DAY 01 – Welcome Lima / Overnight Lima
DAY 02 – Lima Colonial City Tour, Larco Museum & Dinner Show / Overnight Lima
DAY 03 – Gastronomic Experience / Overnight Lima
DAY 04 – Welcome Arequipa & City Tour / Overnight Arequipa
DAY 05 – Colca Canyon / Overnight Colca
DAY 06 – Condor’s Cross / Puno / Overnight Puno
DAY 07 – Full Day Titicaca Lake / Overnight Puno
DAY 08 – Route of the Sun to Cusco/ Overnight Cusco
DAY 09 – Cusco Archeological City Tour / Overnight Cusco
DAY 10 – Yachaq’s Textile Cultural / Overnight Cusco
DAY 11 – Full Day Sacred Valley / Aguas Calientes Town
DAY 12 – Machu Picchu Citadel Excursion / Overnight Cusco
DAY 13 – Full Day Rainbow Mountain / Overnight Cusco
DAY 14 – Maras Moray Tour & Transfer out Cusco and flight back Home
DAY 01 – WELCOME TO LIMA, PERU
Upon arrival in Lima, you will be met by our representative and driver at Jorge Chavez International Airport, who’s will be transferring you to your hotel in Miraflores, Lima.
Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and provide you with a detailed itinerary, vouchers covering all the services included in your tour, and additional information on the organization of your Peru trip.
Meals Included: None
DAY 02 – LIMA COLONIAL CITY TOUR, LARCO MUSEUM & DINNER SHOW
Get ready for a busy morning, starting with a guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima, the “City of Kings”. The tour includes Lima’s Historical Center, Casa Aliaga, passing by Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Cathedral and its Religious Art Museum, as well as San Francisco Monastery and its famous underground crypts are known as the Catacombs.
We continue to the Museo Larco a housed in an exquisite 18th century vice-royal mansion, built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The museum’s galleries exhibit the finest and most magnificent gold and jewelry treasures from Ancient Peru and the renowned erotic collection, one of Peru’s most celebrated attractions.
Then, spend a night out at La Dama Juana Restaurant, where you’ll enjoy a tasty Peruvian buffet and folkloric dancing.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 03 – GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCE
Passengers will be picked up at their hotel and driven to the local Market Surquillo Fresh Produce in order to start the tour.
Visita Typical Peruvian Market
During the visit to the Modelo Market in Surquillo passengers will have the chance to see the ingredients used to prepare our most traditional Peruvian dish.
How to make Pisco Sour and Ceviche
Arrive at a traditional eatery where our Chef will give us a demonstration of how ceviche, a popular Peruvian dish is prepared. Also, we will be tasting different dishes and mixing Pisco sour, our world-famous cocktail.
We will continue to another well-known restaurant in Miraflores, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There we will visit to taste a wide variety of traditional Peruvian dishes.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 04 – WELCOME AREQUIPA & CITY TOUR
Upon arrival, reception, assistance and transfer to the hotel.
In the afternoon we start a three hour sightseeing tour including Santa Catalina Convent, the Plaza de Armas, the Jesuit Church of La Compañía and its beautifully painted Chapel, the Church of San Francisco, the San Lazaro District, Selva Alegre and the typical Districts of Cayma and Yanahuara for a magnificent view of the Misti Volcano.
Meals Included: Breakfast
DAY 05 – AREQUIPA – COLCA CANYON
Early in the morning, after breakfast, departure by land on your excursion towards the Colca Valley driving across Pampa Cañahuas at the Aguada Blanca National Reserve, habitat of herds of Vicuñas and stopping at the Mirador de los Andes, the Crater of Chucura, the Mirador de Chivay, where beautiful pre-Columbian terraces still being cultivated by native Collaguas can be observed. The highest point of the road is at 4350 m.a.s.l..
Arrival to the Town of Chivay at 13:00hrs. approx. Transfer to your selected Lodge. Box lunch.
In the afternoon free time to visit Hot Spring Thermal and Medicinal Baths.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 06 – CONDOR’S CROSS / PUNO
Early in the morning departure to the “Condor’s Cross” from where the great Andean bird, the Condor, may be spotted flying in circles above still farmed green pre-Hispanic terraces. Enjoy the impressive panorama of the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the World (3,180 mts.). On the way back to Chivay, visit to the Mirador of Chinina, where we will find the famous Hanging Tombs and the Hanging Bridge of Sifón that joins the Town of Yanque with Coporaque. At the Town of Yanque, visit its beautiful church and its characteristic cobbled stone streets among other attractions. To have spectacular views of the Colca Valley, we will drive to the observation points of Choquetipo and Artahuilque and also to the Town of Maca.
After lunch at a local restaurant, will take the bus to Puno.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 07 – FULL DAY UROS & TAQUILE ISLAND
Breakfast will start your day at the hotel, then you will enjoy unforgettable motorboat excursion on the waters of Lake Titicaca to the unique “Floating Islands” of the Uros.
These ancient inhabitants of the Lake, known as “The Water Tribe”, have built their own “Islands” by periodically adding new layers of a type of reed called “totora” (Scirpus totora), vegetable fiber of the Papyrus family. Their homes and boats are also made from the same material.
Continuing our trip to the island of Taquile, known for having the best weavers of ancient Peru. This place has preserved many rituals and the lifestyle of the ancient Incas.
We will walk for about 30 minutes to the center of the island, stay there for 3 amazing hours and have lunch. Then we will descend down a long stairwell of 500 steps!
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 08 – FULL DAY THE ROUTE OF THE SUN TO CUSCO
Breakfast. Early departure by bus to the City of Puno, (3,860 m.a.s.l.). During the trip, we pass by the lovely Wacarpay Lake, offering spectacular views of the mountains reflected in its calm waters. We proceed to the beautiful Town of Andahuaylillas, and visit the Church of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, better known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, due to its decorated polychrome ceiling. On the way, we stop in Raqchi, where we can see a spectacular Inca Sanctuary built by the Inca Pachacutec, and dedicated to the great Inca God of Wiracocha. It has a great central wall with a stone base of fine Inca architecture. Other walls are made of giant adobe bricks. The structure also has two circular lateral columns. Around the Temple are several buildings once used for housing and storage. About 70 km further on, we pass through La Raya Ranch where we can see herds vicuñas and llamas. Then we travel along the High Plateau of Collao, stopping at the Town of Ayaviri, an important livestock and textile centre, to visit the impressive Temple of Kalasaya, ruins from the ancient Pucara Culture.
Buffet lunch in a countryside restaurant, where we can enjoy the delightful culinary art of the region.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 09 – HALF-DAY ARCHEOLOGICAL CUSCO CITY TOUR
This morning you’ll enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of Cusco, with your guide to the first ruin site (Tambomachay). As you walk to and visit each archaeological site, your guide will explain the history, architecture, and local traditions. The four sites are Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, Q’enko, and Sacsayhuaman. After exploring the last ruin site, you will walk down to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco City. With examples of Inca history and architecture. Visit the city’s most important historical monuments that reveal the influence of different cultures: The Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral dating from Spanish vice-royalty times, built with great slabs of red granite renaissance style in contrast with the baroque style silverwork of its interior and, the Santo Domingo church built upon the foundations of the Inca temple Qorikancha, dedicated to worship the Sun God.
Meals Included: Breakfast
DAY 10 – YACHAQ’S TEXTILE CULTURAL
AMARU COMMUNITY – PISAC
Experience the magic of authentic Andean weaving, from the shearing process of the llamas and sheep all the way to the final product, the vivid colors of the clothing worn by the villages of Amaru come from natural dyes extracted from plants and other organic elements. The weavers create fantastic geometric shapes that enclose ancient Inca codes. The communities knit their identity, customs and desires – creating a conversation with them by means of visual patterns. The Amaru villagers will teach you how to speak this language through textiles as you build your own design with their help.
You will be greeted by an amazing community reception with traditional music and beautiful Incan flowers (kantu). After the welcoming ceremony, you will begin “Decoding the Andean Textile” this starts with an explanation of all the different organic materials use to make the natural dyes – which plants they come from, what is their symbolism, and what other uses they have (many have medicinal qualities as well). The second activity is the shearing, cleaning and the coiling of the sheep or alpaca wool that is used in textiles – followed by a demonstration of how the wool is dyed by boiling. The iconography that is used in the textiles is extremely important to the villagers of Amaru – and through the duration of this activity, a local guide will explain the most important motives of each symbol that is weaved in the textile. Once the demonstration is concluded, you will get the chance to purchase beautiful, local textile all locally made and authentically (table runners, scarfs, purses, belts, bracelets, etc).
After, you will have an amazing lunch consisting of local cuisine prepared fresh with local ingredients.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 11 – FULL DAY SACRED VALLEY
Start your exploration on the way to the Sacred Valley visiting Awanacancha, an Andean textile center whose key objective is to maintain the wealth of Incan textile art and keep their traditions alive.
Then head to the town of Pisac, famous for its ruins which lie atop a hill at the entrance the valley and separated along the ridge into four groups: Pisac, Inti Watana, Q’allaqasa, and Kinchiraqay.
Visit the Inti Watana group which includes the Temple of the Sun, baths, altars, water fountains, a ceremonial platform, and an inti Watana – a volcanic ritual stone used as an astronomic clock or Inca calendar to define the change seasons.
Continue to the Pisac Markets, which was the place of reunion for all artisans of the region to get together and exchange or buy and sell their products.
After lunch, we will travel to the ruins of the Ollantaytambo fortress to continue the tour. These spectacular ruins were constructed during the time of the Incas. At the end of the tour, you can enjoy a few moments you have left in the Town of Ollantaytambo before you take your train to Aguas Calientes town.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 12 – SUNRISE MACHU PICCHU CITADEL EXCURSION
You will leave your hotel after breakfast and board a bus that will take you to the entrance gate of the citadel of Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu is one of the most-visited sites worldwide. Machu Picchu dazzles all who visit it with its beauty and mystery. You will follow in the footsteps of the ancient Incas as you explore this magical citadel along with your local and experimented tour guide.
After the tour, you will stop at a local restaurant for a buffet lunch.
Afterwards, you will have a little time to explore the town of Aguas Calientes before boarding your train back to Cusco.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
OPTIONAL
HIKE UP TO HUAYNA PICCHU, the mountain behind Machu Picchu. This hike is strenuous and recommended only for travelers comfortable with heights and who have a good fitness level.
A fair amount of climbing is required. Get fabulous views of Machu Picchu from the top. Total time for this excursion is 2.5 hours. You may want to extend your hike and go to the Moon Temple as well, which is close to Huayna Picchu. This adds an extra hour total to this excursion. Total time for the Huayna Picchu visit, including the Moon Temple, is 3.5 hours. (This hike requires advanced reservations).
DAY 13 – FULL DAY RAINBOW MOUNTAIN
This morning we will head to the south of Cusco, a trip that will take approximately 3 hours to the starting point of the excursion. Once we arrive in the community of Chilca we will have breakfast followed by an information session that will be provided by our guide.
The hike will take between 4 to 5 hours (normal – slow rhythm) with the first part ascending gradually until the control point.
From this point, the trail will ascend sharply by 45 degrees until Vinincunca. To have an even better view, we will climb up a small mountain, which is found at the Forefront of this natural wonder, and see how fascinating this área is. We will be here for about 40 minutes and then return to the camping área for lunch where a departure time will be confirmed for the return trip back to Cusco.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 14 – MARAS MORAY TOUR & TRANSFER OUT CUSCO AND FLIGHT BACK HOME
Today you will set off in the direction of the Sacred Valley to the town of Chinchero, an authentic Andean village with lots of character, where we will find the colonial church that houses a large collection of painting from the Cusqueñan School of Art.
Next, continue to the salt fields of Maras and its seemingly never-ending terraces, where salt extracted from springs is stored. The use of Maras Salt dates back thousands of years and is inherited from generation to generation and managed communally.
Continue your excursion to admire the Moray terraces, believed to be a former gigantic agricultural laboratory, an astronomical observatory or a place of worship, or maybe all three. It is thought that Moray was used for plant adaptation to new climatic environments thanks to its circular terraces in immense cone-shaped depressions of 47 to 84 m that resemble giant fingerprints or contour lines.
At the scheduled time you will be shuttled from the hotel to the airport to board your flight back to Lima. Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and then to your connecting flight back home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
