Enjoy Peru on this seven-day tour of the country. Get to know the impressive Larco Museum and its pre-Hispanic collection in Lima and taste the local world-renowned gastronomy. Continue to Cusco to visit some of the most iconic places in the region such as the Maras Salt Mines, the circular platforms of Moray and travel the Inca Trail that will take you to Machu Picchu.
Lima. Named as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, the Peruvian capital is a sample of history and modernity. Its historic centre maintains the colonial architectural complexes that coexist closely with the Pacific Ocean and a characteristic Bohemian essence.
Cusco. The ancient Inca capital is a unique mix of pre-Columbian past with Spanish architecture. Its temples, squares and streets are surrounded by hills between which amazing sites such as Sacsayhuamán and Qenqo, Puka Pukará and Tambomachay are hidden.
Maras. Its famous salt pools colour one of the Andean canyons, rescuing an ancestral tradition of work and offering a development opportunity for the surrounding communities.
Moray. An impressive Inca agricultural laboratory, where its concentric platforms allowed to investigate the different microclimates within the empire.
Machu Picchu. The "lost city of the Incas" is the reason why thousands of people arrive in Peru. Hidden among the vegetation, get closer to our past through its rooms, built in communion with the surrounding landscape.
Arrive at Lima Airport. A transportation service will pick you up from the airport at the scheduled time to transfer you to your hotel in Lima. The Peruvian capital is a modern metropolis full of history, currently undergoing an exciting process of cultural and economic changes.
Overnight at the selected hotel in Lima.
Wake up to breakfast in the hotel before hitting the streets of Lima’s old town; a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site packed with fascinating historical buildings. Start with the Larco Museum, located in the traditional Pueblo Libre district, which is housed in a beautifully restored viceregal mansion built on a pre-Columbian pyramid. The museum boasts the world’s most complete pre-Hispanic collection of gold and silver objects, as well as pieces of erotic art. Then visit Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion granted in 1535 by chief conquistador Francisco Pizarro to Jeronimo de Aliaga, one of his captains. This is the only house from that time that to this day has always been owned by the same family. Continue to a scenic tour in the colonial downtown, which originates and spreads out from the Main Square. Here you can appreciate the grandiose architecture of the Spanish Empire and be amazed by Lima´s Cathedral. Erected in the 16th century, this building took more than 80 years to complete. After the tour, you’ll be transferred back to the hotel.
Overnight at the selected hotel in Lima. Breakfast included.
You will be transferred to the airport to take the flight to Cusco. Once in the city a transport service will take you to your hotel. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of the former capital of the Inca Empire. The tour starts with a visit to Santo Domingo Convent, a large Renaissance-baroque complex, which was built over the Inca Coricancha temple. It was one of the most important temples dedicated to worshipping of the sun, and its foundations are still prominent at the base of the convent. Ancient chronicles say the temple was covered in gold leaf and filled with golden representations of nature. Then, visit the Cathedral, the most imposing monument of the Main Square. Head to the hills above Cusco to visit the remains of the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, whose impressive ramparts offer a stunning panoramic view of Cusco, and the ruins of the temple and amphitheater of Qenqo, where it is believed the Incas practised agricultural rituals. Admire Qenqo and then finally visit Puka Pukara (‘Red fortress’ in Quechua) an Inca military complex located on a prominent hill. Its dwellings squares, bathrooms, aqueducts, walls, and towers can still be appreciated. Afterwards, return to your hotel.
Overnight at the selected hotel in Cusco. Breakfast included.
approximately an hour and a half away. As with many Inca ruins, its exact function remains a mystery though the design of ever-wider concentric circular terraces means each level had a different microclimate. Continue to Maras, where the salt ponds create a dazzling scene. The thousands of small ponds give work to and help feed many local families. During Inca times, the salt deposits were an important economic centre and of great value to the imperial economy. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel.
*During December to March (rainy season), Chinchero, the town of Maras and chicherias, is visited instead of the salt mines. In these months, you have the option of replacing this tour with a visit to South Valley.
Overnight at the selected hotel in Cusco. Breakfast included.
During the morning, you will be transferred to km. 104 (the starting point of the hike). After crossing the suspension bridge over the Urubamba River, visit the archaeological site of Chachabamba (2,150m / 7,052ft). From here, hike upwards for about 8km (approximately 4 hours) and arrive in the magnificent archaeological site of Wiñayhuayna (2,700m), an impressive complex made up of an agricultural center with numerous terraces, a religious area as well as an urban sector. On the way, appreciate the vegetation of the forest. After having a box lunch, continue for about one hour further onto Inti Punku (The Sun gate) at 2,730m (8,792ft), from where you will have your first impressive view of Machu Picchu (2,430m / 7,972ft). Later, start your descent to Aguas Calientes where you will check into your accommodation.
Overnight at the selected hotel in Aguas Calientes. Breakfast and lunch included.
After an early breakfast, take the bus back up to Machu Picchu. Enjoy a guided tour through the different sectors of this great Inca legacy, considered a World Cultural Heritage. In the afternoon, take a bus back to Aguas Calientes for lunch and finally, board the train back to Cusco.
Overnight at the selected hotel in Cusco. Breakfast include.
