7 Day – Classic Peru trip: Lima, Cusco & Machu Picchu

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, finally we will return to your hotel. 

A representative of Valencia Travel Cusco will pick you up from the hotel and take you to the airport where you will take your flight to Cusco!  

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. We’ll drop you off at 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. 

Our tour begins in Urubamba, where we’ll pick you up at 06h00. and then head to the train station to board the train to Aguas Calientes (also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo). The train leaves at approximately 07h05 although the exact schedule does change sometimes. The two-hour train journey is a memorable experience in itself, as we pass through river canyons and rolling hills, then your guide will pick you up from the train station at around 09h15. We’ll then walk to the bus departure point for the short but zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu.  

We’ll then pass through the gates into the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Here you’ll begin your guided walking tour with an experienced and highly knowledgeable guide. Our tour of Machu Picchu will last about two hours, and will take you to all the most famous and most spectacular parts of the extensive archaeological complex. These include the House of the Guardian, Intihuatana, Temple of the Sun, Sacred Plaza and other key locations. And as we walk around, we’ll have spectacular views across the agriculture terraces of Machu Picchu and across to the surrounding mountains and plunging gorges.  

Once we’ve finished our tour of Machu Picchu, we’ll take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes where you can relax and have lunch, before we board the train back to Poroy and Cusco. Upon arrival at the station, we’ll be waiting to take you back to your hotel in Cusco, where you can think back to your incredible tour of one of the world’s most famous and most impressive attractions. 

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 

At 19h00 - Folklore Show and Dinner  

Head to the Tunupa restaurant, located just the central Plaza de Armas of Cusco (3 minutes walking from Hotel), and get ready for a fabulous buffet dinner. There is a large selection of typical dishes, meat, fish, vegetables, and desserts they are amazing and delicious dishes. The night is more enjoyable when the traditional dance show begins and you can get involved with folk, traditional, classical music, and sweeten your ears with the Andean instruments: Quena, charango, flute, zampoña. If you wish, you can also share the dance floor with the dancers and get a great experience. 

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