The Essence of Peru
Peru's greatest hits in one journey — Lima, white-stone Arequipa, the Colca condors, Lake Titicaca, and the Inca heartland of Cusco and Machu Picchu.
Your journey, stop by stop
A day to remember
Welcome to Lima
Arrival in Lima
Welcome to Peru! Touch down in the capital and transfer to your hotel to settle in.
🍽️ No meals included
Lima city tour & Larco Museum
Miraflores & San Isidro
Begin along the Pacific cliffs, taking in Lima's smart seaside districts with wide ocean views.
Huaca Pucllana
Pause at the great pre-Inca adobe pyramid, a ceremonial temple that has survived the city growing up around it.
Colonial old town
Explore the UNESCO historic centre — the Plaza Mayor, Government Palace and Cathedral — and the Santo Domingo convent that guards the relics of Peru's saints.
Museo Larco
Finish at the Larco Museum and its dazzling pre-Columbian ceramics, including the famous erotic gallery, then return to Larcomar or your hotel.
🍽️ Breakfast
Fly to Arequipa & city tour
Flight to Arequipa
Transfer to the airport and fly south to Arequipa (2,400 m); a free morning to rest and acclimatise.
Historic centre
Wander the Plaza de Armas, Municipal Palace, Cathedral and Jesuit churches, all built from gleaming white sillar stone.
Santa Catalina Monastery
Step inside Santa Catalina, a city-within-a-city of ochre and blue lanes and one of Peru's most striking religious monuments.
Yanahuara & Carmen Alto
Visit the colonial Yanahuara district with its Andalusian-style viewpoint, the farming terraces of Carmen Alto and the leafy Selva Alegre quarter.
🍽️ Breakfast
Over the altiplano to Colca
Aguada Blanca reserve
Set out across the high plateau through Yura and the Aguada Blanca vicuña reserve, home to wild herds of these delicate camelids.
Tojra wetlands
Cross the Tojra wetlands, alive with migratory birds, and stop at the Mirador de los Volcanes for sweeping volcano views.
Chivay village & market
Arrive in Chivay around midday for lunch and a rest, then explore the town and its lively market.
🍽️ Breakfast, lunch
Condor's Cross & on to Puno
Cruz del Cóndor
An early start to the Condor's Cross viewpoint to gaze into the depths of the Colca Canyon and watch the majestic condors soar.
Maca & Yanque villages
On the way back, visit the colonial villages of Maca and Yanque and the Antahuilque viewpoint.
Crossing to Puno
Travel the scenic high-Andes road past stone-forest formations and Crucero Alto (4,538 m), through Lagunillas, arriving in Puno (3,800 m) by Lake Titicaca.
🍽️ Breakfast
Lake Titicaca — Taquile & the Uros
Sail to Taquile
Board a traditional boat across the deep blue of Lake Titicaca to Taquile Island, a community that keeps its ancestral customs and famed weaving alive.
Lunch at Luquina Chico
Enjoy a buffet lunch at the Luquina Chico lookout, with beautiful views over the lake.
The floating Uros islands
In the afternoon, visit the floating reed islands of the Uros before returning to Puno.
🍽️ Breakfast, lunch
Scenic route to Cusco
Pukara & La Raya
Travel by tourist bus toward Cusco, stopping at the Pukara ceremonial terraces and the high pass of La Raya, with snow-capped peaks and native wildlife.
Lunch in Sicuani
Pause for lunch and a rest in Sicuani before continuing north.
Raqchi temple
Visit Raqchi, the great Inca temple of Wiracocha — a magnificent work in stone and adobe.
Andahuaylillas church
Step into the church of Andahuaylillas, a jewel of mestizo baroque known as the 'Sistine Chapel of the Americas', before arriving in Cusco.
🍽️ Breakfast, lunch
Cusco city & Inca ruins
San Cristóbal & San Blas
Stroll the most picturesque quarters — the San Cristóbal viewpoint, the Siete Borreguitos lane, the Sapantiana aqueduct and artisan Plaza San Blas, down past the Twelve-Angled Stone to the Plaza de Armas.
Cathedral & Qorikancha
In the afternoon, visit the Cathedral and the Qorikancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun once sheathed in gold.
Ruins above the city
Explore the nearby Inca sites of Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay before returning to your hotel.
🍽️ Breakfast
Maras salt pans & Moray
Maras salt pans
Head into the Sacred Valley to the village of Maras and its cascade of salt pans, worked since Inca and colonial times.
Moray terraces
Marvel at the concentric terraces of Moray, an Inca agricultural laboratory of stacked microclimates, before returning to Cusco.
🍽️ Breakfast
Sacred Valley & on to Machu Picchu
Písac ruins & market
Discover the hilltop ruins of Písac and browse its colourful artisan market in the valley below.
Calca, Yucay & Urubamba
Pass the charming valley villages of Calca and Yucay, with a buffet lunch in Urubamba.
Ollantaytambo fortress
Climb the great terraced fortress of Ollantaytambo, with spectacular views down the Sacred Valley.
Evening train to Aguas Calientes
Board the evening Expedition train to Aguas Calientes; dinner included and overnight at the foot of Machu Picchu.
🍽️ Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Machu Picchu & back to Cusco
Guided tour of the citadel
Ride the bus up the switchbacks for a guided tour of the lost city — its religious, civil and military quarters — one of the seven wonders of the world.
Lunch in Aguas Calientes
Return to Aguas Calientes for an included lunch at your own pace.
Scenic train to Cusco
In the afternoon, take the train back to Poroy and transfer to your Cusco hotel to rest.
🍽️ Breakfast, lunch
Departure
Transfer to the airport
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima and international connection. (Arrivals into Arequipa should land by 11:00 to allow time to acclimatise and start the afternoon tour.)
🍽️ Breakfast
Price per person
| Category | Single | Double | Triple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort | 1759 | 1468 | 1471 |
| Tourist | 1948 | 1554 | 1539 |
| Tourist Superior | 2305 | 1763 | 1676 |
| Superior | 2572 | 1896 | 1873 |
| First Class | 2878 | 2031 | — |
| Deluxe | 3503 | 2352 | — |
| Top Deluxe | 4185 | 2714 | — |
Per person in euros, sharing, minimum 2 travellers. Flights not included. We’ll tailor a final quote to your dates.
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