Archaeological Tour of Peru (10 Days)

Introduction

Colonial Cusco

Korikancha, Santo Domingo Convent

Inca Terraces at Tipon

the Sacred Intihuatana, Machu Picchu

Temple of the Three Windows - Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Inca Concentric Circular Terraces at Moray

Dwellings at Machu Picchu

Entrance to the Royal Sector - Ollantaytambo

Pachacamac Ruins

Ollantaytambo

Sacred Altar - Inca Temple of the Sun, Korikancha

Caral near Lima

Caral near Lima

Nazca Lines, South of Lima

Colonial Cusco, Plaza de Armas

Colonial Cusco

Korikancha, Santo Domingo Convent

Inca Terraces at Tipon

the Sacred Intihuatana, Machu Picchu

Temple of the Three Windows - Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Inca Concentric Circular Terraces at Moray

Dwellings at Machu Picchu

Entrance to the Royal Sector - Ollantaytambo

Pachacamac Ruins

Ollantaytambo

Sacred Altar - Inca Temple of the Sun, Korikancha

Caral near Lima

Caral near Lima

Nazca Lines, South of Lima

Colonial Cusco, Plaza de Armas

• 1

  Day 1

  International Arrival. Overnight Miraflores Lima.

  Arrive Lima. Overnight Miraflores district Lima.

• 2

  Day 2

  Larco Museum Lima & Pachacamac Ruins. Transfer to Paracas. Overnight Paracas.

  Visit the Larco Museum, one of the most complete museums in Latin America, which boasts an incomparable collection of treasures from ancient Peru. This impressive collection -of more than 45,000 exhibits- inspires visitors to discover, understand and enjoy more than five thousand years of Peruvian history. One of its most striking displays is of ceramic items from the Mochica culture. This vast and astonishing collection was assembled over many years by Rafael Larco Hoyle, a well-known student of ancient archaeology in Peru and an avid collector. A comprehensive and fascinating start to this archaeological tour of Peru.

  Following on, we head south of Lima, some 25 miles (40 kms.), to visit Pachacamac*, a site of pilgrimage that was built around 700 A.D. as a temple to the sun god Pachacamac. The site contained an oracle, which is thought to have been one of the principal centers of pilgrimage of pre-Hispanic Peru. Its palaces and public squares have been carefully restored. Private transfer to Paracas. Overnight Paracas Hotel.

• 3

  Day 3

  Morning Overflight Nazca Lines. Transfer to Lima. Overnight Miraflores Lima.

  Continuing your archaeological tour of Peru you will be taken to the local airport at Pisco to board the light aircraft that will take you over the incredible Nazca lines. These archaeological geoglyphs of Peru represent stylized animals and plants, scattered among a great many mysterious lines of trapeziums, triangles and spirals cut into the earth and preserved for the past 2,000 years. Private transfer and overnight in hotel at Miraflores Lima.

  Note: The flight is dependent on weather conditions in the zone. Groups of passengers may be divided among different flights, depending on the legal maximum permitted weight of the aircraft.

• 4

  Day 4

  Caral (Norte Chico civilization). Overnight Miraflores Lima.

  We depart at 07.00 to journey 115 miles (185km) for 3 ½ hours to discover Caral, a highlight of this archaeological tour of Peru and one of the oldest cities in the Americas. Built between 2627 and 2100 B.C. this is a significant site in the archaeology of Peru. Discovered by Paul Kosok in 1948, the knowledge of this site has been considerably fortified by the work of Ruth Shady at the Supe Valley. Her work led to the discovery in 2018 of a 3,800 hear old wall adornment depicting snakes and human heads.

  The totality of archaeological investigation to date of this city depict Peru as a cradle of civilization in the Americas. See the Great Pyramid, the Amphitheatre Temple, the Gallery Pyramid, the Huaca Pyramid, the Small Pyramid and the temple with the circular altar, as well as the city’s residential sectors. A packed lunch is included. Return to your hotel approx. 18.30 hrs. Overnight Miraflores Lima.

• 5

  Day 5

  Mid-morning Flight to Cusco, Pikillacta (Wari Culture), Tipon and Andahuaylillas. Overnight Sacred Valley.

  The excursion starts with a visit to serenely situated Tipón, a complex of ruins masonry crafted Inca aqueducts set amidst some beautiful Andean terraced hillsides. Archaeologists in Peru believe that it was a center for the worship of water and boasts twelve agricultural terraces, buttressed by enormous, exquisitely finished stone walls. Then on to Pikillacta famed of the Wari Culture. This ceremonial site was constructed and used from the years 550 to 1100 AD. Gordon McEwan who excavated the site in 1978-79 catalogued extensive excavations on this fascinating archaeological site of Peru in Quispicanchi Province.

  The tour continues to the village of Andahuaylillas, which has a beautiful 17th Century church containing a magnificent organ decorated with angels and cherubs. The church has been called the “Sistine Chapel of the Andes”. Overnight Sacred Valley.

• 6

  Day 6

  Tour of Pisac and Ollantaytambo Ruins. Overnight Sacred Valley.

  The first stop of the day is at the Incan ruins of Pisac at the North Eastern end of the Sacred Valley. The main features of the hemispherical citadel include twenty Pucaras towers along the Intiwatana district that comprise the city. The Intiwatana sector holds fine palaces and temples including the Barrio de Tianayuc, K’alla Q’asa with chambers, towers and a large tunnel aside impressive ravines.

  We then journey to the other end of the valley and arrive at Ollantaytambo, with its impressive and eponymous Inca fortress. The name is disputed, and one record says it was named after a warrior named Ollanta, whose family, the Anta, were lords of the area during Inca times. Another recorded says it originates in the Aymara language as Ullantawi, which means watchtower or observatory This fortress is historically significant, as it was here that Manco Inca defeated the Spanish in 1538. Enjoy a climb up steep stone steps to admire the astonishing monoliths that make up the incomplete Temple of the Sun. At the other end of the terraces is found the Temple of the Condor, with large andesite stone blocks having been removed from its surface by unknown means, leaving no trace of usual requisite tooling marks. The scale of this site is truly impressive. Overnight Sacred Valley.

• 7

  Day 7

  Guided Tour of Machu Picchu. Overnight near Machu Picchu.

  Your journey by train today will see you visit of Machu Picchu, built by Inca Pachacutec in the mid 1400’s and a focal point of this archaeological tour of Peru built by Inca Pachacutec in the mid 1400’s. The site was mapped in 1874 by the German Herman Goring but the significance of the site was revealed by American explorer Hiram Bingham from his visit in 1911. In 1983 it became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

  Its origin is unclear but suspected to be both a sacred and an astronomical site with devotion to the Inti Sun God of the Inca culture. From a Peruvian archaeological perspective of understanding, Machu Picchu is consistent with the Inca work of shaping architecture about the natural setting. This includes the setting of doorways and windows to capture the surroundings and excavating the plateaus with ridges and terraced construction methods. Your expert guide will reveal the secrets of architectural marvels such as the Torréon, Temple of the Three Windows, Temple of the Sun and the Intihuatana. Overnight at hotel in Aguas Calientes.

• 8

  Day 8

  Re-visit Machu Picchu. Return to Cusco.

  Today you will have a second opportunity to visit the citadel of Machu Picchu and look at some lesser visited sectors aside from the main tour offerings. This includes an option to take a hike up Machu Picchu Mountain for a more holistic vista of the entire architectural mise- en- scène. Evening return train from Machu Picchu to Cusco. Overnight Cusco Hotel.

• 9

  Day 9

  Tour of Cusco and MAP (Pre-Colombian Art Museum)

  Once the capital of the mighty Inca empire, Cusco is the final destination on this archaeological tour of Peru. The excursion starts at Koricancha temple, an ancient Inca palace and center of worship of the sun god, on the site of which the Dominicans ordered a church to be built, which survives to this day. Then to the Main Square, where you will visit the cathedral, the most important religious building in the city. Continuing a visit to Sacsayhuaman, an Inca site famous for its enormous stone walls and its view of the city of Cusco. Then to the ruins of Tambomachay, which had an important religious function during the Inca Empire; and Kenko, where the sun, moon and stars were worshipped. Finally, return to the city for a visit to the Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art, one of the few museums dedicated to displaying the art of Peru’s ancient culture. Overnight Cusco Hotel.

• 10

  Day 10

  Free Morning Cusco, Evening Flight to Lima and Departure

  A free morning to browse the ancient cobble-lined streets of Cusco. Here you can use your last hours in Peru to seek out the finest handmade textiles of local alpaca fibers or hand-crafted intricate silver jewelry. All found among the stalls of local jovial vendors dotted about the streets of central Cusco. Evening flight to Lima and departure.