07 NIGHTS 08 DAYS MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT PERU

Meeting and assistance upon arrival and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day at your leisure.

Breakfast. You will have a guided tour that includes visits to the main Colonial attractions such as the Main Square with the Cathedral, San Francisco Convent and many elegant buildings with their traditional wooden balconies, which are now being restored. Afterwards you will visit Lima’s residential areas: San Isidro with its Olive Grove, Country Club and Golf course and Miraflores with its Central Park, City Hall and Main shopping streets such as Larco Avenue. Transfer to the bus station to board the Cruzero Class bus to Paracas. We will travel south along the Pan-American Highway for three-and-a-half hours until arrival to your hotel located on Paracas Bay.

At 8:00 AM after breakfast at the hotel, depart for the 2-hour boat excursion to the Ballestas Islands. The islands are located 20 km. from the coast and are part of the Paracas National Reserve. On the way to the islands, we will observe the “Candelabra”, an enormous drawing in one of the biggest dunes of the reserve that was probably made by the ancient Incas. Once at the Ballestas Islands we will see fauna in their natural habitat, including sea lions, Humboldt penguins and various bird species. Transfer to the airport in Pisco for your flight over the famous and mysterious Nazca Lines and Geogliphs. It is only possible to admire these enigmatic pre-Inca figures from the air. The purpose for which these animal, humanoid and geometric drawings were made is still unknown. Lunch. Return to Lima by bus. You can rest and recover energy for the next journey through the Andes Mountains.

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight to Cusco. Arrival in Cusco, reception and transfer to the Hotel. Welcome Coca tea. Free time to adjust to the altitude. In the afternoon, enjoy a tour of Cusco, the former capital city of the four regions that formed the Inca Empire. The tour includes highlights of the Colonial city such as the Cathedral, the Q’oricancha - an amazing example of the fusion of Incan and Western cultures that was one of the most important temples in the Empire of Incas - the Plaza de Armas and visit to the Inca ruins of Tambomachay, Kenko, Puca-Pucara and Sacsayhuaman’s gigantic zigzag-walled fortress. Overnight.

Breakfast. We set off by train for Machu Picchu. The train passes through the Sacred Valley. The single line track hugs the right side of the canyon next to the boulder-strewn, roaring Urubamba River. Arrival at the small town of Aguas Calientes, finally we take a 30-minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu, an Inca city with a maze of fine stone temples, houses and fountains, is spectacularly sited on a ridge between two peaks. It was hidden by dense vegetation when Hiram Bingham discovered it in 1911. We include a guided tour. In the afternoon lunch and return to Cusco by train. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight.

Breakfast. Transfer to the bus station. We will take an all-day bus from Cusco to Puno. The route is scenically stunning, and there are stops at cultural sites such as Pikillaqta, the baroque church at Andahuaylillas, and the Temple to Viracocha at Racqchi. Lunch at Sicuani. The bus climbs to the high pass of La Raya, at 4,200 meters, from here the scenery changes dramatically.
Arrival in Puno, reception and transfer to the hotel. Welcome Coca tea. Acclimatization. Overnight.

Breakfast. In the morning, we take a short boat ride to visit the Uros Islands, the fames floating reed islands of Lake Titacaca. A unique feature of this part of the lake is the traditional settlement of Uros people on floating islands made entirely of reeds-the same material they use to build their canoes. The islanders also use totora reeds to make boats, and even as food. Although fishing is still an important activity, nowadays the inhabitants earn their living mainly through selling handicrafts to tourists. In the afternoon there is an excursion to the haunting ruins at Sillustani - giant funeral towers used during pre- and Inca times to bury the wealthy which overlook alpaca pastures and the tranquil lagoon of Umayo. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight to Lima. Arrival in Lima, reception and transfer to the hotel.

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport to board your next international flight.
End of our services.