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Departures:
Weekly. Itineraries are flexible.
Day 1 Friday
- Arrival in Lima
Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet and assist you
in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering.
Day
2 Saturday Lima
Breakfast at your hotel. In the afternoon City Tour of Lima
and Larco Museum - This half day tour visits both the colonial
and modern sections of this "City of Kings." Colonial sites include
the lovely Plaza de Armas with its cathedral and palace, and the
exquisite Torre Tagle Palace modern day seat of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. In modern Lima, drive along the exclusive residential
areas of Miraflores and San Isidro. Continue to the Larco Museum,
founded in 1926, it showcases remarkable chronological galleries
providing an excellent overview on 3000 years of development of
Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Located in a unique vice-royal
mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century pre-Columbian
pyramid, is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Features the finest
gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous erotic
archaeological collection, one of the most visited Peruvian tourist
attractions. (B)
Day
3 Sunday Lima / Nazca
Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer in bus to Nazca. Upon arrival
a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and
help you in registering. (B)
Day
4 Monday Nazca
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning flight over the Nazca Lines
that form drawings of birds, spiders, fishes, a monkey, and even
a few unidentifiable creatures. What are these mysterious line
formations of gigantic figures and who made them?
Visit to the
Cantayoc aqueducts, close to town, a complex system of underground
aqueducts that allowed the Nazca culture to take advantage of
underground water provides evidence of this culture΄s technological
development in the exploitation of the land. They belong to the
Nazca culture (550 AD) and are located in the Nazca, Taruga and
Las Trancas valleys. These aqueducts were built in stone by "hydraulic
engineers" of the Nazca Culture. It consists of a network of irrigation
channels and underground aqueducts. These Aqueducts are really
filtering galleries which can reach down to around 12 meters in
depth. The channels have air vents which form spirals that descend
to the water current and are still in use today by local farmers.
Then visit to the Antonini Museum opened in 1999 that displays
the discoveries of Professor Orefici and his team in the pre-Incan
city Cahuachi. Supposedly the discoveries hold the key to understanding
the Nazca lines. This Italian initiative presents finds of the
sophisticated Nazca culture and details the process of archaeological
excavations. (B)
Day
5 Tuesday Nazca / Paracas
Breakfast at your hotel. Visit to The National Reserve of
Pampa Galeras was established in 1967. This reserve is made up
of 6500 hectares which are owned by the peasant community Lucanas
located in the department of Ayacucho, province and district of
Lucanas. The vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) is the most representative
animal in Pampa Galeras and the purpose of this reserve is to
protect these animals. We can also find the guanaco (Lama guanicoe),
which live free in the pampas. The most impressive bird is the
Andean condor (Vultor gryphus); we can see the pissaca (Nothoprocta
ornata) and the kiula (Tinamotis penhaldii) as well. With regard
to the birds, we can also find the pato jerga (Anas georgica)
and the pato sutro (Anas flavirosatris). Transfer to Paracas.
(B,BL)
Day
6 Wednesday Paracas / Lima
Breakfast at your hotel.
Ballestas Islands Excursion - Early morning you'll take a yacht
ride to the Ballestas Islands passing the Candelabro. These islands,
also known as the Guano Islands, have large concentrations of
sea birds and sea lions in their natural environment. Afternoon
return to Lima by regular bus. (B)
Day
7 Thursday Lima / Juliaca / Puno
Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to the airport for your
flight to Juliaca. Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet
and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering.
Half Day Excursion to Sillustani Burial Towers en route - These
burial towers (Chulpas), are ancient and impressive tombs from
the pre-Inca period and they were built from a mixture of stone
and adobe, and served as burial places for chiefs and important
people. (B)
Day
8 Friday Puno
Breakfast at your hotel. Visit to the Uros Indian and Taquile
Island at Lake Titikaka - This full day excursion will take you
to the highest navigable lake in the world, to visit the floating
islands of the Uros Indians, considered themselves Lords of the
Lake, and they were convinced they had black blood because they
did not feel the cold of the lake and the winter. Continuing to
Taquile where a native community of about 400 families still lives
with the traditions of the XIV century that respect the principals
of an Incan way life. Taquile is a very important site on Lake
Titikaka for its a archeological remains, the sacred and ceremonial
sites, the festive activities, their rituals and for the daily
life of the inhabitants which is dedicated to farming, textile
production and fishing. (B,L)
Day
9 Saturday Puno / Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Bus journey through the Peruvian
Andes from Puno - Today one of South America's most extraordinary
overland trips takes you by bus to Cusco passing through striking
highland scenery and picturesque Andean villages. Upon your arrival
in Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, a host will meet
and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you to register.
(B,L)
Day
10 Sunday Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Tour of Cusco and its Ruins - This
afternoon's tour of the oldest continuously inhabited city in
the western hemisphere includes important landmarks of enchanting
Cusco and also the nearby ruins of Kenko, Puca-pucara, Tambomachay
as well as the Sacsayhuaman fortress. Once the center of the Inca
civilization, modern Cusco is a delightful combination of Inca
and colonial architecture. During the tour, you will visit Cusco's
Cathedral, Santo Domingo Church and the Plaza de Armas. (B)
Day
11 Monday - Cusco / Sacred Valley
Breakfast
at your hotel. Full Day Excursion to Moray, Maras and Quechuas
(Daily) Pass through unspoiled and picturesque Andean communities
on your way to the Incan agricultural experimental center of Moray,
famous for its sunken amphitheater, made up of four circular terraces,
which appear to fade away into the earth like an artificial crater.
The site was apparently an Inca agricultural research station
filled with fertile earth and watered by complex irrigation systems,
designed for experimenting with crops at various altitudes (some
of which run down to depths of 100 meters).
Continue to the impressive Maras salt pools formed by water emerging
from a lake inside a mountain in the Urubamba Valley. An amazing
view of evaporating ponds for the extraction of salt. Learn about
ancestral techniques, which are still used, in agricultural, irrigation
and salt-recollection tasks, as well as in Andean festivals and
rites. After lunch, visit an authentic Quechua Village to feel
the way of life of the Inca's ancestors. The Inca himself was
a noble Quechua. They live off the land and are always wearing
their colorful ponchos, see Quechua children scamper about while
woman are weaving their family's clothes. A meaningful experience!
(B,L).
Day
12 Tuesday - Sacred Valley
Breakfast at your hotel. Full Day Excursion to the Pisac Indian
Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress (Daily) -Morning departure
for a drive through the fertile countryside to the colonial village
of Pisac. During your visit to the bustling marketplace you will
have the opportunity to bargain with the natives for many different
types of Peruvian handicrafts and jewelry. After lunch the tour
continues to the village of Ollantaytambo for a visit to its impressive
Inca fortress.(BL)
Day
13 Wednesday Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu
Breakfast at your hotel. Excursion to Machu Picchu with overnight
stay - Early wake up for a train ride through the sacred valley
of Urubamba to the "Lost City of the Incas," Machu Picchu. Perched
8,200 feet above the valley, it was hidden by mountains and semi-tropical
jungles for 400 years until discovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale
University in 1911. Archaeologists believe that the Inca "Virgins
of the Sun" took refuge from the Spanish Conquistadors here. Guided
tour of the ruins and lunch are included. (B,L).
Day
14 Thursday Machu Picchu / Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Free morning to enjoy one of the
most incredible sights on earth, the ruins of Machu Picchu. Take
as much time as you need to study the mysterious ruins, hike Huayna
Picchu, stroll to the Inca Bridge or walk toward the Inca Trail
to find the legendary Sun Gate. Afternoon shuttle bus to the train
station for your return trip to Cusco. Upon arrival transfer from
rail station to hotel. (B)
Day
15 Friday Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Free day in Cusco for independent
activities - Wandering through this lovely city, exploring the
astonishing narrow streets of this tile roof colonial town will
be your unforgettable experience. Great buys are the traditional
Peruvian handicrafts, alpaca-wool sweaters and rugs, ponchos,
pottery, gold and silver jewelry, leather goods, etc. Because
there is such a variety of products, we strongly suggest that
when you like any particular item, you should buy it - you may
not find the same item in other store. (B)
Day
16 Saturday Cusco / Lima / Home
Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer from hotel to the airport
for your flight to Lima and then take your connecting flight to
home. (B)
*** END OF OUR
SERVICES ***
Departures:
Weekly. Itineraries are flexible.
Tour Includes: Please
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Hotels to use: Please
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Useful Information: Please
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