Itinerary at a glance

• Day 1

  Lima - Welcome to Peru - Lima City of Kings

• Day 2

  Cusco - Lima To Cusco And Welcome To The Andes

• Day 3

  Sacred Valley - The Sacred Valley of the Incas, Pisaq the archaeological jewel

• Day 4

  Sacred Valley - The Sacred Valley of the Incas, Chincheros, Moray & Ollantaytambo

• Day 5

  Machu Picchu - The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

• Day 6

  Cusco - Return to the imperial city of Cuzco and cooking classes

• Day 7

  Puno - Cusco to Lake Titicaca

• Day 8

  Puno - Lake Titicaca and Taquile Island

• Day 9

  Puno - Lake Titicaca and Return to Puno

• Day 10

  Colca Canyon - From Lake Titicaca To The Colca Canyon

• Day 11

  Arequipa - Colca Canyon Tour & to Arequipa

• Day 12

  Lima - Arequipa and Flight to Lima and International Flight

• Day 1

  Lima - Welcome to Peru, Lima City of Kings

  Lima (Sea Level) 

  
  

  Welcome to Peru! In our country, the international flights arrive at late hours of the night and there are no connecting flights from Lima to other cities in Peru at that time. If your international flight arrives at night, you will stay at one of the best hotels close to the airport and have a peaceful night and rest comfortably for your local flight the next day.

  

• Day 2

  Cusco - Lima to Cusco and Welcome to the Andes

  Cusco (Altitude: 3350 m. - 10991 ft.) 

  
  

  Beginning the day, we will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the Lima airport to travel to Cuzco. You will travel to the navel of the world and the imperial city and your private guide will welcome you once you arrive. Your private driver will take you to one of the best hotels, previously selected. We will begin in the San Blas neighborhood, the oldest in Cuzco. It is the neighborhood of artists and artisans where the history of imperial Cuzco is revealed. Following this, we will visit the famous 12 angled stone, known for its perfect edges and finish and as an example of Inca architecture. We will later enter the principal plaza of Cuzco and visit the Cathedral, the most important religious monument in the city, where we will find the most famous works of art from the Cuzqueña school. After that, we will visit the Qoricancha, or the Temple of the Sun. It was one of the most adored and respected temples in the Inca Empire. To end the morning, we will guide you to the famous San Pedro market where you will see a large variety of Andean products (potatoes, cheese, corn, fruit, etc.). We will then guide you to one of the best restaurants. After lunch, we will move to explore the city limits (the fortress of the Inca, or Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapukara, and Tambomachay).

  

• Day 3

  Sacred Valley - The Sacred Valley of the Incas, Pisaq the archaeological jewel

  (Altitude: 2972 m. - 9751 ft.) 

  
  

  In the morning, after a pleasant breakfast in your hotel, your guide will pick you up and start the first leg of your private tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Your adventure begins on the same route, surrounded by the impressive landscape of the Andean countryside, the imposing sacred mountaintops rise in the distance, while at the entrance of the Sacred Valley, the Vilcanota river greets you. We will arrive at the colonial town of Pisaq and you will walk through the narrow stone streets, the plaza, and the traditional market. After, you will pass through a beautiful native community where the warmth of the locals will make you feel at home. Our hosts will demonstrate how to make Andean textiles and what the manual manufacturing process is like. To continue, they will teach you about the types of Andean potatoes in the area (in Peru, there are more than 5,000 types of native potatoes) and try your selection. We will start with the local cuisine, trying dishes made with products of the earth that our hosts have cultivated. After a short rest, you will go to the archaeological jewel of Pisaq, known for its great view of the andenes, or sets of stepped terraces built on the slopes of the Andes and fantastic Inca structures while listening to the sound of a quena (an indigenous musical instrument), played by a local. Later, you will go to the Inkariy Museum. Its exhibitions are unique and are divided into 8 pavilions, showing you the Prehispanic cultures that gave rise to the largest ancient empire in the Western hemisphere. The cultures include Chavin, Wari, Paracas, Caral, Mochica, Nazca, Lambayeque, Chimú, and Inca. To finish the day, we will let you enjoy one of the best hotels of the valley.

  

• Day 4

  Sacred Valley - The Sacred Valley of the Incas, Chincheros, Moray & Ollantaytambo

  (Altitude: 2972 m. - 9751 ft.)

  
  

  The day will start early and promising as we pick you up for the second part of the private tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will take you to the Archaeological Park of Chinchero where we will find the old palace. It was once the residence of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui and is now the church of Nuestra Señora de Monserrate due to the process of syncretism. We will guide you to the atrium finely made of pan de oro, where the Virgin of the Nativity rests. You can also see the local market, Andean stairs, Inca walls, beautiful terraces, and a textile center where they make clothing and other goods out of alpaca and llama wool by hand. Afterwards, we will take a special detour where the locals will teach us about their customs. Afterwards, we will take you to Maras, a plateau with an enormous overlook where one can see the beautiful chain of mountains such as La Verónica, Chicón, and others. After that, we will go to Moray, an impressive agricultural experimental site. The stepped levels generate thermal gradients and affect the climate for each level. Now, they go towards the salt mines in Maras where one can see various salt wells that the locals take to sell to the community and to others in Cuzco (it’s recommended on red meat). To finish the day, we will take you to the Inca city of Ollantaytambo.

  

• Day 5

  Machu Picchu - The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

  Machu picchu (Altitude: 2430 m. - 7972 ft.)

  
  

  Prepare yourself for an incredible adventure! In the morning, your guide will pick you up from your hotel to guide you to the train station in Ollantaytambo where you will board the train to Aguas Calientes. In this 1.5 hour trip, you can observe a beautiful landscape. Upon arriving at Aguas Calientes, your private guide will take you to one of the transports and will accompany you to the citadel of Machu Picchu, “the Lost City of the Incas”. During your visit to this sacred site of the Incas, you will learn about the history of the citadel and visit the Sun and Condor templates. You will also see the aqueducts and houses while learning about the history behind the sacred terraces of the Inca. After your guided visit, you will have enough time to explore this amazing place on your own. There are many options to walk along short trails, like that of the Puerta del Sol for an impressive view of Machu Picchu, or the trail that leads to the Inca bridge, a secret entrance for the Inca army. In the afternoon, you will return to Aguas Calientes, where you will have the rest of the afternoon to spend as you wish. Don’t miss the opportunity to bathe in the hot springs or have a good dinner in one of our recommended restaurants. To finish the day, we will let you enjoy one of the best hotels in the valley.

  

• Day 6

  Cusco - Return to the imperial city of Cusco and cooking classes

  Cusco (Altitude: 3350 m. - 10991 ft.)

  
  

  Early in the morning, you will be taken to the train station in Aguas Calientes to board the return train to the city of Ollantaytambo. After an hour-and-a-half of travel on the train, you will meet your driver to get to the imperial city of Cusco. Here, you can enjoy cooking classes where you can prepare your own food and enjoy Peruvian food with a professional Peruvian chef. The chef will show you how to prepare the most popular and delicious dishes from the Peruvian Andes. The classes include a refreshing beverage, an appetizer, a main dish, a dessert, and of course, the famous pisco sour.

  

• Day 7

  Puno - Cusco to Lake Titicacas

  Overnight in Puno (Altitude: 3800 m. - 12467 ft) 

  
  

  Early in the morning, you will start your trip through the Andes to Lake Titicaca. The first stop in this route will be the Andahuaylillas church, known as the Sistine Chapel of the Andes, where you can observe interesting paintings on the walls from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries and altars completely decorated in gold. After, you will go to the archaeological site of Raqchi, a small city in the highlands, where you will see the Inca temple of Wiracocha and learn about its fascinating construction with adobe walls that measure up to 11 meters high. After lunch, you will travel to the highest point of the trip, La Raya (4,300m, 14,100 ft), which is the halfway point between Cuzco and Puno. At approximately 4:00pm, you will arrive in Puno, where you will find the shores of Lake Titicaca. A driver will take you to your hotel where you will have the rest of the night to relax or explore the city.

  

• Day 8

  Puno - Lake Titicaca and Taquile Island

  Overnight in Puno (Altitude: 3800 m. - 12467 ft)

  
  

  Today, your guide and driver will wait for you at your hotel to take you to Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world. In the morning, we will visit the floating islands of Uros, which were constructed using only totora, a water plant that grows in the lake. You will be surprised to see how the locals use the totora to construct their canoes, houses, beds, and many other objects necessary in their daily lives. As a part of your visit to Uros, you will navigate a totora canoe that will permit you to go around the islands. Afterwards, we will go towards Taquile island in a motor boat. The journey will last two hours and you can relax and enjoy the impressive scenery of Lake Titicaca. Upon your arrival on Taquile island, you will enjoy a lunch prepared locally with delicious and very fresh trout from the lake. After lunch, you will have the opportunity to walk on a short hike to explore the island. At night, you will be welcomed in your cabin on the island with a Peruvian dinner. You will spend the night in your cozy little cabin. (Note: if you go with a shared tour, you can stay on a different island).

  

• Day 9

  Puno - Lake Titicaca and Return to Puno

  Overnight in Puno (Altitude: 3800 m. - 12467 ft)

  
  

  Early in the morning, you will enjoy a local breakfast with a spectacular view of the sunrise that illuminates all of Lake Titicaca. After breakfast, you will walk around Taquile island and learn about its pre-Inca constructions and agricultural terraces. This is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture, as this island is one of the last places where they still conserve their culture. Additionally, there are not many tourists that stay on this island. In the afternoon, we will navigate back to Puno, where you will have the rest of the day to spend your free time.

  

• Day 10

  Colca Canyon - From Lake Titicaca to the Colca Canyon

  Overnight in Colca (Altitude: 3600 m. - 11811 ft)

  
  

  In the morning, you will leave Lake Titicaca and continue your journey to the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest Canyon in the world. Along the six-hour journey, you will have a view of magnificent landscapes marked by lakes, lagoons, trout farms and Andean flamingos. You will also reach the soaring altitude of 4850m (12,000ft), which will give you an unbelievable view of the highlands.After this spectacular journey, you will arrive at your hotel, located in one of the small villages at the entrance to the Canyon, where you will have the rest of the day to spend at your leisure. You might hike around the town, take a bath in the nearby thermal baths or just relax surrounded by the amazing nature of the region.

  

• Day 11

  Arequipa - Colca Canyon Tour & to Arequipa

  Very early in the morning, you will be met at your hotel and taken to the most spectacular places in the Colca Canyon. Along the way, we will stop in some small Andean villages where time seems to have stood still and Colonial architecture continues to be well preserved. We will then travel along the canyon until we reach ‘Mirador Cruz del Condor’, which is the most popular viewing point for looking into the depths of the Colca Canyon; at this particular point, it is 1200m deep. From here you will almost always see a few condors flying with breathtaking scenery in the background. You will have an opportunity for a short hike along the canyon and afterward, you will enjoy a nicely prepared local lunch. Once you have taken in the refreshing air of the Colca Canyon, we will head to your hotel in Arequipa, which will take approximately 4 hours through the spectacular scenery of lakes, glaciers, and volcanoes.

  

• Day 12

  Lima - Arequipa And Flight To Lima And International Flight

  Today, your private driver will meet you at your hotel and take you to the Arequipa Airport. Your flight will take approximately one hour and a half from Arequipa to Lima. You will arrive in Lima in time for your international flight.