Nazca Lines, Ballestas Island & Machu Picchu
Nazca Lines and Machu Picchu package takes you to discover the amazing Nazca lines, enjoy the extensive Peruvian gastronomy, visit the crossbow islands, and explore the lost city of the Incas: Machu Picchu.
Summary
DAY 01 – Welcome Lima / Lima
DAY 02 – Historical City Tour + Larco Museum / Lima
DAY 03 – Peruvian Paso Horse Show / Lima
DAY 04 – Nazca Lines + Buggies & Sand Boarding / Paracas
DAY 05 – Ballestas Island + Paracas National Reserve / Lima
DAY 06 – Welcome Cusco Airport + City Tour / Cusco
DAY 07 – Full Day Sacred Valley / Aguas Calientes Town
DAY 08 – Sunrise Machu Picchu Citadel Excursion / Cusco
DAY 09 – Transfer Out Cusco
DAY 01 – WELCOME TO PERU
Upon arrival in Lima, you will be met by our representative and a private driver and will be transferred to your hotel.
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 – COLONIAL CITY TOUR + LARCO HERRERA MUSEUM
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.
Meals Included: Breakfast
DAY 03 – FULL DAY PACHACAMAC & PERUVIAN PASO HORSE SHOW
Visit the Pachacamac citadel, often called the Rome of the Andes, with its temples, streets, pyramids, cemeteries, and home of the most famous oracle in the Andean empire. People from all over the Tawantinsuyo Empire visited this shrine to learn what the future held in store for themselves, their communities as well as the outcome of important battles, possible droughts, and other catastrophes.
Peruvian Paso Horse Show
Then head to private Hacienda (ranch) located in the Southern Valley of Lima, a place devoted to breeding of the traditional Peruvian Paso Horse. Relax in contact with nature and learn first-hand about the history of this particular type of horse and its characteristics. Admire newborns, horses being trained and adult horses showing off all their qualities in their luxurious “apero” outfits, ridden by our “chalanes” in typical garments. Enjoy the opportunity of riding the smoothest horse in the world and feel the elegant “paso” walk that resembles a dance.
Lunch will be served at the restaurant and you will enjoy typical Peruvian cuisine.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 04 – OVERFLIGHT NAZCA LINE + BUGGIES & SAND BOARDING
Discover the mystery of the Nazca Lines and appreciate them by air in a small aircraft. In this amazing tour, you can see and the giant figures that the ancient inhabitants of Peru left marked on the vast Pampa de Nazca.
We will fly over these mysterious drawings made in the sand that represent several animal shapes such as a spider, a monkey, a dog, a hummingbird, a condor, amongst others; all of these having huge dimensions that vary from 50ft to 985 ft. in length and one-foot depth.
After the tour, you will stop at a local restaurant for lunch
We will then board a bus and continue onto Huacachina. It is home to an extraordinary adventure with dune buggies and sandboarding down the dunes! This tour is both thrilling and jaw-dropping.
After that, we leave Huacachina back to Paracas to your hotel.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 05 – BALLESTAS ISLAND + RESERVA NACIONAL DE PARACAS
In the morning admiring the sea and the ecological richness of Peru.
Early morning departure to the pier to board comfortable sailboats and sail the Ballestas Islands. In this area, there is an important marine fauna and here you will find large colonies of seabirds such as the guanay, the booby, the tendril plus some examples of Peruvian penguins (Humboldt), a lot of seals (fur seals and sea lion) besides other species. Prepare your camera to take amazing pictures of the biodiversity in this area and also the famous “Candelabro de Paracas” (part of the Nazca Lines).
We continue with a SEASIDE visit to the Paracas National Reserve.
The Paracas National Reserve is a protected area of Peru located in the province of Pisco, within the department of Ica. The National Reserve of Paracas was declared as such on September 25, 1975. It was created in order to conserve a portion of the sea and the desert of Peru, giving protection to the various species of wild flora and fauna that live there.
Lunch will be served at the restaurant before you take your van back to Lima
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 06 – WELCOME CUSCO AIRPORT + ARCHEOLOGICAL CITY TOUR
Upon arrival at Cusco Airport, you will be met by our representative and a private driver and will be transferred to your hotel. Our representative will provide you with a detailed itinerary, vouchers covering all the services included in your tour and additional information on the organization of your Machu Picchu experience.
HALF DAY ARCHEOLOGICAL CUSCO CITY TOUR
This afternoon 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 07 – SEDUCTIVE DAY IN THE 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 08 – 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.
Afterward, 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 09 – TRANSFER OUT
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
