Your adventure begins today with your flight to Lima.  Our staff will meet you at the Lima airport (the Jorge Chávez International Airport) with a sign for the private transfer to your hotel in the heart of the upscale and safe Miraflores section of Lima. Miraflores is known for its shopping areas, gardens, flower-filled parks and beaches. Dinner tonight is on your own.

Lima is known as the City of the Kings. It used to be the center of the Colonial administration of the continent during the Spanish era, nowadays it is the capital of the country and it is populated by 10 million people.

We will visit the Colonial city center today, including Casa Aliaga, which is a beautiful colonial house still inhabited by the descendants of their Spanish family who came from Europe in the XVI century.

We will also visit the Larco Herrera Museum which showcases ancient pieces of ceramic, metal, stone, mummies and textiles. It is without a doubt, the best archaeological museum of the country.

Meals: B, L.

After a private transfer to the Lima airport you’ll fly to Cusco, the Inca capital, a flight of about one hour and twenty minutes. You’ll be greeted by the friendly face of your local guide, on arrival at Cusco Airport and you’ll transfer to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The Sacred Valley, also known as the Urubamba Valley, lies in the Andes, close to Cusco and the ancient city of Machu Picchu. Referred to in colonial documents as the “Valley of Yucay,” it encompasses the heartland of the Inca Empire and was formed by the Urubamba River, also known as Willkamayu in Quechua. Quechua, the still spoken lingua franca of the Inca Empire, means the sacred river. The Urubamba is fed by numerous rivers which descend through adjoining valleys and gorges, and the Valley contains many archaeological remains and villages. It was one of the empire’s main points for the extraction of natural wealth, and one of the most important areas for maize production in Peru

Today we will drive by the high up and windswept plains of Anta. There are beautiful views overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the snow-capped peak of Salkantay dominating the western horizon. 

We’ll enjoy lunch with a view of the Andes Mountains before we head to Maras and learn about its ancient technics for the salt extraction. The iron-rich pink salt that we are offered at every restaurant comes from here.

Before the sunset we will visit the Inca site Moray, an ancient agricultural laboratory of the Incas with amazing views of the snowcapped mountains at golden hour.

Meals: B, L.

We will drive to Ollantaytambo Pueblo, which is “the only Inca living city”, a picturesque town where time has stopped. The walk through town provides panoramic views of the impressive Inca temple in front of it.

We will visit the impressive Inca Temple which boasts granite pieces of large size and heavy weight, they were transported from a quarry 8 km away across the Wilcamayu river. One of the greatest examples of Inca cyclopean architecture indeed.

We’ll take the train to MachuPicchu Pueblo (formerly called “Aquas Calientes”).  The train ride offers incomparable scenic views and excellent “photo opps.” After lunch in the Hotel we’ll tour the Machu Picchu Ruins.  Machu Picchu (or Pikchu), “old peak” in Quechua, is believed by most archaeologists to have been built as a “Llacta” which is a center of Inca Religious and Political power and it’s the most familiar icon of Incan civilization.  The Incas built the site around 1450, but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Since it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period, it is a relatively intact cultural site.  Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. After touring Machu Picchu, we’ll check into the Hotel.

Meals: B, L.

We will go back to MachuPicchu for a morning visit. Today we will visit a different route and will learn so much more about this enigmatic site. We will also have the opportunity to hike up the challenging Huayna Picchu Mountain.  After lunch we’ll take the Vistadome Train to Ollantaytambo Station, where our private vehicle will be waiting to take us to the Hotel in Cusco, a centrally located hotel with charm and character.

Meals: B, L.

We embark today on a city tour of Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, and the home town of your guide.  Cusco was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983 and is designated as the Historical Capital of Peru by the Constitution of Peru.  We’ll visit Sacsayhuaman, which is a walled complex on the northern outskirts of Cusco.  Like many Inca constructions, the complex is made of large polished dry stone walls, with boulders carefully cut to fit tightly together without mortar. We’ll also tour Cusco Cathedral, the San Blas artists district and San Pedro, the market where locals buy their food.  After lunch you’ll have time for independent exploration and perhaps shopping.  

Meals: B, L.

Your guide, will take you to the Cusco airport for your flight to Lima.

Meals: B.

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