We invite you and your partner to join us on an unforgettable nine-day tour through Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and, of course, the awe-inspiring Machu Picchu. Travel through the breathtaking landscapes of Peru to important archaeological sites where you can connect with Inca mysticism through traditional activities. This truly is an experience that will strengthen your passion for life and bring out your most romantic side.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
Lima: Named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the capital of Peru is a blend of history and modernity. The colonial historic centre, the bohemian district and its modern attractions sit on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
Cusco: The ancient Inca capital is a unique blend of a pre-Columbian past and Spanish architecture. Its temples, squares and streets are surrounded by hills that hide fantastic archaeological sites such as Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay.
Machu Picchu: The ‘lost city of the Incas’ is what draws thousands of people to Peru each year. Hidden among the vegetation, this mountain-top citadel, built in complete harmony with the landscape, hosts a wealth of rooms, temples, bridges and religious sites that offer the visitor a chance to get closer to Peru’s fascinating past.
Day 1: ARRIVAL LIMA
Arrive at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima. Upon arrival, a representative will be waiting to greet you at the airport and the transportation service will transfer you to your hotel at the scheduled time. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure in Lima, the capital of Peru and a city steeped in history. During Colonial times, the Historic Centre of Lima, known as the ‘Ciudad de Los Reyes’ (City of Kings), was the political, administrative, religious, and economic center for the Spanish in Peru, and it was the most important city of the Spanish dominions in South America until the middle of the 18th century. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lima is now a modern metropolis and is currently undergoing an exciting process of cultural and economic change. Take the opportunity to rest and recover after the flight or head out into the city for your first glimpse of life in Peru´s sprawling capital city. Alternatively, you can book our optional Magic Water Circuit with Dinner and Folk Show:
Magic Water Circuit with Dinner and Folk Show (private basis):
A modern system of fountains certified as the largest in the world by the Guinness World Records. Built-in Exhibition Park, the Magical Water Circuit attracts crowds during summer and winter, being one of the new favorite attractions of Lima. See yourself and enjoy our water cruise that is followed by a unique gastronomical experience at a restaurant, accompanied by a delicious buffet dinner and amusing folk show.
Notes: Private service. Start time: 18:00 hours. Duration 4 hours. Includes Pick-up and Drop-off, Bilingual guide (Spanish and English), Admission to Magic Water Circuit and Buffet dinner with Folkloric show
Overnight in Lima.
Day 2: LIMA
Start your day with breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a free morning before lunch at the Café del Museo restaurant and a tour of the old town of Lima, an area full of fascinating historical buildings, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The route begins at the Larco Museum of pre-Columbian art. Housed in a former mansion, itself built on the site of a seventh-century, pre-Columbian temple, the museum boasts a very complete collection of gold and silver articles, pottery and erotic art. Continue on to Casa de Aliaga, the oldest Colonial mansion in Lima. The house has been owned and lived in by the Aliaga family and their descendants since conquistador Franzisco Pizarro granted the land to his trusted ally, Jerónimo de Aliaga in 1535. The tour will then guide you through the colonial centre of the city. Visit the impressive Plaza de Armas, the city’s central square and a showcase of Spanish colonial architecture. The Government Palace occupies the north side of the square and the magnificent, sixteenth century Cathedral of Lima is located to the east. The tour finishes back at your hotel where you can freshen up before enjoying a peruvian gorument dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Lima
Day 3: LIMA – SACRED VALLEY (90 min by flight; not included / 75 km - 1.5 hrs by land)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be collected by the transport service and transferred to the airport in Lima for your flight to Cusco. Domestic flights from Lima to Cusco should arrive no later than 10:30, later arrival times will be too late. When you land in the Imperial City, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in the Sacred Valley. On the way to your hotel, make a stop at the Yucay Museum of Living Culture, a centre for Andean traditions, where you can see textiles, adobe pottery and silverware being crafted using techniques dating back to the Incas. This centre not only gives you an insight into local Andean traditions, but you also have the opportunity to feed the resident llamas, sheep and alpacas! You will then take part in a traditional Inca ceremony with a shaman, who will perform a special blessing that will accompany you for the rest of your trip. Once checked in to your hotel, enjoy a free afternoon enjoying the hotel facilities, the excellent weather and the beautiful scenery.
Overnight in Sacred Valley.
Day 4: SACRED VALLEY - MARAS & MORAY– SACRED VALLEY (50 km- 1.5 hrs)
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel then embark on a trip through the Sacred Valley to the archaeological site of Moray, which is around an hour and a half away by car. Like many Inca sites, the exact function of these unusual Inca ruins remains a mystery. However, the design of the site in the form of ever-widening concentric circular terraces makes it highly likely that this landmark was used for agricultural purposes. Each level of the site has a different microclimate, and there are temperature differences of as much as 15°C between the top and the bottom! After your visit to Moray, continue to Maras, where you will find thousands of individual salt pools on a hillside that date back to Incan times. These salt lagoons not only create a dazzling landscape, but they provide jobs and an income for many local families. During the Inca times, the salt mines created an important economic centre in the area, and during the Imperial period, the Spanish created the town of Maras to use as a base for their salt harvesting activities. Your visit will be followed by a traditional lunch and a free afternoon to relax at your hotel.
Overnight in Sacred Valley.
Day 5: SACRED VALLEY - MACHU PICCHU - AGUAS CALIENTES (115 km - 2 hrs by train)
Wake up to breakfast at the hotel then transfer to the Ollanta station to begin your trip to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu. Enjoy the approximately two-hour scenic train ride to Aguas Calientes, also known as ‘Machu Picchu Pueblo’, the last stop before entering the most important archaeological site in Peru. It is believed that Machu Picchu was built for the Inca emperor Pachacútec around 1450 as a holiday residence. The citadel was abandoned just over 100 years later, probably as a result of the Spanish Conquest, although historians have never uncovered why it was abandoned or how it escaped the destruction that other Inca settlements faced. Instead, the jungle slowly engulfed its stone construction, covering it in a thick vegetation that kept it hidden and protected until the ‘lost city of the Incas’ was brought to international attention in 1911. Your tour will introduce you to the origins of this impressive citadel and guide you around some of its most iconic monuments, such as the main square, the royal rooms, the Temple of the Three Windows, the circular towers, the Sacred Clock and cemeteries. At the end of the tour, return to Aguas Calientes for lunch and free time in the afternoon.
Overnight in Aguas Calientes.
Day 6: AGUAS CALIENTES - CUSCO (115 km -1.5 hrs by train / 80 km - 2 hrs by land)
Today, breakfast at the hotel is followed by a relaxing morning at your leisure in Aguas Calientes, where you will find restaurants, bars, shops, and a craft market. Alternatively, you may book a Second entrance ticket to Machu Picchu (bus from/to Aguas Calientes included) and return to Machu Picchu to further explore this spectacular ancient city (Second entrance ticket to Machu Picchu and bus from/to Aguas Calientes available as an optional extra). We highly recommend rising early to spend the morning over Machu Picchu and discover its secrets. Some of the best views of the sunrise can be found by hiking up Huayna Picchu (Entrance to Huayna Picchu and bus from/to Aguas Calientes available as an optional extra), which houses a complex of underground temples, and Inti Punku (the Sun Gate), both more than 300 meters above the citadel itself. Another option is to take the short 30-minute trek to the Inca Bridge, the secret entrance to Machu Picchu used by the Inca army. Built into a spectacular path along a sheer mountainside, the simple plank bridge could quickly be removed to scupper the progress of any unwanted arrivals. In the afternoon, after lunch, board the train back to Ollanta station where you will be met by the transportation service who will transfer you to your hotel in Cusco. In the evening, enjoy dinner in the Imperial City.
Overnight in Cusco.
Day 7: CUSCO: HORSEBACK RIDING / WALKING TOUR
After finishing your breakfast at the hotel, take a tour out of Cusco in an extraordinary horseback riding experience, where you will have beautiful views over the city as you travel through agricultural fields and traditional villages. This is the perfect opportunity for a leisurely morning. In the afternoon, visit the very best Cusco has to offer on a walking tour of the city. The tour begins at the Santo Domingo Convent, a building constructed on the site of Coricancha, one of the most important Incan complexes dedicated to sun worship. According to historical records, the original temple walls depicted scenes of nature and were covered in gold leaf. After Coricancha, visit the imposing cathedral in the Plaza de Armas and finally, the most famous market in the city: San Pedro. (The visit to San Pedro can be replaced by a visit to La Casa Concha Museum, an old colonial house with an impressive collection of Inca pieces from Machu Picchu.) Sample some of the local delicacies such as chocolate and cheeses in this bustling market that offers an array of produce from the areas surrounding Cusco. After the tour, return to your hotel to freshen up and, in the evening, delight your taste buds with dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Cusco.
Day 8: CUSCO
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at your hotel then spend a day at your leisure in Cusco. Wander around the cobbled streets, visiting museums or doing a spot of shopping. Purchase the Cusco Tourist Ticket (BTC) which allows you entry to 16 different places of popular tourist attractions in Cusco and the surrounding area, such as the Southern Valley and the Sacred Valley, including Ollantaytambo, Sacsayhuamán, Tambomachay, Puka Pukara, Pikillacta, Chinchero, Qenqo, Pisac, Moray, Tipón, Contemporary Art Museum, Koricancha Site Museum, Regional Historical Museum, Inca Pachacutec Monument. Alternatively, you can book one of our optional tours:
Half-Day South Valley Tour: Tipón, Pikillaqta, and Andahuaylillas (private basis):
A unique tour that includes visits to the most important attractions between Cusco and Puno. Being the first to explore breath-taking archeological sites Tipón and its impressive rural colonial mansion where the Incas constructed an impressive irrigation system in harmony with nature that is still perceived by the surrounding population. In Pikillacta, the best-preserved pre-Inca cities we´ll follow the remains of the Wari culture, ancestor of the Incas, and in the beautiful Church of Andahuaylillas, also called "The Sistine Chapel of America” we´ll see the Wari´s marvelous original pipe organ. Take the most advantage of our tour and enjoy a day away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Notes: Private service. Start time: 13:00 hours. Duration 4.5 hours. Includes Pick-up and Drop-off, Bilingual guide (Spanish and English), Admission to Andahuaylillas and BTC (Cusco tourist ticket).
Full-Day Vinicunca Tour (private basis):
Take our full-day tour and hike with us up to the altitude of 5200m to see one of the most beautiful wonders of nature, the 7-Colour Mountain, worldly known as the Rainbow Mountain. Our trek is settled into the beautiful sceneries of the Andes and guarded by the majestic Ausangate Mountain. Don´t miss the unique experience of enjoying the view over the Andes and sacred entity since the times of the Incas from the Rainbow Mountain! Once back in Cusipata, you will be transferred back to your hotel.
Notes: Private service. Start time: 4:30 hours. Duration 10 hours. Includes Pick-up and Drop-off, Bilingual guide (Spanish and English), Admission to Vinicunca, breakfast and lunch, Oxygen balloon and First Aid Kit
Overnight in Cusco.
Day 9: DEPARTURE CUSCO
After finishing your breakfast at the hotel, your representative will assist you with check out and accompany you on the transfer to the airport in Cusco ready for your flight to Lima. Although this is the last day of your tour with us, we hope that your memories of this remarkable region, bursting with both culture and history, will last a lifetime.
