Pacific To The Andes - 16 days

Arrive at any time at Lima to start your Peru holiday and we will meet you and escort you in our private transfer vehicle to your hotel. The remainder of the day will be free time for you to recover from the long flight, explore the local area, and experience your first meal in the culinary capital of the Americas.

Meals: None

Overnight: Hotel in Miraflores, Lima

Today you will tour the city centre of Lima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the capital of Peru. The tour includes visits to the central heart of old colonial Lima, visiting both the major plazas in the city centre and with panoramic views of the Presidential Palace and Cathedral amongst others. The highlight is a visit to the San Francisco Monastery with its collection of religious art, library and the subterranean catacombs! Later the tour continues to contemporary Lima and the residential districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, passing the astonishing cliff-top Larcomar shopping mall. Following the tour you will be returned to your hotel for the evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Miraflores, Lima

You will embark on a journey south following the Pacific coast line south down a small section of the Pan-American Highway, the longest road in the world that stretches all the way from Alaska to the bottom of South America. This journey offers spectacular views of the rugged Peruvian desert and the Pacific Ocean. Your destination is the delightful seaside town of Paracas where we will escort you to your hotel. The afternoon will be spent as free time in Paracas where you will be able to enjoy your hotel, stroll along the beach, do a little bird watching, eat some seafood from one of the seafront restaurants before watching the sun set into the distance over the horizon.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Paracas

We will collect you from your hotel early in the morning to make the very short trip to the small seafront port at Paracas to take a boat tour to the Islas Ballestas. On the boat you will pass the giant “Candelabra”, a giant shape etched into the side of the Paracas peninsular that is similar to the Nazca Lines, before continuing to the islands themselves. The Ballestas Islands are roosting grounds for tens of thousands of birds often so dense they make the islands appear black in colour and you will be able to spot for species such as boobies, cormorants, pelicans and penguins. At certain times of year groups of sea lions sprawl out on the small beaches that surround the islands and dolphins swim in the waters. In the afternoon you will travel further south to the city of Ica and will visit the Ica museum and the astonishing town of Huacachina which sits on an oasis in the middle of a naturally occurring desert surrounded by giant sand dunes. Later in the day you will transfer to the city of Nazca for the evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Nazca

The Nazca Lines are surely one of the most iconic sights in the world and instantly recognisable by anyone. The lines are possibly even more famous for the various plausible and, frequently, implausible theories about how they were made, but the truth is that nobody really knows for sure. Today you will be given the option to travel to the Nazca airfield to go on a flight over the Nazca Lines (not included in the tour price) to appreciate the majesty and sheer scale of the lines from the air, easily the best way to see the lines. In the afternoon you will travel from Nazca to the delightful Andean city of Arequipa (a journey of around 10 hours) arriving late evening, and in Arequipa we will escort you to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Arequipa

Note: The Nazca Lines flight is not included in the tour price and you will need to make this payment direct in Nazca if you wish to fly over the lines. If you do not want to fly but still want to see the lines we can arrange a tour to the viewing platform - please enquire for further details.

Today you will enjoy a free day in Arequipa, which is also known as the “White City”. Arequipa is a beautiful colonial city with a fabulous central plaza and we include free time here as it is a great city to start to acclimatise to the altitude as it is lower in altitude than places such as Cusco and Lake Titica. However Arequipa is also a great city to explore and the central plaza with its stunning arched walls, the beautifully painted Santa Catalina monastery which was closed to the public for hundreds of years and La Juanita Inca Ice Maiden housed in a central museum are all worth visiting if you wish and are within walking distance of your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Arequipa

Today you will set off early in the morning to journey into the Colca Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world. The journey will take you over the high altiplano where you may be able to see wild herds of vicuñas – a wild relative of the llama. The journey will continue past the crater of Chucure volcano before reaching its highest point at Patapampa, 4800 metres above sea level, and from there you will have breathtaking views of many of the volcanoes that are dotted throughout the Arequipa area. Upon arrival at the town of Chivay, the gateway to the Colca Canyon, you will check into your hotel and have the afternoon free to buy some lunch, admire the views, and stroll through the town.

Meals: Breakfast, Evening Meal

Overnight: Hotel in Colca Canyon

In the morning you will depart to “Cruz del Condor”, an impressive viewing point 3400 metres above the base of the valley from where it is possible to spot for giant condors gliding on thermals rising from the valley floor. Afterwards you will be able to have lunch in a local restaurant of your choice in the Andean town of Chivay before setting off across the Andean plateau to the city of Puno on the banks of Lake Titicaca. This journey will take the remainder of the afternoon but is through some of the most beautiful and stunning landscapes in the whole world and is a beautiful journey to make. You will spend the evening in Puno, on the banks of Lake Titicaca.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Puno, Lake Titicaca

In the morning we will escort you to Puno harbour on the shores of Lake Titicaca where you will join a tour boat across Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. The tour will take you to the famous Uros Islands, floating islands made of reeds, and you will visit the islands and learn about their construction and the people that live here. In the afternoon you will go on a tour to the incredibly scenic ruins of Sillustani, a collection of funerary towers over-looking the lakes and mountains of this region of Peru.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Puno, Lake Titicaca

Today you will leave Lake Titicaca behind to travel on a full day tour towards the city of Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire. The road you will follow is called “Ruta del Sol” or the Sun Road and the tour includes stops at archaeological and interesting sites along the way that cannot be visited on any other journey including an Andean church built in 1626, a visit to Raqchi Inca archeological site and outstanding views of snow-capped Andean mountains. Upon arrival in Cusco we will escort you to your hotel for the evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Cusco city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the city is an outstanding place of archaeological, architectural, religious and historical beauty and is a destination in itself. Today you will enjoy a free day in this city which gives you time to relax and provide some rest time in your holiday itinerary and also allows the opportunity for you to explore the countless museums, historical sites, plazas, galleries, churches, shops, markets or cafes in and amongst the city.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Today you will go on a city tour of Cusco and the surrounding area to give you an opportunity to visit some of the impressive Inca sites on the outskirts of the city. You will visit the Temple of the Sun (Qoricancha), the Cathedral, Cusco central plaza, plus the Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman and and Tambomachay.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Today you will embark on a full day tour to the Sacred Valley following the ancient route from Cusco to Machu Picchu. The first stop on the tour is a visit to the traditional Andean village of Chinchero where you will be able to see demonstrations of the traditional craft techniques that have been employed for centuries by the inhabitants of this village, as well as visiting the Inca ruins and colonial church within the village. The tour will continue to the outstanding ruins of Moray, giant circular terraced depressions that it is believed were used by the Inca people as a botanical experiment to grow crops at different climates to be cultivated all together in one area. Next you visit the salt fields of Maras where over centuries an entire valley has been formed into a network of salt pans. The tour finishes in the Inca town of Ollantaytambo which has a network of Inca streets still as they were in Inca times and a fabulous Inca complex that overlooks the town. You will spend the night in the Sacred Valley, surrounded by beautiful scenery, which is an easy access point to travel further onwards to Machu Picchu.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Hotel in Sacred Valley

Early in the morning you will depart on the fabulous scenic train journey to Machu Picchu. The train is the best way to travel to Machu Picchu and offers excellent views of the beautiful landscape passing Andean villages, small Inca terraces and buildings and snow-capped mountain vistas. Upon arrival at the town of Machu Picchu Pueblo (also known as Aguas Calientes), the gateway to Machu Picchu, you will take a short bus ride to Machu Picchu itself. At Machu Picchu we will escort you on a tour throughout the impressive site, one of the modern 7 Wonders of the World. You will visit all of the important areas including the Temple of the Sun and Intihuatana Sundial before having free time to explore or take photos by yourself. After the visit you will return to Aguas Calientes where you can shop for souvenirs in the artesan market before returning to Cusco on the scenic train arriving in the evening. In Cusco we will escort you to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Today you will return to Lima, and will have the choice of a morning, afternoon or evening flight depending on where you would rather spend the majority of this day. We will meet you at your hotel at the appropriate time and you will transfer to Cusco airport for your flight and in Lima will travel with you to your hotel. In Lima the remainder of the day will be free time for you to explore the Peruvian capital one final time, maybe shop for some souvenirs, stroll through the parks of Miraflores and enjoy your last Peruvian meal and Pisco Sour cocktail.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Miraflores, Lima

At the appropriate time we will collect you from your hotel in Lima and transfer you back to Lima airport from where you can catch your connecting flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: N/A