Arrival in Lima and transfer from the airport to the hotel.
09:00 We will begin the day by touring one of the most important museums in Peru, considered a must for all editors and travel specialists, and undoubtedly one of the best museums in Latin America. It is located in a viceregal mansion of the eighteenth century, built on a pre-Columbian pyramid of the seventh century; the Larco Museum is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Its new galleries exhibit the best and most complete collection of gold and silver from pre-Columbian Peru in the world; as well as its famous ceramic collection.
We will continue the tour through the historic center of Lima. The highlights are its architecture and urban design, which are found in the streets full of colonial houses with Moorish style balconies. Our tour includes Paseo de la República, Plaza San Martín, and Plaza Mayor, with its different buildings: Government Palace, Archbishop's Palace, the Basilica Cathedral and the City Hall.
In its historical center we will visit one of its most beautiful buildings, the Central Reserve Bank Museum, where we can admire the treasures of Peru: a select exhibition of objects made of gold, ceramics and textiles from diverse pre-Columbian cultures, from its origins to the Inca era.
Then we will enter the monumental Convent of San Francisco, which shows the largest collection of religious art in America. We can admire the Coral Room and the Library of the Monks, the Sacristy, with its collection of paintings by Zurbarán and Rivera. The Great Courtyard of the Main Cloister, finely decorated with Sevillian tiles from the 16th century, its beautiful Moorish arches and the underground crypts, known as the Catacombs, where you will feel the presence of the colonial past.
Finally, we will visit the most famous residential areas of the capital: El Olivar de San Isidro, Miraflores and Larco Mar, the distinctive tourist modern center of present-day Lima. Afterwards we will return to hotel, get the luggage and travel to Ica.
At midnight we will arrive to the city of Ica and then we will move you to the hotel located in the oasis of Huacachina, 5 km from the city. In the morning you will rest and relax in the hotel pool. You will also have time to tour this charming Oasis and walk around the lagoon. In the afternoon, we will do the sandboarding, consisting of the descent of dunes or sand hills, with special boards similar to those of Snowboarding. One of the main attractions of this sport is the appreciation of nature and the landscapes that this gives us. Huacachina oasis has a history and a particular beauty. We will cross this desert in tubular vehicles 4x4, the famous buggies of Huacachina will take you to walk through the sand until you find the best dunes to practice this sport. This trip in buggie will be an unforgettable experience, full of adrenaline and fun. You will have an instruction talk about the use of the boards before starting the descent. Because we will start this tour in the afternoon, at approximately 4:00, we will be able to appreciate the sunset in the desert; this is an opportunity to enjoy the best images that nature offers us.
At the end of the tour, we will continue the program, and take the night bus that will take you to Arequipa. Night bus.
Arrival around 10:00 am to Arequipa and transfer to the hotel. After settling in the hotel we will begin the visits in the city, we will visit the viewpoints of Yanahuara, which is one of the most romantic places in the white city, and then we will go to Carmen Alto, from where we can see the volcanoes that surround Arequipa; the Misti (5820m), the Chachani (6075 m), and the Pichu Picchu (5564m), as well as the greenery of the Arequipa countryside.
After the visits we will have the opportunity to taste a typical lunch in a “picantería arequipeña” (traditional restaurant). Return to the hotel.
In the afternoon we will visit the historic center of Arequipa, which is a World Heritage Site, due to its mestizo architecture and its buildings made of stone of volcanic origin.
We will visit the main square, and the cathedral, then we will visit the church of the society of Jesus, where highlights the dome or chapel of San Ignacio, continue with the visit to the cloisters of the jesuits, and the colonial house Tristán del Pozo.
Finally we will visit the architectural jewel of Arequipa, the monastery of Santa Catalina, a construction that dates back to 1579.
Its architectural style is fundamentally colonial, but of a mestizo nature. Unlike other colonial constructions of this part of Latin America, in Arequipa and especially in Santa Catalina, the fusion of Spanish and native elements is observed, to the point that they generate their own creation. For almost two centuries, during the viceregal period, the cloisters and cells of the Santa Catalina monastery have undergone modifications, additions and new constructions, which have turned it into a true showcase of the colonial architecture of Arequipa.
07:30 We will leave the city to visit the only saltflats of Peru, located at 4300m, on the south side of the National Reserve of Salinas, this salty lagoon, shows us some amazing landscapes, and is an attractive tourist spot, and much sought after due to its similarity with the famous saltflat of Uyuni, in Bolivia.
Salinas, is a salt lake shallow water, located in the southeast of the National Reserve Salinas and Aguada Blanca, is surrounded by the Misti, Picchu Picchu and Ubinas volcanoes. In Salinas we will find three varieties of flamingos, being the most abundant Andean, and other birds such as guayatas, gull, ducks; It is also a habitat for vicuñas, llamas, and alpacas.
We will make a walk of approximately two hours, to observe how the process of salt production is. At the same time this walk will be of great help for the adaptation to the altitude of the places and towns to visit in the continuation of the program. Return to the city around 14 hrs. Afternoon free in Arequipa, and overnight at the hotel.
08:00 Pick up from the hotel and transfer to the Colca Valley, on the way we will observe the other side of the Misti volcano, the north side of the mountain, and then we will enter the National Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca, where we will find the vicuñas, these fine camels show a fiber of high quality, and are in abundance, at a height of 4000m.
We will make other stops before arriving in Chivay, to observe llamas and alpacas, when we arrive in Chivay we will have a buffet lunch. After lunch, we willgo to the hotel; in the afternoon will visit the hot springs (32C° - 39C°). for dinner will go to a restaurant, with alive show, and they will perform traditional dances.
06:30 Transfer from the hotel to Yanque Square, where we can appreciate the traditional dance of Wititi, which is part of the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
We will continue the tour through the villages of Achoma, Maca, where we will observe the colonial church of Santa Ana,also we stop at Pinchollo viewpoint, from where we can observe the great majesty of the valley and its agricultural terraces.
We will arrive at the viewpoint known as the Cruz del Cóndor, where we will stay for an hour, to have the opportunity to photograph, observe and enjoy the landscape of the canyon, as well as the flight of this impressive bird.
We will return to Chivay, where we will have lunch buffet, then we will board our bus, which will take us to the city of Puno, on the way we will observe the Sabancaya volcano, which is active, with a constant eruption, whose ash cloud usually reaches a height of 1500m.
We will continue the trip to Puno, and we will make another stop in Lagunillas, that is a natural viewpoint from where this great lagoon is observed, surrounded by Andean landscapes and has a great biodiversity.
Arrival in Puno in the afternoon and transfer to the hotel.
We will start the tour with the pick up from your hotel in the city of Puno around 7:00 am, to go to the port of Lake Titicaca, where we will get the boat that will take us to visit the different attractions of Titicaca lake. We will start visiting "The floating islands of the Uros".
Here you can see small local communities and families living on islands built from totora; endemic plant that emerges from Lake Titicaca itself.
In this context, you will appreciate all your works made with totora: their homes, their different handicrafts, their boats or canoes that serve them for fishing and as a means of transport. You can take a walk in them. In addition, our guide will let you know more about the history and lifestyle of the Uros people. Continuing our tour, we will go in the direction of the Island of Amantani where we will have a guided walk through the mountain of the place and enjoy a beautiful landscape. At dusk, each visitor will be assigned to host families on the island. They will welcome you in their homes and make you participants in their different customs, sharing their food that is made with products from the area. After dinner, the members of the family will dress you in traditional costumes and take you to enjoy a traditional party, where you will dance and sing along with the local people and other guests.
At 7:30 we take the boat that will transfer us to the Island of Taquile, famous for the production of textiles, which show in their symbolism their worldview, ways of life and different customs and beliefs of the place.
The island of Taquile is known for its textile craftsmanship made by men and women of all ages, whose products are used by all members of the community. The population of Taquile lived relatively isolated from the continent until the fifties, and the notion of community is still very strong among them. This is reflected in the organization of community life and in collective decision-making. The tradition of weaving on the island of Taquile dates back to the ancient Inca, Pukara and Colla civilitations, which keeps alive elements of pre-Hispanic Andean cultures. The fabrics are made by hand or on prehispanic pedal looms.
The textile art of Taquile was Inscribed in 2008 in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2005).
At lunch time we meet at a local restaurant and taste typical food. After the guided tour, the boat will take us back to the port of the city of Puno, arriving around 4pm. Transfer to Cusco city.
In the morning you could rest at hotel. Our tour starts at 13:45 until approximately 18:30 pm, we will tour the capital of the Inca Empire, visit its main streets and the most important ceremonial centers. On this guided tour you will visit the following sites: Plaza de Armas, external view of the Cathedral, Qoricancha or Santo Domingo temple. (pedestral tour).
The fusion of the Andean and Spanish cultures in the middle of beautiful landscapes, make Cusco, a place of incomparable beauty, that preserves many ancestral customs and traditions, in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Peru. A tour of the historic city center of Cusco, is the opportunity to walk among colonial buildings built on bases and walls of ancient palaces and temples of the Inca Empire; the fusion of these architectural styles makes the imperial city of Cusco, a unique place in the world, where you can enjoy architectural gems, many of them can be considered works of art.
Then we will visit (by bus) the nearby archaeological centers such as: Kenko, or Qenqo, in Quechua Q'inqu ('labyrinth') is an archaeological site located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, 6 km from the city of Cuzco at 3580 masl.
Then we will visit Tambomachay, an archaeological site that was dedicated to water worship and for resting of the head of the Inca Empire. It consists of a series of aqueducts, canals and several waterfalls that run along the rocks. The surprising thing about this is that from a main waterfall, the Incas created two secondary waterfalls, which are exactly the same. That is, if one places two empty bottles, one in each waterfall, the two are filled at the same time.
We will continue with the visit to Puca Pucara (red fortress), this military construction is composed of large walls, terraces and stairways and was part of the defensive set of Cusco in particular and the Inca Empire in general.
Finally we will visit the impressive Sacsayhuaman fortress. Once there you think that it corresponded to a military strength, where the warriors were trained. There are doubts about it, since, according to its architecture, it could have had a religious purpose and have been built as a great temple to the Sun God. However, during the time of the spanish conquest, this place showed its effectiveness as a fortress to defend the city. Its main characteristic is the way it was built; It has large stone blocks, reaching the highest 9 m. It is asserted that its construction took approximately 50 years, beginning in the period of the Inca Túpac Yupanqui. It was built by 20,000 men. Return to the hotel.
This tour starts at 08:00 hours. We pass through your hotel, and we begin this trip to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, located on the Vilcanota River, where we will have the opportunity to learn about the customs of its inhabitants. The first place to visit is Pisac, one of the most beautiful monumental centers of the valley because it combines the landscape with the impeccable finish of its buildings. Písac is divided into two zones, the old one, located in the upper part, is an Inca archaeological site, and the current one, located in the valley, and dates from the colonial era.
Its main square is an entertaining place full of color and with various craft items for sale. Pisac does not escape the famous Inca legends. The city presents a statue that has a very particular: it is said that the cacique Huayllapuma had a daughter, called Inquill, who had to marry the man who could build, in just one night, the bridge over the river Willcamayu - Currently "Vilcanota" or "Urubamba" - (a bridge of great importance for the defense of the place).
Despite the hard work, Asto Rimac - a handsome prince - decided to accept the challenge, and ask for the hand of the princess. The authorities of the place arranged everything so that Asto Rímac initiated the workings, while the princess had to raise a hill without turning; because, otherwise, she and her fiancé would become stone. Almost at dawn, the prince had culminated with the work, but Inquill, unable to bear more, turned and was turned to stone to this day.
After this visit, we will have a buffet lunch, in Urubamba, to continue the trip to Ollantaytambo.
Ollantaytambo, is a typical example of the extraordinary urban planning of the Incas, and therefore a must to visit for anyone interested in this civilization. Its cobbled and winding streets, the ruins scattered everywhere and its agricultural terraces are attractive. They stand out for themselves and the visitor can appreciate it in all its splendor.
According to Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, a Spanish chronicler of the sixteenth century, the Inca emperor Pachacútec conquered and destroyed Ollantaytambo and then incorporated it into his empire. Under the government of the Incas, the town was rebuilt with splendid buildings and the valley of the Urubamba River was irrigated and provided with platforms; the town served as a shelter for the Inca nobility while the platforms were worked by yanaconas, servants of the emperor. After the death of Pachacútec the region went into the custody of his panaca, his family group.
We will stay in this beautiful town to spend the night. Overnight in Ollantaytambo.
09:00 Pick up from the hotel in Ollantaytambo; We will travel by tourist buses and see a steep landscape with snow, almost no vegetation, and fog during the winter. We will pass the Abra Málaga (4320 masl), the highest point of the route. This area is usually covered in snow and has a small church. We begin the descent and the vegetation of the forest begins to appear. We will pass through the areas of Carrizales, Alfamayo and Santa María. Already here, the coats will not be necessary at all. Our last stop is Santa Teresa. We will have lunch in a traditional restaurant and rest a bit to stretch our legs and appreciate the landscape.
From Hydroelectric we will walk up to the town of Aguas Calientes, this walk lasts approximately 3 hours. Dinner will be around eight o'clock at night. As an optional activity, you can spend a relaxing afternoon in the hot springs in Aguas Calientes.
Overnight in Aguas Calientes.
At 7 in the morning we will board the tourist buses that depart from Aguas Calientes, in less than an hour we will arrive at the sanctuary of Machu Picchu. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas".
Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared.
At the end you will have free time to take a stroll through the citadel or if you want to have lunch at the Hotel Santuary Lodge, another option you have is to return the town of Aguas Calientes and take their food in one of the many restaurants. (Lunch is not included inside the package).The return from Aguas Calientes to Hidroeléctrica is only possible on foot (3 hours). And from Hidroeléctrica to Cusco by tourist bus. Hotel night in Cusco.
Pick up from hotel and then departure from Cusco at 3:30 am. We will leave in the direction of Qollasuyo, the ancient road of the Quechuas, an important part of the Tawantinsuyo; we will arrive at CHECACUPE, to then visit the town of PITUMARCA, first rebels who challenged Pachuteq, (the main Inca of that time). Then we will pass through beautiful landscapes and valleys of Pitumarca, arriving at a native village of JAPURA HACHIPACHA with native Quechua inhabitants. Finally we will arrive at the place called QUESIUNO, where we will have a tasty breakfast.
After breakfast we will start the hike, where we will cross lagoons where South American camelids live (alpacas, llamas, vicuñas, as well as other animals, including pumas) the duration of the hike is about 3 ½ hrs, until arriving at the place called VINCINCUNCA 5029 masl, where we will observe a magical scene of this colorful mountain.
We will observe many mountains around, as (Apu Sarinini, Ausangate mountain) Ausangate the highest mountain in Cusco with a height of 6372 masl. In the Inca mythology, from this mountains and the nearby lakes (among which Sivinacocha stands out), the masculine energy that fertilizes the sacred Mother earth (Pachamama) is born; After a long journey, these waters are lost in the mysterious lands of the Amazon to return with rain, and fill the lakes and glaciers, each night becomes the river of stars called Willkamayu (Milky Way). In this sector is the Community of Chillca constituted by shepherds of llamas and alpacas, is known as the guardian of these Andean places.
Every year to the north side of the Ausangate, the festival of Qoyllur Rit'i has been celebrated since immemorial times, where the local faith is impressed and the festivities are performed by groupes of dancers from different parts of Peru, before the feast of Corpus Christi, during the which thousands of Quechua pilgrims to the Lord of Quyllur Rit'i in the temple of Sinakara (painting done on a rock). This pilgrimage was included in the Representative List of National Heritage. After taking photos in the rainbow hill we will return to Quesiuno where a delicious lunch will await us.
Finally we will return to the city of Cusco, arriving around 18:30 hrs.
Hotel night in Cusco.
In the morning, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Lima.
