The Wonders of Peru

Day by day

The itinerary

1. Day 1 · Lima

   Arrival in Lima

   Welcome to Lima! After clearing customs and immigration, you are met and transferred to your hotel. Founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Lima became the political and military capital of the New World and was declared the capital of Peru in 1821. The rest of the day is at leisure.

   4★ Casa Andina Select Miraflores or 5★ InterContinental Real Miraflores, or similar

2. Day 2 · Lima

   Lima City Tour & Larco Museum

   After breakfast, tour colonial and modern Lima, the "City of Kings". Colonial sites include the Plaza Mayor with its cathedral and palace, and the elegant Torre Tagle Palace, today the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

   Continue to the Larco Museum, housed in an 18th-century viceregal mansion built over a 7th-century pre-Columbian pyramid. It holds one of the world's largest private collections of pre-Columbian art, including gold, silver and semi-precious stones, with galleries tracing 3,000 years of Peruvian history.

   4★ Casa Andina Select Miraflores or 5★ InterContinental Real Miraflores, or similar
   Breakfast

3. Day 3 · Cusco

   Lima – Cusco: City Tour & Nearby Ruins

   Transfer to the airport for your flight to Cusco. On arrival, you are met and transferred to your hotel.

   In the afternoon, tour Cusco. Start at the baroque Cathedral, then visit Koricancha, the Temple of the Sun, once the Incas' main centre of sun worship, over which the Dominicans built a church that still stands. Continue to Sacsayhuamán, known for its massive walls of fitted stone, with views over the city from the Cristo Blanco lookout, and finish at the archaeological sites of Qenko and Puca Pucara.

   4★ Casa Andina Premium Cusco or 5★ Palacio del Inka Cusco, or similar
   Breakfast

4. Day 4 · Sacred Valley

   Sacred Valley: Pisac Market & Ollantaytambo

   Drive from Cusco into the Sacred Valley to Pisac. Explore the town and its local market, where you can meet local people and shop for crafts.

   After lunch (included), continue to Ollantaytambo, an Inca fortress of temples and terraces towering over the valley. Once a military, religious and farming centre, it is famous for its precise stonework and huge carved blocks, some over four metres high. Return to Cusco for an evening at leisure.

   4★ Casa Andina Premium Cusco or 5★ Palacio del Inka Cusco, or similar
   Breakfast, Lunch

5. Day 5 · Machu Picchu

   Cusco – Machu Picchu

   After breakfast, transfer to the station and board the VistaDome train to Aguas Calientes, travelling through the Urubamba Valley towards Machu Picchu, the "Lost City" of the Incas. Set high above the valley among forested mountains, it stayed hidden for centuries until 1911.

   From Aguas Calientes, a minibus climbs to the citadel for a guided visit of its temples, plazas, palaces, water channels and residential areas. Lunch is included near the citadel.

   4★ Casa del Sol Machu Picchu or 5★ Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel, or similar
   Breakfast, Lunch

6. Day 6 · Cusco

   Machu Picchu – Cusco

   The morning is free to revisit the ruins on your own (at your own expense). For more adventure, hike the steep stone trail up Huayna Picchu for a breathtaking view over the site. In the afternoon, take the train back to Cusco and transfer to your hotel for an evening at leisure.

   4★ Casa Andina Premium Cusco or 5★ Palacio del Inka Cusco, or similar
   Breakfast

7. Day 7 · Cusco

   Cusco – Lima / Departure

   After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for your flight back to Lima to connect with your international flight home.

   Breakfast