16 Day – Discovery Peru

The first stop on our Lima city tour is Huaca Pucllana, a huge archaeological site in Miraflores, one of Lima’s most popular districts. Huaca Pucllana was an important ceremonial and administrative center of the Lima culture, which developed along this part of the Peruvian coast between 200 AD and 700 AD. This sacred place was built from seven staggered platforms surrounded by a plaza and large walls. It’s a very impressive site, and certainly not what you expect to find in lively Miraflores!  

After exploring Huaca Pucllana with your bilingual guide, we’ll drive to the historic center of Lima, all of which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. We’ll go to the beautiful Plaza de Armas (Lima’s main square) which is surrounded by impressive colonial and Republican-era buildings, many of which have ornate wooden balconies. Some of Peru’s most important buildings surround the square, including the Government Palace, Cathedral of Lima, Archbishop's Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace and the Palace of the Union, we’ll visit the Cathedral of Lima, which was completed in 1649. It’s a huge structure, with a large central nave and 14 side chapels. Inside, we’ll see the sculptures and paintings that decorate the interior. The cathedral is also home to the tomb of the conquistador Francisco Pizarro.  

Next we’ll walk one block to the Convent of Santo Domingo. Founded in the 1530s and completed in 1766, it is one of the most important religious buildings in Peru, and its large bell tower is a landmark in the historic center of Lima. As we walk around the interior of the convent, we’ll see the beautiful Sevillian azulejos (ceramic tiles) that decorate the walls, dating from 1604 and 1606. There is also a series of paintings that present passages of the life of Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican order, which date to around 1608. At the end of the tour, we will return to your hotel. 

Optional: Lunch at Café La Plaza Restaurant $22 per person. 

Barranco Walking Tour and Tasting Pisco Sour & Dinner, At 16h30, you’ll start off on foot and visit such highlights as the Barranco boardwalk and the famous “Puente de los Suspiros”, which has been a meeting point for young lovers for decades and has inspired many famous Peruvian poets and singers. You will visit the renowned MATE museum home to the collections of Peruvian photographer Mario Testino, in addition to the Pedro de Osma art museum, and visit the picturesque main plaza in Barranco. 

Upon completion of your walking tour in Barranco, ready for a culinary highlight while in Lima? Find out all about the history of Pisco during this Pisco tasting and enjoy Peru's most famous drink, the Pisco Sour, prepared by the expert Ricardo Carpio. You will taste three types of Pisco: Pure Pisco, blend Pisco and green must Pisco. Enjoy this Pisco tasting and discover the different kinds of Pisco that made this drink so famous. Afterwards dinner at the Mango Restaurant. 

After Breakfast, transfer Hotel to Lima Airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado. Your Amazon adventure begins when we pick you up from your hotel or the airport in Puerto Maldonado. From here, we take a 45-minute boat ride along the Madre de Dios River to reach the wonderful Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica. After a short briefing, you can settle into your beautiful cabaña and then have lunch in the dining room.  

In the afternoon, you can meet your highly experienced jungle guide and choose from the various excursions available at the lodge. You can head off on a guided walk along the rainforest trail system to explore the Amazon Basin, passing by incredible trees such as the Shihuahuaco and the strangler fig, seeing huge numbers of colorful birds and exotic insects.  

Later, you can go on the Twilight River excursion, a guided boat ride on the Madre de Dios River. During the excursion you can see the incredible change in the jungle as the sun sets and the nocturnal world comes alive. After dark, we can look for nightjars, owls, capybaras and big caimans. Returning to the lodge, you can then enjoy a delicious dinner in the main dining room. Afterwards, you can relax in your cabaña or head out into the grounds to experience more of the rainforest and the cacophony of magnificent sounds of the jungle at night. 

After breakfast, we’ll head out to the famous Lake Sandoval in the Tambopata National Reserve. We can take canoes out onto the beautiful oxbow lake, which is home to endangered giant river otters, red howler monkeys, red-bellied macaws, anacondas, side-neck turtles, black caimans and more, after exploring the lake, we’ll head back to the lodge for lunch. Then we can go on the amazing Inkaterra Canopy Walkway and the Anaconda Walk. The Canopy Walk takes us up a 29-meter-tall tower into the treetop realm. Stretching for more than a quarter of a mile, the walkway takes you through the canopy on a suspension bridge network linking eight observation platforms. From this awe-inspiring vantage point, we’ll look out for toucans, woodpeckers, trogons, monkeys and the three-toed sloth, next we can go on the Anaconda Walk! This walkway traverses a 200-meter-long wooden bridge over the aguajales swamps, where we can see a huge array of amphibians, birds, mammals, trees and other jungle flora. There’s also the possibility of spotting snakes – perhaps even the massive anaconda. When we return to the lodge for dinner, you can enjoy the daily nature presentation in the Eco Centre. 

Sadly, today is our final day in the Amazon. After a breakfast buffet, we’ll take the boat back to Puerto Maldonado. If you have time before your flight, we can visit the butterfly house where you can see a stunning array of colourful butterflies, some small and some as large as your hand. You can learn all about the life stages of these beautiful insects, and walk among them as they flutter around. Then we’ll take you to the airport or to your hotel in Puerto Maldonado. We hope you enjoyed your wonderful experience at the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Lodge in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest! 

After your arrival to Cusco, your cultural excursion will begin when we pick you up in Cusco and drive you out to the Ccaccaccollo Community. When we arrive, we’ll meet some of the locals who live in the community, which is home to some 50 families. Here, the two main activities are farming and weaving, with the men working the land while the women doing the weaving.  The weaving techniques have been passed down from one woman to another for centuries, and today Ccaccaccollo produces some of the most amazing textiles in Peru. During your visit, you’ll be able to attend a talk and see a demonstration about how these textiles are made, learning all about the ancient techniques that are still used today.  

One of the Quechua-speaking weavers will tell us (through a translator) about the secrets of the traditional iconography used in their designs, and will show you the entire manufacturing process from the shearing of the wool to spinning and the washing of the wool with natural soap. You’ll also learn about the plants and flowers that are collected to use as dyes. You can also have a go at weaving a blanket, a poncho, a chullo hat or one of the many other items made by the women weavers of Ccaccaccollo.  

After the weaving, you’ll have the rest of the day to explore the community at your leisure, getting to know the locals and seeing what else they do to keep the community thriving. And, of course, you’ll be able to purchase the amazing high-quality textiles on offer, helping to support the community directly, later in the day we’ll say or goodbyes and return to your hotel, then spend the remainder of the day at leisure. 

We’ll pick you up from your hotel at 08h30 and then set off towards the Sacred Valley. In Pisac, we will visit the colorful traditional market, where you can browse the array of local artisan work and other souvenirs – which of course you can buy to take home with you. We’ll spend about 30 minutes here, and then head up to the ruins of Pisac which sit atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. 

At the Pisac archaeological site, we’ll explore the extensive ruins and enjoy the beautiful views across the valley. You’ll be given a guided tour of the ruins, passing through various structures that once served as homes, storage rooms and temples, and you’ll see Inca altars, carvings, tunnels, caves and the famous Intihuatana, the “hitching post of the sun.” We’ll explore Pisac for about 90 minutes. Alternatively, if you’d like to spend more time in the market in Pisac instead of seeing the ruins, you can talk to your guide and arrange a time and a place to meet when the tour group returns through the market after the ruins. 

After visiting Pisac, we have visit to the nearby Potato Park! The Potato Park is a community-led and rights-based conservation project where approximately 2,300 of the 4,000 known potato varieties in the world are grown. You can meet the local community, learn about the unique process of potato cultivation, and learn the stories that lie behind each humble potato. 

We’ll now head on towards Urubamba, where we’ll stop for about 45 minutes for lunch (not included). After another 30-minute drive, we’ll reach the wonderful Inca town and archaeological site of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti, who conquered the region and built the town and a ceremonial center. We’ll spend about an hour exploring these magnificent ruins, visiting the amazing Temple of the Sun and seeing massive blocks of rock that were perfectly carved and polished by master Inca stonemasons. Ollantaytambo is also a fine example of Inca agricultural construction and hydro-engineering, with a complex series of stone water fountains, channels and agricultural terraces, the latter organized by elevation to create different microclimates for crop experimentation.  

 We’ll see the extent of the water system when we return to the town, where fast flowing water channels built by the Incas are still in use today. Walking to the town square, we’ll have great views of the ruins above us, as well as Inca granaries and store houses built on the sides of the surrounding mountains. Here we can also watch the daily life of Ollantaytambo, where many of the locals still wear traditional dress, After the visit to Ollantaytambo, return to hotel in Sacred Valley.

After a great breakfast our team will be transferred you to train station. There you will board the Perurail Sacred Valley Train that will take you along the scenic and beautiful banks of the Vilcanota River on your journey to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). 

Perurail Sacred Valley Train accommodates just 33 passengers. Reflecting the elegance of that memorable travel decade, the 1920’s, this train includes a sumptuous dining car and an observation-bar car. On board you will be served a gourmet lunch in the dining car of the train. When you arrive at MachuPicchu Pueblo you will be greeted by our team members. They will walk with you on the 5-minute stroll over to your Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel by Inkaterra. In Aguas Calientes there are no motorized vehicles except for those buses that take people up and down from the Citadel of Machu Picchu.  

Aguas Calientes is also surrounded by thermal hot springs, and when we arrive you’ll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy a dip in one of the steaming natural springs. You’ll also have time to walk around the town, exploring the colorful markets and general buzz of this unique Peruvian settlement.  

It’s an early start the next day, so we’ll make sure you’re settled in to your hotel and all set for the following day and your first glimpse of Machu Picchu. 

You´ll wake up early and have a great breakfast at your hotel. Then a local guide will be happy to show you around the impressive gardens of the hotel. There are 180 species of birds native to this area of Peru, from the cock-of-the-rock to a record of 18 different species of hummingbirds. After Breakfast at the hotel you will go exploring the 7th Wonder of the Modern World, Machu Picchu. It is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences of your lifetime. Feel free to enjoy this marvelous Incan masterwork that was built centuries ago. Some of the recommended sites to visit are: House of the Guardian, the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Sacred Plaza. This is your opportunity to soak up some of the atmosphere of this magical place. 

At around 14h00 you will enjoy the buffet Lunch at the famous Belmond Sanctuary Lodge which is right beside the Citadel. 

Soon it will be time to go back down to Aguas Calientes and catch your train back to Cusco. Your train ride to Cusco will be aboard the exclusive and luxurious Belmond Hiram Bingham. Enjoy the sophisticated dining car as well as the bar car. There will be special Peruvian cocktails and live music in the bar car. Upon your arrival at the Poroy station you will be picked up and driven back to your hotel. 

Our Cusco city tour begins in the morning, when we’ll first head to the wonderful Koricancha, next door to Santo Domingo Church. According to the chroniclers who wrote during the period directly after the Spanish Conquest, the Koricancha was the most sacred and most important temple in the Inca Empire. Its walls were covered with gold, and life-size statues of plants and animals – all made of pure gold and silver – decorated its rooms and hallways. Sadly, this wealth was stripped out by the Spanish conquistadors. It remains a magnificent temple, however, and your guide will take you around the Koricancha, showing you details that you almost certainly miss if you visited without a guide.  

After visiting the Koricancha, we’ll head to Cusco Cathedral, located on the Plaza de Armas. Built between 1560 and 1654 on top of the foundations of an existing Inca temple, this spectacular cathedral houses many works of art by the Cusco School of painters, and its main altar and pulpit are covered in gold and silver relief work. Look carefully and you’ll also see elements of indigenous religious symbolism incorporated into the church by the native people who worked on its construction, such as the carved head of a jaguar on the doors.  

Our next stop is the imposing Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, which sits on a hill above Cusco. Here you will see some of the finest examples of Inca stonework and construction, including massive rocks that were carefully cut and perfectly fitted together to form the walls. From here you’ll also have beautiful panoramic views of Cusco.  

After exploring Sacsayhuaman we’ll head up the hill to the Tambomachay Archeological Complex. The exact purpose of this site is unknown, but it may have functioned, at least in part, as an Inca spa. Inca hydro-engineering is apparent here, with a series of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls running through the terraced rocks. 

Tambomachay is the last attraction on our city tour, after which we’ll head back down into Cusco and drop you off at your hotel. 

After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your ease. The capital city of the Inca Empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city. 

We will pick you up at 06h00 and take you to the Train station in Cusco. The route covered by the Titicaca train is considered by many travel magazines to be one of the most beautiful in the world, with a trip that lasts ten and a half hours. At the start of the journey, passengers are welcomed at the Wanchaq Station (Cusco), where local musicians will provide background music as you board the train. Once aboard, you can enjoy the two dining cars decorated in the style of the Pullman cars of the 1920s. Also, during the trip, you will have the finest in gourmet food. Once you arrive in Puno, the folklore capital, you will be taken to your hotel where you will stay the night. At night, keep to the main, lit areas. The main street will be obvious and there are lots of little restaurants there.  

Our full-day trip begins at around 07h00 when we pick you up from your hotel in Puno. We’ll then head down to the port and board our comfortable motor launch to ride out to the island of Taquile.  

Taquile is one of the most beautiful islands in Peru, where the traditional way of life is still very much alive. We’ll meet some of the master weavers of this ancient Andean community, whose textiles are considered among the best in the country. According to legend, the Incas themselves learned how to weave from the artisans of this island. On Taquile, the men are the weavers, and the women spin the yarn.  

 After seeing the weavers and exploring the beautiful island, we’ll head down to the small port on Taquile at around midday and head by boat towards the Chucuito Peninsula. This is in the Aymara region of Lake Titicaca and it represents the communal identity of the Peruvian-Bolivian altiplano. We’ll visit the small and rarely visited rural community of Luquina, where we’ll enjoy a wonderful buffet lunch at the local fisherman’s house.  

Later in the afternoon, as we begin heading back towards Puno, we’ll visit the amazing Floating Islands of the Uros people. When we arrive at the floating islands, you’ll probably be amazed by the scale of these floating reed constructions. The Uros originally built these islands for defensive reasons: if a threat appeared, they could move their island homes to a safer location. The islands are made from the totora reeds that grow around the lake, and each island is in a constant state of reconstruction, as old reeds are preplaced by new.  

Stepping onto the islands is quite an experience, as the springy reed floor feels strange beneath your feet. We’ll explore the main island, and see the houses, watchtowers and other structures, all built of reeds. One of the locals will then give a brief presentation about how the islands are made, and then you can meet one of the local families to see how they live, after visiting the Uros islands, we’ll head back to Puno, where we’ll take you to your hotel. 

Departure from Puno between 06h00 to 06h30, we’ll drive toward to Chivay Village. We will have a trip around 5 hours with stops on the way to take photographs. You will observe the area called "Lagunillas", where with some luck American camelids maybe take some pictures of flamingos, birds and Andean ducks, on the way we will see Andean landscapes, South American camelids. Continuing on the road we will pass Tocra, a high plain at more than 4,500 meters, where we will observe lakes with migrant birds and get pictures of the Antiplano with its Llamas and Guanacos.  

The highest point of our tour will be Pata Pampa (Pata=high, Pampa=land) located at 4,820 meters, where we’ll observe the volcanoes Ampato, Sabancaya, Hualca-Hualca, Mismi (the source of the Amazon River), and the Cordillera de Chila. When we are getting close to the town of Chivay (3,651 meters) we will start to wonder at the spectacular multicolor view of the terraces of the Colca valley.  

We keep our drive until Coporaque town and visit the Lodge La Casa de Mamayacchi, where we will have our lunch. After lunch your guide will invite you to a short walk through Coporaque and its surroundings (this walk takes around 1 hour and is optional). We’ll come back to our transportation and visit a natural “hot springs”, where we will enjoy a relaxing bath (entrance fee and personal towels to the baths are not included).  

After this exciting day we will bring you to your hotel, lunch at the Balcon de Zacarias Restaurant. 

It’s another early start today, because there’s so much great stuff to see! First we’ll go to the lookout point known as Cruz del Condor (Cross of the Condor), near the small villages of Maca and Cabanaconde. Here, strong winds rise up from the canyon, providing a favourite spot for Andean condors. They soar on the thermals, often in pairs, normally in the early morning and late afternoon. There’s a good chance you’ll see these huge condors, with their three-meter wingspans, flying very close to the lookout point, providing a truly majestic sight. From the lookout point you’ll also have incredible views down into the depths of Colca Canyon.   

We’ll then head back to Chivay, first stopping off at the traditional village of Pinchollo and the Antahuilque viewpoint. This viewpoint (or Mirador, as they are known in Spanish) offers wonderful views of the 1,500-year-old agricultural terraces that curve along the hillsides like an amphitheatre. You can also spot some of the enchanting lagoons of the Colca Valley. We will have lunch in Chivay in the afternoon and then begin the journey to Arequipa (4 hours), lunch at the Las Calcas Restaurant. 

After Breakfast, the visit of convent Santa Catalina, you have the opportunity to walk around the white city and its surroundings. The architecture in the historic center is characterized by the prominence of ashlar, the use of which begins in the last third of the s. XVI. This volcanic stone, white or pink exceptionally soft, lightweight, and weatherproof, emerged as a seismic structural solution. 

Afterward, Arequipa Gastronomic Experience: 

Our gastronomic tour begins at 8 a.m. First we head to the local San Camilo market, located not far from Arequipa’s Plaza de Armas. San Camilo is a very popular traditional Peruvian market, and arguably the most authentic and most interesting in Arequipa. The lively market is packed with butchers, spices merchants, fruit and veg stalls, souvenir sellers and more, as well as food courts selling a wide range of classic local snacks and dishes. It’s a heady mix of colour and sound, as well as plenty of smells – so get ready to hold your nose, as it can become quite pungent, a certain sign of a truly authentic local market!  

We’ll explore the market and buy all of the fresh ingredients we’ll need to prepare two dishes: an entrée and a main dish. Then we’ll go to a local family home and start cooking! You’ll be given all the necessary instructions by a highly knowledgeable local cook, who will assist you in the creation of your classic arequipeño meal. If you don’t speak Spanish, don’t worry! Your guide will be on hand to translate, so you can understand the cook and ask any questions. Once you’ve finished cooking, you can sit down and enjoy your delicious Peruvian meal. And now that you know how to make it in the most authentic way, you can later prepare it again to wow your friends and family with your newfound culinary abilities. Ending with a transfer to Arequipa Airport for your flight to Lima. Upon arrival in Lima a representative of Valencia travel will be waiting at the airport for you and pick you up in our private transport and take you to your hotel where you will spend the night. 

After breakfast enjoy your last day at leisure before transferring to the airport for your return flight home via Lima.