Peru Luxury Travel

After breakfast transfer to the airport for your flight to Cuzco, the old capital of the Incas. After the one hour flight, greeted and transfered to the chic, opulent 5* Monasterio Hotel. Check in to your  ritzy room. The room is oxygenated to help you unwind and sleep better in the high altitude of Cuzco (11,600ft above sea level). Today is a free day. We recommend a city tour which includes the Cathedral, Qoricancha temple, the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman that looks over Cuzco, Qenko and Puka Pukara. Return to the hotel. 

Every year, Cusco is visited by thousands of travelers, who come to delve into its noble, but tragic past. It is a perfect base for optional explorations around the city´s surroundings as well as for a range of outdoor activities. You can relax and explore this fascinating city while taking your time to acclimatize to its high altitude.

After breakfast a full day journey to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, starting in Pisac, where you can have an optional 2 hour trek. We visit the old Inca market of Pisac. Lunch in Urubamba. We stop at Ollantaytambo, the one town that was not beaten by the Spanish where you get to discover the ruins. We overnight in Ollantaytambo in another luxury hotel, the Hotel Monasterio Rio Sagrado, where we can unwind and relax.  The Sacred Valley of the Incas that was once an important source of food to Incan people. Sacred Valley is a lush agricultural region that keep supplying the city of Cusco with much of its production. As it lays 600 metres lower than Cusco, its average temperature is 5ºC higher so it has got a very pleasant climate.

Today we'll wake up early to get to Machu Picchu and enjoy an amazing sunrise over the Inca ruins. So, we'll start by taking a bus that drops us off right in front of the entrance to Machu Picchu. Where the guide will be waiting for us to start a guided tour of this historic center, on the way he will tell us interesting facts about the citadel, such as:

• The construction of Machu Picchu was carried out by the Inca Pachacutec and its construction based on blocks of stone, cut with expert precision, which makes it blend elegantly with the mountainous terrain.
• The many hypotheses about the origin of Machu Picchu, where three of the most well known theories involve a temple to the sun, a fortress to defend against jungle occupants or a sanctuary for the Incas.
• The incredible distribution of the city that contains houses, temples, warehouses and even a large central plaza, all of them connected by narrow paths, stairs and terraces carved into the mountainside, used for agriculture.

After the guided tour, you can choose to climb Wayna Picchu mountain or Machu Picchu mountain, but this requires a new ticket, an additional cost and a prior reservation. On the other hand, on your way back to Aguas Calientes, you will have free time to visit the brilliant city and learn about its tourist attractions such as its hot springs. In the afternoon, you will board the train bound for the city of Cusco, where you will spend your last night in the imperial city.

In the morning, we will pick you up from your hotel. The sites along the 8 hour Cusco-Puno route are Andahuyllillas, Tipon, Raqchi, Pikillacta and Pucara, including marvellous vistas.

First, we need to pass through Southern Valley (also called the Sun Route), where we stop in the village of Andahuaylillas to visit its fancy Baroque church, which is called the Sistine Chapel of the Andes, a beautiful cathedral with frescos on practically every wall. The church was constructed by Jesuits in the edge of the 16th and the 17th centuries. Its architectural structure is typical for small town´s churches while its wide walls are characteristic of colonial buildings. It is made of adobe and its facade is decorated with white painting. Two stoned columns are projected towards its main entrance. Although its architecture is relatively modest, its interior is richly decorated with amazing wall paintings. Unfortunately no phota taking allowed.

After seeing the church, we continue towards the pre-Incan city of Pikillaqta beeing once one of the most impressive regional centers of the culture Wari. The culture was seated in Ayacucho and its centres were occupied by Incas for many years. Today, Pikillaqta is a national archaeological park of great importance.
The word Pikillaqta is made up of Quechuan words "piki" = flea and "llaqta" = town, so that  the meaning of the city´s name was the “City of the Fleas”. It does not want to say that fleas lived in the city nor that its inhabitants were lousy. The name was derived from the fact that each inhabitant lived in cramped conditions, in a  very small room. Constructions of Pikillaqta consists of over 200 kanchas (apartments), 504 golgas (storages) and other constructions. The city accommodated a population of approximately 10 thousands of inhabitants!! Some investigators supposed that Pikillacta turned into a city of “mitimaes” during Incan times ("Mitimae" comes from the Quechuan word "mitma" meaning "resettlement". So mitimaes were originally groups of families taken by Incas from their native place to loyal or conquered towns to perform political, cultural, social, and economic functions.).

After this guided tour, we continue to Raqchi where we observe the splendid Temple of Wiracocha (Incan god - creator). There are remnants of cottages, warehouses and terraces and it is a handsomely unearthed clean site. The remaining part of the biggest Inca church are there and the snug stonework still there is marvellous.

Then, we go to La Raya representing the border between Cusco´s region and Puno´s region. This place is well-known for its viewpoint offering splendid views of surrounding Andes. 

Our last stop is in the old settlement of Pucara where we visit the Lithic Museum exhibiting artefacts of an pre-Incan culture.

Finally, we reach the city of Puno, where we accommodate ourselves in the Hotel Libertador.

A place of fable and folklore, Lake Titicaca is thought to be the birth place of the Sun God Inti.  You tour begins in the harbor of Puno where you will first go to the Uros Islands. Constructed completely from totora weed.In the morning, we board our comfortable motorboat to visit the man-made Uros Floating Islands as well as the Amantani Island. We stop at the islands to view the magic of the lake's scenery and to meet friendly people of its communities. They are known as The Aquatic Tribe and they have kept their age old rituals. You will see how they make their island and their craftwork from the reeds.

Titicaca Lake is the largest lake in the world above 2,000 metres and the highest placed navigable lake in the world! Our first stop on the lake are the floating islands of the Uros people. The Uros began their unusual floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from militant Colla´s and Incan tribes. Unfortunately, Uros´ language got extincted, so nowadays´ Uros people speak Aymara due to intermarriages with Aymara´s speakers. There are about 300 families living on the islands, however, their number has been slowly declining.

After visiting the Uros Floating Islands, we continue towards Amantani Island. There, we land and our Tour Guide shows us around the island with its stunning Titicaca Lake views and friendly inhabitants with their particular folklore. We will have some cultural exchange with the native people and have the chance t explore the Island.

Our next destination is Taquile Island, famous for its fine handwoven textile and clothing considered as the highest-quality handicraft of Peru. Taquile and its textile art was even recognized by UNESCO in 2005! 
We make our way back to Puno where we overnight in the Libertador Hotel in Puno.

Today we take a tourist bus to get to Arequipa, one of the most  charming cities in Peru. Transfer to the five star Libertador Hotel. A free day. We recommend a guided tour of the white city, so called for the buildings made of volcanic sillar. It includes a viit to the lovely cathedral, the Santa Catalina convent and a visit to the museum to see Juanita, the best preserved mummy in South America. Located 2300m above sea level, Arequipa has a great climate throughout the year with the impressive Misti volcano overlooking the city. 
 

We can also offer you some from optional Arequipa tours, for example, an Arequipa City Tour or an Arequipa Rural Tour (not included in the package). Overnight in the Hotel Libertador.

Depart from Arequipa in the morning. We go for an amazing trip, about 4 hours towards the Colca Valley in our private transport.

Colca Canyon is one of the world's deepest canyons. It is a canyon of Colca River located in southern Peru. It covers an area of about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Arequipa. Colca Valley is a colourful Andean valley with pre-Incan roots and towns founded in Spanish colonial times. Local people keep traditions of their ancestors as well as keep cultivating pre-Incan stepped terraces for agricultural purposes.

The canyon is home to the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), a specie that has been in focus of worldwide conservation efforts. Condors can be seen in range as they fly along the canyon´s walls. A popular tourist stop is a viewpoint named "Cruz del Condor" (Condor´s Cross) where people watch condors soaring on warm air waves. This point is situated at 1,200 metres (3,960 ft) below the rims of the canyon.

On the way, you can aprecciate the incredible landscape of Altiplano reaching up to 4,900 metres above sea level. We stop on the way in the Aguada Blanca National Reserve where we observe beautiful South American cameloids such as alpacas, llamas, vicuñas, guanacos and some birds and viscachas as well in their natural habitat. Later on, we descend to Chivay, we can observe intricate pre-Columbian terraces that are still tended to b the native Collagua inhabitants. We accommodate ourselves in the Casa Andina Hotel. After that you can visit the local thermal baths called La Calera which temperature reaches 38°C. In the evening, we have dinner at a local restaurant and then we overnight in our hotel.

The following day in the morning, we visit the Cruz del Condor to observe the worlds largest flying bird, the condor from up close, flying in circles, as they ascend on the morning thermals looking for food. Before we get there, we make some stops along the way to view the local villages of Cabanaconde and Yanque with their colonial churches and typical clothing as well as nearby pre-Incan tombs placed in mountain walls.
Upon our visit of the Cruz del Condor, we start our return way to the Arequipa City, where we get in the late afternoon and overnight in the Hotel Libertador.

We take a flight back to Lima today. Then we transfer you from the airport to your hotel. You are given time off to explore the city on your own and buy some souvenirs. You can also do some optional activities. Overnight in the luxury Hotel Monasterio Miraflores.

In the morning, we pick you up from your hotel to take you to a 3 and half an hour Lima City Tour. During the tour, our Tour Guide introduces you Lima in its 3 periods of time: pre-Colombian, Colonial and Modern. We start the tour with a visit of the archaeological site of the cultures Wari and Inca - “Huaca Pucllana”. After that, we continue to the impressive city centre visiting the main plaza, the government palace, the town hall, the cathedral, the catacombs under the church of San Francisco and colonial mansions. Finally, we get to the modern city quarters such as the residential and financial zones of San Isidro and Miraflores with its unforgettable view of the Pacific Ocean.

Then we take you back to your hotel, alternatively, you can stay at Miraflores to do some shopping.

Afternoon free to own activities. Overnight in Lima.

We take you to the airport for your flight back home.

• Welcome by our Representative at arrival;
• Transfer from/to the Cusco´s airport at arrival and departure;
• Accommodation: 5* hotels (12 nights);
• All entrance fees according to the itinerary;
• Professional bilingual Tour Guides as per itinerary;
• Meals: 12x breakfast, 3x lunch, 1x dinner;
• Domestic flights (executive): Lima-Cusco, Arequipa-Lima;
• 1x sightseeing private van: Cusco-Puno;
• 1x direct private van: Puno-Arequipa;
• Transport by a private van during the tours and local transfers;
• A tourist train round trip to Machu Picchu (Hiram Bigham Service);
• A shuttle bus Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - a round trip;
• Private Motorboat transportation on Titicaca Lake.

• Pre & post tour accomodation,
• International flights nor airport departure taxes,
• Meals not mentioned,
• Travel insurance,
• Tips and baggage portage (please note: it is a custom to give tips in Peru, however, it is not obligatory),
• Other extras not mentioned.

Meals budget: Please allow USD 20 - 30 for meals not included.

Single room: Please note that if you have booked the "Single Room" option for this tour, you receive your own single room for all overnights

Local flights: All local flights are included in the cost of your tour unless noted otherwise. It is very important that we have got your passport details at the time of booking in order to process all air tickets! Internal flight tickets are issued locally and will be given to you prior to each flight departure!