Day 1 - Arrival Lima

Upon arrival in Lima, please proceed through immigration and customs formalities and make your way to the main hall of the airport. As you walk through the sliding glass doors upon exiting the security checkpoint area turn immediately to your right and head for the terminal exit.

Your representative will be waiting for you out of the terminal building holding a sign with your name on it, and will bring you to your hotel.

In the afternoon, visit the “City of the Kings”, starting in Plaza Mayor, the original site upon which Lima was founded. You will visit the historic Cathedral which is an architectural masterpiece. You then pass the presidential Palace with its excellent photo opportunities and go on to Santo Domingo Convent. After you have finished in the historic center, you will be driven across Lima to the Larco Museum where the extensive private collection of pre-Inca ceramics is considered to be the largest of its kind in the world. It showcases remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview on 3,000 years of development of Peruvian Pre-Columbian History. For an unforgettable experience, Larco is one of the few museums in the world where visitors can also choose to enter the storage area with its 45,000 classified archaeological objects.

Overnight: Hotel B

Meal Plan: B

Day 2 - Welcome to Sacred Valley!

Transfer to Lima International airport for your domestic flight to Cusco.

Upon arrival in Cusco, you are met and transferred to the city for lunch.

Then, transfer to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. En route, stop at Manos de la Comunidad, a center where South American Camelids (members of the camel family) including Llamas, Alpacas, Guanacos and Vicunas are all bred. Learn about the renowned fibers created from their coats, as well as the ancient weaving techniques which are still practiced to this day.

Overnight: Hotel B

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 3 - Exploring the Sacred Valley

Meet Quechua-speaking farmers and weavers on an inspiring half-day visit to an Andean highland community in the Sacred Valley near the well-known market town and former Inca royal palace of Chinchero. This personal encounter reveals the unique lifestyle and traditions of descendants from the mighty Inca Empire. Explore their village, see and taste the typical food of the area, understand their ancient medical remedies, watch weavers at work, wander into the fields to learn about local agricultural practices, and join in a traditional Andean blessing.

Picnic Lunch

Then, drive through the valley to the salt pans of Maras (Salineras de Maras) to appreciate a method of salt extraction used since Inca times. From the village of Maras, continue to Moray, a fascinating archaeological site comprising a series of concentric agricultural terraces, some as deep as 150 meters ( 492 feet), while enjoying the magnificent views this part of the Sacred Valley offers.

Overnight: Sol y Luna Hotel

Meal Plan: B,BXL

Day 4 - Vistadome Train

Transfer from your hotel to the station in Ollantaytambo to board the Vistadome.

Take the train from the station at the village of Ollantaytambo to Km 104 of the railway, the starting point of our trek. First, you pass the ruins of Chachabamba and then begin a 4-hour ascent. During the climb, you have a spectacular view of the Urubamba Valley and finally reach the magnificent ruins of Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young). From this point, we continue our expedition along one of the best-preserved sections of the trail, through a wet cloud forest full of abundant flora and fauna.

Finally, you cross the entry of Intipunku (Gate of Sun) after which you find lots of natural beauty and human artistry: the magical city of Machu Picchu which you will explore tomorrow.

Overnight: Sol y Luna Hotel

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 5 - Welcome to Machu Picchu!

Transfer to the citadel of Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is widely known for its great spirituality and the best time to experience the serenity of the citadel is at dawn. Today you have another chance to visit the ruins and to capture some memorable images. Visit Huayna Picchu mountain, located to the north of the citadel, which you often see in the background of images of Machu Picchu. On top of the mountain, you can see the terraces, which were built to avoid erosion and now display beautiful Incan gardens. Reach the top of the mountain by following the trail that continues along the left side of the mountain. The walk takes approximately an hour to complete. In the afternoon, transfer to Aguas Calientes.

**Please Note: Access to Huayna Picchu is limited and must be arranged prior to departure. Passport information is mandatory at time of booking.

Vistadome Train back to Ollantaytambo train station

On arrival at Ollantaytambo Station, you will be met by a representative and transferred by private vehicle to your hotel in Cusco. The transfer time is approximately 2 hours.

Overnight: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 6 - City Tour in Cusco

Morning at leisure.

This afternoon, uncover Cusco on a city tour beginning at the architecturally-stunning Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, considered to be one of the most beautiful churches in the Americas. Its construction was influenced by the great Spanish cathedrals of the era, reflecting gothic, renaissance, and baroque styles. Another ornate church is Santo Domingo, a 16th-century Dominican church and convent built on the foundations of the Koricancha, the Incas’ principal religious building, dedicated to the worship of the sun. Next, explore the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a testament to Incan architectural skills with enormous stones, cut and placed together with incredible precision and without any mortar to hold them in place. This ancient fortress overlooks the red-tiled roofs of Cusco and the spectacular surrounding countryside and is where the greatest battle between the Spanish and Incas took place.

Overnight: Palacio Nazarenas, a Belmond Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Puno

Transfer from your hotel to the train station to board the train to Arequipa.

11:00 Departing from Cusco, the capital of the ancient Inca Empire, you travel across the Altiplano towards Puno and the reflective beauty of Lake Titicaca.

Enjoy lunch on board before your visit to Raqchi at 13:55.

Tea is served at 15:30 after which you can enjoy the sunset at la Raya. Cocktail and dinner on board before arriving at Titicaca Lake station at 23:30.

Overnight: Palacio Nazarenas, a Belmond Hotel

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 8 - Taquile Island and Collata Beach

06:00 Breakfast followed by a visit to Uros Island - a typical boat ride. Stop off at Taquile Island and Collata Beach.

12:30 Lunch is served on a private beach with local entertainment by way of typical dances and demonstration of artisan work. Return to Titilaka Lake station for tea time.

At 16:50 depart to Arequipa, relaxing with cocktail and dinner on board.

Overnight: Belmond Andean Explorer

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 9 - Sumbay Caves

06:00 Breakfast after which the morning will be spent at Saracocha including an unmissable visit to Sumbay Caves, home to the rock art of the first humans to live in the Peruvian highlands, and finally you reach the volcanic “White City’ of Arequipa.

Return to the train and continue travelling onwards to the natural wonder of the Colca Canyon, the dramatic realm of the soaring condor.

Overnight: Belmond Andean Explorer

Meal Plan: B

Day 10 - Visit Cruz del Cóndor

Departure at 06:15 am to go to Cruz del Cóndor, where the depths of the canyon can be seen, which is considered to be deeper than the Colorado Canyon. In addition, you can appreciate the majestic flight of the condors in their natural habitat. (It is possible to go trekking for an hour from Cruz del Cura to Cruz del Condor). The trip goes on to the town of Cabanaconde, a town that produces corn and is also the second most important town in the Valley.
As you return, visit the towns of Macca and Yanque and their churches of colonial times. You will also visit the viewpoints of Wayra Punku, Antahuilque. Arrival in Chivay. In the afternoon it is possible to go trekking for a short time, like going to Uyu Uyu, Puente Sifón (the Viewpoint of Chininia where you can see the Colcas, depending on physical conditions).

Overnight: Las Casitas, a Belmond Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 11 - Coporaque

Visit the towns on the right border of the Valley, such as Coporaque. (It is possible to go trekking to the Ruins of San Antonio. It takes approximately an hour), Ichupampa. This trip can only be made in small cars due to the hard road.

After returning to Chivay, the departure time for Arequipa at 13:00 and you will arrive back at 17:00 approximately.

Overnight: Las Casitas, a Belmond Hotel

Meal Plan: B,D

Day 12 - Exploring Arequipa, the White City

Arequipa is known as the White City, white for the houses, monuments, and temples built on the basis of ashlar, which led Unesco to declare this beautiful city as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2000. Volcanic lava was used by our ancestors to turn it into blocks of ashlar and then build houses and temples. Now the quarries from which this material is extracted were also converted into a circuit where the landscape and culture are shown. This half-day tour begins at Añashuayco and Quebrada de Culebrillas Quarries, going back to the past and crossing this narrow ravine whose opening has been eroded for thousands of years by water and wind. During the tour, you can rest in the shade on ashlar seats and appreciate the beautiful desert landscape that nature gives us. Descending the ravine we find the imposing cliffs of various shapes, which in the sunlight are appreciated in various shades from beige to pink, creating beautiful shots with contrasts of light and shadow. In these quarries, we see a combination of natural landscapes and living culture. During the tour, you can hear the tinkling of the bars on the cliffs and see expert master stonemasons at work. Here is a demonstration of the ancestral process of extraction, cutting and carving rustic tools. Afternoon at leisure.

Overnight: Cirqa Parador Hotel

Meal Plan: B,D

Day 13 - Visit Santa Catalina Monastery

In the morning, visit the colonial district of Yanahuara, famous for its Andalucian style churches and its breathtaking viewpoint of Carmen Alto and its beautiful landscape. Moving to the neighborhood of San Lázaro, you can enjoy the sights of the Church of San Francisco with its18th-century picturesque plaza; the Main Square, architecturally fascinating and surrounded by sillar arches; the facade of the Cathedral and the Company of Jesus Church with its renowned cloisters, founded in the17th century by the Jesuits. After finishing here continue to Santa Catalina Monastery. Founded in 1579, this is the most important and impressive religious monument in Peru.

Transfer from your hotel to Arequipa Airport to board the flight to Lima.

Upon arrival at Lima International Airport, you will be met and given assistance at your hotel.

Overnight: Cirqa Parador Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 14 - Departure

Assistance at Lima International Airport with your international flight.

Overnight: Costa del Sol Wyndham

Meal Plan: B