Inca Discovery 13 Days from Lima: Arequipa, Puno, Titicaca Lake, Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

Lima

Welcome to the city of Lima, also known as the cultural capital of Peru!

Arrival at the airport

Upon arrival at Lima airport we will be waiting for you with a sign with the name of the lead traveler, we will take you to your hotel to check in, leave your luggage and freshen up. You will have some time to rest before finding a place for lunch or dinner.

After lunch, and once you are ready, you can choose whether to rest or take a tour of the city.

Lima | City tour

After breakfast we will pick you up to begin the City Tour which will last approximately 2 and a half hours. We begin our tour with a panoramic view of the “Huaca Pucllana ”, a magnificent ceremonial and archaeological center built in the 4th century AD and considered a “Sacred Town” by the Incas.

Cathedral of Lima

We visit the Historic Center of Lima, where you will see more than fifty monuments and colonial buildings, highlighting the Paseo de la República, Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace, the Cathedral Basilica, the Municipal Palace, among others. The Viceroyalty of Peru was the most important of the Spanish Empire and Lima was its capital.

Larcomar Museum | Historic Lima

Next, we visit the monumental complex of San Francisco, which is the largest example of colonial religious art in America. The highlight is the visit to its underground crypts known as the “Catacombs”. Finally, we will visit contemporary Lima, we will take a walk through the most traditional residential areas of Lima, El Olivar de San Isidro, Miraflores and Larcomar. After having had a wonderful day, you can choose to end the tour at your hotel or simply continue enjoying Lima on your own.

Lima | Paracas

After breakfast at 8:00 in the morning we will pick you up from your hotel to board the bus to the south of Peru, specifically to Paracas; we will arrive at approximately 07:30 hours, then, we will travel by boat to the Paracas Peninsula, where the most important wildlife sanctuary on the Peruvian Coast is located.

Ballestas Islands | Paracas Reserve

We will take a guided boat ride to the Ballestas Islands, in the Paracas National Reserve, where we will be able to observe sea lions, boobies, pelicans, penguins and other seabirds.

Ica | Huacachina

In the afternoon at an appropriate time we will travel by bus to the Huacachina Oasis, located in the middle of beautiful tropical palm trees and surrounded by imposing dunes.

Sandboarding

Here we will enjoy a beautiful natural landscape, and you will also be able to experience one of the most popular sports of recent times, called sandboarding . After the tour we will transfer to your hotel in the city of Ica for overnight.

Paracas | Nazca | Overflight of the Nazca Lines

Early in the morning, after breakfast, we will go to the bus station to take a trip of approximately 4 hours to the Nazca airfield to board a small plane that will make a flight of approximately 35 minutes over the mysterious Nazca Lines, which are enormous linear drawings of animals, birds and geometric figures, drawn in the desert, which can only be appreciated from the air.

Arequipa

Finally, in the afternoon we will head towards the White City of Arequipa, named for its white ashlar buildings, volcanic stone thrown out by the Misti Volcano.
Important: the flight over the Nazca Lines may be affected by weather conditions.

Arequipa | City tour | Sabandía Mill

In the afternoon we will take a guided tour of the city of Arequipa, including the Mirador de Carmen Alto and the Yanahuara viewpoint. In the afternoon, we will take an excursion to the Arequipa countryside, visiting the Molino de Sabandía , a flour mill built in 1621, powered by the waters of a waterfall, and which is still in operation today.

The Founder 's Mansion | Paucarpata

The Founder's Mansion, a 16th century hacienda belonging to the founder of the city, Lord Lieutenant of Governors and Governor Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, later sold to the Jesuits, who used it as a place of retreat, later passing into the hands of the Goyenechea family. You will see its beautiful and restored chapel. Then we will visit the Andenería de Paucarpata. Finally, in the afternoon you will be transferred to your hotel and you will have the night free. We recommend you have dinner at the hotel and go to bed early, since the next day our guide will pick you up after breakfast to begin your trip to the Colca Canyon.

Arequipa

After breakfast, we will pick you up from your hotel and begin a 4-hour bus ride to the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world (3,400 mts .), passing through Pampa Cañahuas in the Aguada Blanca National Reserve, habitat of vicuñas and alpacas (camelids from South America). On the route we will appreciate pre-Columbian terraces that are still cultivated by the Collaguas natives .

Volcano Viewpoint | Colca Canyon

We will visit the Mirador de los Volcanes and then have an Andean lunch in Chivay.

Upon arrival at the Colca Valley, transfer to our hotel.

In the afternoon, we recommend you rest and acclimatize to the altitude. If you are in good physical condition, you will have free time to take a walk around the hotel or take a refreshing bath in the thermal waters of Yanque in the Colca Valley.

Colca Canyon | Cross of the Condor

Very early in the morning we will leave for La Cruz del Cóndor, where the largest bird in the world can usually be seen in full flight. On the way back we will visit the towns of Yanque, Pinchollo and Maca. A good opportunity to appreciate the life of the inhabitants of these towns, which has not changed much since Inca times.

Puno

Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we will take the bus to the city of Puno where we will spend the night.

Puno | Lake Titicaca

Early in the morning, we will set off on an unforgettable boat excursion on Lake Titicaca to visit the Floating Islands of the Uros, ancient pre-Incan inhabitants of the lake, known as the Aquatic Tribe. These Andean natives build their own islands by periodically adding new layers of totora, ( Scirpus Totora) a plant fiber from the papyrus family. They also use this material to build their houses and boats.

Uros and Taquile floating islands

We will continue our excursion to Taquile, inhabited by Quechua natives who have developed, from generation to generation, an efficient and original social system as well as a magnificent weaving technique. After lunch at a local inn in Taquile, we will walk through its hills and archaeological sites. In the afternoon we will return to Puno and in the evening we will board the bus to the city of Cusco.

Puno | Route of the Sun

In the morning after breakfast at your hotel we will take you to the private bus station which will take you along the famous Route of the Sun towards Puno. This is a special bus trip that will allow us to visit many different places along the way on the Route of the Sun. Several stops will be scheduled for us to visit the following places: Andahuaylillas; (The Sistine Chapel of America, this temple is one of the best examples of the fusion between the Catholic and Andean religions),

Raqchi

An Inca temple dedicated to the god Wiracocha , a construction of monumental dimensions, about 100 meters long, 26 meters wide, 14 meters high. This is the only known temple dedicated to the god Wiracocha , creator of the universe.

La Raya

The point that will mark the halfway point of our journey, as well as being the highest point of the route -4335m above sea level. The impressive views here will allow us to admire the rugged landscape at this altitude; full of high peaks, many of which are snow-capped, herds of llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. This is the geographical border between 2 cultures, the Quechua of Cusco and the Aymara of Puno.

Pucara

This ceremonial center is one of the oldest and most important in the entire highland, well known for its stone structures and tombs.

Cusco

Upon arrival in Cusco, a FLY CUSCO PERU representative will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on it to take you to your hotel. After check -in, you will have extra time to walk around Puno's main square.

Cusco

After your lunch, our guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby and transfer you to the first stop where you will be able to see two constructions from different eras (Incas and Spanish) this place is Coricancha. (the temple of the sun). Here you will see the clash between Inca culture and Catholicism as you notice the difference in construction methods. The Inca architecture here is quite amazing, particularly a main altar made of bronze, as this was the key spiritual center of the Incas, to which all roads led from the four quarters of the Inca Empire. After visiting this impressive place, we will board our transport and drive to the outskirts of the city for about 20 minutes to the majestic Inca site of Sacsayhuamán with its enigmatic monoliths weighing up to 200 tons. We will make a stop at the Cristo Blanco viewpoint this is a place to get your first glimpse of Cusco from the top. We will then continue our visit to Qenqo , home to fascinating Inca altars and then drive another 5 minutes to Puca Pucara, a small circular Inca site known as the checkpoint to enter Cusco. Finally we will have our last stop at Tambomachay, a temple with water fountains, thought to be used as baths by the Incas. After enjoying this amazing Cusco city tour, we will take you back to your hotel in Cusco.

Cusco | Sacred Valley

We will start with the pick up after having breakfast at your hotel at 7:45 AM and we will go to the Sacred Valley passing through Sacsayhuamán, before visiting the first archaeological site on the route, we will make a stop in

Awanacancha

AWANACANCHA about 15 – 20 minutes to learn about textiles and the weaving process. We will be able to observe different types of South American camelids such as the llama, alpaca, vicuña and will have the opportunity to touch them and take photos. We will also stop for 10 minutes at the famous MIRADOR DE TARAY to get classic photographs of the Sacred Valley. We will be able to appreciate glaciers, Inca terraces, and a spectacular view of the Sacred Valley.

Pisac

We will arrive at the archaeological park of PISAC, where we will be able to enjoy stunning views of this valley. Here you can see immense Inca agricultural terraces, residences, altars, water channels and tombs and we will learn all about Inca agricultural methods shared by our professional guide.

Then, we will head towards the village of PISAC to visit one of the most colorful traditional markets in the entire region. Take advantage of the great prices and buy directly from the producers! You will surely find many souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home, this is a place to learn from the local people about their way of life.

Urubamba

Our next stop is Urubamba, where we will arrive around noon. In this peaceful place, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the best Peruvian food at a buffet lunch in a pleasant restaurant. There will be plenty of dishes to choose from to give you a taste of the region with fresh ingredients.

Ollantaytambo

The last archaeological destination on the tour is located 30 minutes from Urubamba in Ollantaytambo. This site was built with pink granite rocks and is another impressive example of Inca engineering. Here you can see the second largest Inca stone preserved to date (90 tons), which was used as part of the Temple of the Sun. You will discover all the secrets of Ollantaytambo on a guided tour of this fascinating place.

Train Station

After our visit in Ollantaytambo, we will take you to the train station located in this same town and board the Inca Rail Voyager class train that will take us to Aguas Calientes ( Machu Picchu town ). This trip will allow you to see beautiful glaciers and snow-capped peaks, as well as fertile green valleys and Inca agricultural terraces on both sides of the valley.

Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town)

At the end of the train ride in Aguas Calientes, we will be waiting at the exit door of the train station to take you to your hotel where you will spend the night. Settle into your hotel. After check - in, you will have free time to relax this afternoon. You can relax in the hot springs of Aguas Calientes or stroll through the small streets of this town.

Aguas calientes

We will wake you up very early so you can enjoy your leisurely breakfast at 6:00 am. This way, we can board one of the first buses leaving for Machu Picchu. This means you will beat the huge crowds and be able to enjoy the complex in peace as the sun rises and casts a stunning orange glow on the huge stones. (Optional, you will need to get up early to watch the sunrise at Machu Picchu or rest a little longer.

Machu Picchu

Together with your guide, board the bus for a 30-minute ride before arriving at the entrance gate of Machu Picchu. Feel the powerful energy of this fantastic archaeological site as soon as you enter. You will feel the happiness of watching how the golden light of the sun gradually covers every corner of Machu Picchu. Learn all its secrets and mysteries during a guided tour where you will also learn a lot about its history and the local flora and fauna. Our guide will take you for 2 hours through the most significant areas and then you will have some free time to explore Machu Picchu on your own. After having finished visiting Machu Picchu we will descend to Aguas Calientes

Aguas Calientes – Ollantaytambo Train | Cusco

In Aguas Calientes you will find a place to have lunch and then board the train to Ollantaytambo. From there, you will travel to Cusco in our private transportation. We will drop you off at the door of your accommodation in Cusco at approximately 6:10 PM.

Cusco

Breakfast at the hotel. At the appropriate time, transfer to the airport to board your departure flight.