Great Southern Peru with Machu Picchu

Assistance upon arrival at "Jorge Chavez" International Airport in Lima.

At approximately 2:00 p.m. we will pick you up from your hotel to start the City Tour that will last approximately 2 hours and a half. We start our tour with a panoramic view of the "Huaca Pucllana", a magnificent ceremonial and archaeological center built in the 4th century A.D. and considered "Sacred Town" by the Incas.

We will also visit the historic center of Lima, where you will appreciate more than fifty monuments and colonial buildings, highlighting the Paseo de la Republica, Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace, the Cathedral Basilica, the Municipal Palace, among others. Remember that the viceroyalty of Peru was the most important for the Spanish and Lima was its capital.

Continuing and we will visit the MONUMENTAL CONJUNTO DE SAN FRANCISCO, which is the largest sample of colonial religious art in America.

Finally we will visit the "Contemporary Lima", we will stroll through the most traditional residential areas of Lima, El Olivar de San Isidro, Miraflores and Larcomar. Overnight in Lima

We will wake up very early and pick you up at your hotel at 03:00 am to board the bus to Paracas; approximately at 07:30 am, we will arrive in Paracas and then we will go by boat to the Paracas Peninsula, where the most important wildlife sanctuary of the Peruvian coast is located. We will take a guided boat ride to the Ballestas Islands, in the Paracas National Reserve, where we will be able to observe sea lions, boobies, pelicans, penguins and other sea birds.

In the afternoon, at the appropriate time, we will travel by bus to the Huacachina Oasis, located in the middle of beautiful tropical palm trees and surrounded by imposing dunes. Here we will enjoy a beautiful natural landscape, and you can also experience one of the most popular sports of recent times, called sandboarding. After the tour we will transfer you to your hotel in the city of Ica. Overnight in Ica

Early in the morning we will enjoy a delicious breakfast and transfer to the bus station to go on a 4 hour trip to the Nasca aerodrome, where we will board a small plane that will make a flight of approximately 35 minutes over the mysterious Nazca Lines, which are huge line drawings of animals, geometric figures, drawn in the desert, which can only be seen from the air. In the evening we will go to the bus station and board the bus to the White City of Arequipa, so called because of its buildings made of white sillar, volcanic stone that is thrown by the Misti Volcano.

Important: The flight over the Nazca Lines may be affected by weather conditions.

After a trip of 09:00 hrs approximately we will arrive to the city of Arequipa approximately at 06:00 in the morning, at your arrival at the bus station a person will be waiting for you to take you to your hotel. You will have the morning free to explore the city of Arequipa, In the afternoon we will make a guided tour of the city, we will visit the Mirador de Carmen Alto, the viewpoint of Yanahuara, Molino de Sabandía, continuing with the tour we will visit the Mansion of the Founder, a sixteenth century hacienda belonging to the founder of the city, Lord Lieutenant of Governors and Governor Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, then sold to the Jesuits, who used it as a place of retreat, then passing into the hands of the Goyenechea family. You will visit its beautiful and restored chapel and finally visit the Andenería de Paucarpata. We recommend you to have dinner at the hotel and go to bed early, since the next day our guide will pick you up very early to start your trip to the Colca Canyon. Night in Arequipa

Early in the morning we will pick you up from your hotel and start a 4-hour bus ride to the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world (3,400 mts.), passing through Pampa Cañahuas in the Aguada Blanca National Reserve, habitat of vicuñas and alpacas (South American camelids). On the route we will appreciate pre-Columbian terraces that are still cultivated by the native Collaguas. We will visit the Mirador de los Volcanes and then have a novo Andean lunch in Chivay.

Upon arrival in the Colca Valley, transfer to our selected hotel or lodge.

In the afternoon, we recommend you to rest and acclimatize to the altitude. If you are in good physical condition, you will have free time to stroll around the hotel or take a refreshing bath in the hot springs.

Dinner and overnight in the Colca Valley.

Very early in the morning we will leave for La Cruz del Condor, where we will appreciate the flight of the condor in full flight. On the way back we will visit the villages of Yanque, Pinchollo and Maca. Good opportunity to appreciate the life of the inhabitants of these villages that has not changed much since Inca times.

At noon you will enjoy a delicious lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon we will board the bus that will take us to the city of Puno for a time of 05 hrs approximately. Overnight in Puno.

This day will be special and we will enjoy a different adventure. In the morning we will leave on an unforgettable excursion on Lake Titicaca to visit the Floating Islands of the Uros, which belong to the ancient pre-Inca inhabitants of the lake, known as the "Aquatic tribe". These Andean natives build their own islands by periodically adding new layers of totora, (Scirpus Totora) a vegetable fiber of the papyrus family. They also use this material to build their houses and boats. We will continue our excursion and visit the native community of Taquile, inhabited by Quechua natives who have developed, from generation to generation, an efficient and original social system as well as a magnificent weaving technique. After lunch at a local inn in Taquile, we will walk through its hills and archaeological sites. In the afternoon we will be back in Puno and in the evening we will be boarding the bus to the city of Cusco.

We will be arriving to the city of Cusco at 04:00 a.m. approximately; upon arrival at the bus terminal in Cusco, a staff of the agency will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel located in the historic center of Cusco where you can rest, you will have the morning free to rest. In the afternoon approximately 1:10 p.m. we will pick you up from your hotel and start our tour of the city, starting with the Cathedral of Cusco that houses in its walls priceless artistic treasures, is considered by many the most beautiful in South America.

Then we will visit the Qorikancha, this wonderful temple is considered sacred since it housed Inca priests in charge of worshipping the Sun God.

We will continue our guided tour of the archaeological sites located around the city of Cusco, starting with Sacsayhuaman, its Quechua name means "satisfied falcon" was built with huge blocks of stone. Nowadays in this place the most important Andean festival is still held, the "Inti Raymi" or festival of the Sun, a ceremony that Cusco inherited from the Incas. Then we will visit Qenqo, a Quechua word that means "Labyrinth", so called by the Spaniards because of its labyrinthine subway galleries and small canals carved in zigzag. We will continue our tour visiting Puka Pukara, called the red fortress, and finally we will arrive at Tambomachay which was an Inca temple dedicated to worship the water.

Our tour ends near the Plaza de Armas of Cusco, approximately at 6:30 p.m. Night in Cusco.

Full day excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:00 a.m. we will pick you up from your hotel and start visiting the archaeological center of Pisac, this place will give you an idea of the advanced knowledge that the Incas achieved in architecture, some studies reveal that it was not a fortress, but a kind of "royal hacienda" owned by the Inca Pachacutec, composed of terraces, domestic structures, ceremonial and aqueducts that provided water for farming. Another good reason to visit Pisac is its handicraft market, where you can find some unique and authentic souvenirs.

At noon we will head to the town of Urubamba where we will enjoy a buffet lunch that will allow you to taste the delicious Peruvian gastronomy. Urubamba was one of the main agricultural centers of the Inca Empire. Nowadays, the best corn in the world is harvested here and during the rainy season, the valley's own fruits abound, such as peaches, capulí, quince, first quality strawberries, among others.

In the afternoon we will visit the fortress of Ollantaytambo, where we will appreciate its constructions where we can see a military, agricultural and religious center to administer and control the Sacred Valley; this is deduced by the constructions that are presumed to be for agricultural deposits and for military use as walls and watchtowers (probably to protect themselves from the jungle ethnic groups). This archaeological site comprises a series of overlapping terraces, showing the impressive and large blocks of finely carved stone and located on the upper terrace, ending the tour we will walk to the train station which is very close, where we will board the train that will take us to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu village). Night in Aguas Calientes.

Machupicchu awaits for you. Early in the morning we will enjoy a delicious breakfast at the hotel. At approximately 05:50 a.m. we will transfer to the bus station to go up to the Machu Picchu Archaeological Sanctuary. The trip takes 30 minutes, upon arrival we will be able to appreciate the impressive sunrise.

At 08:00 am we will start the guided tour in one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World, our guide will explain about the history and architecture of the citadel of Machu Picchu, you will be amazed with the Inca constructions and the natural environment that surrounds them. After the tour you will have free time to continue exploring and take pictures to remember your visit.

At the indicated time we return by bus to Aguas Calientes where you will have time to have lunch, rest and visit the town. In the afternoon we will board the train back to Ollantaytambo, our staff will be waiting for you to transfer you in our mobility to your hotel in Cusco. The schedules may vary according to the departure of the trains. Night in Cusco

Breakfast at the hotel. At the appropriate time, transfer to the airport to board your return flight, which concludes our 11-day "Explore Peru" program.

We have several options to suit your budget. The price of your package will depend on whether you come in a group or want a private tour (minimum 2 people). Also, it will depend on the type of train and guide you select. The price we will offer you will be PER PERSON.