Route of the Sun & Titicaca Lake
Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca package, brings together the best tours from Lima to Puno, passing through Cusco and the Lost City of the Incas: Machu Picchu. You will have the opportunity to discover one of the best gastronomies in the world and one of the most amazing cultures as well.
Summary
DAY 01 – Welcome Lima / Lima
DAY 02 – Gastronomic Tour / Lima
DAY 03 – Historical City Tour + Larco Museum / Lima
DAY 04 – Welcome Cusco Airport + City Tour / Cusco
DAY 05 – Full Day Sacred Valley / Aguas Calientes Town
DAY 06 – Sunrise Machu Picchu Citadel Excursion / Cusco
DAY 07 – Full Day Rainbow Mountain / Cusco
DAY 08 – Route of the Sun to Puno / Puno
DAY 09 – Full Day Lake Titicaca / Puno
DAY 10 – Sillustani + Flight from Juliaca to Lima / Depart Home
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 – PERUVIAN CULINARY TOUR
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
Arrival 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 03 – 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 04 – 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 05 – 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 06 – 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 07 – 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 08 – FULL DAY THE ROUTE OF THE SUN TO PUNO
Breakfast will start your day at the hotel, and then we will depart for the City of Puno. Our journey will take you by the lovely Wacarpay Lake, offering spectacular views of the mountains reflected in its calm waters. Then onward to the beautiful Town of Andahuaylillas, where we will visit the Church of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, (better known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, due to its (decorated polychrome ceiling). Next, we will stop in the Town of Raqchi, where we will see a spectacular Incan Sanctuary. Built by the Incan Emperor Pachacutec, and dedicated to the Inca God of Wiracocha. It has a unique central wall with a stone base of fine Incan 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 34 miles further, we will pass through the Town of La Raya. In this town, we will see herds of vicuñas and llamas while passing through.
Then our next stop, the Town of Ayaviri, an important livestock and textile center. Then we will visit the remarkable Temple of Kalasaya, ruins from the ancient Pucara civilization. Afterward, we will enjoy a buffet lunch in a countryside restaurant, where we can enjoy the delightful culinary art of the region.
Upon arrival in the City of Puno, you will be welcomed by one of our representatives, who will give you a brief introduction to the city and our services while on the way to your hotel.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 09 – 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 10 – SILLUSTANI + FLIGHT FROM JULIACA TO LIMA / DEPART HOME
Breakfast will start your day at the hotel, we w1ill head out to Juliaca’s Airport, with a short stop at the Chullpas of Sillustani and stay there for approximately 30 minutes.
The archaeological site of Sillustani is located 22.3 miles away from the city of Puno and at an altitude of 12,858 feet (3,840mts.) above sea level.
This vantage point allows you to enjoy stunning highland landscapes and imposing pre-Inca architecture. The site is strategically positioned on the top of a peninsula surrounded by a beautiful lagoon called Umayo lagoon.
The most imposing burial towers were built for the chiefs and priests. For the ancient cultures, the cemeteries were important resting places for the deceased people. Therefore, our ancestors would strategically choose exceptionally beautiful spots for burial ground.
After this, we will continue our way to Juliaca’s Airport. Once there, you will board your flight back to Lima, later on, your connecting flight home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
