9 Days The Best of Peru

We will start our colonial and contemporary Lima City Tour with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean.  Modern Lima This tour will take you through the modern districts of Miraflores and San Isidro. On the way there you will see the Huaca Pucllana, a pyramid shape pre-Inca ceremonial temple that has survived Lima’s massive urban growth.

Colonial Lima You will then visit the Historic Center of Lima, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. On this tour you will discover a city that was once the center of the Sixteenth Century Spanish Colony.

Santo Domingo Convent You will also visit the Convent of Santo Domingo, where the relics of three Peruvian saints are preserved: Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Martín de Porres and Saint Juan Macias.

Overnight: Casa Andina Standard Benavides - Accommodation in Standard Room

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Once you arrive in Cusco, a member of the Valencia Travel team will be waiting for you at the airport to pick you up in our transportation and take you to your hotel. Then you will have the whole day to relax and enjoy the beauty of Cusco and its surroundings.

Overnight Casa Andina Standard Cusco Plaza. Accommodation in Standard Room

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After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your ease. The capital city of the Inca Empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city.

Overnight: Casa Andina Standard Plaza. Accommodation in Standard Room with private bath.

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Our tour begins in Cusco, where we’ll pick you up at 9:00 and then head to the train station to board the train to Aguas Calientes (also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo). The train leaves at approximately 11:30, although the exact schedule does change sometimes. The 2-hour train journey is a memorable experience in itself, as we pass through river canyons and rolling hills.

Aguas Calientes is the gateway to Machu Picchu, sitting in a deep gorge at the foot of the mountain upon which Machu Picchu is located. It’s a pretty town that mixes traditional life with a huge tourism infrastructure, with plenty of markets, souvenir shops, hotels and restaurants. It’s also largely pedestrianized, making it a fun place to explore on foot. Aguas Calientes is surrounded by jungle-covered mountains and cliffs, and the Urubamba River flows right next to the town, sometimes roaring through the canyon.

Aguas Calientes is also surrounded by thermal hot springs, and when we arrive you’ll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy a dip in one of the steaming natural springs. You’ll also have time to walk around the town, exploring the colorful markets and general buzz of this unique Peruvian settlement.

It’s an early start the next day, so we’ll make sure you’re settled in to your hotel and all set for the following day and your first glimpse of Machu Picchu.

Overnight Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu - Accommodation in standard room

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To best appreciate Machu Picchu, we’ll wake up early in the morning so we can get to the citadel in good time. You’ll have time for breakfast first, and then your guide will pick you up from the hotel at around 5:40 We’ll then walk to the bus departure point for the short but zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu.

We’ll then pass through the gates into the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Here you’ll begin your guided walking tour with an experienced and highly knowledgeable guide. Our tour of Machu Picchu will last about two hours, and will take you to all the most famous and most spectacular parts of the extensive archaeological complex.

Once we’ve finished our tour of Machu Picchu, we’ll take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes where you can relax and have lunch (not included) before we board the train back to Poroy and Cusco. Upon arrival at the station, we’ll be waiting to take you back to your hotel in Cusco, where you can think back to your incredible tour of one of the world’s most famous and most impressive attractions.

Optional service ($75): There is time for those who still have enough energy to climb Wayna (Huayna) Picchu, the mountain behind Machu Picchu. For many people, climbing Wayna Picchu is one of the highlights of their visit to Machu Picchu. The climb itself is interesting as you will see how the Inca cut out some steps out of the rocks and as you will have amazing views on Machu Picchu from different angles.

Overnight Casa Andina Standard Cusco Plaza. Accommodation in Standard Room

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After breakfast, you'll be picked up from your hotel at 06h30 and dropped off at the bus station to take a bus trip, more like a tour - a guide will be on board, and you'll stop at four exciting sites:

Andahuaylillas: The Sistine Chapel of South America. This church is one of the most beautiful examples of Andean popular religious art.

Raqchi (Wiracocha God Temple): This was an Inca church of considerable dimensions; 100-m (328-ft) long, 26-m (85-ft) wide and 14-m (45-ft) high. The temple is divided into `` naves, and each nave has 11 large columns.

La Raya: This is the half-way point between Cusco and Puno and also the highest point (4,335 m / 14,222 ft above sea level). The landscapes here are stunning and typical Andean animals like the llama, alpaca and vicuña are familiar sights. It is also the geographic border between two cultures - Quechua and Aymara.

Pukara: This is the most important and oldest ceremonial center of the altiplano. There are new lite-sculptures and tombs.

Arrival time to Puno will be around 17:00.

Overnight: Casa Andina Standard Puno - Accommodation in Standard Room

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Our Titicaca adventure begins at 7:30 when we pick you up from your hotel in Puno and head down to the port. We’ll then take a comfortable motorboat out to the floating islands of the Uros people. The artificial islands are located about 14 km (8.7 miles) from the port, and it takes about 30 minutes to get there – but you won’t be in any rush, as the scenery is spectacular.

When we arrive at the floating islands, you’ll probably be amazed by the scale of these floating reed constructions. The Uros originally built these islands for defensive reasons: if a threat appeared, they could move their island homes to a safer location. The islands are made from the totora reeds that grow around the lake, and each island is in a constant state of reconstruction, as old reeds are replaced by new.

Stepping onto the islands is quite an experience, as the springy reed floor feels strange beneath your feet. We’ll explore the main island, and see the houses, watchtowers and other structures, all built of reeds. One of the locals will then give a brief presentation about how the islands are made, and then you can meet one of the local families to see how they live. 

Next we’ll board the boat for the wonderful Taquile Island, which is about 1.5 hours away. We’ll arrive at a secluded and picturesque section of Taquile Island, which also has a pristine sandy beach where we can stretch our legs for a while. From which we’ll set off to explore this stunningly beautiful island for at least four hours. We’ll go to the less touristy northern area, where we’ll have spectacular panoramic views across Lake Titicaca. After relaxing here for a while, we’ll hike along a pre-Inca trail, visiting families of weavers to learn about their textile art and the rich symbolism that decorates their textiles. After a traditional lunch in a local restaurant – quinoa soup and grilled trout being particularly popular – we’ll walk to the main port and descend some steps to the pier. At around 14:45, we’ll board a boat and continue on to Luquina.

Luquina is a small and rarely visited rural community in the peninsula of Chucuito. Here, we’ll be welcomed by the friendly inhabitants and housed in a local family home. You’ll have plenty of time here to immerse yourself in the traditional culture, and in the afternoon there is an optional hike to the top of a nearby hill for majestic views of the sunset over Lake Titicaca. After dinner, you can enjoy a small celebration with music and traditional dances. We will spend the night at the local family home, which has basic but comfortable facilities, including good blankets and sheets (it can get quite chilly at night!), and a private bathroom with a hot shower.

Overnight: Home Stay Luquina.

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In the morning you’ll have a traditional breakfast with your host family – and feel free to help cook if you like! After breakfast, you are free to join in with any of the daily activities, which could include cultivating crops, tending to the animals or even building a house or other structure in the traditional way. Your experienced guide will ensure that this part of the trip is a totally authentic experience.

After a morning of cultural immersion, it will be time for a family lunch at around midday. Afterwards, we’ll walk to the port, where we will say thanks and goodbye to the family and have a small and traditional farewell ceremony with coca leaves and wine. At around 13:00, it will be time to board the boat for the return trip to Puno, arriving at 14:30. On arrival, we’ll take you back to your hotel.

Overnight: Casa Andina Standard Puno - Accommodation in Standard Room

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After breakfast, transfer Hotel to Juliaca Airport for your flight to Lima.

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