PERU

Get to know the city of Cusco, an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site and possessor of a style all its own. The stones that make up its walls and streets radiate a magical energy and speak of its grand past. Begin the tour at the Koricancha Temple, an old Incan palace and main center for the worship of the sun god, Inti. Once the Spanish conquered Peru, the Dominican order built a lovely church over top this temple’s foundations, the Church of Santo Domingo which still stands today. Next stop, the Main Square, upon which sit the Cathedral, the beautiful Church of La Compañia de Jesus (Society of Christ), and other Colonial period buildings. Continue your adventure at the Sacsayhuaman Fortress built of enormous stone blocks expertly shaped by the Incas. It is strategically located at the top of a hill overlooking the city of Cusco. What a view! On the outskirts of the city are three archeological sites you won’t want to pass up: Qenko, Puca-Pucara, and Tambomachay, important religious and administrative centers for the Incas that resonate with the power of their past glory. There’s just too much to see in one day, so you’ll have to stay in town and venture out again, this time to the neighborhood of San Blas where the city’s top artisans live and work.

 Day 1
Arrival to Lima – City Tour, Colonial and Contemporary Lima

Upon arrival, reception at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Our representative will give you a documentation kit with detailed program explanation. Luggage and hotel registration assistance is offered. In the afternoon, our guided visit to Lima allows you to see the Historical Center: Plaza Mayor (“Main Square”), the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, the City Hall and old streets with colonial mansions and Moorish balconies. You will also visit an historic convent, an icon of colonial architecture. The tour goes all the way to modern district of San Isidro and Miraflores, where you’ll appreciate huacas or sacred Inca structures. Also, you will observe the Pacific Ocean coast from the vast seafront. Overnight in Lima.

Meals included: –

Day 2
Cusco City Tour & Ruins

At the scheduled time, transfer to the airport to board your flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, reception by our representatives and transfer to hotel. Rest of the morning to rest and acclimatize. In the afternoon, visit the city of Cusco, declared World Heritage Site by Unesco and place of a particular essence. The tour begins in the temple of Koricancha, an ancient Inca palace and main center of worship of the god Sol, where after the Dominican order built a church that lies prized so far. Then he will tour the Plaza de Armas, where the Cathedral and the beautiful church of the Jesuits, among other colonial buildings are located. Continue the journey to the colonial church of San Cristobal to enjoy a spectacular view of the city, then continue to the Fortress of Sacsayhuaman, Inca construction that stands out for its huge walls of hewn stone, located in a strategic position on a hill, with a broad view of the city of Cuzco. Later you will visit important archaeological sites Puca Pucara and Qenko. Overnight in Cusco.

Meals included: breakfast.

Day 3
Authentic Sacred  Valley

Discover the best of the Sacred Valley of the Incas through this route starting on the Inca’s Balcony, in Chinchero, a beautiful place with an impressive view, where twelves families still preserve their traditional costums, showing you the ancestral way in which they process the wool, and obtain those vivid colors for their textiles. Later, we will arrive to Moray, an impressing pre-Inca greenhouse, then, we will have lunch in a local restaurant. Afterwards, we will get to Ollantaytambo, one of the most monumental architectural complexes of the ancient Inca Empire, one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a major battle.  Very well known for its “andenes” (terraces dug into the slopes of mountains for agricultural purposes),  Ollantaytambo was a highly effective fortress, that also served as a temple.  Then, we will follow to the town of Ollantaytambo, with narrow cobblestone streets that have been continuously inhabited since the 13th century. Overnight in Sacred Valley.

Meals included: breakfast and lunch.

 Day 4
Machu Picchu

Visit one of the major energy centers of the world: Machu Picchu. The excursion will be by train and during the trip we will have an amazing view of the landscape of the Sacred Valley of Urubamba. Upon arrival to Aguas Calientes, our representatives will assist you to board the bus that will take you to the citadel. It will be an unforgettable experience, where a professional guide will transmit us the history around this mysterious and charming place. After the tour, enjoy free time to explore the zone on your own, relax and meditate. At the scheduled time, descent to Aguas Calientes. Lunch included. In the afternoon, board the train back to Cusco. Upon arrival, our collaborators will be waiting at the station, from where we will transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Cusco.

Meals included: breakfast and lunch.

Day 5
International Departure

At the scheduled time transfer to airport to board your flight to Lima. Upon arrival, connection with your international departure flight.

Meals included: breakfast.