Rainforest (2 to 3 days)
Transportation, housing and group activities are included.
Students must budget for meals and personal expenses.
Most excursions are organized in cooperation with USIL and often include other international and USIL students.
Academic year students choose to participate in the Cuzco & Machu Picchu or Amazon Rainforest excursion during the Fall or Spring semester.
KEI reserves the right to change planned excursions for destinations of equal value and interest.
Excursions may change based on availability, local festivals and interest.
Academic year and multiple term students participate on planned excursions during one of their terms.Lima
Lima traces its origin to an indigenous village of the Incas Empire.
Today, it serves as the political, economic and cultural capital of Peru.
Lima is a multiethnic metropolis with numerous cultural, architectural and historic attractions.
The center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
A tour of Lima will be conducted during the orientation period.
In addition to highlighting some of the city's attractions, the tour has practical applications such as becoming acquainted with the transportation system.
Pachacamac
The temple of Pachacamac is an archaeological site 40 km southeast of Lima in the Valley of the Lurín River.
Numerous pyramids have been uncovered at the site, although many were irreversibly damaged by the El Niño.
The site is also significant for its cemetery and multicolored fresco of fish from the Early Intermediate period (c. 200-600 CE).
Paracas Nature Reserve
The Paracas National Reservation, located in Ica, functions to protect the sea ecosystem and historical cultural heritage of the region.
The reserve is home to many species of wildlife, a cultural museum and a mysterious Geoglyph called the Paracas Candelabra.
Cuzco & Machu Picchu Cuzco is the historic capital of the Inca Empire.
Perched in the Urubamba Valley a top the Andes mountain range, the city offers a mix of Inca, Spanish colonial and modern eras.
Cuzco was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO.
Machu Picchu, often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.
Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built between 1438–1472 as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti.
Hidden on a mountain ridge (7,970 feet above sea level) 50 miles northwest of Cuzco, Machu Picchu was never found by the Spaniards.
Although known locally, Machu Picchu was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.
Amazon Rainforest
The Peruvian Amazon Rainforest covers every corner east of the Andes, from the Equator to the southern borders with Brazil and Bolivia.
Scarcely populated, the Amazon Rainforest sustains the World's richest biodiversity.
To date, at least 40,000 plant species, 3,000 fish, 1,294 birds, 427 mammals, 428 amphibians, and 378 reptiles have been scientifically classified in the region.
One in five of all the birds in the world live in the Rainforest of the Amazon.
Students must be prepared to camp outside or in eco-friendly efficiency lodges.Independent Travel
We encourage students to explore Peru and South America beyond the planned excursions.
Students who plan to travel independently during holidays and school breaks MUST inform the KEI Onsite Coordinator and provide their itinerary and contact information.
