Essential Peru

Arrive in Peru’s sprawling capital city and receive a welcome at Lima airport, a Peru Machu Picchu tours representative will meet you there and accompany you by private vehicle to your hotel, showing you the city as you go.

* Lima is home to the Government palace and World-renowned & award-winning restaurants.

Discover Lima‘s fascinating history on a guided city tour. Your adventure begins with sightseeing around the historical city center (UNESCO World Heritage), colonial churches, palaces and promenades. The day ends with a visit to Larco Herrera Museum, one of South America’s best museums.

Enjoy the rest of the day at your own leisure.

* Visit the vibrant suburb of Miraflores or the bohemian district of Barranco, and sample some local culinary delights or a glass of Peru’s national drink ‘Pisco sour’ at one of the many cafes, bars and restaurants in the neighborhood.

Meals: Breakfast.

Transfer to Lima airport for your flight to Arequipa city (1.5 hour approx) commonly known as “The White City” due to its many colonial-era buildings made from ashlar (white volcanic rock).

Upon arrival at Arequipa airport, you will be met there and transferred to your hotel by our representative.

Morning at your own leisure.

Enjoy a City Tour in the afternoon. Admire the city’s top historical attractions including the colonial districts of St Lazarus and Yanahuara, the Monastery of St Catherine (a 16th century colonial enclosure that once housed 600 nuns), the Jesuit church and the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa, as well as other locations that provide excellent views of the city and its surroundings.

* Things to do and see in the city: Admire the marvelous city’s colonial architecture, visit Juanita mummy “The Ice Maiden” – the best-preserved mummy in South America, this 12-year old Inca girl was sacrificed in a ritual to please their gods! and enjoy local fare at one of the many restaurants. Try the classic spicy dishes in Arequipa such as rocoto relleno (stuffed chili pepper) or chupe de camarones (prawn soup) — best enjoyed in the city’s communal “Picantería” restaurants.

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.

You will start your guided tour to the world’s fourth deepest canyon: Colca Canyon. We will stop for coca leaf tea at the Aguada Blanca National Reserve where you can see the South American camelids such as Vicuñas, Alpacas, Huanacos and LLamas. At Tocra lake we will be able to appreciate a variety of migratory birds, sometimes flamingos. We will stop at the famous volcano panoramic viewpoint, at 4800 meters (15,840 feet). From here we will appreciate a great part of the Western mountain range and visit La Calera hot springs.

Meals: Breakfast.

Enjoy an early breakfast and departure to the viewpoint “Cruz del Cóndor,” a 1.5 hour drive into the national park where you can see stunning views of the Colca Canyon. This is also where you can observe several soaring condors, sometimes passing very close (up to a few meters/feet). On the return we will stop by the little towns of Pinchollo, Maca and Yanque, with their beautiful colonial churches, as well as the viewpoints of Choquetico and Antahuilque, from where we will observe impressive farming platforms of the valley, and pre-Inca tombs. In the afternoon we’ll have lunch and return to Arequipa City.

Meals: Breakfast.

Transfer to Arequipa airport for your flight to Cusco city (an hour approx).

Upon your arrival, our local staff will welcome you and transfer you on a private transport to your selected hotel located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Along the route, stop at the picturesque town of Pisaq, including the Inca archaeological site, appreciate the fine masonry, watchtowers, residential quarters, Peru’s largest Inca cemetery and the magnificent Inca terraces, which were built to expand the agriculture lands where the Incas themselves developed many of corn, quinua and potato species. Visit The vibrant Artisan market, a great opportunity to interact with the locals, some dressed in their traditional colorful costumes, here stalls are stacked with all kinds of interesting items, from artful handmade textiles, jewelry, paintings, musical instruments, pottery to vegetables and plant-based dyes.

Appreciate the Urubamba River known as “Wilcamayu” by the Incas and the fertile Sacred Valley surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks which has long been the main source of food for the high Andes. Visit and take part of the ceramic process at a workshop in Chichubamba village.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch.

Full day tour. Visit the town of Chinchero, Peru’s weaving capital, learn ancient weaving techniques and how the locals use natural products such as various plants, minerals and even insects, to obtain the varied selection of colors used to dye their textiles. Visit Moray, the Inca agricultural greenhouse that was an experimental place to study the adaptation of plants to new ecosystems. After, enjoy the Maras Salt pans, an impressive salt-extraction complex consisting of thousands of small pans that have been in use since long before the Inca times.

* The farming terraces of Moray and the Maras Salt Pans are lesser visited than other sites in the Sacred Valley due to their remote location that’s not served by public transport. For this reason, Maras and Moray sites are often lumped together on a Sacred Valley tour.

* How to get: By E-bike, mountain bikes, private car or on foot.
Need a suggestion,  ⇒ Check with our travel experts for suggestions!

Meals: Breakfast.

Morning transfer to Ollantaytambo, a town built around an ancient Inca fortress that once wast part of the Royal Estate of the Inca Emperor Pachacuti, admire the sophisticated Inca architecture and town planning, temples, astronomical centers, fountains. After, transfer to train station to board the tourist train to Machu Picchu. During the 1.5 hour journey, a light snack is provided. You will arrive at Aguas Calientes town and will be transferred to Machu Picchu archaeological site by a shuttle bus.

Tour at Machu Picchu Sanctuary (2.5 hours approx). Explore the enigmatic complex of Machu Picchu accompanied by your tour guide, who leads the way through the site, providing varied information on key areas of interest.

* Exploring the sites away from the crowds makes the experience much more pleasant and authentic.

Meals: Breakfast.

After breakfast, you have the option to visit Machu Picchu for a second time to explore another circuit of the Inca complex accompanied by your guide. For the most adventurous ones, we suggest hiking Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Montain known as “Montaña” (advance booking required) from where you can get the 360° view of the area and appreciate the immensity of Machu Picchu and the region’s natural beauty. Less demanding hikes are also available such as the Sun Gate or the Inca Bridge (advance booking required).

Afternoon, board the train back to either Ollantaytambo or Poroy town and continue by bus to your hotel.

* There is a limited amount of permits to climb up to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, and must be purchased in advance along with your Machu Picchu entrance. ⇒ Check with your travel experts for suggestions and availability.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

Enjoy a morning tour of the ancient capital of the Inca Empire “Cusco city” – UNESCO World Heritage City, it takes you to Pre-hispanic Inca temples, impressive Inca complexes on the outskirts of the city such as Saqsayhuaman, an Inca complex with megalithic constructions; Q’enqo, an ancient Inca ceremonial site; the Cathedral which is one of South America’s nicest Catholic churches, San Pedro Market, a local farmers market where you can see fresh local produce and delicacies; and finally San Blas, the artisans’ neighborhood of narrow and high cobblestone streets. You’ll discover historic plazas, quaint local coffee shops, unique workshops and the true magic of this historical city.

Afternoon at your own leisure.

* What to do and see in your spare time: Admire the marvelous city’s Inca-Colonial architecture, visit the Inca museum which houses magnificent ancient artifacts and colonial art, visit a silver workshop and learn all about the process and designs of the high-quality Peruvian jewelry or enjoy learning how to cook the most popular Peruvian dishes at a Cooking class, if feeling adventurous! Try Cusco‘s most traditional dish “CUY” (Baked Guinea pig) or Alpaca skewers quite popular at present.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

Transfer to Cusco airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado city (45 min approx).

Receive a welcome at Puerto Maldonado Airport and transfer to the selected Lodge.

Upon arrival, the lodge staff will take you to their office in town where you’ll leave most of your luggage in a safe storage room and continue traveling with a small pack with just the necessary items for your next two nights in the jungle. Then take a motorized canoe up river to our jungle lodge in the Madre de Dios area. The lodge is eco-friendly with comfortable rooms, flush toilets (en suite), showers (cold water only), mosquito nets and lamps. Adventure into the jungle with our local, multilingual guides and encounter magnificent fauna and flora in their natural habitat. Spot everything from macaws and monkeys to peccary, jabirus, otters and butterflies.

* Note: Your Amazon guide will provide details about the activities that you will do each day.

Meals: Breakfast (3), Lunch (2), Dinner (2).

After exploring the wilds, it’s time to jump back in the canoe and return to Puerto Maldonado.

Transfer to Puerto Maldonado airport for your flight to Lima (1.5 hour approx),
and your trip back home or on to your next destination.

Assistance provided if needed.

Meals: Breakfast.