Perú: Cultures & Treasures
Hiking on a four-day trek through Inca trails and mountains; only to arrive at the Sun Gate, and catch your first glimpse of the forgotten city of Machu Picchu, it’s not just an accomplishment; it’s a transformative moment. Visit Lima; the World’s number one culinary destination, for a luxurious feast and have a taste of it’s many flavours.
Peru is a country of many shades, from the coast, through the Highlands, to the Amazon Rainforest.
Perú Inspo Itinerary
Highlights:
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: ARRIVAL IN LIMA
Pick up at the airport and transfer to your hotel, depending on the time of your flight.
Day 2: LIMA
Visit Lima’s city center and surrounding sites + Sailing Afternoon
Historic Downtown of Lima (Unesco site) to explore the elegance of its finest periods. Visit La Casona de San Marcos, premises of the oldest university in the Americas chartered in 1551.
Casa Osambela, an extraordinary architectural jewel. Casa de Aliaga, stunning mansion owned by the same family since the viceroyalty. Visit the recognized Hotel Bolivar, explore its elegant interiors while guide share some stories. Here barman will show how he makes pisco sour.
Navigate in a sailboat through the coast of Lima and watch the Costa Verde ocean line in front of you. Have lunch on board and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.
*If weather does not permit it, we will change this for a lunch next to the ocean.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 3: LIMA/CUSCO/SACRED VALLEY
Pick up from your hotel and transfer to the airport in Lima.
Flight from Lima to Cusco.
Pick up from Cusco airport and land transfer for 1.5 hours to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Upon arrival, check in and take your bike to stroll around the valley to know all about Maras & Moray.
Moray is an agricultural center and archeological site. These impressive ruins display concentric terraces carved into a bowl shape that created distinct microclimates. The Incas used the terraces as a kind of laboratory to study the adaptation of plants to new ecosystems.
Maras – This salt mine is a complex network of nearly 3,000 salt pans, shallow pools that are filled by a hypersaline underground spring. These salt pans are believed to have been developed in pre-Inca times (pre-1430 AD) and today are active hand-harvested by local families during the dry season, May through November.
*If you prefer to ride in the van, that’s fine too!
We will pick a spot along the way to have our Picnic-with-a-View moment to have lunch.
Before going to bed, we will watch a movie under the stars in Belmond Rio Sagrado.
Pop-corn and hot coco are on the way!
Meals included: Breakfast and picnic lunch
Day 4: SACRED VALLEY
Laguna Piuray Outdoor Center + Coca Leave reading + lunch
Wake up, have an energetic breakfast and start your journey to Piuray lagoon. You can choose between kayaking or having a walk around the lagoon to discover the scenery.
After lunch in a local restaurant, you will be able to be part of an amazing Inca ritual, and have an authentic coca leaves reading.
La ‘Ofrenda a la Pachamama’ (The Offering to Mother Earth) started as a way for the Andean campesino to give back what they took from “her”. The ritual is performed by a quero, or Andean prist, who will take several objects that represent parts of nature, to make an offering, while burning coca leaves, chanting prayers and looking into the sky. It’s a beautiful moment in which all the participants appreciate the world we live in, acknowledge the importance of nature surrounding us, and give back.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 5: SACRED VALLEY
Visit Ollantaytambo Monument
After breakfast we will depart to visit the Ollantaytambo Monument, we will visit the ruins, and have lunch in a restaurant next to the railroads. A pisco and coffee tasting will be only the start!
After lunch, we will get on board the train to start our way into the High Tropical Rainforest where Machu Picchu is located.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 6: SACRED VALLEY/CUSCO/LIMA
Very early in the morning we will go up the hill in the official bus to get into Machu Picchu!
Visit Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea level, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 7: CUSCO/LIMA
In the morning visit Cusco city, its surrounding ruins and local market.
This fabulous half-day tour takes you around all the most important sites of Cusco. Including visits to Cusco’s Cathedral, the Temple of the Sun (Qoricancha) and the various Inca sites found outside of the city you get to see an incredible mixture of Inca and Spanish-style and in the case of Qoricancha, the two combined. Cusco is truly a fascinating place to visit; providing a blend of the two cultures (Inca and Spanish) the city has a look and feel about it that is completely different to the rest of Peru.
We will enjoy a cooking master class with a local chef and have lunch there!
Later in the afternoon, fly to Lima.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 8: LIMA
Meals included: Breakfast
Pick up from your hotel and transfer to the airport. It’s time to say goodbye to Peru!