Upon arrival at the Lima airport, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel. The Peruvian capital is a modern metropolis full of history, which is currently undergoing an exciting process of cultural and economic changes.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Enjoy a tour of Lima’s old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site packed with fascinating historical buildings. Visit the Larco Museum, housed in a beautifully restored vice regal mansion built on a pre-Columbian pyramid in the traditional Pueblo Libre district. The world’s most complete pre-Hispanic collection of gold and silver objects and pieces of erotic art. The only home still in the same family’s ownership since 1535 is Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion. Tour colonial downtown and appreciate grandiose architecture and Lima’s amazing 16th-century cathedral, which took more than 80 years to complete. Return to the hotel.

Overnight.

Optional: Visit the ravines of Barranco + culinary experience. Barranco has colourful street art, tucked-away bars and coffee shops, vibrant old mansions and summer houses, beautiful museums, delicious food, and lots of bohemian vibes.

Breakfast. Check out and transfer to the bus station to take the bus from Lima to Paracas. After four hours, arrive at Pisco airport and enjoy a flight over the desert, observing the mysterious Nasca lines, ancient geoglyphs etched into the sand that are famous worldwide. As you fly, lines take shape to form simple geometric designs, and the swirls and zigzags start to form more distinct shapes: a spider, a condor, a monkey, to name a few. If the weather conditions and the airspace allow, also fly over the recently discovered drawings in Palpa. Fly over the mountains where marine fossils that date back millions of years were found and then fly back to Pisco. Arrive and transfer to the hotel in Paracas.

Overnight.

Optional: Buggies in the desert.

Breakfast. Transfer to El Chaco pier for a boat ride to the Ballestas Islands, a collection of rocky islets with beautiful geographical formations, just a few kms off the western coast. See various species of birds and wildlife like seals, boobies, pelicans, sea lions and the endangered Humboldt penguin. Cruise around the islands’ dramatic cliffs and watch large herds of noisy sea lions, birds and if you’re lucky, dolphins. Get close to this impressive array of wildlife but not disembark. Pass the Paracas Candelabra, a huge 3 pronged geoglyph (approx.200 BC), whose purpose and creator remain a mystery. Transfer to the bus station depart for Lima. Arrive and check in at your hotel.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Check out and transfer to the airport for your flight to Arequipa. Arrive, transfer to the hotel, and check-in. Freshen up. Start your tour in the main square, the ‘Plaza de Armas’, with the elegant neo-Renaissance Basilica cathedral and the sensational Monastery of Santa Catalina. The Monastery was a ‘forbidden city’ in the heart of Arequipa for centuries. The 16th-century convent was an almost self-sufficient town. Stroll through its colourful streets.

See the Church of the Company, a masterpiece of Peruvian baroque with a fascinating facade. The beautiful sacristy’s dome and walls are covered with murals of tropical flora and fauna. The Jesuit seminary has a beautiful main chapel. Head to the neighbourhoods of Yanahuara and Carmen Alto to enjoy a magnificent view of the Misti volcano, which rises above the city. Return to your hotel.

Overnight.

*Church dress code: During the visit, sleeveless and/or low-cut garments, shorts above the knee, and miniskirts are not permitted; otherwise, their entrance will be denied.

Breakfast. Check out. Leave Arequipa for the Colca Valley via the Yura district, which has ravines, mountain ranges, and canyons. Continue through the Pampas Cañahuas Reserve, an extensive plain populated by vicuñas, one of the four indigenous Andean camelids found in Peru. Cross the pampas of Viscachani and Toccra, bordering the crater of the Chucura volcano, to the Los Andes viewpoint in Patapampa, 4,910 meters above sea level. See the different volcanoes that surround Arequipa. Enjoy lunch in the picturesque town of Chivay, and transfer to your selected hotel. The rest of the afternoon is free.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Check out. A day to remember with a trip to the stunning “Cruz del Condor” viewpoint to appreciate the immensity of the Colca Valley, one of the deepest canyons in the world, with a height of more than 4,160 meters, double of the Grand Canyon. See the immense condors flying over the canyon. Back in Chivay, visit the towns of Pinchollo, Maca, Achoma and Yanque, with photo stops at the Antahuilque and Choquetico viewpoints. Continue to Puno via Patahuasi, observing the amazing stone forests and sky-blue lagoons populated by cranes 4,000 meters above sea level. Arrive at your Puno hotel after six hours.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Transfer to Puno port to board a boat to the floating island of Uros. The Uros are an ancestral society on a series of artificial islands and houses built with totora reed, which grows in the Titikaka lake. After a journey of 1.5 hrs, continue Taquile island, part of the Inca Empire where remnants of its culture can still be seen. Receive a briefing and enjoy a cultural activity. Have a tasty lunch and return to Puno.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Check out. Transfer to the bus station to catch your bus to Cusco. The first stop is Pukara town and the Pukara Lithic Museum. This was the first urban settlement on Lake Titicaca, (100 and 300 A.D) Before having lunch in Sicuani, stop at La Raya, the highest point between Puno and Cusco at 4,313 meters above sea level.

Continue to Racchi, home to the Wiracocha Temple, an Inca site built in honour of a powerful Andean god. The rectangular construction boasts thatched rooftops 20 meters above the ground, the highest in the Inca Empire.

Visit Andahuaylillas to see the 16th century local church, known as the “Sistine Chapel of America” owing to the high quality of art found inside. It was built on top of Wari remains. Once in the Imperial City, a transportation service will pick you up from the bus station and drop you off at your hotel.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Rest and stroll through the plazas and beautiful cobblestone streets of the city on your own. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of the capital of the Inca Empire. Visit Santo Domingo Convent, a large Renaissance-baroque complex, built over the Inca Coricancha temple, dedicated to worshipping of the sun. Its foundations are still visible at the base. Ancient chronicles say the temple was covered in gold leaf and filled with golden representations of nature.

Then, visit the imposing Cathedral, on the Main Square. Head to the hills above Cusco to visit the remains of the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, for a stunning view of Cusco and the ruins of the temple and amphitheatre of Qenqo, where the Incas practiced agricultural rituals. Visit Puka Pukara (‘Red fortress’ in Quechua) an Inca military complex on a prominent hill. Return to your hotel.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Check out and visit the town of Chinchero, a traditional Cusco urban centre with a beautiful view of the valley. The inhabitants here preserve the artisan traditions and the inherited knowledge of the Incas and display them in their clothes and customs. In Chinchero there are also archaeological remains and a beautiful 17th-century church, one of the first Catholic buildings in Peru.

Arrive in Ollantaytambo and visit the Living Museum of Yucay, a centre of Andean traditions where demonstrations of textile work, adobe, pottery, and silverware are carried out in the same traditional Inca way. Residents of the museum include llamas, sheep, and alpacas, and they can be fed! Enjoy a superior Andean gastronomy experience in a cosy restaurant. Later, climb the iconic fortress, built next to a mountain. Transfer to your hotel.

Overnight.

*On Sundays, also visit the local market in Chinchero.

Optional: Visit the planetarium of Cusco or ceramic workshop with Totemiq.

Breakfast. Check out. Transfer to Ollanta Station to board the train to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. Following a scenic journey through dramatic Andean landscapes, arrive at the station in Aguas Calientes. Board a coach for a 25-minute ride to Machu Picchu. The ‘Lost City of the Incas’ was built in the 1450s by Inca Emperor Pachacuti but abandoned in 100 years following the Spanish conquest. It was slowly swallowed up by the jungle and hidden from harm. Return to Aguas Calientes to board the train back to Cusco. Lunch included.

Overnight.

*Lunch time could vary depending on the entrance to the citadel

**Kindly remember to purchase your tickets before your trip due to the limited capacity of the citadel. Entrances are subject to availability.

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport in Cusco for your departure flight.

End of Tour.