Lima, Arequipa, Puno & Cusco

Day by day

The itinerary

1. Day 1 · Lima

   Arrival Lima

   Upon arrival at airport in Peru, you will be warmly met by a representative, who will provide assistance and transfer to your accommodation to check-in. Overnight: Lima

2. Day 2 · Lima

   Lima

   Activities: • 14 hrs. – HALF DAY CITY TOUR COLONIAL & MODERN LIMA – Our guided visit to Lima allows you to see the Historical Center: Plaza Mayor (“Main Square”), the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, the City Hall and old streets with colonial mansions and Moorish balconies. • You will also visit an historic convent, an icon of colonial architecture. • The tour goes all the way to modern districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, where you’ll appreciate Huacas or sacred Inca structures. • Also, you will observe the Pacific Ocean coast from the vast seafront. Overnight: Lima – (B)

   Breakfast

3. Day 3 · Arequipa

   Lima - Arequipa

   Activities: • At appropriated time, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Arequipa. Arrival to Arequipa, assistance and transfer to the hotel. • 14 hrs. – HALF DAY CITY TOUR + SANTA CATALINA CONVENT – Visit the Ciudad Blanca (White City), one of the most important in Peru, surrounded by three volcanoes. Founded in 1540, the city has a historic downtown made out almost totally of sillar (a white volcanic stone), from where the city gets its name. Take a tour around the Main Square and its colonial buildings, the Church of the Society of Jesus, beautiful exponent from the mixed baroque art and Spanish Churrigueresque baroque from the XVII century, along with colorful fresco paintings at the San Ignacio Dome, known as America’s Sistine Chapel. • The visit includes Santa Catalina Convent, that rather than a cloistered convent, represents a beautiful XVI century citadel, with Spanish cities pure style, such as Andalusia. Going on with the tour, we will appreciate the typical districts of Cayma and Yanahuara, the latter with its viewpoint and church. Overnight: Arequipa – (B)

   Breakfast

4. Day 4 · Colca

   Arequipa - Colca

   Activities: • 2 DAYS/1 NIGHT AREQUIPA/COLCA CANYON • Day 1: We will leave the hotel very early to start the journey to Yura Village and Aguada Blanca National Reserve and Pampa Cañahuas. • We will make a stop at Patapampa to freshen up, and then we will head for Chivay, where you will be able to have lunch at a typical restaurant. • We will get back to the hotel to stay overnight. Overnight: Colca – (B, L, D)

   Breakfast, lunch, dinner

5. Day 5 · Puno

   Colca - Puno

   Activities: • Day 2: We will leave very early to the Cross of the Condor, the best location to admire the Colca Canyon and the flight of the majestic condor. • Back to the lodging, we will visit the picturesque villages in Maca and Yanque to arrive at Chivay. • Then you will have lunch at a typical restaurant, and continue to Puno hotel. Optional Activities: Enter Optional Activity Overnight: Puno – (B, L)

   Breakfast, Lunch

6. Day 6 · Puno

   Puno

   Activities: • 07 hrs. – FULL DAY TAQUILE & UROS ISLANDS (Speed boat) – The trip begins early as you head out of the city of Puno towards Taquile Island, about 35 kilometers away and 3950 meters above sea level. The culture on the island is old, dating back to Pre-Incan times. The islanders still live according to the traditions and beliefs of their ancestors and are world renowned for their lovely outfits and incredible textiles. In fact, UNESCO has declared the textile art of Taquile Island as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. • Next, while still on the island, you will visit the community of Huayllano, whose members will show you their normal artistic, handicraft, and farming activities. • After this time of sharing, you will enjoy a traditional lunch and then sail over to the famous Uros Islands, a set of man-made floating islands in the middle of the Lake Titicaca National Reserve. Here, you will meet the islanders, hunters and gatherers and descendants of the first altiplano inhabitants, who still live on totora reed platforms. • At the end of the trip you will be taken back to your hotel. Overnight: Puno – (B, L)

   Breakfast, Lunch

7. Day 7 · Cusco

   Puno - Cusco

   Activities: • Transfer from hotel to the bus station. • 07 hrs – TOURISTIC BUS FROM PUNO TO CUSCO – You will leave from the station to start our trip by bus to Cusco, so you can enjoy the wonderful scenery of the South Valley of Cusco. • You will continue with a visit to La Raya, highest point on the road between Cusco and Puno, from where we will get excellent photo opportunities. Then you will visit Racchi ruins; known as “The Temple of God Wiracocha”. • The last stop will be at Andahuaylillas, a town where a precious church from the 17th century boasts an amazing organ decorated with angels and cherubs, after this you will arrive to Cusco. • 17 hrs. approx. – Pick up from the bus station and transfer to the hotel. Overnight: Cusco – (B, L)

   Lunch, Breakfast

8. Day 8 · Cusco

   Cusco

   Activities: • 13 hrs. – HALF DAY CITY TOUR & NEARBY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES – You will visit the city of Cusco, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and home to a somewhat particular essence. • The tour will start at the Koricancha temple, an ancient Inca palace and main worship center of the Sun God, where the order of the Dominicans built an incredible church that can still be seen there. • Then, you will tour the Plaza de Armas, where the Cathedral and the beautiful Church of the Society of Jesus, among other colonial buildings, are located. • You will then continue the journey to the colonial church of San Cristóbal to enjoy a spectacular view of the city. • Afterwards you will go on to the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, an Inca building known for its massive walls of hewn stone, located in a strategic location, on a hill, with a broad view of the city of Cuzco. • Later, you will visit the important archaeological complexes of Qenko and Puca Pucara. Overnight: Cusco – (B)

   Breakfast

9. Day 9 · Cusco

   Cusco

   Activities: • 08 hrs. – FULL DAY AUTHENTIC SACRED VALLEY TOUR – Discover the best of the Sacred Valley of the Incas through this route starting on the Inca’s Balcony, a beautiful place with an impressive view of Chinchero ruins and city, where twelve families still preserve their traditional mores, showing you the ancestral way in which they process the wool, and obtain those vivid colors for their textiles. • Later, we will arrive to Moray, an impressing pre-Inca greenhouse, then, we will have lunch in a local restaurant. • Afterwards, we will get to Ollantaytambo, one of the most monumental architectural complexes of the ancient Inca Empire, one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a major battle. Very well known for its “andenes” (terraces dug into the slopes of mountains for agricultural purposes), Ollantaytambo was a highly effective fortress that also served as a temple. • Then, we will follow to the town of Ollantaytambo, with narrow cobblestone streets that have been continuously inhabited since the XIIIth century. Overnight: Cusco – (B, L)

   Breakfast, Lunch

10. Day 10 · Cusco

    Cusco

    Activities: • At appropriated time, transfer to Ollantaytambo train station. • FULL DAY EXCURSION TO MACHU PICCHU – VISTADOME TRAIN – Awaiting you today is by far and away one of the high points in world tourism: Machu Picchu. Your adventure starts on a train ride to the city of Aguas Calientes, where you will disembark and then board a bus that drives you to the actual Machu Picchu archaeological site, where you will definitely have an experience you will never forget. You will discover this new 7 Wonder of the World and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. • Afterwards, there is some free time for you to explore the site on your own, to relax, or to meditate. • At the agreed upon hour, you will descend to Aguas Calientes for lunch at a local restaurant (El Mapi) and, later on, board the train for your return trip; you will stop at the train station indicated in your ticket where you will be picked up and driven to your hotel. Overnight: Cusco – (B, L)

    Breakfast, Lunch

11. Day 11 · Cusco

    Depart Cusco

    Departure: At appropriated time, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Lima. – (B) Meals as per itinerary: (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner) We can personalize this tour just for you! Call: 1 800 263 2995 / 416 391 0334 or complete form in: CUSTOM-CRAFTED tab on this page. Location Name: Peru, South America

    Breakfast