History, Culture and Nature Tour - 14 days
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Enjoy the colorful landscape of southern Peru on this fourteen day expedition through five regions. You will learn about the ancestral history of the Nazca and the Incas through their iconic archaeological sites, and experience Peruvian gastronomy at its best in Lima and Arequipa. Plus, the unique sights of outhern Peru promise to leave a lasting impression.
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DAY 1 | ARRIVAL AT LIMA
Upon arrival at the Lima airport, a service will pick you up and take you to your hotel.
DAY 2 | LIMA – LARCO MUSEUM & CITY TOUR Get ready to explore Lima's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is filled with fascinating historic buildings. Start the tour with the Larco Museum, located in the traditional district of Pueblo Libre and housed in a beautifully restored viceregal mansion, which itself is built on top of a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid. The museum has a very complete pre-Hispanic collection of gold and silver objects, as well as pieces of erotic art. Next, head to the Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion granted in 1535 by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro to one of his captains, Jerónimo de Aliaga. This is the only house of the period that still belongs to the same family. Continue with a scenic tour of the colonial center. Visit the Plaza de Armas, where you can appreciate the grandiose architecture of the Spanish Empire. There you will find its magnificent Cathedral, built in the 16th century.
DAY 3 | LIMA - PARACAS(270 km - 4 hours) - OVER FLIGHT OF NAZCA LINES At the appointed time, a vehicle will take you from your hotel to the station to take the bus to Paracas. After four hours of travel. Transfer to your hotel. Then a vehicle will take you from your hotel to the Paracas aerodrome, to enjoy a flight over the desert to appreciate the Nazca Lines. A monkey, a spider, a condor - all large in size - can be seen from the air as you try to decipher their mysterious appearance. Weather and airspace permitting, fly over the recent findings in Palpa. After flying over its mountains, where marine fossils up to 150 million years old are found, end your aerial experience. At the end, you will have time for lunch on your own. At the appointed time you will be transferred to the bus station for your return to Paracas.
DAY 4 |BALLESTAS ISLANDS (270 km - 4 hours) / LIMA You will be transferred to the dock to board the boat that will take you to the Ballestas Islands. This is a natural reserve with beautiful geological formations and impressive fauna, even remnants of pre-Inca cultures can be observed! The Ballestas Islands are home to birds, pelicans, sea lions, Humboldt penguins and other fascinating species. On the way, you will see the still unexplained candelabra-shaped drawing on the sand. At the end of the tour, you will go to the bus station to continue to the city of Lima.
DAY 5 | AREQUIPA - CITY TOUR AND SANTA CATALINA MONASTERY A shuttle will pick you up from your hotel in Lima to take you to the airport and board your flight to Arequipa. Upon arrival in the White City, you will be transferred to your hotel. After checking in, it's time to get to know the city. Start your tour in the main square, called Plaza de Armas. Admire its elegant neo-Renaissance style basilica cathedral and the sensational Santa Catalina Convent, which for centuries was a 'forbidden city' in the heart of Arequipa, closed to prying eyes and the influence of the outside world. Founded in the 16th century, the convent was an almost self-sufficient town, consisting of houses for the nuns and their servants, cloisters, squares and narrow streets, kitchens and refectories, among others. The nuns' families paid large sums of money for their daughters to be admitted, which increased the wealth and prestige of the place. Today, strolling through its colorful streets is like stepping back in time and allows you to understand colonial Peru. Continue until you reach the Iglesia de la Compañía, perhaps the greatest masterpiece of Peruvian baroque, where you can analyze its fascinating facade. The sacristy is especially beautiful, thanks to its dome and walls covered with murals depicting tropical flora and fauna. The Jesuit seminary is well known for its beautiful main cloister. Finally, head to the neighborhoods of Yanahuara and Carmen Alto, where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Misti volcano, which towers over the city. At the end you will be transferred to your hotel in Arequipa.
DAY 6 | AREQUIPA – COLCA Leave Arequipa for the Colca Valley passing first through the district of Yura. Yura is characterized by a series of impressive geographical features, such as ravines, mountain ranges and canyons. Continue through the Pampas Cañahuas Reserve, an extensive plain populated by vicuñas, one of the four native Andean camelids found in Peru. You will cross the pampas of Viscachani and Toccra, bordering the crater of the Chucura volcano to reach the viewpoint of the Andes in Patapampa, which is 4,910 meters above sea level. From here you can see the different volcanoes that surround Arequipa. Lunch will be in the picturesque village of Chivay, followed by a transfer to your selected hotel in the Colca Valley to enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure.
DAY 7 | COLCA CANYON - PUNO (250 km - 6 hours) Get ready for a day to remember with a breathtaking trip to the Cruz del Condor viewpoint. Take a deep breath and appreciate the immensity of the Colca Valley, one of the deepest canyons in the world, with a maximum height of over 4,160 meters, twice as high as the Grand Canyon. The emotion you will feel with this experience will increase as you observe the natural spectacle of the immense condors over the canyon. Let yourself be amazed as you contemplate the flight of these elegant birds of prey. Descend to the valley floor to discover some of the rural villages located on the banks of the Colca River, such as Pinchollo, Maca, Achoma and Yanque. You can also stop at the viewpoints of Antahuilque and Choquetico to admire the majestic views of the valley. On the way back to Chivay, you will take the detour to Patahuasi on the way to Puno. The scenery will enchant you with its combination of high plains, unusual rock formations and lagoons populated by cranes flapping their wings over the water. After a six-hour drive, you will arrive at your destination and be transferred to your hotel.
DAY 8 | PUNO - LAKE TITICACA, UROS AND TAQUILE ISLANDS A vehicle transfers you to the port of Puno, where a boat awaits to take you to the beautiful islands of Uros. The Uros are an ancient society that populates a series of artificial islands built on a base of woven totora reeds that grow in the lake itself. On the upper part, the inhabitants build their houses, also made of reeds; that is why they cook in the open air to avoid possible fires. After a fantastic one and a half hour excursion, continue your journey to Taquile Island, a beautiful piece of heaven that once belonged to the Inca Empire. Vestiges of this culture can still be seen in its structures. Once there, there will be a briefing about the island and you will witness a cultural activity. After a delicious lunch, you will begin your return to Puno.
DAY 9 | PUNO – CUSCO (357 kms - 10 hours) Get ready for your journey to the heart of the Inca Empire. Recharge your batteries before being transported to the bus station and boarding the bus that will take you to Cusco. Travel along the route through amazing landscapes of the mountain plateau, with villages and native animals all around. Take a break at the archaeological site of Pucara, dating from 200 BC to 300 AD. Make a brief stop at La Raya, the highest point between Puno and Cuzco at over 4,313 meters above sea level, before lunch in Sicuani. Then you will visit Racchi, where the temple to Wiracocha is located, an amazing rectangular construction 30 meters wide by 20 meters high. Upon arrival in Cusco, you will make one more stop in the town of Andahuaylillas to visit its main attraction: its church nicknamed the "Sistine Chapel of America" for the impressive works of art found inside. Once in the Imperial City, a shuttle service will pick you up from the bus station and drop you off at your hotel.
DAY 10 | CUSCO - CITY TOUR AND NEARBY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES Take advantage of the morning to rest and stroll through the squares and beautiful cobblestone streets of the city. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of this charming city, which was the capital of the Inca Empire. The tour begins with a visit to the Convent of Santo Domingo, which was built over the Inca temple of Coricancha, one of the most important precincts dedicated to the cult of the sun. Ancient chronicles say that its walls were covered with gold leaf and filled with golden representations of nature. Next, visit the Cathedral, the most imposing monument in the Plaza de Armas. Then head to the hills of Cusco where the fortress of Sacsayhuaman is located, whose imposing walls offer an impressive panoramic view of Cusco. Continue to Qenqo, an archaeological complex of religious use where it is believed that the Incas practiced rituals related to agriculture. Your tour ends at Puca Pucara, Quechua for "red fort", an architectural complex of supposed military use, with multiple rooms, plazas, baths, aqueducts and towers. It is believed to have been used by the Inca entourage while the leader rested in Tambomachay. After the visit, you will return to your hotel.
DAY 11 | CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY / CHINCHERO, OLLANTAYTAMBO & LIVING MUSEUM OF YUCAY A shuttle will pick you up in the morning at your hotel to take you to the village of Chinchero*. This traditional Cusco urban center is special not only for its privileged view of the Sacred Valley landscape, but also because its inhabitants preserve the traditions and knowledge inherited from the Incas, which is reflected in their clothing and handicrafts. In addition to its cultural legacy, in Chinchero you can visit the agricultural terraces and its beautiful 17th century church, built over an ancient Inca palace and considered one of the first Catholic constructions in Peru. Continue your journey through the Sacred Valley towards Ollantaytambo, making a stop at a viewpoint to enjoy the scenery before arriving at the Museo Vivo de Yucay. This museum is actually a center of interpretation of Andean traditions, with demonstrations of textile work, adobe handicrafts, ceramics and silverware using the same ancient Inca techniques. In the place live alpacas, llamas and sheep, which you can see up close and even feed. Finally, start your tour of the town of Ollantaytambo with a delicious lunch. Enjoy the Andean essence of the place as you stroll through its streets - which still maintain Inca urban planning and have been inhabited ever since - and climb the iconic fortress, built into the side of the mountain. At the end of your visit, return to your hotel to rest filled with the Inca spirit. *Sunday visits include the Chinchero market.
DAY 12 | SACRED VALLEY – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO Your visit to Machu Picchu begins with an hour and a half train ride through spectacular Andean scenery to Aguas Calientes, departing from Ollanta station. After a 25-minute bus ride, you will arrive at Machu Picchu, the 'lost city of the Incas'. It is believed that the archaeological site was built around 1450 by the Inca Pachacutec as a vacation residence. However, a century later, the city was abandoned after the Spanish conquest, sparing the destruction that came to other Inca settlements. Instead, the jungle slowly swallowed its stone constructions and hid it, protecting it. During the guided tour, learn about the origins of this impressive citadel, presenting its most outstanding monuments. At the end of the tour, return to Aguas Calientes to board the train back to Ollanta station. From there, a shuttle will take you to your hotel in Cusco. *Lunch time may vary depending on the entrance to the citadel. *Remember to purchase your tickets before your trip due to the limited capacity of the citadel. Tickets are subject to availability.
DAY 13 | CUSCO – HUMANTAY– CUSCO Depart from the city of Cusco for one of the most spectacular treks through the Andes Mountains, and immerse yourself in the breathtaking scenery, rich culture and vast history of this part of the world. Pass through the archaeological site of Tarawasi, near the town of Limatambo (1.5 hours from Cusco), before continuing to the mountain village of Mollepata, taste the delicious coffee grown in the area and continue to Soraypampa (3,850 masl). From this point, the two-hour ascent to the Humantay lagoon (above 4200 masl) begins. Enjoy one of the most impressive panoramas of the trip, where photography enthusiasts will have the opportunity to get wonderful shots. Finally, begin the descent to Soraypampa for approximately 1.15 hours, where you can enjoy a picnic lunch. Finally, return to your hotel in Cusco.
Walking distance Soraypampa – Laguna Humantay - Soraypampa 4 km / 2.4 mi DAY 14 | CUSCO DEPARTURE A vehicle will take you to the Cusco airport to board your flight out of the city.
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2024 rates per person in US$, for shared services. Rates per person minimum 1 person in single basis, minimum 2 people in double basis and minimum 3 in triple basis.
List of HotelsINCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
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