Day 1: Arrive Lima
Welcome to Lima!
At your arrival to Lima’s International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Lima, the Capital of Peru was founded on 18th January 1535, by Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro, and quickly became known as the City of the Kings. Within 70 years it was the most important city in the Spanish-American Empire, and was the focal point for European trade and cultural activity in the region.
It is a city of rare fascination and unexpected pleasures. Lima has decaying colonial splendour and the teeming vitality of an oriental bazaar; melancholy cloudy winters and warm breezy summers; impoverished urban sprawl and quiet elegant corners among ancient buildings where the night air is scented with jasmine.
Day 2: Lima
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Breakfast at your hotel
This morning you will embark on a city tour beginning with a visit to the Plaza Mayor, official center of the city and the original site upon which Lima was founded.
You will visit the historic Cathedral. From the Cathedral, you will walk past the Presidential Palace where the soldiers guarding the palace offer an excellent photo opportunity, and on to the Church of San Francisco and its library and collection of fine paintings and frescoes.
We continue with a journey into the past, visit Casa Aliaga, Lima’s oldest colonial mansion. Built in 1535 by the illustrious Spanish conquistador Jeronimo de Aliaga, this incredible relic of colonial splendor has been home to 17 generations of his descendents ever since. You will be immediately struck by the grace of the wood and marble staircase leading up to a fine entrance patio. We will have the chance to see it’s beautiful rooms, the family chapel, the Golden Salon, with incredible golden mirrors and a beautiful upper gallery, which is home to some important paintings from the Cusco School.
After trip to the historic center, you will be driven to the Larco Herrera Museum. It is an extensive private collection of pre Inca ceramics – probably the largest collection of its kind in the world.
Afternoon at leisure
This evening enjoy dinner at Huaca Pucllana restaurant located in front of an impressive archaeological site. The owners of this restaurant, which specializes in contemporary Peruvian cuisine, are justifiably proud of their culinary philosophy based around the use of a wide range of Peruvian ingredients in classic and contemporary recipes that satisfy the most demanding of palates.
Day 3: Sacred Valley
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Breakfast at your hotel
Today you will be transferred to the airport to board your flight to Cusco.
Upon arrival in Cusco, you are met and transferred to the Sacred Valley. On the way visit Awanakancha, a center where South American camelids (members of the camel family) – Llamas, Alpacas, Guanacos, and Vicunas – are bred. You will learn about the renowned fibers created from their coats, as well as the ancient weaving techniques which are still used.
You will have time to enjoy the lunch at Wayra restaurant with Peruvian Paso Horses exhibition.
Afternoon at leisure
Day 4: Sacred Valley
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Breakfast at your hotel
In the morning visit the massive fortress of Ollantaytambo. The fortress of Ollantaytambo, a formidable stone structure that climbs massive terraces to the top of a peak, was the valley’s main defense against the Antis and was the site of the Incas’ greatest victory against the Spanish during the wars of conquest. Constructed of rose-colored granite, this huge installation was once a thriving complex of baths, temples and military barracks. Continue to the Kuychi Center, this charity was created in 2003 to support Heléna van Engelen’s “Niños del Arco Iris” (Children of the Rainbow) project in Peru. Where you will enjoy of a served BBQ lunch in their gardens. Then you will enjoy a tour with your guide to the market of Chincheros, a town of Inca origin, its church was one of the most important Colonial era churches with Baroque altars and walls with richly painted scenes. After visiting the local market, you will meet Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, a native of Chinchero. Nilda learned to weave as a child while tending the flocks in the fields of her village. When she was a teenager, Nilda worked with researchers on preserving the traditional themes and techniques of weaving in the Andean community. As an adult, Nilda travelled extensively to the U.S. to organize weaving exhibits and workshops in several universities and the Textile Museum of Washington D.C. Afternoon return to your hotel.
Day 5: Machu Picchu
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Breakfast at your hotel
Transfer to Ollantaytambo train station. This morning you board the Vista dome train to Machu Picchu, where a late morning arrival gives you time to begin your explorations of this breathtaking Incan citadel. Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes train station, a 25 minute bus ride will bring you to the ruins of Machu Picchu.
Explore the city’s ruin with your guide, and feel its pulse as you visualize the lives of the priests, craftsmen and servants who lived in this seemingly uninhabitable citadel. Excavations have only added to the mystery, revealing the skeletons of 173 people (50 of them are women), artefacts and woollen clothing, but no gold.
Dinner will be at hotel
Day 6: Cusco
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Breakfast at your hotel
This morning, you will have the opportunity to take one of two hikes with your guide. The first possibility is to the Inti Punku, or famous Sun Gate, which is the entry point to Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail and offers excellent views of the ruins, (approximately 2 hours). The second is the chance to hike up the Huayna Picchu – the highest mountain which is actually part of the ruins (seen here on the right), from where you are afforded excellent views of the surrounding area, as well as a unique view of the famous ‘lost city’, (approximately 2.5 hours). Or if you prefer you can just relax and continue exploring this magnificent citadel by your own. Lunch will be at your hotel.
Afternoon you will board your train to Cusco, where a representative will be waiting for you to transfer to your hotel in Cusco.
Day 7: Cusco
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Breakfast at your hotel
This morning enjoy a city tour which includes the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and the Santo Domingo Temple or Koricancha; a Dominican Church and convent built on the foundations of the Koricancha or ‘place of gold’, the Incas principal religious building, dedicated to the worship of the sun. Just outside of Cusco your visit this morning takes you to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a testimonial to the Incan architectural skills. Compiled of massive stones (one weighs 125 tons!) you are challenged to try to slip a piece of paper between the cracks of these blocks, cut and fitted together with incredible precision without a single drop of mortar to hold them in place. This ancient fortress where the greatest battle between the Spanish and Incas took place overlooks the red-tiled roofs of Cusco and the spectacular lush countryside.
Afternoon at leisure.
Dinner today will be at the restaurant in the Pre-Columbian Art Museum. This house was an Inca ceremonial court around 1450. In 1580 it became the mansion of the conqueror Alonso Díaz and in 2003 it was restored to become the Pre-Columbian Art Museum. This extraordinary Cusco historic monument holds the only museum in Peru dedicated the arts of ancient Peruvian cultures.
Day 8: Lima
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Breakfast at your hotel
This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima, upon arrival in Lima you will be met and escorted to your hotel.
Day 9: Depart Lima
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Breakfast at your hotel
At a time to be confirmed, you will be transferred to Lima’s international airport by a private car for your international flight.
