Lima and Machu Picchu Tour

Day 1: Tour Lima

You will have the morning free to relax and enjoy lunch in one of the hundreds of great restaurants in the ocean-side district of Miraflores. In the afternoon, you will begin your half-day tour of Lima which starts with a visit to the archeological site of Pucllana. Pucllana was a ceremonial center used by the Lima Culture, a society that inhabited the Peruvian central coast between the years of 200 AD and 700 AD. On the route to historical central Lima, you will pass through the San Isidro residential and financial district and home to the beautiful Olive Park.

You will arrive in Lima to the majestic panorama of its palaces, mansions, churches and squares. You will visit the Plaza de San Martin, the Presidential Palace, the Central Bank Museum and finally the jewel, the San Francisco Convent. The San Francisco Convent has the largest collection of religious art in the Americas. The highlight will be the visit to the underground funeral vaults, known as the Catacombs.

Your tour concludes in Miraflores with a visit to the ocean-side “Lover’s Park” where you can relax and enjoy the tranquility of the Pacific Ocean. After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Lima (Miraflores)

Day 2: Arrival in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas

After your flight from Lima to Cusco, you will be transferred to your hotel. You will have the day free enjoy the city of Cusco and acclimatize to high Andean altitude of 11,000 ft. (3,400 m). Cusco is the city that seamlessly blends three distinct eras, Incan, Colonial and modern in an experience like none other in the world. We recommend that you take it easy, eat light foods and drink plenty of fluids. If your energy allows, there are shops, museums, churches and ancient ruins within walking distance of your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cusco

Day 3: Free morning and half-day tour of the Cusco and surrounding ruins

After a good night’s rest in the thin Andean air, you will have the morning free to relax and continue to explore the city. We recommend a walk through the famous San Pedro Market where the locals shop everything from food to housewares. Here you will experience Cusco as it has existed for centuries.

After having time to enjoy lunch in one of Cusco’s many restaurants, you will be met at your hotel for your tour of the city and its surrounding ruins. You will start in the central Plaza de Armas or ¨Warrior Square¨. The Plaza was the ceremonial center of Cusco during the Inca Empire. It continues to be the center of life in Cusco today. Overlooking the Plaza sits the Cathedral of the Company of Jesus. Like most of the colonial structures, it was built on the foundations of the massive Inca structures. Our next stop is Koricancha or the temple of the sun. While the Plaza was the ceremonial and civic center of the city, Koricancha was the spiritual center. Built in honor of the Incan deity, it once housed over 4,000 priests and their attendants.

Next, you will begin a tour to visit the nearby ruins of the impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman, a massive complex that once protected the city and today offers a spectacular view of the valley. From there you will travel up the hill to the Inca shrine of Qenqo, where we will enter a natural cave with what is believed to be a sacrificial alter. The next stop is a lookout post of Puca Pucara, and finally our last stop will be Tambomachay, believed to be private baths of the Inca royalty.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cusco

Day 4: Full-day tour of the Sacred Valley of Urubamba

You will be met early at your hotel to begin a full day in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our first stop will be camelid farm of Awana Kancha. Awana Kancha is home to llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicuñas. You can feed and see the animals up close. You will learn about the ancient dying and weaving processes that date back to the Incas.

From there it is on to the city of Pisac and its traditional market. You have the chance to browse through row after row of traditional Andean textiles and handicrafts. While it would be easy to lose yourself for hours in the market, you have much more to see today.

From Pisac, you will travel to the city of Urubamba for a relaxing buffet lunch. Urubamba is at the geographic center of the sacred valley and along the banks of its namesake Urubamba River. After lunch and an opportunity to rest, you will board travel to the north end of the valley to the town and ruins of Ollantaytambo.

Ollantaytambo lies at the northern-most end of the Sacred Valley. It was the personal estate of the Inca Pachacuti and is also the starting point for the 4-day trek along the Inca Trail. Finishing the tour you will board the train for the scenic 2-hour ride to the city of Aguas Calientes at the base of the Machu Picchu. Your guide will meet you at the station and escort you to your hotel. After a briefing, you will have time to stroll and dine in this very colorful tourist town.

Meals: Breakfast,Buffet lunch
Overnight: Aguas Calientes

Day 5: Machu Picchu

After and early breakfast in your hotel, you will board the bus for the last leg of the journey to the gates of Machu Picchu. If you arrive early and the weather cooperates, you may catch a very spectacular sunrise. The experience will not onlay take your breath away but will fill you with a wave of emotion and awe that you will experience few times in your life.

Your walking tour will start with the terraced agricultural area and continue on to the legendary stonework of the living and working areas. Your local guide will explain not only the functional history of the site, but also share some of the legends and rituals surrounding the Incan beliefs and their reverence for the mother earth.

You will have the option of a buffet lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge or in Aguas Calientes before boarding your train for the return trip to Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cusco
Optional: Early morning hike to the summit of Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain
Optional: Buffet lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge or in Aguas Calientes

Day 6: Cusco Departure

Depending on your departure time, you can use your final day in Cusco to finish up your shopping, walk around and soak in the city or just relax. At the scheduled time, you will transfer to the airport for your check-in and departure for your flight to Lima.

Meals: Breakfast

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