Sacred Valley Textile Workshop – Dyeing & Weaving In Cusco

This was everything and more than I had hoped for! We were greeted with flowers petals and large smiles which reflected the attention and engagement for the entire day. It was a true cultural immersion that felt truly authentic and sincere. It not only included a full experience of weaving appropriate for beginners but also natural dying from leaves gathered in the nearby land, song, dance, homemade delicious food which included tropical fruit tastings. This was definitely a highlight in my trip to the Sacred Valley. I would recommend to everyone. Even the husbands of crafting travelers!

I loved this excursion! I am a hobby weaver and having the chance to learn how to use a traditional backstrap loom from Quechua weavers was a dream come true. The experience was well organized, with for guests, for weavers, and Edwin (our translator and organizer). The opportunity to work one-on-one with a weaver was invaluable as we were walked through spinning, dying, and weaving our own small projects. The included lunch was delicious and gave us the chance to talk with Edwin and the women about their weaving, their lives, and their culture. This experience was my favorite part of my whole Peru adventure.

The immersion to the community is incredible. Edwin was a great translator for us to understand the artisans. We learnt so much and feel part of the family. The whole day was exceptional- above our expectations Enjoying picking up the leaves, dying our own thread- the lunch with artisans was delicious and we learnt how to made bracelet The day will be engraved in our heart and memories . Thanks to Christian our guide !

such an amazing experience!! Highly, HIGHLY recommend this one. We were picked up directly from our hotel and transported about 1.5 hours into the mountains where the workshop is. We began the workshop by learning about dying the yarn. We even got to go into the forest and collect the plants to dye the yarn. We learned about all the different materials we could use, and then dyed our own yarn. We learned how to spin yarn as well. We ate a delicious lunch and then began weaving! Each traveler in our group got a private teacher. Most of them only spoke Quechua, a native Peruvian/Incan language. Despite the language barrier, they were so patient and kind. The weaving was hard! This was such an amazing cultural experience that I would highly recommend to anyone. We learned so much and even my husband, who isn’t particularly crafty, really enjoyed it. Well worth the price.

I highly recommend this workshop! Our guide Edwin, and artisans Bernardina and Sharmeli were so informative and welcoming. My friend and I had such a great experience learning about this textile tradition that has been passed down through generations. We spent the first part of the day listening and learning about the process and then were able to take part in each step of the process alongside the very skilled artisans. We loved this interactive way of learning and are so appreciative to have had the opportunity to spend the day and learn from them! Highly recommend to anyone visiting Cusco and the Sacred Valley region!

This experience was 100% worth it. We learned so much about the history and culture of Peru and the practice of weaving textiles. The lunch was also fantastic! One of the best things we did when staying in Cusco. I even left my sunglasses and they were returned within a day! 10/10 for Peru Private Tours.

GREAT! Absolutely great experience. As two 21 years old girls there love every kind of hand craft, this was just amazing, you get to try a bit in each process.

We had such an amazing day collecting materials to dye with, learning about natural dyeing and learning how to weave by wonderful experts! Our interpreter was also incredibly knowledgeable about the material himself and had a great respect for the work the women do and the history of the craft. Travel to and from was smooth, and lunch was delicious!

I took my 9-year old on this day long experience and it was wonderful---interactive and fun enough for her, intellectual enough for me. I love textiles and am a beginning weaver myself, and enjoyed learning about the backstrap loom and about the local sources for all the amazing natural dyes. Lucia and Ruth were so skilled, kind, and patient, and I loved listening to their Quechua chatter while we wove. Nayda was a fantastic translator, teacher, and guide! The lunch FAR exceeded our expectations, a huge spread that was delicious and authentic. It was a joy to exchange cultures with these beautiful women, in a way that felt so respectful, enriching, and supportive of the ongoing preservation of their rich tradition.

We had a wonderful time learning first hand the tradition and beauty of the textiles of Peru. Our guide, Nayda had first hand knowledge of the craft so was able to answer every question we had. We loved harvesting local leaves and using them to dye our own alpaca wool. Ruth and Licia were patient teachers as they taught us how to weave our very own treasures! The snacks were straight from the jungle and the lunch was all local organic food. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in gaining an appreciation and understanding of these fine textiles!

My son gave his experience as a birthday gift. The whole day was excellent. A super fun day learning and enjoying our time spent. Nadia was an excellent tour guide and translator, the women who shared their skills were lovely and patient while we wove our book marks. The cooks created a delicious meal. I’d highly recommend this experience to friends.

This was one of the most fun and educational things we did in Cusco. It was so great to learn how generations before us have dyed wool, woven and told stories through the cloth and how this knowledge has been passed down. I don't know where to start, I am ecstatic after the course! It was so great to meet women at the center and watch them weave, learn about the craft and to buy handmade products directly from the women who made it. We got to make bookmarks (with good help), and now when I take out the book I always have to admire the bookmark before I can start reading. If I go back to Peru, this is something I will do again - without a doubt!

The Cusco textile workshop was an unforgettable experience. I came in expecting a simple demonstration, but was blown away by the depth of knowledge, the hands-on activities, and the warmth of the artisans. We learned about traditional dyeing techniques, alpaca wool, and the cultural significance behind each pattern. Watching the weavers work with such precision was mesmerizing—and getting to try it myself made it even more special. This workshop didn’t just meet expectations—it far exceeded them. Highly recommended!

I had such a wonderful time at this weaving workshop — it was far more than just a craft class; it was a full, hands-on cultural and creative experience. We began by learning about the natural materials traditionally used to dye alpaca wool. The instructors shared insights into the plants, minerals, and techniques that give each yarn its rich, earthy color. After a delicious lunch, we dove into the weaving portion of the day. The master weavers were incredibly skilled and patient, guiding us through each step with encouragement. I created a small bookmark that I’ll treasure, not just for how it looks, but for the story and experience woven into it. To top it all off, I brought home three small balls of wool that we dyed ourselves — each a beautiful reminder of the process and the day. I left feeling inspired, grounded, and grateful for the chance to learn from such skilled artisans.

Honestly the best experience ever. A gorgeous drive through the sacred valley to arrive at a workshop surrounded by mountains. We met some beautiful indigenous women who led us through the whole process. Picking the leaves to make the dyes, then dyeing some yarn (that we got to keep!), having some fresh fruits, an amazingly delicious lunch, and then learning how to weave! You really get to appreciate why hand woven products are (and should be) priced as they are because of all the hard work and skill that goes into a single piece. We only made such a small piece and it was so tiring and took forever already! Would recommend to everyone.

This was an amazing experience of learning about the community, weavers, making new friends, learning about ways to dye with organic materials and weaving. The food and conversion was amazing. We learned a lot about each other while learning a new skill. I highly recommend this tour, it was a great experience. The drive through the countryside was all part of the experience.

This was truly one of my favorite experiences while visiting Peru. We met a family of incredible weavers with generations of experience. The translator was great at helping us understand the processes that the women were showing us, but it was also lovely to try to communicate with these women just through actions and their patience. Weaving is HARD and I have a newfound appreciation for the work that these women put in to keeping this practice alive in their culture. The whole experience was so sweet, we learned songs and dances from them and showed them some of ours in "American" culture (the Cha Cha slide was a big hit). The food was also incredible. I highly recommend booking this experience - it will inspire you and touch your heart!

This day was one of the highlights of my trip to Peru! I am interested in foraging and making dyes from plants, so this was an amazing learning experience - but it was so much more than that. The wonderful ladies of the community shared with us knowledge, laughter and the true desire to share their lifestyle and expertise

This was definitely a one of a kind experience! We learned how to make yarn from alpaca wool, learned how to dye the wool, and all about the different materials used to dye it. We also learned about the Quechua culture, and all the work that goes into weaving large pieces. We got to know the weavers and Edwin (our translator) over a delicious lunch. I would recommend this experience to anyone looking to dive a little deeper into the culture. I would warn that it is quite a drive from Cusco- the drive was about an hour and a half. So it ended up being an entire day between the drive and the activity itself. Which was ok with us, but I wish I had planned better for the amount of time it would take.

Nayda and Ruth were amazing hosts and guides. I ended up doing this trip myself however this lead to both a laid back but also very personal experience. It was very interesting to hear about the local communities and to hear Quechua spoken. I was very pleased with the bracelet I made and while it was a difficult process to learn Ruth was very patient and did not take over too much, allowing me to really feel I made something. Would highly reccomend this trip to anyone.

What a fantastic day - honestly one of the best workshops I’ve ever attended and a must do for anyone keen for an authentic experience with local Peruvian culture and textiles. You do not have to have expertise in weaving - you will be guided by the expert women weavers of different communities, who showed incredible patience with us! The day commenced with a drive of approximately one hour from Cusco to the Sacred Valley, with a couple of brief stops: one to show us a traditional restaurant (yes, guinea pigs) and then a photo stop for the classic, picture perfect view high above the valley. There were three participants plus our wonderful guide Nayda, and our driver, in a super comfortable van. I can’t praise Nayda highly enough. Not only did she translate in English, Spanish, and the local Quechua language, her passion for empowering local communities and sharing culture was infectious. We were greeted with a shower of flower petals by five weavers (Ruth, Sharmely, Lucia and two others) who had travelled from both surrounding and distant communities. After introductions, we were shown various local plants and examples of the natural dyes from each. Then it was off for a short walk to gather plants and dye skeins of alpaca wool for ourselves in earthenware pots over an open fire. It really felt like some magical alchemy. We learned about the patterns and symbols in Peruvian textiles. We then chose colours to make our own bracelet or bookmark (a beautiful but basic pattern for us!) and were paired with a weaver who began the first part for us. We were then shown how to complete the design using a pattern and lot of patience from our instructors! The process is quite intricate and we all came away with so much respect for the skill required to produce the stunning, complex pieces in the small shop here (Ruth is a UNESCO award winner). The shop items are beautiful and so reasonably priced (no mark ups from on-sellers). Lunch of chicken, vegetables, local cheese, giant corn and rice, was delicious as were the local fruits we sampled. To complete our day, we dressed in regional costumes and did a local dance (the video of which will amuse my family for eternity). It was a wonderfully enriching experience for me - so different to the usual bus tours- and it is so good to know that traditional crafts are being supported and shared and women of local communities are receiving recognition for their incredible work. Highly recommended!

Great experience. Thoroughly recommended. Beautiful people from start to finish. Well organised. Very happy :)

Loved this tour. To have a peek in the community, learn from the women and to realise how much time and focus it cost to weave. The whole experience was complete, with colouring the wool, finding the plants for it, the music, the delicious lunch and ofcourse the weaving itself. Naida was a great guide to translate everything and also share more information. Thank you for the great experience!

This experience was one of my favorite things on this trip to Cusco. Our tour host/translator was kind and knowledgeable about the weaving process, and the expert weavers were so talented and loved sharing their knowledge and skill. We knew we would be dying some yarn, but going out to collect material for the dye bath and prepare it was a really unique part of this trip! Watching the master weavers was mesmerizing, they were so fast and precise. This greatly surpassed my expectations, and I highly recommend this special tour to learn about the local natural dyes and weaving techniques and spend time with some wonderful weavers.

Nayda our guide was phenomenal. Ruth, Lucia, Sharmely, and the other ladies were extremely kind and patient. We picked plants, dyed wool, learned about fruit from the area, had an amazing lunch, weaved our own bracelet and learned how to dance. We had little time and with so many activities to pick from we were super happy we chose this one.

This was a perfect way to spend a day acclimating to the altitude. Getting to meet and learn from these talented women, to eat together and to learn how much hard work and skill goes into weaving---I'll never forget any of this. I was a little nervous it might feel touristy or even exploitative but it was so authentic and we learned from one another. So glad we did this--highly recommend.

A full day interactive class that deeply immerses the participant into the culture of the people from the Patabamba community via textile. This experience was much more than just textile. Our facilitator Nayda and the ladies, Marilus, Ruth, and Selena, who shared their knowledge were welcoming, informative, helpful, genuine, and kind. In addition, the setting was beautiful! I would recommend to anyone interested in not only just learning about textiles but obtain a deeper understanding of the values, customs, and way of life of the people. ( I must say this experience along with participant Jaíme have motivated me start to seriously study Spanish in order to connect with my community back home. Having learned Japanese in my early 30’s, I know for a fact that language, verbally expressed and via body language, is key to comprehension. Thank you)

Our tour guide Nayda was amazing and gave us valuable information about local traditions and textile knowledge. Mariluz and Bernardino were the women from the communities and they welcomed us with open arms. We had a wonderful experience learning about the effort required to make textiles.

experience that brings you a bit closer to some of the women of the textile Patabamba community!! You get to make your oun textile through their guidance, eat amazing food all togeather, dance and share the knowledge of plants and natural dyies! We will hold this day to our hearts!

....was the textile workshop!!! We had the opportunity to get to know the amazing womanhood from the Patabamba community! Beautiful women with so much knowledge! We had a full day with them sharing fresh fruites, dying alpaca thread with natural colours we made, had the luck to have an unforgetable lunch with them, learned to weave a traditional pattern and even got to dance all togeather! We will hold this day to our hearts!! 💙💙

This was a really interesting workshop! Nadya was a great guide and translator—friendly, engaged, and very knowledgeable about the weaving process. It was interesting to hear Quechua and learn about the traditional communities in the area. I really enjoyed seeing how the dyes are made and watching the entire process unfold. It was also a lot of fun creating my own little bookmark! The workshop gave me a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship and technical skill behind the handmade pieces you see around Peru. I recommend this experience!

Such an unforgettable experience, it was an honor to spend the entire day in Calca with the local community and to better understand the intricate process of textiles. It was a memorable experience and informative. To be able to learn about plant dyes, to forage, eat local cuisine and create your own piece. It is clear the attention to detail and care that went into creating this experience. Thank you!

This experience was, in a word, amazing. Typically I’m pretty skeptical of most “cultural immersion” visits and worry about feeling extractive or voyeuristic. Our guide Nayda and our master weaver teachers Julia and Maria were so generous, genuinely interested in our learning, and so open-minded- and they showed us all the steps of the dyeing and weaving process with patience and excitement. They are clearly committed to both preserving the textile arts that the family there has been a leader in advancing, but also making sure to honor the cultures that created them in the first place. We ate delicious food, learned some Quechua, and learned a ton About the Depth and beauty in the textile arts of the sacred Valley. Come with an open mind and you will not regret this amazing experience!

We joined the weaving workshop at Qaytu Peru. Our guide was Edwin who was great in explaining everything and also translating the guidelines of Francesca and Lucía, our teachers for the day. The experience was one of our favorites in our whole Peru trip! The whole day was filled with new knowledge and fun activities. First we went through some theory and then tried our hand in each of the steps of textile making: collecting plants, preparing the dyes, dyeing and then weaving. We did appreciate the woven textiles before coming to this workshop but now having tried to weave ourselves, we found it to be so much more complex and amazing. Thank you for this wonderful day, we will remember it forever!

This was a wonderful way to spend my time in Cusco. The transportation was coordinated perfectly. The people were so hospitable you fell like family. The meal was excellent and I learned so much about the cultural art of weaving.

It was a Great Experience. Nayda was a great tour guide. Our son loved dying his own yarn and weaving a bookmark, and so did we. Definitely recommend. Great way to learn about a culture.

This experience is not to be missed and was one of our favorite outings in our entire Peru vacation! My daughter and I attended this wonderful full-day tour together. We had Nayda as our guide and she was warm, personable and engaging. Learning about the traditional process of textile dying and weaving was exciting in itself, but it was even better to be able to experience how to pick and prepare the plant-based dyes and how to create a simple textile project directly from our two community hosts, Lucia and Adalina. This experience was also two-sided: Nayda encouraged us to share our own culture and traditions during our delicious lunch together. At the end of the day, we each shared a dance that represented our community, resulting in fits of laughter from everyone involved. We’re so glad that we chose this tour and highly recommend it as a way to get to know a very special part of Peru.

My husband and I took this class during our recent trip to Peru. As someone who does a fair amount of arts and crafts, this course was the part of my trip I was most looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. First of all, this is the real deal. Two weavers were our private tutors for the entire experience. Both women had traveled from over an hour away to spend time teaching their incredible craft to us. My husband isn't super into arts and crafts, and was a little nervous about going into this immersive experience, but both women were incredibly patient and gracious with all our questions. My husband ended up having a wonderful time, and because of the clear and personalized instruction, he picked up the weaving steps really quickly. Both my husband and I went home with completed bookmarks made with yarn dyed from natural materials, and we also took home yarn we dyed from plants we picked ourselves!! Edwin and his family were also incredibly welcoming and patient with us as our translators and guides. We learned so much about weaving, Quechuan culture, and the lives led by these incredible women and the family. Both my husband and I came away from the class inspired by how talented and intelligent these women are and with a new-found appreciation for Peruvian textiles. A few things to note for people considering this experience and planning around it: - The town where this class is hosted is about an hour north of Cusco and transportation is covered as part of the class - You will be fed a delicious, homemade lunch, and the class did end at around 4/4:30, so expect to be back in Cusco at around 5:30ish - Save some of your shopping for this class as you'll come away with your own bookmarks AND they have a shop full of textiles made by the family and other weavers. There are some beautiful and unique pieces here you won't find anywhere else. - Do wear comfy shoes and clothes as you'll do a small hike nearby to collect native plants My only regret is that the class wasn't longer, so I could learn more, dive deeper into each of the steps, and experiment. I recommend this class to anyone who likes to learn about other cultures, learn a new craft, or just likes meeting incredibly kind and wonderful people while learning a new skill.

Our entire family of 4 loved this weaving experience with the ladies in the community! We were greeted so warmly and really felt the pride in them teaching us this precious art of dyeing and weaving the thread into gorgeous patterns. We were treated to a wonderful, wholesome homecooked meal which we shared with everyone. A visit here is not just about the ruins and Inca stories but we really loved this immersive day spent with these lovely ladies, Ruth, Natividad, Lucia, and others and our most beautiful and talented tour guide, Nayda! Thank you so much for sharing your culture and rich Peru with us❤️

I enjoyed my time in this traditional textile workshop so very much! We were greeted so warmly, like special guests, with warm drinks and refreshments, with wondrrful stories about the Quechua culture and the tradition of the textile weaving. After that we went out to collect plants for coloring our alpaca wool. Then we got to work, actually preparing our colors from the plants we picked, then coloring our pieces of wool, explained and shown how to weave them into a product of our choosing. Of course not before we were offered a wonderfully fresh and very tasty lunch! Nayda and Ruth and Natividad were just wonderful, so warm, so welcoming! I feel that this an experience one shouldn't miss while in Cusco, something off the beaten path of the mainstream tourism...

I had an amazing time on this trip! I really had no idea what to expect..and it was a really a one of kind, unique experience. Nadya was our tour guide and we loved her!!! She was not only very smart and funny but also a great photographer! I enjoyed meeting and learning from the women. Everyone was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and fun! The food was terrific too. I have recommended this tour to many people. I would do this tour again. Thank you for a wonderful time :-).

This was such a fun experience! I highly recommend taking the time out to do this before shopping as well as you learn so much valuable information on the textiles and authenticity. It is such a cool experience to pick and create your own dyes from natural sources as well as weave your own bracelets! The locals are so friendly here and giving. We had so much fun spending the day with them.

Absolutely wonderful experience!!! I was really excited about this experience but it still far exceeded my expectations. I am a textile nerd and I really love learning about different weaving traditions. I do some tapestry weaving and macramé as a hobby, so I was extra excited to learn. Our guide, Nayda, and a driver picked me and my partner up from our hotel in Cusco at 8:30 AM. There was also another guest who joined our tour group. We drove about an hour through the countryside, making a couple stops along the way for pictures. The drive had beautiful views! Once we arrived at the workshop, we got to meet everyone! Our guide translated between us and the weaving ladies. We learned about plants used for dyeing yarn and for medicine. We went for a walk to collect some leaves for dye and then had a snack. We dyed yarn and then got to pick 4 colors of yarn that was already dyed to make our bracelets. (Bookmarks were an option, but we all chose bracelets.) The ladies started our bracelets to show us how to weave. We ate lunch together and it was fantastic! After that, there was a short break. Our group enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere and beautiful scenery before sitting down to weave. We worked on our bracelets for a while. I learned so much! It was not super easy to pick up quickly, but the ladies and our guide helped us every step of the way. Towards the end, our guide taught us about the traditional clothes and dressed us up. We all danced together for a song, which was lovely! We then had an opportunity to peruse the store. Honestly, it was not as expensive as I expected, and I made several purchases. We also got to take the yarn that we dyed home! Overall, this was such a wonderful experience and I am so glad we did this. The atmosphere was peaceful and beautiful, I learned a lot about textile techniques, and I felt like I got to be more immersed in the regional culture. Our guide, Nayda, was absolutely wonderful and I would definitely recommend this experience!

Wonderful experience! The pick up from the hotel to Taller Escuela Q’aytu was seamless. When we arrived we were greeted by Martina and Navidad, to learn more about their history with the fibers and the association with UNESCO. We were able to learn about the different plants used to dye the fibers, dye our own fibers and make a beautiful bracelet. Overall, an educational and welcoming experience!

What a lovely day to spend in the sacred valley, learning about the regional fauna and flora and what makes the dye for the wool. A great way to be immersed with the Quechuan women and learning the art of weaving.

Thanks to Peru Private tours , Peru was the best trip ever! They were incredibly helpful, guiding us to the must-see spots and making sure we felt safe throughout our journey."

I’m so happy I did this workshop! This is by far the best cultural experience I’ve had here. This was even better than Machu Pichu. They were prompt for pickup and very communicative and organized prior to the excursion. On the day of, Naydiss (my guide) and the driver Marco were very warm and welcoming. Marco navigated the roads well. I usually get car sick, but this time I didn’t. Since it was my birthday Luciana (the master textile woman) welcomed me with flowers when I arrived on the property. As for the textile, they really teach you everything from start to finish. You pick your own plants so you can dye the wool and you have an option to make a bookmark or bracelet. You have to do a beginner design that all textile women must master before going to another design with increased difficulty. You choose your colores for the bracelet which is alpaca wool. I love how hands on this workshop was even though my back hurts lol. I really appreciated Luciana’s patience. She was always there guiding me and helping to fix my mistakes. This experience really gives you an appreciation of all the time and effort it takes to weave textiles. I learned so much about the culture and was able to participate in some traditions which was also really fun. The food was amazing! Naydiss is great in the kitchen. Everything is organic and from the local area. They even surprised me with a special birthday cake! You can tell that they have great pride in what they do and are passionate about sharing their culture, their experiences, etc. We talked about hair, clothes, men, everything! I felt like I was apart of a community. This definitely is an experience for women by women to share and grow together.

This tour is absolutely magical and Edwin is a wonderful host. I have always wanted to learn about the art of weaving and this experience exceeded all expectations. From spinning and dying alpaca wool to learning about the traditional weaving process from Margarita and Lucia, I feel so fulfilled and am grateful to have had the chance to learn about this beautiful local art form.

Had an amazing day learning about foraged materials and natural dyeing techniques used for textiles. Being shown how to weave my own bookmark by Dahlia who was an amazing teacher was super fun, and Nayda was a great guide who explained everything to me in really good English (as my Spanish is awful) and also prepared a delicious lunch! Highly recommend!!!