Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca (10 Days)

Introduction

Luxury Vacation Experts Latin America

The Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu Early Morning Mist

Lima Cathedral, Peru

Floating Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca

Colonial Cusco, Peru

Train Ride to Machu Picchu

Traditional Oven, Pisac, the Sacred Valley

The Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca, Luxury Peru Vacations

Qenko near Cusco, Peru

Pisac Market, Peru's Sacred Valley

Moray Ruins, Sacred Valley, Peru

Luxury Vacation Experts Latin America

The Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu Early Morning Mist

Lima Cathedral, Peru

Floating Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca

Colonial Cusco, Peru

Train Ride to Machu Picchu

Traditional Oven, Pisac, the Sacred Valley

The Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca, Luxury Peru Vacations

Qenko near Cusco, Peru

Pisac Market, Peru's Sacred Valley

Moray Ruins, Sacred Valley, Peru

• 1

  Day 1

  Collection from Lima Airport, Overnight in Lima

  On your international arrival in Lima, our friendly ground staff will be waiting to meet you. You will be transferred to the up-market hotel district of Miraflores, where you will have the day free to relax and rest after your flight.

• 2

  Day 2

  Mid-morning Flight to Cusco, Afternoon Tour of Pisac Ruins & Market

  Today you will take a mid-morning flight to Cusco. On arrival we will collect and transfer you directly to the lower altitudes of the Sacred Valley. This rural region famous for its rugged snow-capped mountains and Inca archaeological sites is some 1,500 feet lower than Cusco City, so richer in oxygen and better for acclimatization. On route to your hotel, we will stop at the Inca archaeological site of Pisac, a vast settlement at the eastern end of the Sacred Valley. With sweeping Inca terraces, mountainside burial chambers and ritual baths, Pisac will be your first insight into this fascinating world of the Incas. Later you will have some time to wander the famous artisanal market of Pisac, where local vendors strive for your attention in selling everything from piping hot traditional soups to unique Andean produce and fine baby alpaca garments.

• 3

  Day 3

  Tour of Ollantaytambo Ruins, Moray Ruins & Pre-Inca Salt Pans

  From Urubamba in the heart of the valley, you will take a scenic ride out to a lesser-known Inca ruin of Moray. With the imposing mountains of the Cordillera Urubamba as a backdrop, you travel through the traditional village of Maras and onto Moray Ruin. Expertly built into the natural curvature of the landscape, Moray ruins are a series of concentric circular terraces similar to a large amphitheater. Historians believe that Moray was used by the Incas as a laboratory or testing ground for varied crops native to the area. After you’ll continue to the pre-Inca salt pans of Maras. Set in a narrow valley with the sun reflecting on them as if they were snow, the salt flats will stun you with their beauty, shining out like white gold. Fed with salt water from the Pacific Ocean by means of a deep subterranean crevice, Maras still produces several tons of salt every day, all of which is painstakingly crushed under-foot by local workers. After a relaxing lunch, you will proceed onward to the mighty mountainside fortress ruin of Ollantaytambo. Not only is the ruin visually stunning, it also has a strong historical importance, serving as the last stronghold for Inca Manco Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance during the fall of the empire.

• 4

  Day 4

  Guided Tour of Machu Picchu

  Today you will travel to Peru’s high jungle and onto the location of one of the world’s finest archaeological gems – the lost Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Following the Urubamba River, you will take a 1 hour and 40 minutes train journey through some of Peru’s most dramatic and breathtaking scenery. On arrival in Aguas Calientes our ground staff will assist you with your luggage, whilst you proceed directly to Machu Picchu. Our expert resident guides will escort you through the citadel taking you to all the principal attractions including the Caretakers Hut, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Sun Temple.

• 5

  Day 5

  Re-visit Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu Mountain Hike (Optional)

  Today we include a re-entrance to Machu Picchu to enjoy this very special world wonder at your own pace. In addition, we will also include entrance tickets to one of the short treks that can be done from within the park. Huayna Picchu Mountain trek is the most famous, but we think that the Machu Picchu Mountain trek is also an excellent option. Talk to one of our luxury Peru travel experts about the different trek options (trek is optional). In the afternoon, you will take the train back to the Sacred Valley, where we will collect you and transfer you by road to your hotel in Cusco.

• 6

  Day 6

  Morning Tour of Cusco City

  Historians compare the City of Cusco to great ancient cities like Cairo, Athens and Rome. Once the capital of the Inca Empire, it was the most important settlement in the continent. Its ruling power stretched as far north as modern-day Quito and south to Santiago in Chile. Today you will take an expertly guided tour of Cusco, visiting Korikancha (the Inca Temple of the Sun), Cusco’s main square Plaza de Armas, Cusco Cathedral and the impressive Inca sites of Sacsayhuaman and Q’enqo. The afternoon is left free for you to explore this fascinating city on your own.

• 7

  Day 7

  Travel to Lake Titicaca

  Today you will travel south from the Cusco to the region of Puno, and onward to Lake Titicaca. There are several methods of transport to travel this route, including a tourist bus, the Belmond Andean Explorer Train and a short 50 minutes flight. Discuss with one of our luxury Peru travel experts for more information on which option might suit you best.

• 8

  Day 8

  Tour of Lake Titicaca (Uros & Taquile Islands)

  Considered to be the birth place of the universe and mankind alike, Lake Titicaca is a place where myth and legend live on. From the main pier in Puno you will take a short boat ride out to the floating Uros Islands, where locals still speak the ancient language of Aymara. Made from totora reed, found in abundance on the shores of the lake, the islands were originally believed to have been built by locals to escape the advancing Inca army. Further out into the deeper azul waters of Lake Titicaca, you will visit the traditional Island of Taquile. Following winding path to the summit of the island, we’ll reach the main plaza, where the views of the island and surrounding waters are breath-taking. The inhabitants of Taquile live simple life, where there are no roads, crops are cultivated by hand and old traditions remain strong.

• 9

  Day 9

  Fly to Lima, Overnight in Miraflores District

  From Puno, we will take you the short distance to Juliaca airport, where you will catch a midday flight to Lima. On arrival we will collect you and transfer your hotel in Miraflores. This evening we recommend that you take advantage of some of Lima’s best restaurants, and taste why Lima is now considered to be the new gastronomic capital of South America. Astrid & Gaston by Peru’s celebrity chef Gaston Acurio is a great option, or perhaps El Central ranked number one in Latin America and number four in the world.

• 10

  Day 10

  Morning Tour of Lima, Transfer to Lima Airport

  Today, the last day of this exciting luxury Peru vacation, we include a half day tour of Lima. Leaving the hotel district of Miraflores, you will journey to the colonial center of the city where the Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded the city in January 1935. On Plaza de Armas, you’ll have time to appreciate Government Palace, Lima Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Palace famous for its ornate wooden balconies. Continuing, you’ll visit the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, where the Catholic Dominican Order was first founded in Peru. The tour continues on to the business district of San Isidro and to the Temple of Huallamarca. The solid adobe pyramid structure measuring 21 meters (69 feet tall) is just 1 of 300 archaeological sites which still exist in the City of Lima. The origins of the temple date back to the time of the Lima Culture (100 – 650 A.D).