DAY 1 UK/Lima
We fly to Lima for a two-night stay at the 4-star Hotel Jose Antonio or San Augustin. This fascinating city’s pre-Hispanic origins are overlaid with colonial and modern architecture.
DAY 2 Lima
Our tour this morning visits the Miraflores district, known for its parks, beaches and scenic views of the Pacific Ocean, where the Plaza Mayor marks the spot at which conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded Lima in 1535. Visit the cathedral, the church of Santo Domingo and the Gold Museum, a treasure-house of Inca art and artefacts.
DAY 3 Sacred Valley of the Incas
Today we fly to Cusco and drive down to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a peaceful and lush region with magnificent scenery, for a two-night stay at the Hotel Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay.
DAY 4 Machu Picchu
One of the world’s greatest travel experiences awaits – a thrilling journey by train through the Sacred Valley to the ‘Lost City’ of Machu Picchu, seemingly suspended in the mists of the mountain jungles. We explore this wonderfully preserved citadel in the company of a knowledgeable guide, who will help explain the mysteries behind the temples, terraces, staircases and houses, while we marvel at the dizzying views.
DAY 5 Villages of the Andes to Cusco
Today we travel to Pisac, the site of an Inca observatory on the banks of the Urubamba River and setting for a thriving local market. Here, bowler-hatted, pigtailed women sell colourful native handicrafts. At Ollantaytambo, a fine example of Inca town planning and one of the few places where the Spanish were defeated by the Incas, we see the massive fortress built to guard the Sacred Valley. We continue to the Hotel Sonesta Posadas del Inca Cusco or similar in Cusco for a three-night stay.
DAY 6 Cusco & Inca Ruins
Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire. Today we see memorable sights including the Temples of the Sun and Moon; the huge city-fortress of Sacsayhuaman, its monumental stone blocks carved and placed with great precision; and Khenko, a limestone labyrinth covered with intricate carvings. The colour and culture of Peru is brought vividly to life at this evening’s performance of music and dance.
DAY 7 Cusco
A day to relax; perhaps explore more of the city where the legacies of the Inca and the Spanish conquistadors are evident. Join your fellow travellers this evening for dinner at a local restaurant.
DAY 8 Train to Lake Titicaca
We leave Cusco and take another spectacular train journey travelling first class on the Andean Explorer, which reveals more of the breathtaking Andean landscape. We travel south across the Altiplano, winding through remote high altitude moorland known as puna, and up to Juliaca, enjoying lunch on board as we take in the passing scenery. Our hotel for the next two nights is the Hotel Sonesta Posadas del Inca Puno on the banks of Lake Titicaca, which at 12,500 feet is the highest navigable body of water on the planet and is steeped in Inca myth and legend.
DAY 9 Lake Titicaca
As well as the highest, Titicaca must be one of the world’s most enchanting lakes as we’ll discover as we cruise its deep blue, mountainringed waters to the intriguing floating reed islands constructed by the indigenous Uros Indians. This small tribe harvests the lake’s reeds to make countless everyday items. There’s also time in the evening to explore ancient Puno; a great place to buy Peruvian textiles.
DAY 10 Sillustani, Chullpas & Lima
We drive up to Sillustani, a remote hilltop Inca site set on a peninsula above beautiful Lake Umayo. Here we can learn about the religious rituals of the Colla people who dominated this region before the Incas. See the well-preserved Chullpas, stone towers where members of the Colla nobility were buried, then visit a local farmhouse to see how native Indians live today. We fly back from Juliaca to Lima, where we stay overnight.
DAYS 11 & 12 Lima/UK
Most of the day is free, and a farewell lunch is included before the overnight flight home to the UK, arriving on Day 12.
Please note: This tour visits high altitudes in excess of 12,000 feet, where altitude sickness can occur. Our tour has been designed to allow a more gradual increase in altitude, giving you time to adjust to the lower oxygen levels. Other simple measures, such as eating light meals and drinking lots of fluids can also help to alleviate the symptoms.