Highlights of Peru: Titicaca, Cusco & Machu Picchu - Tour

Your Peruvian journey starts in Lima. When you arrive a guide will meet you. Take you straight to the hotel you chose. Lima lies on Peru’s Pacific coast, is the capital of Peru and one of the cities in South America. The old part of this city still has the look it had long ago. Lima was founded in 1535. Lima’s museums let you see Peru’s past. The Museo Larco has a collection of ancient art and the Museo de la Nación shows Peru’s old cultures. Another thing that makes Lima special is its food. Lima is called the food capital of the Americas. Lima offers coastal dishes and ceviche and also fancy international food. Many of the world’s restaurants are, in Lima. After you are helped you can settle into your hotel. Accommodation: Casa Republica – Garden Superior.

Leave Lima for Arequipa today, beginning with a hotel pickup and airport transfer for your onward flight. On arrival in Arequipa, transfer to your selected hotel before exploring the city during the afternoon. Arequipa’s distinctive volcanic-rock buildings have earned it the local nickname “The White City.” Your private sightseeing program introduces several of its major landmarks, beginning with the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Santa Catalina Monastery. The itinerary also includes the Main Square, the Complex of San Francisco and Arequipa Cathedral. Afterwards, make your way through Yanahuara, whose cobblestone streets preserve the character of a Spanish Colonial district. Finish at a viewpoint where the panorama encompasses the city and three volcanoes: Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu. An English-speaking guide accompanies this private excursion, which takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. Accommodation: Costa del Sol Arequipa – Superior.

You left Arequipa this morning. Headed toward Chivay along a route that runs through the Andes. We saw the snow-covered volcanoes Misti, Chachani and Ampato before we entered the Colca Valley. The Colca Valley is the gateway to the Colca Canyon. The Colca Canyon is said to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, it shelters a large number of Andean Condors. As we drove deeper into the highlands we passed Torja, Chucura and Patapampa. Along this part of the journey we could see churches and Inca terraces, which illustrate the different periods of this region’s history. The itinerary also led us to observation points such as Corporaque Viewpoint. By the afternoon you returned to the village of Chivay. The trip lasted five hours and was offered as an international group service, with an English-speaking guide. Accommodation: Colca Lodge – Standard.

Begin the day at Cruz del Condor, a viewpoint that the guide calls the spot to watch Andean Condors lift off on early thermal currents above the valley. After watching the Condors head into the Colca area passing villages and admiring the Andean landscape while seeing traces of pre-Inca, Inca and Colonial history. The drive takes you back to Chivay, where you can have lunch though lunch is not part of the schedule. Then catch the tourist bus for six hours to Puno. The road stops at Pampa Cañahuas to see vicuñas and at Lagunillas for birdwatching. When you reach Puno check into your hotel. Standing on the shores of Lake Titicaca higher, than 3,800 metres Puno looks like a hillside town shaped by both Aymara and Quechua ways. Accommodation: Casa Andina Premium – Superior.

Depart your hotel at 7:00 a.m. Head to the port and travel by speedboat to Taquile Island. This day is not about seeing sights. It is about experiencing the traditions around Lake Titicaca walk along an Inca trail on Taquile Island. Take in the island landscapes as you go. Visit families who are known for their weaving, learn about the artistry and deep symbolism in their textiles. Spend three hours on Taquile Island. Then take a boat for 25 minutes to Santa Maria-Llachon on the Capachica Peninsula, this small Quechua-speaking community welcomes you with open arms. Enjoy a cultural experience here. You will see their traditions in action. Participate in a ceremony that has been passed down for generations. You will also get to know Pachamanca, it is a method of cooking meat, fish and potatoes using underground ovens. Have lunch during this visit. Afterward, travel 35 minutes to Uros Ccapi, this is in a part of the Lake Titicaca National Reserve. The Uros Ccapi are islands, the authentic floating islands and less commercial. Leave for Puno at approximately 15:25 and arrive in the city at around 16:30. From December through March, a different program may run. This happens when the boat does not have at least eight passengers. Between January and March, the Pachamama ceremony may be canceled due to weather. Accommodation: Casa Andina Premium – Superior.

Transfer to the airport this morning for the flight from Puno to Cusco. Upon landing check into your hotel before heading out in the day to explore the former heart of the Inca Empire. Focusing on just one historical period, the private walking tour traces Cusco’s journey through time from Inca times through the colonial era and into the present city. Start with a visit to Koricancha Temple of the Sun, then walk past the 12-Angled Rock, a lasting symbol of Cusco’s Inca roots. Next, step inside the Cathedral built on the site of an Inca palace. These places together show how layers of history shape Cusco today. The afternoon excursion is a tour with an English-speaking guide and runs for about three hours. Afterward, return to your hotel for the night. Accommodation: Antigua Casona – Traditional.

Devote the day to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a place with a rich river landscape that had sites that were important for both strategy and religion. Your first stop is Pisac, the colonial settlement is located under the hilltop Pisac Ruins, an Inca fortress and city known for its areas of farming steps. On market days, people from hillside communities come to the village dressed in traditional clothes, selling local food and handmade items. You have time to look around the bright stalls before having a buffet lunch at a local restaurant. From Pisac, travel along the Urubamba River to Ollantaytambo. A big Inca fortress is the feature of the town, it is one of the best examples of Inca city planning that still exists. After the tour of the Sacred Valley, go to the Ollantaytambo railway station. Take the train to Aguas Calientes. The train ride takes one hour and 30 minutes. Hotel staff will be waiting for you at the station when you arrive and you will walk to the hotel. The train only allows one carry-on bag or backpack that weighs no more than 5 kg/11 lb and is no more, than 62 linear inches/157 linear cm. Accommodation: El Mapi – Superior Deluxe.

The main attraction of the trip is today. Meet your English-speaking guide in the hotel lobby and then go to the station to get on the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu sits on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley at a height of 2,430 meters. The Inca site from the century is surrounded by cliffs and the Urubamba River on three sides. Spend two hours and thirty minutes walking through the ruins and monuments with your guide, learning about the history that the itinerary shows. Machu Picchu was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, and it was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. After the private visit ends, take the bus down to Aguas Calientes. Then go to the railway station to catch the train to Ollantaytambo and finish the day by heading to the hotel in Cusco. Accommodation: Antigua Casona – Traditional.

The itinerary reaches its final day in Cusco. Breakfast is included before your scheduled departure arrangements begin. The airport transfer marks the conclusion of the services. End of services.