DAY 2. LIMA / AREQUIPA: Breakfast
at the hotel. We will begin the tour in the wonderful Larco Museum, located in
Pueblo Libre district, where you can see a complete collection of more than
5000 pieces of ceramic, as well as gold and silver, and pre-Columbian erotic
art.
Then, we will go to the historic center to visit Casa Aliaga, a colonial
mansion with beautiful rooms full of invaluable art and history. We continue to
the Plaza de Armas, where we find the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s
Palace, the Municipal Palace, and other important buildings of the colonial
era, where we will visit the Cathedral built in the sixteenth century.
After
the visit, you will be transferred to the airport to take the local flight
to Arequipa. Arrival in Arequipa, and private transfer to the hotel. Overnight.
DAY 3. AREQUIPA:
Breakfast at the hotel. Your journey begins with the pickup from your hotel located in the historic center of Arequipa to start an incredible excursion around one of the most beautiful and touristic cities of Peru. This will be an interesting tour and the order of the visits could change anytime.
We are going to visit the Plaza de Armas, one of the most beautiful in the country and also neighbor of the imposing Cathedral of Arequipa, built in the seventeenth century and completely rebuilt after several earthquakes. We will see the Cathedral and the Church Compañía de Jesús (1590), considered a classic example of the local baroque architecture that keeps inside a sample exceptional paintings and murals.
Later, we will visit the Monastery of Santa Catalina, an authentic medieval cloister built in 1579 that is still in use to this day. This mysterious convent was built with ashlar, the main material of local architecture, and it has an extension of 20 thousand square meters.
The tour continues with the visit of the wonderful viewpoints of Yanahuara and Carmen Alto districts to have a panoramic view of the countryside, and the volcanoes surrounding the city: Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu, without a doubt a fantastic image.
You will explore the district of Cayma visiting the Plaza Mayor and the Church San Miguel Arcángel de Cayma located in front of the square. Inside the church, you will find an anonymous collection of paintings that show the miracles of the Virgin. Return to the hotel and
overnight.
DAY 4. AREQUIPA /
COLCA: Breakfast at the hotel. We will depart at 8:30 am from Arequipa,
driving 160 km to Chivay Town. On the route, we will pass through the towns of
Yura, Pampa de Arrieros and Pampa Cañahuas, where it is located the National
Reserve of Vicuñas Aguada Blanca, and we can see these beautiful camelids.
We
will continue the tour visiting more small towns, and have wonderful views of
the volcanoes from the viewpoint. We reach Chivay, and you will have free time
for lunch and rest. Then, we will visit the town and market of Chivay. Transfer
to the hotel and overnight.
DAY 5. COLCA / PUNO:
Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast very early in the morning, we will
start at 06:15 am to go to the famous point "Cruz del Cóndor".
We are
going to arrive on time to have a pleasant view of the canyon depth and if time
allows, majestic images of the Condors flight. After the visit, 320 km will be
traveled with beautiful landscapes on the way to Puno.
We will pass through
diverse and small Andean villages, until we reach Puno. We will transfer you to
the hotel, and overnight.
DAY 6. PUNO: After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to
the lake port of Puno, where a regular boat will take you to the floating
islands of the Uros. The
Uros are an ancestral society that populate a series of artificial islands
built on the basis of the totora plant, which grows in the same lake. The
islands are constructed by weaving the totora in the places where it grows
thicker and forming a natural layer. On top of it they built their houses, also
of totora, and cook outdoors to prevent possible fires.
After Uros visit and,
an hour and a half boat trip, you will continue your journey to the island of
Taquile. This is Quechua, unlike the other Aymara speaking islands on the lake.
It was part of the Inca empire and vestiges of this culture can still be seen in
its constructions. Once there you will be given 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.
DAY 7. PUNO / CUSCO: Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the bus station to take the tourist bus to Cusco (8 hours).
We will start the tour at the Museum of Pucará. This museum has an excellent collection of monoliths, stone sculptures and ceramics belonging to the culture of Pucara, a civilization developed in the highlands of Peru and Bolivia.
Then, we will arrive at the highest point of the road known as the Raya pass, located at 4,335 meters above sea level. This is the border of the cities of Cusco and Puno, and here, we are going to make a short stop to admire the snow-capped Chimboya and take pictures of beautiful landscapes.
The tour to Cusco by bus continues until we reach the city of Sicuani to enjoy a buffet lunch in a local restaurant, that offers local and regional dishes, vegetables, desserts and hot drinks like mate de coca.
The bus ride continues until reach the archaeological site of Raqchi, located at 3,450 meters above sea level. The temple of Wiracocha was built next to the Vilcanota River during the fifteenth century.
The last visit will be in Andahuaylillas, located at 3,093 meters above sea level. This lovely Andean town has an incredible jewel of the architecture dating back to the seventeenth century known as the Sistine Chapel, with an impressive work covered in gold leaf and paintings of the art school of Cusco.
We will arrive at the bus station in Cusco, and we will transfer you to the hotel. Overnight.
DAY 8. CUSCO: Breakfast at the hotel.
In the afternoon, we will start the tour visiting the Temple of the Sun
well-known as Koricancha. This symbolic place has a clear example of the fusion
between Incan and Hispanic cultures, and its base was used to build Santo
Domingo’s Church and its famous convent.
Then, we’re going to visit the
Cathedral located in the Main Square, to appreciate a beautiful religious
paintings of the Cusco School. The Cusco City Tour continues in Sacsayhuaman,
an amazing archaeological complex with huge carved stones which fit each other
in a perfect way, and it is said that it was built by more than 20 thousand
men, and took over 70 years to finish it.
Then we will visit Qenqo religious
temple, place where the Incas worshiped their Gods like the Sun, the Moon and
the Earth. You will have an incredible experience exploring through its
underground galleries, and admire a semicircular amphitheater.
We will continue
this entertaining excursion in the military compound of Puca Pucara, which
means “Red Fortress” for its reddish infrastructure. Then we will go the
water’s worship center of Tambomachay, with aqueducts and waterfalls provided
from nearby springs. At the end, we will back to the hotel. Overnight.
DAY 9. CUSCO / SACRED
VALLEY / AGUAS CALIENTES: Breakfast at the hotel. We will pick you up from
the hotel in Cusco, to start a 30 Km. journey until Pisac. This fantastic place
has an amazing market, and archaeological temples of stone buildings, with
incredible views to the valley and the magnificent Inca platforms.
Then, we
will continue until Urubamba to enjoy a delicious buffet lunch, and later we
will reach Ollantaytambo. Its temple was the headquarter of Inca’s army, as
well as a religious and agricultural place. It has stunning views, and more
than a hundred Inca platforms with an advanced irrigation canal for that
period.
We will visit Chinchero, and its typical and colorful Inca market, full
of traditional craft as ceramics and Andean looms. After this unique
experience, we will go to Ollantaytambo´s train station to take the Train
Expedition to Aguas Calientes.
Arrival and transfer to the hotel. You’ll have a
short meeting with the guide to organized your visit to Machu Picchu for the
next day. Overnight.
DAY 10. AGUAS
CALIENTES / MACHU PICCHU / CUSCO: Early morning, you will board the bus to
go up the winding road to Machu Picchu, amid a spectacular view of the Urubamba
River and its canyon.
The Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu, will
astonish us with its terraces, ceremonial shrines, steps and urban areas.
Energy is all around us. After a guided visit, you will have time enough to
stay for more time or take the bus to back to Aguas Calientes Town, and have
lunch (Optional).
At the agreed time, you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo to then take the tourist bus to Cusco and drop you off at your hotel located in the historical center of Cusco. Overnight at hotel.
DAY 11. CUSCO / LIMA
/ OUT: Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer with only driver to the Cusco
airport to take your flight to Lima. Arrival in Lima, and international flight
connection.
**END OF SERVICES**