- Country
Peru - Departure
Lima - Arrival
Lima - Theme
Luxury
Day 1. Arrival in Lima
- Destination
Lima - Hotel
Casa Andina Premium - Attractions
Miraflores
Your trip begins in Lima and we will be at the Jorge Chavez international airport to welcome you and accompany you to one of the finest hotels in town: the Casa Andina Private Collection Lima. The hotel is located in the trendy Miraflores neighborhood. This five star hotel boasts modern and colonial era antiques in both public spaces and accommodation. The hotel offers 5 star sophisticated luxury rooms and suites, as well as modern amenities such as a heated pool, gymnasium, and massage room. With its central location, in walking distance of shops, restaurants, parks and the sea, you will enjoy your free time today wandering the streets, visiting the beach, and tasting the distinct flavors of Lima. But be sure to rest because tomorrow is a busy day!
Day 2. History and culture in Lima, The City of the Kings
- Destination
Lima - Hotel
Casa Andina Premium - Attractions
Lima City Tour
We will meet in the morning at your hotel for a private city tour of the three periods represented in Lima; pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern. Our first stop is The Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Inca site built during the 4th century A.D. It was considered a Sacred Village and is located today in a residential area, a visual reminder of the blending of old and new found everywhere in Peru. The Spanish also recognized the importance of Lima, making it, in time, the capital of their empire.
Colonial Lima is clearly evident in the Historic Centre and such buildings as the Paseo de la Republica, the San Martin Square, the Plaza de Armas, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Cathedral Basilica. Your guide will explain the history of each building as we make our way to the Museo del Banco which houses a collection of archeological antiques from the Chimu, Chancay, Chavin, Nasca, Lambequeque and Inca civilizations. Make sure you look at the building itself, as it was the original home of the Central Bank of Peru.
We will learn about the Catholic side of colonial Peru through a visit to the Convent of San Francisco, which houses the largest collection of religious art in America, and its Catacumbas, the underground tombs.
Our morning will conclude with a ride through modern Lima and the residential areas such as San Isidro and Milaflores, for a contemporary look at an old city.
After lunch in a first class restaurant and a taste of the typical food of Lima, you can choose to visit either the Larco Museum or the Museo de Oro. The Larco Museum is known for its world famous collection of Peruvian pre-Columbian gold and silver and the world’s largest collection of Erotic Pottery. Here you can take a refreshing walk around the gardens The Museo de Oro features artistry of pre-Inca goldsmiths, weapons that look like works of art and textiles. Sleep well, for tomorrow we leave for Paracas.
Day 3. Paracas, the Galapagos of Peru
- Destination
Paracas - Hotel
Paracas Resort Luxury Collection - Attractions
Paracas National Reserve
We will meet you at your hotel in the morning and escort you to a public luxury bus for the 4 hour ride to Paracas. Right outside your window, along the Carretera Panamericana you will spot sand dunes and desert landscape. Your hotel is the Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort, considered one of the finest spa and hotel facilities in Peru. Please be sure to enjoy the 547 sq. m. spa, the Ballestas restaurant with a Mediterranean and Peruvian fusion, the Trattoria, a typical Italian restaurant, as well as the two bars and the two heated pools. Your hotel is at the edge of the Nature Reserve of Paracas, affording you a view of the many birds and animals that live there.
After lunch we will meet for a private tour of the Paracas National Reserve where you will see some of the 260 marine birds such as pelicans and Humboldt penguins, as well as sea lions, dolphins, Andean fox, Peru Pacific iguana, Andean condor and more. We will also visit the Regional Museum and learn about the Paracas, Nazca, Wari and Inca cultures that once lived here. In the evening please take advantage of the luxuries of the Hotel Libertador Paracas and the exciting cuisine of its fine restaurants.
Day 4. The mysteries of Nasca
- Destination
Paracas - Hotel
Paracas Resort Luxury Collection - Attractions
Nazca Lines
This morning we will take you from the Libertador for a 2 hour flight in a Cessna-type small plane over the Nasca Lines. You will marvel at the clearly etched hummingbird, monkey, spider, spaceship and hundreds of geometric designs that unknown hands designed for reasons unknown somewhere between 450 and 650 A.D. You will fly close enough to see the full scope of the “Lines” in all their detail. There is no better way to appreciate the achievement of the ancient Nasca artists. The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy the beach and the hotel facilities.
Day 5. The Ballestas Islands and back to Lima
- Destination
Lima - Hotel
Casa Andina Premium - Attractions
Ballestas Islands
Leaving from the hotel’s own dock, you will travel by boat for an up-close view of the wildlife that abounds in the Ballestas Islands. Friendly barking sea lions, clumsy (on land) and graceful (in the sea) Humboldt penguins, and the comical pelicans are just a few of the animals you can see and hear. Your guide will explain the famous geoglyph, Candelabro, and tell stories of the local civilizations who lived here in the past.
Later in the morning your luxury bus will take you back to Lima. The Casa Andina Private Collection Hotel awaits your pleasures.
Day 6. Cusco City Tour and Inca Ruins
- Destination
Cusco - Hotel
Palacio del Inka Luxury Collection - Attractions
Cusco City Tour
We will meet you this morning for the flight to Cusco, one hour and a whole world away. Leave behind the fast-paced city and travel back in time to the land of the Inca. In the Imperial City of the Incas and later a stronghold of the Spanish, you will stay in the Libertador Palacio del Inka Hotel. This magnificent hotel, once an Inca Palace, and now reminiscent of a colonial monastery looks out upon the Koricancha or Temple of the Sun near the centre of this historic city. You will feel like you are living in an ancient palace while enjoying internet access, heat, 110/220 voltage, room service and a full-service spa and the bar serves some of the best pisco sours in the city. The Inti Raymi Restaurant, in the hotel offers international and Peruvian cuisine and the Kero Café light snacks. Conde Naste Traveler named this one of the best hotels in South America and award it the Reader’s Choice award in 2010.
Your private tour of Cusco, with an English-speaking guide will begin in the afternoon from your hotel. As a warm-up to the larger historical ruins in Cusco, we will first visit Tambomachay, an Inca resort area, Puca Pucara, a fortress and Kenko, a sacred place used to offer animals to their gods.
Then it is on to Sacsayhuaman. Here your guide will point out the enormous stones that the ingenious Inca dressed and moved to create this impressive fortress. Be sure to ask him to point out how Cusco is shaped like a Puma and the location of the fortress in this image.
The Cathedral of Santo Domingo, begun in 1560 and finished more than 100 years later is next on the tour. This Cathedral contains one of the best examples of colonial gold smithing and woodworking in the Americas as well as examples of canvases from the Academy of Cuzco.
Then it is on to Koricancha, the Golden Courtyard, used by the Quechua as a Temple to the Sun God and finally to the San Pedro market!
Day 7. The Sacred Valley
- Destination
Urubamba - Hotel
Tambo del Inka Luxury Collection - Attractions
Sacred Valley
Today is a day to travel far back in history and see life lived the way it used to be 500 years ago. You will marvel at the countryside, full of andenes (terraces) carved by the Incas from the mountain side and still farmed today as they were in the past. Your private tour, will begin with the visit of the Awankancha Living Museum, with live llamas and Alpacas and watch native weavers turn their fleece into beautiful garments and blankets. Then enjoy the ride to visit the ruins of Pisac and its market that offers you handcrafts from the valley as well as a dazzling array of farm products.
Lunch at the Wayra Ranch features vintage wines, local pisco and traditional Peruvian cuisine prepared with care. After lunch enjoy a show by the famous Peruvian Paso horses. Then it is on to Ollantaytambo, a small village at the foot of high hills filled with Inca ruins and terraces. This town is a living example of Inca architecture and planning, which retains the original and canchas (blocks). Please take some time to wander the streets and enjoy the quiet. Our guide will take you slowly up the hillside to the temple and explain the history of this site. Along the way please stop to wonder how the Incas transported these enormous blocks of granite from their quarry across the Urambamba river! The fortress is the location of the only Inca victory against the Spanish, but, in the end Hernando Pizarro, younger brother of Francisco Pizarro defeated the Manco Inca (1536) and the fortress remains incomplete.
You will spend the night in the Sacred Valley in the relaxing Tambo del Inka Luxury Collection Resort & Spa by Libertador and prepare for a visit to the seventh wonder of the world! In 2013 this hotel was voted the best hotel in South America by Trip Advisor. Every room has a view of the river or the valley and the hotel features a luxurious spa, two heated pools, a restaurant, bar, game room. The restaurant is staffed by world class chefs who use local ingredients to create classic Peruvian and international dishes.
Day 8. Train to Aguas Caliente and the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
- Destination
Aguas Calientes - Hotel
Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo - Attractions
Aguas Calientes
We will gather at 7:00 am for the ride to Ollantaytambo train station and to board your Vistadome train to Machu Picchu. With its adjustable leather seats, temperature controlled air, and wrap around windows, your trip itself is the beginning of your Machu Picchu experience. After journeying through the Sacred Valley you arrive at Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu.
At your arrival, you will be transferred at the unmatched Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. First class accommodations in Andean cottages in 12 acres right in the centre of Aguas Calientes, a world class restaurant, spa service and a variety of nature tours. The Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel special environment will contribute to extend the mystic feeling of Machu Picchu throughout your stay. Included in your visit are a choice of 6 different guided nature tours: a 2 hour nature walk; Orchid Trail; Bird watching walk; tea plantation excursion; twilight walk; native farm trail; or a special path to observe spectacle bears. Also included is a welcome gift, afternoon tea, and a la carte dinner.
Day 9. Machu Picchu Tour
- Destination
Cusco - Hotel
Palacio del Inka Luxury Collection - Attractions
Machu Picchu
Today your bus will bring you to Machu Picchu. Catch your breath as the mist rises over the ruins and you stand where the Incas stood for the Inti Punku, sunrise, revealing a city that was lost to the world until 1911. Touch the stone walls and imagine the work involved in their construction and the skill of the architects and designers! Your guide will explain the significance of the Intihuatana (Hitching post of the Sun), the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows in the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. Explore some of the less visited sites such as the Sun Gate and the hanging bridge. Since the site was undiscovered by the Spanish, and remains much as the Incas left it. The Huayna Picchu hike is optional.
After a buffet lunch at the Luxury Sanctuary Lodge Hotel your train will take you back Ollataytambo and then a private transfer to Cusco where you will enjoy the Libertador Palacio del Inka Hotel.
Day 10. Goodbye Peru
You will have the morning to explore Cusco and do some last minute shopping before we take you to the airport for your flight to Lima. Adios and Hasta Luego! We hope that the sights and sounds, tastes and feel of Peru linger in your memory.
