Take the chance to connect with a culture so rich in traditions dating back millennia, and to explore a uniquely imposing and diverse landscape dominated by mysterious deserts, canyons and Andean mountains. Peru has it all.
Join us on this 15-day tailored tour to show you the incredible culture and unique wonders of Peru. Experience the people that continue to live by their own rules within secluded beauty, breathing life into a civilization everyone thought was lost. Journey through the lush hills and pulsing traditional markets of the Sacred Valley. Venture to isolated islands within the waters of Lake Titicaca. Stand within the clouds on the back of Machu Picchu.
We’ll be right there with you throughout the whole journey, making sure it will be authentic and utterly unforgettable. Just let yourself bloom by the breathtaking beauty of Peru.
Upon your arrival, you will need to go through customs control which may take around up to 1 hour. Our Assistant will be waiting for you with a sign once through arrivals. Travel time from the airport should be around 45-55 minutes depending on delays and traffic. Your hotel is situated in the best part of the city with short walking distances to the parks, ocean-front and beaches, banks and currency exchange shops, supermarkets and plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from, too! The district of Miraflores where you are located is secure and safe to walk around even at night but do take the usual precautions in the city as wherever in the world.
In the morning you will have a guide and van take you to the centre of Lima for a historical tour. This can finish with the presidential palace and main Cathedral on Plaza Mayor before continuing to the airport. You will then have an afternoon flight between 3 and 4 pm. Flight time is around 1 hour and 10 minutes. Someone from the team will meet you on arrival. The transfer to your hotel in Cusco should take around 20 minutes. A short orientation is available before dinner.
Today you will be picked up by a Cusco tour guide and go to explore the most interesting places on foot. By walking, it is easy to get to most popular spots such as the Cathedral, Koricancha temple, San Pedro market, the Bohemian part of Cusco known as San Blas, and the famous pedestrianized stone street of ‘hatumrumiyoc’. Cusco historical centre is relatively concise and takes only some minutes to cross the main blocks and cobbled streets. However it is elevated at 11000ft and up and downhill on many streets so we suggest to take everything slowly.
Around 1pm we start by driving out to Chinchero – a town famous for ruins and traditional textile/weaving workshops and handicrafts. Here you can learn about traditional weaving and the different types of Andean animals that the wool comes from. Then we continue the day to Salt Terraces. In the last part of the day we transfer to Ollantaytambo (35 minutes), where you can take the opportunity to visit the ruins of this lovely town founded by the Inkas (entry ticket additional cost). Your local guide will be able to offer suggestions if you need to go for an evening dinner outside of the hotel.
Today, we start at around 9 or 10am for our moderate day of travel down into the high jungle terrain. For 1 hour we then drive up a continuously snaking road up to the pass of Abra de Malaga at 4450m with some fantastic views of the Veronica glacier if clear enough (can often be misty) and dramatic scenery behind us. We then glide down the other side into the denser vegetation which soon transforms into more tropical like growth, banana plantations quickly appear everywhere and humidity becomes suddenly obvious. In the late afternoon, we will get to the hot-springs of Cocalmayo where we can relax until sunset. We then return to our Ecollodge hotel for Dinner
After breakfast we can continue straight to the community of Lucmabamba where they run an organic coffee production cooperative. Here, you have the option to participate in a cultural experience with the native people of the area, including farmers who organically cultivate their coffee plantations and is considered one of the best organic coffees in the world. The organic coffee plantations still use traditional methods to toast and grind the coffee beans. We will then continue through the coffee plantations where they also cultivate bananas and “granadilla” a member of the passion fruit family, yucca and avocados. After lunch, a walk uphill of around 700m and 3 hours takes you through beautiful garden-like scenery. Some of the path is ancient Inka trail and with any luck, you should arrive to the most wonderful view over to Machu Picchu. Here there are some Inka Tambos (Small resthouses) known by the name Llactapata. We walk from here another 30 minutes down to our rustic mountain lodges. Llactapata was supposedly an Inka site or religious temple with incredible energies. We try to appreciate this remarkable site and view point to Machu Picchu by getting there when there are no groups and it will be peaceful. We then descend with another 30 minutes to our simple lodges but incredible viewpoint that offer what is hopefully an amazing panoramic for both the sunset and sunrise.
After breakfast, we hike downhill for 2 hours to the start of the railway known as ‘hidroelectrica’. Around 10, we can continue on a flat section along the railway for 3 hours. Keep an eye out for the Cock of the Rock (Peru’s national bird)!Lunch will be taken at a spot about half-way along the railway. We should arrive to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu village) by late afternoon. At this time we can relax once checked into the hotel. We offer a free evening to decide where you want to eat as dinner is not included. We will arrange for the guide to meet you in reception at some time in the evening so you have the plan fresh for the next morning when you go to Machu Picchu.
Descent: 2 hours/5.5 km – 2650m-1950m + Level walking: 3 hours/10 kms.
From town (around 7.30am) we then take the shuttle bus up to the ruins main entrance where we go inside with the guide for a concise tour of the main citadel. An optional visit to Huayna Picchu mountain can be offered with advance notice (2-3 months) and at an extra cost. Our time-slot only allocates us a brief time, therefore shortly after finishing the tour We have lunch when we return to town. Then board a train at around 3.20pm in order to get as back to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley in 1.5 hours, then another 2 hour drive by road back to Cusco around 7.30pm
Today we leave around 7am in the morning to head out to Rainbow Mountain. The journey to get there from Pisac takes just over 3 hours. We then hike for around 2-3 hours (there and back). Elevation is 4800-5036m we shall find the local market to pick up some snacks for lunch on this day. After the hike has finished around 3pm) we drive another 1.5-2 hours to get our our next next destination. The town of Sicuani where we rest for the night.
After breakfast, we drive across the Alti-plano /Peruvian High plains until we reach the city of Puno and first impression of Lake Titicaca, from here we drive another 1.5 hours to our community located on the Luquina peninsula. Here we will meet the familes of the community for a lovely overnight stay in a pretty setting. Likely you will meet the local family of Guido and Sara and their 3 daughters and their neighbours. They have built a lovely place with the help of all the community. Hopefully we will get a lovely sunset too! They will then serve us a delicious typical dinner (some of their own produce).
After a hearty local breakfast we can take a motorised boat to Taquile and Uros Floating Islands located near to the city of Puno. We will go with the guide who will explain about the lifestyle of the indigenous people who live on the lake. Lake Titicaca is one of the natural wonders of Peru and largest mainland lake on the South American Continent. It is shared almost equally between Peru and Bolivia and you can see wonderful views of each country from either side. It’s altitude is almost 14000ft so nights are cold and days are sunny. Sunsets and sunrises are simply spectacular! At around 4pm we should arrive to Puno port. We can give a short orientation of the town then option for a group dinner in one of the restaurants nearby.
We will need to buy snacks for the journey to Arequipa and take a picnic somewhere on the way as there are little-no options to eat in restaurants. After a few hours we climb up to a high pass and then down to Arequipa arriving for mid-afternoon. We should be arriving to Arequipa around 4pm.
Morning City tour. Afternoon free optional visit to Santa Catalina monastery or mummy museum. Your guide can meet you after breakfast and then take you on a walking tour of the city.
After breakfast, you will transfer to the airport for a flight arriving late afternoon. You will then be picked up and transferred to Miraflores and same hotel as the beginning of the trip.
It’s hard to say goodbye but we’re at the end of our trip. Saying goodbye to Peru can be bittersweet as it means leaving behind the stunning ancient temples and the vibrant culture and cuisine of this charming country. But you’ve also made memories that will last you a lifetime of Peru.
price per person in shared room
Important We require a 30% deposit to confirm a booking, with full payment due 14 days prior to trip departure.
