The Wonders of Peru

Half-day Lima City tour & Larco Museum (private)

On this day, enjoy a full-day guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in the “City of Kings”. In the Historical Center, see Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Cathedral, either the Religious Art Museum or the Santo Domingo Convent, and San Francisco Monastery, with its famous underground crypts.

The tour continues through the residential Districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, visiting the Central Park of Miraflores and El Parque del Amor (Love Park). You’ll also stop by the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site, which dates to the II Century AC and was considered by the Incas as a Sacred Town.

The tour continues over at the Larco Herrera Museum and Hacienda, where you’ll get to admire one of the best collections of pre-Columbian art in the country.

At the end of the tour you’ll be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Lima.

Ica with Pachacamac Ruins en route (private)

We take a private transport with a private guide to Ica, an esoteric land, one of profound religious faith, sand dunes, valleys, and sunlight.

It is an agricultural zone where we see  fields of cotton, butter beans, asparagus, citrus tree orchards, and vineyards interspersed among the extensive desert area.

En route, we visit the ancient adobe ruins of Pachacamac, located about 40 kms (25 miles) south of Lima. This pre-Inca temple, dating back to AD 600-900, was a place of pilgrimage, once covering 10 km2 (4 sq miles).

Built centuries before the Incas, Pachacamac is noted for its great pyramidal temples and for the remains of frescoes adorning its adobe walls. Following the expansion of the Inca Empire, Pachacamac became an important Inca administrative centre, while maintaining its status as a religious shrine.

Pachacamac has an on-site museum with an interesting collection of pre-Hispanic relics.

PM: City tour of Ica, Huacachina Oasis, Regional Museum and local winery

In the afternoon, we take a sightseeing tour of the city of Ica, including the Main Square, Municipal Palace and the Cathedral of Ica.  We continue with a visit to an old Pisco producing bodega where visitors can witness the production process and then taste different types of Pisco and wines produced by the bodega.

Then, we head to the Regional Museum of Ica, to appreciate interesting ancient relics of different cultures that developed in the region. The Museum exhibits a comprehensive collection of Pre-Columbian textiles, ceramics and artifacts from the Paracas, Nazca and Inca cultures.

Finally, we head to the Oasis of Huacachina, located 5 kms southwest of Ica. This beautiful lagoon, said to contain salts of sulphur which many claim to be curative, is completely surrounded by sand dunes.

After the excursion, we return to the hotel.

Overnight in Paracas.

Scallop Experience

At the departure time, we will meet at the Paracas Luxury Collection Hotel dock and begin sailing to Atenas beach, where the scallops are farmed. Here, we will receive an explanation of the recollection process and the much-needed care to ensure a perfect product. After a brief demonstration, we will be able to taste the fresh scallops and return to the Hotel Paracas for a second sampling of six scallop varieties at Chalana Restaurant.

Sand buggies and sandboarding in Paracas desert

We will venture through the beautiful dunes of Paracas, going up and down them. We can walk in the sand, take photos or videos, and do some sandboarding. We will give you the equipment and instructions for a safe practice.

After the excursion, we return to the hotel.

Overnight in Paracas.

Early this morning, we board the motorboat that takes us to the Ballestas Islands. On our way to the islands, the Candelabro (Spanish for candlestick) geoglyph will be visible.

It has appeared in the sand dunes since the Pre-Inca Paracas Culture era, and resembles a trident. Its origin, only explained by various contradicting theories, remains a mystery.

Once on the islands, at the Mirador de Lobos, we can see sea lions, black and white guanay cormorants, Peruvian pelicans and, with a little luck, even one of the famous Humboldt penguins. The sailing experience takes approximately 2 hours. Then we return to the dock, where your private transport and guide await to take us back to the hotel.

PM: Lima (private)

We travel on a private transport with a private guide to the City of Lima, approximately 4 hours along the desert and Panamerican Highway.

Upon arrival in Lima, we will transfer to the airport.

Transfer Cusco Airport / Hotel (private)

Upon arrival into Cusco International Airport, you will be met by our representative and private driver and will be transferred to your hotel. Our representative will assist you with the corresponding check-in procedures.

Overnight in Cusco.

Full-day Cusco City tour, main surrounding ruins, Awanacancha Interpretation Center & Pisac Market (private)

Today we will embark on a different tour of Cusco City’s surrounding archaeological sites.

An early pick up from your Cusco hotel takes you to Plaza de Armas, or the Main Square of Cusco. From here, we take a short walk to the San Cristóbal viewpoint, overlooking the city of Cusco from a privileged spot.

Next, we walk to the Sacsayhuaman Fortress archaeological site, a ceremonial compound and magnificent example of Inca military power, also offering a panoramic view of the City.

Then, we walk to the Qenqo Amphitheater, a ritualistic site with subterranean galleries that form an underground maze.

Then, we continue to the Red Fortress or Puca Pucara and the Inca Baths of Tambomachay consisting on a series of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls that run through the terraced rocks that seem frozen in time.

Later, we visit the Andean textile center Awanacancha, which means, “the palace of weaving.” Here, you’ll learn about the dyeing techniques that have been used for hundreds of years.

Here we can also walk along a thatched roof path and watch and learn about the four different kinds of South American camelids: Huanaco, Llama, Alpaca and Vicuña. At the end of the path we find weavers from over 12 communities from southern Peru who alternate exhibitions of threading, dying and weaving traditional Andean textiles.

Next, we’ll head to the Sacred Valley’s Pisac Market, where regional artisans gather to exchange, buy, and sell products. You’ll have plenty of time to explore and barter for all the typical handicrafts from this area.

Buffet lunch at Tunupa Sacred Valley Restaurant

Experience a truly unique dining experience and spoil your senses in a mansion and garden restaurant with breathtaking views of the Peruvian Andes in the magical Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Overnight in Cusco

Full-day excursion to Machu Picchu via roundtrip train (private)

We begin with a morning transfer to the train station for an amazing train journey to the famous Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, the great mountain-top city abandoned by the Inca Empire, reclaimed by the jungle and lost to humanity until its rediscovery in 1911.

Along the way, we will enjoy the changing landscape as we travel from Andean highlands to the beginnings of the jungle (“eyebrow of the jungle”), before finally arriving at the town of Aguas Calientes.

From here, we board the bus that will take us on a 20-minute ride up to Machu Picchu (3,400masl/11,15ft), or Lost City of the Incas. Here, we take a guided tour of the Citadel, probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire, with its giant walls, terraces and ramps, which appear as though they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments.

In the afternoon, we return to Cusco by train and upon arrival at the train station are met by our representative and driver for the transfer to the hotel.

Lunch at café Inkaterra.

PM: Return to Cusco (private)

In the afternoon, we walk to the station to board the return train. Upon arrival at the train station, you will be met by our representative and private driver who will transfer you to the hotel.

Overnight in Cusco.

Transfer Hotel / Cusco Airport (private)

Our representative will meet you at the hotel lobby and transfer you to Cusco Airport to board your flight back home. They will assist you with check-in procedures and all departure formalities.

Farewell!