Maravillas del Perú: Explore the Stunning Landscapes and Rich Culture of Lima, Peru

About this tour

DAY 1. LIMA: Arrival in Lima and private transfer with driver only to the hotel. Overnight stay.

DAY 2. LIMA / CUSCO: Breakfast at the hotel. We will begin the tour at the wonderful Larco Museum , located in the Pueblo Libre district, where you can see a complete collection of more than 5,000 ceramic pieces, as well as gold and silver, and pre-Columbian erotic art.

Next, we'll go to the historic center to visit the Casa de Aliaga , a colonial mansion with beautiful rooms filled with priceless art and history. We'll continue to the Plaza de Armas , where we'll find the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace, the Municipal Palace, and other important colonial-era buildings, including the 16th-century Cathedral.

After the visit, you will be transferred to the airport for your domestic flight to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco, you will be transferred privately to your hotel. Overnight stay.

DAY 3. CUSCO: Breakfast at the hotel. In the afternoon, we will begin our tour by visiting the Temple of the Sun, known as Koricancha . This symbolic site is a clear example of the fusion between Inca and Spanish cultures, and its foundation was used to build the Church of Santo Domingo and its famous convent.

Next, we'll visit the Cathedral, located in the main square, to admire beautiful religious paintings from the Cusco School. The city tour continues at Sacsayhuaman , an incredible archaeological complex with enormous carved stones that fit together perfectly. It's said to have been built by more than 20,000 men and took over 70 years to complete.

Next, we'll visit the religious temple of Qenqo , where the Incas worshipped their gods, such as the sun, the moon, and the earth. You'll have an incredible experience exploring its underground galleries and admiring a semicircular amphitheater.

We will continue this enjoyable excursion at the Puca Pucara military complex, which means "Red Fortress" due to its reddish architecture. Afterward, we will visit the Tambomachay water worship center, with its aqueducts and waterfalls fed by nearby springs. Finally, you will be taken to Plaza El Regocijo, located one block from the Plaza de Armas. Overnight stay.

DAY 4. CUSCO / SACRED VALLEY / AGUAS CALIENTES: Breakfast at the hotel. We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco to begin a 30 km journey to Pisac . This fantastic place has an incredible market and archaeological temples of stone buildings, with spectacular views of the valley and the magnificent Inca platforms.

We will continue to Urubamba to enjoy a delicious buffet lunch , and then you will arrive in Ollantaytambo . Its temple was the headquarters of the Inca army, as well as a religious and agricultural site. It has breathtaking views and much more, including a hundred Inca platforms with an advanced irrigation canal for that period.

After this unique experience, we'll go to the Ollantaytambo train station to take the Expedition train to Aguas Calientes . Upon arrival, you'll be transferred to your hotel. You'll have a brief meeting with your guide to plan your visit to Machu Picchu for the following day. Overnight stay.

DAY 5. AGUAS CALIENTES / MACHU PICCHU / CUSCO: Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the bus that will take you to the magnificent Citadel of Machu Picchu , known as the Lost City of the Inca. The 2-hour guided tour will allow you to explore this impressive archaeological site with incredible landscapes.

Machu Picchu, a World Heritage Site, was the main center of Inca agriculture and the most important urban center of the Inca Empire. Enjoy your free time at Machu Picchu, take photos, or if you're feeling adventurous, you can climb Huayna Picchu (optional) and admire the entire citadel from all around. You also have the option to return to Aguas Calientes and have lunch (optional).

At the agreed-upon time, you will return by train to Ollantaytambo station and be transferred by tourist bus to Cusco, where you will be dropped off at your hotel in the city center. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 6. CUSCO / VINICUNCA / CUSCO: We will pick you up at 3:30 am from your hotel located in the city of Cusco. It is a 3.5-hour drive in our shared transport, the journey through an undiscovered land of wild desert landscapes, snow-capped peaks, and herds of alpacas.

When we arrive at the trailhead for this hike, we'll enjoy a hot breakfast, and then we'll begin our trek in Chillihuani at 4,200 meters above sea level / 13,900 feet elevation. From here, it will be an approximately 4-hour uphill hike to reach the famous Rainbow Mountains.

Along the way, you'll enjoy breathtaking views of the Andes, glacial peaks, red mountains, rocky hills, and traditional llamas and alpacas grazing throughout the valley. As you reach the mountain summit, you may spot some Andean wildlife. Vicuñas are considered the Andean camel, and this is the only place in Cusco where you'll see them in the wild. Vicuñas belong to the same family as llamas, though they are much smaller and have some of the most expensive wool in the world.

Once we reach the summit of Rainbow Mountain, you'll have plenty of time to take photos and relax at the top, enjoying majestic views of the surrounding area. All the mountains around this area are red, and there are incredible views of the valleys and the Ausangate Glacier right in front of you. Ausangate is the highest mountain in the Cusco region (just under 21,000 feet) and is part of the Vilcanota mountain range.

While taking in this magnificent and colorful mountain view, our staff will share information with you about the composition of these incredible mountains formed millions of years ago, and how they became striated in the rainbow of colors you are seeing.

After taking some amazing photos (maybe even spotting some condors), we'll begin our descent with a two-hour downhill hike. Then, our transport will take us to a local restaurant for a delicious, freshly prepared hot meal.

After lunch and the mountain tour, we will begin the return to Cusco with our transport, arriving around 5pm, where we will drop you off at your hotel.

DAY 7. CUSCO / PUNO: Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the bus station. After boarding the tourist bus located at the Cusco city terminal, we will begin the one-hour journey to the beautiful southern valley of Cusco, making our first stop in Andahuaylillas, located 3,093 meters above sea level.

This beautiful Andean town has an architectural gem dating back to the 17th century, known as the Sistine Chapel of America , for its impressive works bathed in gold leaf and paintings from the Cusco school .

We will continue the route for an hour and a half, until we reach the second stop at the archaeological center of Raqchi at 3,450 meters above sea level. The temple of the god Wiracocha was built during the 15th century next to the Vilcanota River and, currently, it has enormous walls that belonged to various temples, as well as aqueducts and tombs.

We will continue our journey by bus for about 20 minutes until we reach the city of Sicuani , to enjoy a delicious buffet lunch at a local restaurant, which has a variety of national and regional dishes, vegetables, side dishes, desserts and hot drinks such as a restorative coca tea.

After lunch, the bus will continue its journey for approximately 40 minutes until reaching the highest point of the road, known as La Raya Pass, located at 4,335 meters above sea level. We will make a brief stop at this point, which marks the border between the cities of Cusco and Puno, and where the Chimboya snow-capped mountain is located.

The next and final visit will be to the Pucará Lithic Museum , which we will reach after more than an hour's walk from Abra La Raya. This museum has an important collection of monoliths, stone sculptures, and ceramics belonging to the Pucará culture, which flourished in the highlands of Peru and Bolivia.

At the end of this excursion, we will take the tourist bus again to travel for two more hours to the city of Puno .

Arrival at the bus station and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay.

DAY 8. PUNO: After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the lakeside port of Puno, where a regular boat will take you to the floating islands of the Uros . The Uros are an ancestral society that inhabits a series of artificial islands, constructed from the totora reed plant, which grows in the lake itself.

The islands are constructed by weaving totora reeds in the areas where they grow thickest, forming a natural layer. They also built their houses from totora reeds and cook outdoors to prevent potential fires.

After visiting the Uros Islands and a 1.5-hour boat ride, you will continue your journey to Taquile Island. Unlike the other Aymara-speaking islands in the lake, this island is Quechua-speaking. It was once part of the Inca Empire, and remnants of this culture can still be seen in its architecture. Once there, you will receive a brief explanation of the island and witness a cultural activity.

After lunch , you will return to the port of Puno, where our transport will be waiting to take you to your hotel. Overnight stay.

DAY 9. PUNO / LIMA: Breakfast at the hotel. We will pick you up from your hotel at the agreed time and go to Sillustani , located 34 km from the city of Puno. We will visit this incredible pre-Incan cemetery, where you will find funerary towers all around.

We will also visit the surrounding communities to learn about their lifestyles. Finally, we will continue our journey to Juliaca Airport. Arrival in Lima and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay.

DAY 10. LIMA / OUT: Free day. Transfer to the airport to take the international flight.

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