Highlights of Peru and Bolivia - 10 Days
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DAY 1 | ARRIVAL IN LIMA
Arrive at Lima Airport. A transportation service and a guide will pick you up from the airport at the scheduled time to transfer you to your hotel in Lima.
DAY 2 | LIMA - CUSCO: CITY TOUR Enjoy a pleasant transfer from the selected hotel to Lima airport to take your flight with destination Cusco. Upon your arrival a representative will meet and greet you, and then transfer you to the selected hotel. 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. Continue the tour to Puka Pukara, the "red fort" in Quechua; an architectural complex of supposed military use, with multiple environments, plazas, baths, aqueducts and towers. It is believed to have been used by the Inca entourage while the leader rested in Tambomachay, which is the last archaeological stop on the tour. It is believed that it was an enclosure of water worship, which had an extraordinary hydraulic system. At the end of the tour, return to your hotel.
DAY 3 | CUSCO - SACRED VALLEY– CHINCHERO - OLLANTAYTAMBO (75km) During the morning, you are picked up from your hotel in Cusco to visit the town of Chinchero, a traditional Cusco urban center located at an elevated point with a beautiful view of the valley. The inhabitants of this area 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 seventeenth-century church, one of the first Catholic buildings in Peru. Then, you are transferred to the Living Museum of Yucay, a center of Andean traditions interpretations, where demonstrations of the elaboration of textile work, adobe, pottery and silverware are carried out in the same way in which they used to in antiquity; an original recreation of Inca traditions. Also, residents of the museum include llamas, sheep and alpacas, and they can be fed! Then, enjoy a delicious lunch in the sacred valley and, on the way to the fortress, witness the Andean essence that is breathed in the place, which still maintains Inca urban planning and is inhabited since then. Go up the iconic steps of the iconic enclosure, built next to the mountain. At the end of this activity, you are transferred back to your hotel. *On Sundays, also visit the local market.
DAY 4 | SACRED VALLEY– MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO A transportation service will pick you up and transfer you to the Ollanta Station to board the train to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. Take the train to Aguas Calientes, travel observing the Andean landscapes during a journey of one hour and a half. Our guide will be waiting for you and will accompany you until the departure point of the bus. Afterwards, take a bus for the 25-minute journey up to Machu Picchu, known as the "Lost city of the Incas". It is believed that this archaeological site was built in 1450 by the Inca Pachacutec as his holiday home. However, a century later, the city was abandoned after the Spanish conquest, escaping the destruction that azotó other Incas settlements. Along with the guided tour, you will have the opportunity to learn about the origins of this impressive city and explore its most outstanding monuments. After completing the tour, you will take the bus to Aguas Calientes, where you will enjoy lunch at your selected restaurant. After lunch, you can explore the charming village and, when you're ready, board the train back. The trip by train will take an hour and a half and it will take you back to Ollantaytambo, where our transportation will accompany you back to your hotel in Cusco. *Lunch time could vary depending on the entrance to the citadel. **Due to the citadel’s limited capacity we recommend that you confirm your booking as soon as possible to proceed with the ticket purchase. Tickets are subject to availability.
DAY 5 | CUSCO – PUNO To begin our trip from Cusco to Puno, board the touristic bus that will take you through the wonderful Andes sceneries. First, stop in Andahuaylillas, a town located 40 kilometres from Cusco that has as its main attraction the Church of Andahuaylillas, nicknamed the ‘Sistine Chapel of America’, due to the impressive art found in it. After this, continue the route to Racchi, where the Wiracocha Temple is located, a surprising 30-meters wide by 20-meters high construction of rectangular shape. Have a tasty lunch in Sicuani, followed by a brief stop in La Raya, the highest point between Puno and Cusco, over 4,313 metres above sea level. Then, arrive at the town of Pucara, where the Pucara Lithic Museum is located. Developed between the years 100 and 300 AC, this town was the first proper urban settlement of the lacustrine highlands. Finally, arrive in the city of Puno.
DAY 6 | PUNO – LAGO TITICACA: UROS & TAQUILE Transfer to the lacustrine port of Puno, where a boat takes you to the floating island of the Uros. The Uros are an ancestral society that populates a series of artificial islands built with totora plant, a type of reed which grows in the Titikaka lake. There they build their houses, also from totora. After a journey of an hour and a half, continue your trip to the island of Taquile. Once there, receive a briefing about the island. Have a tasty lunch and start your return to Puno.
DAY 7 | PUNO - COPACABANA - SUN ISLAND - INTI WATA COMPLEX - COPACABANA - LA PAZ Early in the morning, you will be transferred from the city of Puno to the Sanctuary of Copacabana across the border between Peru and Bolivia. Guided visit to the main sanctuary and pilgrimage center of Bolivia, including the Basilica where the Virgen Morena de Copacabana, patron saint of the Bolivians, is located. Afterwards, you will board the Catamaran Cruise to sail to the Island of the Sun, the cradle of the Inca Empire. On this legendary island, you will visit the Garden, the Stairs and the Fountain of the Inca. The guided itinerary continues with a visit to the Inti Wata Cultural Complex, the main private tourist attraction in Bolivia to which only tourists visiting Isla del Sol aboard the catamarans have access. This attraction includes the Ekako Underground Museum, the Traditional Medicine and Totora Raft Construction Centers, a handicraft center, the Intica shelter, a Botanical Garden of Inca agriculture and a variety of Andean camelids. You will return to the catamaran to enjoy lunch on board on your way to Copacabana. Finally, you will be transferred to the city of La Paz.
DAY 8 | LA PAZ - UYUNI SALT FLAT In the morning you will be taken to the airport to take your flight to Uyuni, upon arrival you will be taken to the meeting point with the rest of the passengers. Departure to the Salar to visit the Train Cemetery, the town of Colchani where it is possible to observe the salt extraction process by hand and the local salt handicrafts. Visit Playa Blanca, the salt museum; the salt eyes, interesting for being the exit points of the subway water of the salt flat; the hexagons of salt, geometric shapes on the surface of the salt flat, piles of salt and we will cross the salt flat to enjoy the beautiful landscapes. Lunch in a restaurant or picnic. We continue with the visit to Incahuasi Island. This island is located in the heart of the salt flat and is the largest group of islands representing an isolated ecosystem. The island is populated by a species of cactus that can reach up to 12 meters high, providing an impressive panorama of the place. * From April to November, dry season, the surface of the salt flat gives the opportunity to play with photographs and perspective. From December to March the entire surface of the Salt Flat is completely covered with water and becomes a giant white mirror where the sky is perfectly reflected, everything seems to be floating in the air. * It is advisable to bring sandals to enjoy warm salt water. NOTE: Due to the flooding of the salt flats in the rainy season, vehicles, as a precaution, will only reach the safest flooded places
DAY 9 | UYUNI SALT FLAT - LA PAZ - CITY TOUR You will be taken to the airport for your flight to La Paz, and upon arrival you will be taken to your hotel. In the afternoon you will be picked up from your hotel to visit the Colonial Jaén Street, which is one of the best-preserved colonial streets in the city. The tour continues to Plaza Murillo, where the Cathedral, the Government Palace and the National Congress are located. Afterwards, stroll through the Witches Market, which offers a fascinating window into the secret world of Andean mysticism. Visit the interesting Mercado Tipico Rodriguez, the largest food market in La Paz, the variety of products is as colorful as the attire of the local women who sell them. A must-see in La Paz is to travel by cable car to enjoy fantastic views and to finish the tour, visit the spectacular Valley of the Moon, which has strange geological formations.
DAY 10 | LA PAZ - DEPARTURE A transport service will take you from the selected hotel in the town of Uyuni to the airport and a representative will assist you along the way.
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2024 prices per person in US$, minimum 2 passengers. Shared services.
2024 prices per person in US$, minimum 2 passengers. Private services.
INCLUDED
GUIDE:
NOT INCLUDED
CANCELLATION POLICY
cancellation fees will be charged as follows: 1 to 9 people from 15 to 1 day prior to start = 100% The entrance to Machu Picchu or any other ticket purchase outside this time range, is not considered within these cancellation fees. Once it is issued, a 100% cost of the ticket will be charged.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT MACHU PICCHU: ENTRANCE & GUIDE:
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS We recommend comfortable and light clothing for visiting the coastal areas of Peru and warm clothes for the high Andean area. Visitors are not advised to wear sleeve shirts, shorts, short skirts or short clothing when visiting religious temples or official buildings. Sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LUGGAGE TRANSFER BUS TRANSFER ACROSS THE COUNTRY
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