Southern Peru Richness Journey

Upon arrival at Lima Airport, a representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in the city. Lima, the Peruvian capital, is a vibrant metropolis blending modern life with rich history, currently experiencing dynamic cultural and economic growth. You may choose to join an optional evening tour to the Magic Water Circuit, a spectacular display of fountains recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest of its kind. This private tour includes a guided visit to the illuminated fountains followed by dinner at a local restaurant. Please note this option is not available on Sundays and Mondays, begins at 17:30, lasts around four hours, and includes pick-up, drop-off, bilingual guide, admission, and dinner. Overnight accommodation is in Lima.

After breakfast at the hotel, we explore Limas historic old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site rich in colonial architecture. Our first stop is the Larco Museum in the traditional Pueblo Libre district, housed in a restored viceregal mansion built atop a pre-Columbian pyramid. The museum features the worlds most comprehensive collection of pre-Hispanic gold and silver artefacts, including notable examples of erotic art. Next, we visit Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion granted in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro to one of his captains, Jeronimo de Aliaga. We then take a scenic tour of Limas colonial downtown, centred around the Main Square, where you can admire the grand architecture of the Spanish Empire and the impressive 16th-century Cathedral, which took over 80 years to complete. After the tour, we transfer you back to the hotel for your overnight stay in Lima.

After breakfast, check out from your hotel and transfer to Lima Airport for your flight to Arequipa. Upon arrival, a representative will welcome you and escort you to your hotel, providing information about the citys attractions and services while assisting with check-in. In the afternoon, explore Arequipa starting at the Plaza de Armas, where you can admire the elegant neo-Renaissance basilica cathedral. Visit the Monastery of Santa Catalina, a vast 16th-century convent that functioned as a self-contained town, with colourful streets, cloisters, and squares offering a glimpse into colonial Peru. Continue to the Church of the Company, a prime example of Peruvian baroque, notable for its richly decorated sacristy and murals depicting tropical flora and fauna. The nearby Jesuit seminary features a beautiful main cloister. Finally, visit the Yanahuara and Carmen Alto neighbourhoods to enjoy panoramic views of the imposing Misti volcano before returning to your hotel for the night.

After breakfast, we leave Arequipa and travel to the Colca Valley. The journey takes us through the Yura district, an area marked by dramatic landscapes including deep ravines, towering mountains, waterfalls and lush vegetation. We continue across the Pampa Caahuas, a vast Andean plateau inhabited by vicuasnative camelids related to alpacas and llamas. Along the way, we cross the pampas of Viscachani and Toccra and skirt the crater of the extinct Chucura Volcano before reaching the Mirador de Los Andes at Patapampa, situated at 4,910 metres above sea level. From this viewpoint, you can admire impressive views of the surrounding volcanoes. We stop for lunch in the charming town of Chivay (included) before transferring to your chosen hotel in the Colca Valley, where you have the afternoon at your leisure.

After breakfast, set out for the Condor Cross viewpoint, where you can take in the vastness of the Colca Valleyone of the worlds deepest canyons, reaching over 4,160 metres deep, twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. Here, watch magnificent condors soaring gracefully above the canyon, their disciplined flight a remarkable natural spectacle. We then descend to the valley floor to visit several traditional towns along the Colca River, including Chivay, Pinchollo, Maca, Achoma and Yanque, each featuring charming colonial churches nestled among the Andean peaks. Along the way, we stop at the Antahuilque and Choquetico lookouts to admire sweeping views of the valley. Lunch is included. Afterwards, continue to the Ocolle viewpoint to see the Amphitheatrea series of pre-Inca agricultural terraces showcasing ancient farming ingenuitybefore visiting the Uyo Uyo archaeological site. We then return to your hotel in the Colca Valley for the evening.

After breakfast, enjoy a leisurely morning at the hotel with time to relax and make use of the facilities. In the afternoon, we begin our journey to Puno, travelling through the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve. Along the way, you will see the striking stone forests of Patahuasi and pass through dramatic landscapes of high plains, volcanoes, unusual rock formations and lagoons where cranes can often be spotted drying their wings. There are several viewpoints and remote cafs offering coca tea, as well as artisans selling traditional textiles and handicrafts (purchases at your own expense). Lunch is included en route. Upon arrival in Puno, you will be transferred to your hotel for the evening.

After breakfast, we transfer you to Punos port to board a boat bound for the remarkable Uros Islands. These islands are home to the Uros people, an indigenous community living on floating islands made entirely from totora reeds that grow in the lakes shallow waters. The islands are constructed from layers of woven reeds, regularly replenished to maintain their buoyancy, and the reed is also used to build their homes, with cooking done outdoors for safety. After exploring this unique settlement, we continue by boat to Taquile Island, once part of the Inca Empire. Here, you can observe Incan ruins and enjoy a cultural demonstration by the local community, offering insight into their traditions. Lunch is served on the island before we return to Puno for the evening.

After breakfast, we transfer you to the bus station where a representative will assist you with boarding your bus to Cusco. En route, we stop first at the town of Pucara to visit the Pucara Lithic Museum, showcasing the regions earliest urban settlement dating from 100 to 300 A.D. Next, we pause at La Raya, the highest point on the journey at 4,313 metres above sea level, offering striking high-altitude views. Lunch is served in Sicuani before continuing to Racchi, home to the impressive Wiracocha Templean Inca site dedicated to a major Andean deity, notable for its thatched roofs rising 20 metres above ground, among the tallest in the Inca Empire. Our final stop is Andahuaylillas, a town famed for its 16th-century church often called the Sistine Chapel of America due to its exceptional artwork. From here, we complete the 40-kilometre drive to Cusco, where your overnight stay awaits.

After breakfast, enjoy a free morning in Cusco to relax at the hotel or explore the citys cobbled streets and browse local handicrafts at your leisure. In the afternoon, join a guided tour of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. Begin with a visit to the Santo Domingo Convent, a Renaissance-Baroque complex built atop the Inca Coricancha templeonce one of the most important sun worship sites, whose foundations remain visible beneath the convent. Next, visit the Cathedral, the dominant landmark of the Main Square. Then, head to the hills overlooking Cusco to explore the fortress ruins of Sacsayhuaman, where the impressive stone ramparts offer panoramic views of the city. Continue to the temple and amphitheatre of Qenqo, believed to have been used for agricultural rituals. Finally, visit Puka Pukara (Red Fortress in Quechua), an Inca military complex featuring dwellings, baths, aqueducts, walls and towers. After the tour, return to your hotel for the evening.

This morning we collect you from your hotel to visit Chinchero, a traditional town perched high above the valley with stunning views. The local community maintains Inca artisan traditions, evident in their clothing and customs. Explore the archaeological remains and the seventeenth-century church, one of Perus earliest Catholic buildings. Next, we transfer to the Living Museum of Yucay, an interpretation centre showcasing Andean crafts such as textiles, adobe, pottery and silverwork, all made using ancestral techniques. The museum is also home to llamas, sheep and alpacas, which you can feed. Later, arrive in Ollantaytambo, a town continuously inhabited since Inca times. Enjoy a refined Andean lunch in a local restaurant, capturing the true spirit of the Sacred Valley in a warm atmosphere. Afterwards, climb the iconic fortress built beside the mountain before returning to your hotel in the Sacred Valley for the night.

We will collect you from your hotel and transfer you to Ollanta Station to board the train to Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu. Enjoy a scenic journey through striking Andean landscapes before arriving at Aguas Calientes. From there, a short 25-minute coach ride takes you to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Built in the 1450s by Emperor Pachacuti as a royal retreat, this remarkable site was abandoned within a century and remained hidden from the Spanish conquistadors. A guided tour will reveal the history and significance of the citadels key landmarks. After the tour, return to Aguas Calientes for lunch and spend the afternoon at your leisure. Overnight in Aguas Calientes.

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a leisurely morning at your own pace. We recommend rising early to revisit Machu Picchu and explore further (a second entrance ticket and bus transfers between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu are subject to availability). For the best views, consider hiking Huayna Picchu, which rises approximately 360 metres above the citadel and features an underground temple complex. Alternatively, Inti Punku, or the Sun Gate, offers panoramic vistas from around 390 metres above Machu Picchu (access not included and also subject to availability). In the afternoon, transfer to Aguas Calientes station to board the train back to Ollanta. Upon arrival, we will transfer you to your hotel in Cusco for your overnight stay.

After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer you to Cusco Airport to continue with your onward travel arrangements.