Classic Perú | Amazon, Cusco & Machu Picchu

This programme of 12 days for Peru invites you to wander through the heart of Perú’s culture, its breathtaking nature and its lively traditions. We begin in Lima, where we wander the centre and visit the Larco Museum, home to stunning pre-Columbian art and treasures. Next we head to Puerto Maldonado, spending three nights amid the Amazon. In the Amazon we trek through the rainforest, take boat trips to Lake Sandoval, walk the canopy, visit farms and pause often to watch wildlife. From the Amazon we journey onward to Cusco and the Sacred Valley. In Cusco we discover Inca and colonial sites, including the towns of Ollantaytambo and Pisac. The pinnacle of the trip is Machu Picchu. A guided tour of Machu Picchu lets us stand close to the city and feel its timeless magic. Finally, we cross the Altiplano to Puno stopping at archaeological spots along the way. In Puno we explore Lake Titicaca, visit the island of Taquile see Santa Maria-Llachon and wander the floating Uros Ccapi islands. The journey concludes with a visit, to the Inca burial site of Sillustani before we arrive in Juliaca. This trip blends history, nature and culture to capture the soul of Perú.

12 Day Peru Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Lima

Arrive in Lima, where you will be welcomed and helped before going to your hotel. Lima is the capital of Peru. It is located along the dry coastline of the Pacific Ocean. The city has a mix of colonial buildings and modern city life. Lima was founded in 1535. It still has a big area from the colonial times. It is also one of the cities in South America. The capital has museums like the Museo Larco, which has a collection of art from before the time of Columbus and the Museo de la Nación, which shows the history of the old civilizations in Peru. Another thing that is special about Lima is its food.

Day 2: Colonial Lima and the Larco Museum

The tour is a half-day adventure that lets the tour learn about the “City of Kings” and its colonial and pre-Columbian legacy. The tour starts in Plaza de Armas, the heart of colonial Lima, where the tour sees the Presidential Palace and Cathedral of Lima. The tour walks through the UNESCO-listed centre, taking in balconies and elaborate facades before the tour continues to Pueblo Libre. At Pueblo Libre, the tour visits the Larco Museum, where the tour explores collections that include gold and silver erotic ceramics and extensive storage galleries. The excursion operates as a group tour with an English-speaking guide and lasts about 4 hours 30 minutes. The programme lists departure times at 09:00 and 14:00. After the tour, the tour returns to the hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 3: Into the Peruvian Amazon

Transfer to Lima airport at the time for your flight to Puerto Maldonado. After you arrive and the lodge staff greet you go into the Amazon on an outboard motorized canoe. You will travel about twenty-five minutes down the Madre de Dios River to Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion. Lunch uses ingredients and tastes of local foods. Your first rainforest walk happens on the Concepcion Trails. Here you will learn about rainforest and secondary rainforest, the parts of each how they are used how people have changed them and why they matter to the planet. When the sun goes down you go back to the river for a Twilight River trip. You will learn about creeks, animals that are active at night the river ecosystem and stars in the southern sky. End the day with dinner and a night, at the lodge. The group gets service with an English-speaking guide.

Meals Included: Lunch / Dinner

Day 4: Lake Sandoval and the Rainforest Canopy

Following buffet breakfast, trek through terra firma within the Tambopata National Reserve to Lake Sandoval. During the excursion, learn about the reserve’s conservation work and how the lake was formed. A dugout canoe journey across the oxbow lake offers opportunities to observe wildlife identified in the source, including giant river otters, blue and yellow macaws, red howler monkeys, black caimans, and paiche. After lunch at the lodge, travel approximately 20 minutes by motorized canoe to the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway Interpretation Center. Learn about the walkway’s construction and conservation projects, ascend one of its 98-foot/30-meter towers, and cross seven hanging bridges approximately 91 feet/28 meters above the ground. Continue along a 200-meter wooden bridge over flooded areas before exploring the forest after dark on the Rainforest by Night excursion. Return for dinner at the lodge.

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 5: Amazon Traditions, Plants and Waterways

Start early with breakfast then head to the farm for a farm excursion. At the farm, you learn about cultivation methods and taste the products you see. Next, visit the garden, a botanical garden full of medicinal plants that the Amazon people call a natural pharmacy and compare their medicines to old remedies. After that return to the lodge for lunch and a rest before heading to the water for the Cocha excursion. On the Cocha you paddle in a dugout canoe across the pond, try catch-and-release fishing and look for wildlife such as hoatzins, flycatchers and gray-necked woodrails. The trip also shows the remains of the Fitzcarrald steamboat. In the evening, you join the Inland Collpa watching species and their nighttime routines from blinds. Then you have dinner.

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 6: From the Rainforest to Cusco

After a buffet breakfast, leave the lodge. Head back along the river route to Puerto Maldonado using an outboard motorized canoe. From there, continue to the airport. Board your flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. Begin your stay in the former capital of the Inca Empire. Cusco sits at 3,400 meters in the Andes and is known for its unique mix of Inca ruins and Spanish colonial buildings. Cobblestone streets wind away from the plaza and Inca stone walls can still be seen throughout the old city. Many of the buildings were built right on top of Inca foundations, showing how the two eras blend in Cusco’s architecture. You will spend the night at the selected hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 7: Inca and Colonial Cusco

Explore the past of Cusco during a half-day journey through the city and its nearby ancient places. Start with spots that show how the city changed from the Inca period to the time of colonial rule. Visit the Koricancha Temple of the Sun, the 12-Angled Rock and the Cathedral which was built on the site of an Inca palace. Then move outside the city center to see the fortress of Sacsayhuaman along with Qenqo, known as the rock, the ancient place of PucaPucara and Tambomachay, the Water Temple. The tour is part of a group led by a guide who speaks English and takes about four hours and 30 minutes. Stay overnight at the hotel in Cusco.

Day 8: Across the Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes

Leave Cusco for a full-day exploration of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The first destination is Pisac, where a colonial village and colorful market sit beneath hilltop Inca ruins featuring agricultural terraces. Visit the archaeological site and market before stopping at a local restaurant for lunch. Afterwards, follow the Urubamba River toward Ollantaytambo, whose preserved Inca town planning and imposing fortress provide another look into the valley’s ancient past. The approximately eight-hour Sacred Valley excursion operates as an international group tour with an English-speaking guide. At Ollantaytambo station, board the train for the approximately 1-hour-30-minute trip to Aguas Calientes. Meet the hotel staff upon arrival and walk to your accommodation. Train passengers are restricted to one carry-on bag or backpack of no more than 5 kg/11 lbs.

Meals Included: Lunch

Day 9: Machu Picchu and Journey Back to Cusco

Travel by bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu for a private guided exploration of the renowned Inca site. Located 2,430 meters above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu dates to the 15th century. Explore its ruins and monuments while learning about a site that remained unpillaged after its abandonment before Spanish colonization. The program notes that Machu Picchu was brought to international attention by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, and was voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. The guided tour lasts approximately 2 hours 30 minutes and is private with an English-speaking guide. Afterwards, descend by bus to Aguas Calientes, take the train to Ollantaytambo, and continue by private transfer to your Cusco hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 10: The Altiplano Route to Puno

Depart Cusco for the approximately 10-hour overland journey to Puno, crossing the Altiplano on a route framed by Andean villages, snow-capped mountains, cliffs, and rivers. Rather than serving only as a transfer, the journey incorporates several stops along the way. Visit the towns of Pucara and Andahuaylillas and explore the pre-Inca ruins of Raqchi. Lunch is included as part of the day’s program. The trip operates as an international group service with an English-speaking guide. Continue across the highland landscape and arrive in Puno during the early evening. Settle into the selected hotel, where you will spend the night before the following day’s Lake Titicaca experience.

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch

Day 11: Communities and Traditions of Lake Titicaca

Leave your hotel at 07:00 and transfer to the port, where a fast boat takes you to Taquile Island. After arriving at a secluded part of the island, spend time beside a sandy beach before hiking a pre-Inca trail through the island’s landscapes. Meet weaving families and learn about their textile art and symbolism. After three hours on Taquile, make the 25-minute crossing to Santa Maria-Llachon on the Capachica Peninsula. The Quechua-speaking community welcomes you for a cultural experience involving local traditions and participation in an ancient ceremony. You will also experience the preparation of Pachamanca, in which meat, fish, and potatoes are cooked using underground ovens, followed by lunch. Continue 35 minutes to Uros Ccapi to explore the floating islands before returning to Puno. Departure is scheduled for 15:25, with arrival at approximately 16:30. Tour duration is nine hours.

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch

Day 12: Sillustani and End of the Journey

Your final day begins with pickup from the hotel at the appropriate time for the transfer toward the airport and your onward flight home through Lima. Before reaching Juliaca, stop at Sillustani to visit its famous pre-Inca burial ground. Walk among the distinctive tombs known as Chulpas, constructed from volcanic stone and reaching heights of up to 12 meters according to the program. The archaeological site overlooks Lake Umayo and is described in the source material as one of the most important necropolises in the world. After visiting Sillustani, continue toward the airport for your onward journey. The visit concludes the 12-day Classic Perú itinerary and marks the end of services.

Meals Included: Breakfast

12 Day Peru Itinerary Includes

2 nights at a selected Lima hotel.

3 nights at a Puerto Maldonado lodge, including all-inclusive accommodation, transfers, and shared tours.

3 nights at a selected Cusco hotel.

1 night at a selected Aguas Calientes hotel.

2 nights at a selected Puno hotel.

Meals indicated in the itinerary.

Shared (SIB) and private (PVT) tours according to the itinerary.

Entrance tickets for all places included in the visits.

English-speaking guides for all tours.

Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo train transportation.

Roundtrip Aguas Calientes–Machu Picchu–Aguas Calientes bus.

Shared tourist bus from Cusco to Puno.

12 Day Peru Itinerary Highlights

Experience Lima’s colonial heritage and pre-Hispanic collections at the Larco Museum.

Explore the Peruvian Amazon through Lake Sandoval, rainforest trails, canopy walkways, river excursions, and wildlife-focused activities.

Discover Cusco’s Inca and colonial landmarks and archaeological sites.

Visit Pisac and Ollantaytambo while traveling through the Sacred Valley.

Explore Machu Picchu with a private English-speaking guide.

Cross the Altiplano from Cusco to Puno with stops at Pucara, Andahuaylillas, and Raqchi.

Experience Lake Titicaca through Taquile Island, Santa Maria-Llachon, and the floating islands of Uros Ccapi.

Explore the Chulpas of Sillustani before the final airport transfer.

Travel Tips

Train travel to Aguas Calientes allows one carry‑on bag or backpack that must weigh no more than 5 kilograms (11 pounds) and must not exceed 62 linear inches (157 linear centimeters).
In Puerto Maldonado, the passengers may bring one carry‑on bag.
Pack clothes suitable for humid heat, hot weather, and cold weather
Wear comfortable hiking shoes.
Remember to bring only what you need
Remember to bring a little cash.
Minimum 2 passengers travel together

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