If you visit Ollantaytambo, or if you have time while staying in Cusco, you must take this experience tour! You will meet inspiring women who are highly skilled in the craft of weaving that is many centuries old. It was such a personal experience -- learning from the women, making our own bracelets, and just talking and building respect and friendship. And the lunch was delicious too! Highly recommend for everyone. This is truly a special experience!

Wow! This experience was a highlight during our 3 weeks in Peru. The artisans and host families are genuinely excited to share their culture and heritage with you. We learned so much about weaving and the various plants of the region used for dying yarn but how many are also for medicinal use. The food prepared for us was simple and delicious but the pachamanca was incredible. Mario our interpreter was always available to ensure our questions and conversations understood. Our accommodations were comfortable and communications with Awamaki before during and after fantastic. I would highly recommend this tour supporting a local community while having an authentic Peruvian experience.

What a day trip! Our Awamaki guide and volunteer in training were amazing and shared their knowledge of the area and Incan history so easily. They are truly dedicated to preserving the ancient artisan traditions and empowering the local women. Our lunch with the families will be a memory I’ll carry forever. Highly recommend.

We went as a family of five. Two parents, two teen girl, and an 11-year-old boy. Such an amazing experience. The kids said it was their favorite part of the trip. We did the earth oven lunch and it was delicious!

July 2019:Staying overnight in Ollayantambo on the to Machu Picchu introduced us to Awamaki store -bought a knitted scarce I use as a table runner. Since then I’ve bought crossover bag, and baby clothes-all beautiful and perfectly made. In Ollayantambo we stayed at a lovely air b and b called Panorama. To get there took the train from Cuzco. We planned the entire trip ourselves from Boston to Lima then to Cuzco-a great town with a walking tour that was interesting -saw the machu pictures museum with the artifacts returned to Peru from Yale. Everyone we met was helpful and friendly-can’t wait to get back!! If you go, book Machu Pichu first -it’s timed entry -hire a guide when you enter. if not you will not know what you are seeing. Then, book everything back from there. Read and research!

My wife and I booked the Andean Village Visit with the Earth Oven Lunch for our first day in the Sacred Valley. It was a wonderful introduction to the culture of the Andes and was a highlight of our two weeks in Peru. The entire tour was low-key and friendly---unrushed and relaxing. The food was delicious, the weaving community was warm and welcoming, and the selling of their goods was pressure free. Our guide, Parker, was a pleasure and a good source of information. Highly recommended.

Our experience with Awamaki and the Patacancha Weaving Community was on of my favorite things we did while in Peru! We learned all about the process of making textiles, from the creation of yarn from alpaca wool, the natural dyes they use, and they weaving process itself. The women of the community were so incredibly kind and insanely talented, and it was so amazing to hear about the weaving traditions that have been passed down through generations. I also love the fact that Awamaki is a sustainable tourism company. I feel good supporting the company knowing they are helping these amazing women develop the skills they need to get their businesses off the ground and accessible to a wider audience. Absolutely worth the day trip if you have time while in the area!

Lovely to see how this community of colorful woman are supporting themselves and their families with the help of Awamaki. Very interesting to learn how they cook and how they weave. Great photo opportunities too. Our guide Jorge Johans was perfect and friendly and very helpful to translate English to Spanish or Quechua.

Our family of five had a delightful day learning the process of weaving and about the local villages way of life. We each had the opportunity to weave our own unique bracelets with the help of our own personal weaving teachers.The women were very warm, friendly and patient with us and the earth cooked lunch was absolutely delicious. Definitely a day well spent.

The Awamaki cooking class was both culturally immersive and loads of fun! The hosts were exceptionally friendly and accommodating through the whole process. We highly recommend anyone staying in Ollantaytambo to give this a try. Thank you Awamaki!

Our family group of 18 did the Awamaki experience and loved it. Not only was it a vacation experience, but we felt like we were helping these ladies by supporting their business. It was nice to feel like you are a part of their community, not just a tourist. Everyone (ages 7 to 78) enjoyed learning to weave. The tea and lunch (which was all vegetarian, as requested) were delicious too! And the views on the drive up the mountain were beautiful!

We did the Earth Oven Lunch tour with Awamaki and were so happy we did! Melissa was a wonderful guide. She was informative and a great translator, adding information and helpful context where needed. Also, she's really laid-back and just easy to talk to! Meeting the women in the village and seeing their amazing weaving skills on display was a very unique and much-appreciated experience. It was great to hear about the work that Awamaki does and how the organization empowers local women through education and trade workshops. Plus, the food was delicious! I highly recommend this tour and would love to come back to do an overnight in the future!

I am so happy that I booked this cooking class with Awamaki. It was really fun and a great experience. Melissa was the Awamaki liason and translator, and Tina hosted and led the cooking class in her home. We briefly visited the local market, then went to Tina's home and started cooking the delicious meal. Overall, a wonderful and very special evening.

Normally Awamaki's Andean Overnight excursion is just one night with a family in an Inca Pueblo located in the mountains outside of Ollaytaytambo. But for me, that was not enough, so the people at Awamaki arranged for an extra night with my host family though I wish I had asked for even more time. The family and other members of the community made me feel most welcome and involved me in different aspects of their lives including weaving, tending to animals and harvesting potatoes. It was a rewarding and special experience all professionally handled by the staff of Awamaki.

First, our guide Melissa was wonderful. She was very attentive to keeping us informed of what the weavers where saying in Spanish so we knew exaclty what was happening. The women that did the weaving were so gracious. They introduced themselves, then explained the entire process from washing the wool to finally making an item. They prepared a lunch for us which was very good. Here again, they explained what they were doing and how they would cook it. I can't say enough about this experience. It really helps you to understand the Culture and how they live