“11 Days Best Of Perú, Lima, Cusco, The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu And Puno”

DAY 1.- ARRIVAL IN LIMA & TRANSFER TO YOUR HOTEL.

Bienvenidos! Welcome to Peru. Your adventure begins with a welcoming
greeting at Lima airport to transfer you to your hotel.
Enjoy the Capital of Peru, known particularly for its excellent cuisine
and good museums, as well as the historic down-town areas. your Travel
Designer can arrange a tour for you should you wish and you’ll have all
of our recommendations at hand for the best things to see and do in the
city to make the very most of your stay.

Lodging: Lima – Hotel MiraMar*** or similars.

DAY 2.- LIMA CITY TOUR & FLIGHT TO CUSCO.

Drive to the historical center of Lima and the Plaza Mayor, where the Government Palace, City Hall, the Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Palace are located. Move along to the San Francisco Monastery and step inside Casa Aliaga, one of America’s best-preserved colonial mansions. Located across from the Presidential Palace in colonial Lima, Casa Aliaga was built in 1535 by Don Jeronimo de Aliaga, a member of Pizarro’s conquering forces. Seventeen generations later, Casa Aliaga is still inhabited by the Aliaga family, whose heirlooms include beautiful original furniture.

Continue to the district of Pueblo Libre, to visit the Larco Herrera Museum, housed in an 18th-century colonial mansion. The museum holds the most extensive collection of pre-Columbian art in Peru, featuring many fine examples of textile work. Also found in the museum are the materials and tools used by ancient Peruvians to produce their work in ceramics and metal, huaco pottery, gold and silver pieces with semiprecious stones and erotic art pieces.

In the afternoon we will transfer you to the airport in Lima for your flight to Cusco. We will be waiting for you at the airport in Cusco, to bring you to your hotel.

Lodging: Cusco – Sonesta Hotel Cusco ****  or similars.

DAY 3.- SACRED VALLEY TOUR & TRAIN TO MACHUPICCHU.

Guiding you through to the fertile Sacred Valley, once the spiritual and commercial heartland of the Inca Empire. You will be collected from your hotel by your expert, local guide and private vehicle to be driven firstly to The Animal Sanctuary of Cochawasi, located in heart of the valley: here we may observe many of the native Andean species such as the puma, Andean cóndor, alpacas, and many more.

Your next stop will be the Incan fortress of Pisaq. where you can see the biggest Inca cemetery with more than 2000 tombs. There we can admire the incredible farming terraces carved into the mountain and the religious area of this important citadel.

After Pisac we head to Urubamba where we have a delicious  buffet lunch (Not Included).  Then we continue on to Ollantaytambo, the oldest continuously occupied town on the American continent. The narrow streets of Ollantaytambo, along with their canals, have not changed much from the time of the Inca Empire, giving you a feeling of what it would have been like to live during this time.

In the afternoon we will board the train to Machupicchu town.

Lodging: Aguas Calientes – Machupicchu.

Waman Hotel Machupicchu *** o similars.

DAY 4.- PRIVATE TOUR OF MACHUPICCHU WITH OVERNIGHT.

After a delicious breakfast at the hotel your private guide will take you on a comprehensive tour of the Machupicchu citadel, really bringing it to life by detailing the history, significance and myths surrounding it as well as taking you to the hidden corners and best viewpoints. Then after your guided tour, you’ll enjoy a delicious lunch before an afternoon at your leisure. You can explore the areas around Machu Picchu or carry on exploring the ruins.

Return in the evening to overnight at your hotel in the Machu Picchu area.

Optional:

The trek to the peak of Huayna Picchu: Huayna Picchu is the mountain that stands next to Machu Picchu. It is a 45 minute hike to the top. Going back down is quite steep, if you are scared of heights. This is done after your tour of Machu Picchu. The cost is $35 per person to hike. Arrangements need to be made at least one month in advance, due to popularity.

Difficulty: Moderate to challenging.

The trek to Machu Picchu Mountain: It has the most spectacular view, It is a 1.5 hours hike to the top. Located to the southwest of the citadel of Machu Picchu with a height of 3,050 m (10,007 ft.), This trek offers unparalleled views of the famous Inca sanctuary and also panoramic views of the surrounding mountainous landscape. The cost is $35 per person to hike.

Difficulty: Moderate to challenging.

Lodging: Aguas Calientes – Machupicchu.
Waman Hotel Machupicchu *** or similars.

DAY 5.- MORAY – MARAS SALT MINES – CHINCHERO & ANDEAN WEAVING CENTER.

In the morning we will board our train to Ollantaytambo and then we will begin our tour visiting to Moray, an ancient construction designed for agricultural investigations and studies of different crops in a range of altitudes. Here the many concentric “rings” of terraces produce a fine gradient of micro-climates; the warmth of the lowest central ring slowly dissapates as the rings ascend outward and upward, creating reductions in temperatures until reaching the ground-level norm.Your next stop will be The salt mines of Maras, which is about 2 miles away. This village is known as a former salt-producing center that is thought to date back all the way to pre-Inca times. There are over 3000 salt pools all carved into the mountain side, being filled daily by a little stream of water.

Finally We will visit Chinchero, on this site we will appreciate the Inka walls that are very well preserved in the main square as well as many altars directed to the four cardinal points. We will also visit the beautiful colonial church, unique for its work of art. Continuing, we will participate in a wonderful exposition of Andean weaving art; During the weaving we will become familiar with the wisdom of Andean weavings, such and as they are maintained long before Inka times.

Lodging:  Chinchero Boutique Hotel*** or similars.

DAY 6.- QUAD BIKE ATV TOUR – KAYAKING “MAMA PIURAY” & ZIPLINE ADVENTURE.

After a delicious breakfast, You will be collected from your hotel by your expert, local guide, then you will be given the ATV and all the complete equipment such as gloves, helmets and others. You will also be accompanied by our experienced instructor and our professional guide, who will provide you with all the necessary information on the proper use of the ATVs and the complete description of the route. Once we finish this brief orientation, we will begin our trip, through the best of the landscapes of Chinchero, until the Piuray lagoon. During the tour we will have nice spots with wonderful views of the whole archaeological site of Chinchero, the Sacred Valley and extensive fields of Andean crops.

Once we reach the Piuray lagoon (where the ATV tour will be finished), we will start our second adventure “KAYAKING IN MAMA PIURAY”, a beautiful lagoon located in the heart of the Andes. Its waters feed the communities and neighboring agricultural fields and they reflect all their flora, fauna and the mountains that surround it. For about an hour and a half, we paddle through this lagoon in our kayaks, enjoying beautiful moments that allow us to appreciate the nature that surrounds us in all its dimensions.At the end of this fascinating adventure in mama Piuray, we reach the shores at the base camp. Where the local families will welcome us with some hot drinks and ready lunch, share with them a cross cultural experience while enjoying a delicious typical lunch.

Finally, Inti Peru Adventures prepares you to enjoy the best adventure from the heights of Mama Piuray. Walk and enjoy incredible views of the mountains and lagoon of Mama Piuray in our zipline, full of emotion and adrenaline. A unique experience that you can not miss.

Lodging:  Chinchero Boutique Hotel*** or similars.

DAY 7.- CUSCO CITY TOUR & FAMILY DINNER.

Your local expert guide will collect you from your hotel for a tour of the city, starting out at the Santo Domingo convent monastery. This former colonial monastery was previously the Qoricancha Temple, one of the most important temples devoted to the worship of the sun (“in our ancient language “Quechua” the Sun is called INTI”) and according to the chronicles, the Qoricancha was covered in gold leaf and filled with golden representations of nature. Your next stop will be the Plaza de Armas.

After touring the most interesting sites of the city, you will be driven by private vehicle to the countryside just outside Cusco to visit some of the remarkable Inca ruins in the area such as the cult centre of Sacsayhuaman, one of the emblematic buildings of the Inca Empire (just above from the center of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site) built by the Inca Pachacutec in the 15th Century. It is a vast fortress built from huge stones and the way how they built and transported and worked is still a mystery. The temple and amphitheatre of Qenko, and the Red Fortress of Puca Pucara.

Places That Are Visited:

• Santo Domingo Monhastery / Qoricanca – Temple Of The Sun.
• Main Plaza of Cusco City – Main Square surrounded by the Inca palaces.
• Saqsayhuaman.
• Qenko.
• Puca Pucara.

At night we will have our family buffet dinner, where we will enjoy live show of typical dances from all over Peru, enjoying amazing traditional andean music.

Lodging: Cusco – Sonesta Hotel Cusco ****  or similars

DAY 8.- DEPARTURE TO PUNO – ROUTE OF THE SUN.

In the morning we will depart from the bus terminal and head towards Puno. This is a special journey by bus which allows us to visit the many diverse locations along the way on the route of the sun. There will be planned stops to visit the following:

Andahuaylillas: (the sistine chapel of the Americas, this temple is one of the best examples of the fusion between Catholic and Andean religions).

Raqchi: A Inka temple dedicated to the god Wiracocha, construction of monumental dimensions, an estimated 100 meters long, 26m wide, 14m high. This is the only known temple dedicated to the God Wiracocha, creator of the Universe.

La Raya: Midway point on our journey and highest point on the road – 4335 m.s.n.m. The impressive views here allow us to admire the rugged high altitude, full of tall peaks, many of which are snow-capped, and herds of llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. This is the geografic border between two cultures, the Quechua of Cusco and the Aymara of Puno.

Pucara: This ceremonial center is one of the oldest and most important of the high plains, well known for its lithic structures and tombs.

We are going to arrive to Puno around 5:00pm. At the bus station in Puno, a member of the hotel will be there waiting for you holding a sign board with your name on it to transfer you to our hotel. So, all you need to do is just look for your name.

Lodging: Puno – Qalasaya Hotel**** or similars.

DAY 9.- FLOATING ISLANDS OF UROS & AMANTANI ISLAND.

A full day of boat excursion afloat Lake Titicaca. We will visit the ancient culture of the Uros and step foot on their floating islands. The islanders will give us a presentation about their lifestyle upon their man-made islands, built using the totora reed which grows among the shores of the lake. We will learn about their existence on these small islands and how they have adapted to its conditions.

Continuing across the lake we will arrive to the island of Amantani. Here we will meet the Quechua families that will offer us a cosy home-stay style lodging and prepare us traditional food for lunch. After lunch we will make the short ascent to the two hilltops of the island while observing the daily lifestyle of the local people. Atop of the island we will visit two ancient pre-Inka temples, Pachatata and Pachamama (father & mother cosmos). In the evening after dinner the community members will hold a small welcoming party for us.

Lodging: Amantani Island (HOMESTAY).

DAY 10.- TAQUILE ISLAND & BACK TO PUNO.

After breakfast on Amantani we will board the boat again to make the short trip to the neighboring island of Taquile. Here we will ascend the beautiful stone paths to the community, a small and quite shy population, not to mention very hard-working and wise, a culture full of art and tradition. Taquiles’ people are cheerful and proud of their origen and culture, happy to share with us the beautiful atmosphere of island life upon the immense lake Titicaca.

Lodging: Puno – Qalasaya Hotel**** or similars.

DAY 11.- PUNO – JULIACA – FLY TO LIMA.

A brief transfer from Puno to the neighboring city of Juliaca. Upon arrival in Lima there will be assitence for an international connecting flight, or if prefered, transfer for a hotel.

End of the tour!!!

INCLUDED:

• 10 night’s accommodations with (7 nights with 3 stars hotels, 2 nights with 4 stars and 1 night in a Homestay in the Tititcaca Lake.
• 10 breakfasts,2 lunches and 2 family dinners.
• Meet and greet airport service.
• All Private transportation.
• All Private transfers.
• Train to Machu Picchu (round trip).
• Tourist ticket.
• Buses to Machu Picchu.
• All entrances fees in Cusco.
• Andean village visit.
• Completely private tour of Machu Picchu and Cusco.
• Entrances to Machu Picchu.
• Bus to Puno.
• Uros,Amantani,Takile tours (Group service).
• Turistic bus to Puno.
• Private Tour leader during whole trip.
• Full support from your Travel Concierge before, during and after your
  trip.

NOT INCLUDED:

• International flights.
• Meals where are not stated.
• Gratitudes.
• Huayna Picchu entrance fee US$35.
• Travel Insurance – you are strongly recommended to take out travel insurance for the duration of your trip.

THINGS TO BRING:

• Original Passport.
• Current University Card (if you are a student and want to qualify for the discount).
• Waterproof jacket / rain poncho.
• Warm jacket.
• T-shirts.
• Comfortable Trousers.
• Sun hat.
• Sun cream (factor 35 or higher).
• Insect repellant.
• Personal medication.
• Camera and film.

THIS TOUR RUNS ALSO AS A PRIVATE SERVICE!
****Daily Departure with at least 2 people****

DEPARTURE DATES:

• We offer daily departure dates with at least 2 people minimum.
• Pickup time is up to you.