Peru Expedition Tour Itinerary
LIMA-AREQUIPA-COLCA CANYON-PUNTO-AREQUIPA-CUSCO-SACRED VALLEY-MACHU PICCHU-MARAS & MORAY/CUSCO
Day 1 – LIMA. . . read more about Lima here
Upon your arrival in Lima you will be met and escorted to the hotel in Miraflores by our English-speaking Travel Connections host. Most international flights arrive late in the evening so we recommend a good night’s sleep. Overnight in Lima
Day 2 – LIMA/AREQUIPA
Breakfast at the hotel.
Our representative will be waiting for you in the hotel lobby to accompany and transfer you to the airport for your flight to Arequipa.
Arequipa “The White City” is host to many colonial buildings and is located at the foot of three volcanoes: Pichu Pichu (5,571m), Misti (5,825m) and Chachani (6,075m). The facades of these buildings are beautifully ornamented with fruit, flowers, animals and human faces. The architectural style is unique and characteristic to this area of Peru.
Upon your arrival in Arequipa, you will be met by a Travel Connections representative, who will provide all the information and assistance that you will require. Transfer to the hotel and rest until your afternoon tour of the city.
During your afternoon tour, the guide will show you the most fascinating places in the city, You will visit the beautiful Convent of Santa Catalina, Yanahuara, some colonial buildings, the Cathedral, and much more. After that, you will return to the hotel. Overnight in Arequipa
Day 3 – AREQUIPA/COLCA CANYON
After breakfast, on our way to Chivay, we travel towards the Valley of the Colcadepart. We will witness beautiful landscapes, snow-covered mountains, stopping at Pampa Cañahuas, home to llamas, vicuñas and other South American camelids.
After settling in your hotel, we invite you to visit the thermal baths or hot springs of CALERA (15º thermus medicinal waters according to local legend). Overnight in Chivay
Day 4 – COLCA CANYON/PUNO
After breakfast, you will go to Cruz del Condor or Condor´s Cross, where you can appreciate the majestic flight of the Andean Condor in its natural habitat. You will also see the Geographical Impressive scene of the Colca Canyon (the deepest canyon in the world). We also visit some of the villages where you can learn about local traditions and customs.
In the afternoon, a private car will take you to Puno, a five hour journey through incredibly picturesque countryside.
At your arrival in Puno, your host will check you into your hotel. Overnight in Puno
Day 5 – PUNO/TITICACA LAKE
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the lake´s Titicaca harbor. Here you will board a boat for a voyage to the floating islands of the Uros. Fishermen and hunters inhabit the floating islands of the Uros. They are known as the “water tribe”, because they must construct their own islands, periodically adding new layers of totora reed to ensure the islands stay afloat. Support for the island is provided by the dense roots of the reed plant which grows in the lake. The roofs of the houses also use the reed as waterproof but they are extremely humid because of the surrounding water. Next you will visit the Island of Taquile. The most popular attractions in Taquile is its landscapes, dominated by tiered platforms where potatoes, corns, quinoa and broad beans are cultivated; ceremonial sites hosting rituals imploring for abundant harvest and fishing and the hospitality of its people, who are extremely organized.
In the town of Taquile we will taste a typical lunch with fresh fish (trout). We will return in Puno in the afternoon. Overnight in Puno
Day 6 – PUNO/CUSCO
After breakfast, you will continue your journey between mountains and the clouds. During the ten hour train journey from Lake Titicaca to Cusco, you will see the changing landscapes among the mountains, rolling plains, and experience the variations in weather in these areas. The Andean Explorer is one the most of luxurious and different way of travel between Lake Titicaca and Cusco. (We also have other options for this journey).
Upon arrival in Cusco, you will contact by Travel Connections host, who will check you in to your hotel. Overnight in Cusco
Day 7 – CUSCO . . . read more about Cusco here
Breakfast at the hotel.
During our private walking tour of Cusco, we first visit the privately owned Pre Columbian Art Museum (MAP), an important place for understanding our history, both present and past. Next we will visit San Blas, a neighborhood of artists and artisans with narrow stone streets and a charming bohemian atmosphere. Here, you will see the typical Indian walls of Hatunrumiyoc and seven Culebras and the stone with 12 corners. We also visit Koricancha or Temple of the Sun, which was built to honour the sun god and was an important complex during Inca times. Finally, we visit the Main Plaza of Cuzco, where the Cathedral is located.
Afterwards you can enjoy a free afternoon in the Inca Capital to explore on your own. Overnight in Cusco
Day 8 – CUSCO/AWANA KANCHA/SACRED VALLEY/em>
Breakfast at the hotel.
On the way we visit the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Tambomachay.
Day 8 – Continued . . . .
The Valley is located 60 km/37 miles and 500 meters/1,700 feet below the city of Cuzco. This lower elevation, plus the Valley humidity and warm climate are easier to adapt to in the high altitude. On the way to the Valley, we visit the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Tambomachay.
We visit the Awana Kancha visitor’s center ( Quechua name which means “Knitting Palace”) where you admire the beauty of the Peruvian Andes and its South American “camels”. View and handle the goods produced by the traditional techniques (tinting process, threading, warping and weaving) and also the modern ones, including the materials woven by locals. You will walk along a covered path and learn about the four different kinds of South American camels: guanaco, llama, alpaca and vicuña. At the end of the path you will find weavers from over 12 communities from southern Peru who demonstrate their skills of threading, tinting and weaving traditional Andean textiles in order to preserve their local traditions. Finally, you will be able to purchase these high quality traditional and industrial textiles from the local people themselves.
Along the way, we also visit the colorful Indian Market of Pisac, famous for its Mass and market. The Mass is attended by the ‘mayors’ of the neighboring villages, complete in typical dress and carrying their traditional ‘varayoc’ or staff of office. You will also enjoy the colorful Indian market where the local people come to purchase fresh vegetables and spices.
At the end of the day, we tour the remarkable Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo with its magnificent mountain stairway. Among other things, you will be intrigued by six enormous pink stones, each weighing some 50 tons. These came from the other side of the river, but nobody knows how they were transported, since the Incas did not use the wheel. Overnight in the Sacred Valley
Day 9 – VALLE SAGRADO/AGUAS CALIENTES/MACHU PICCHU/CUSCO
Breakfast at the hotel.
Early in the morning we transfer to the train station and departure for Machu Picchu.
Today, you will have a private guided tour of the archaeological complex of Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is the best-known Inca site of the modern world. Discovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, this citadel is considered to be one of the most extraordinary examples of landscape architecture in the world. The citadel is situated over 2,300 meters above sea level in the province of Urubamba on a remote mountain top. From the ruins, there is a magnificent view of the deep gorge of the Urubamba River, surrounded by the steep mountain sides covered in tropical jungle.
After a complete overview of the site with your guide, you will enjoy lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge.
In the afternoon, we return to Cusco and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Cusco
Day 10 – CUSCO/LIMA
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport and flight to Lima
Travel Connections provide all transfers during this tour.