Day 1: Wednesday 27 February: International Travel to Peru
Travel from Seattle to Lima. Transfer to hotel in Miraflores. Check-in & get rested for a wonderful adventure.
Day 2: Thursday 28 February: Explore colonial and modern Lima
Breakfast @ hotel. Three-hour sightseeing tour of colonial and modern Lima. Included are Lima's most imposing colonial churches and mansions such as the Government Palace, the Plaza Mayor, the City Hall and the Cathedral, including 17th century San Francisco Monastery. The tour ends by visiting the modern suburbs of San Isidro, where a visit to the pre-Inca pyramid of Huaca Huallamarca and the on-site museum before continuing to Miraflores, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Evening group dinner. at the famous “Rosa Nautica Restaurant” situated at the end of Pier 4 of the Lima Beach Circuit. It offers the most complete selection of Peruvian and International cuisine, as well as the most sophisticated bar to be found on the Pacific shores. All of this combined with an incomparable view of the Pacific Ocean.
Day 3: Friday 1 March: Miraflores
Breakfast @ hotel. Enjoy an exquisite seafood *group lunch at “Seviches Peru”. Meet and socialize with the very talented owner Pedro Cases. Sevichesdelperu.com. Free evening to explore Miraflores.
Miraflores is an ecological district that is full of gardens, boulevards, cozy cafes, pubs, shops, craft markets, as well as theatres, art galleries, restaurants catering the best national cuisine, & beautiful parks at the edge of cliffs overlooking the ocean. It is located within a 10-minute walk to the beach (Green Coast) and 5 miles from the Plaza de Armas, center of the city of Lima.
Day 4: Saturday 2 March: Lima/ Cusco
Transfer to airport for early morning flight to Cusco. Transfer to hotel. A good rest is highly recommended in order adjust to the altitude (approximately 11,000 ft.) and for some to recuperate from the last night in Miraflores☺. Free evening to explore the lovely Cusco (also "Cuzco," or "Qosqo" in Quechua). It is a fascinating city that was once the capital of the Incan Empire. Cuzco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of Peru's most important and popular tourist destinations. The original Inca city, said to have been founded in the 11th century, was sacked by Pizarro in 1535. There are still remains of the Palace of the Incas, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun. In fact, there are Incan ruins scattered all around Cusco, notably the nearby "fortresses" of Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuaman (just below the gigantic statue of Christ that hovers over Cusco) and the world-famous Machu Picchu. Cusco's vibrant Plaza de Armas combines historic architecture (i.e., the cathedral) with vibrant dining and nightlife, and is one of the safer areas of the city at night. Cusco is a major tourist favorite, that is not yet over-commercialized and still retains a unique cultural flair.
Day 5: Sunday 3 March: Explore Cusco
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the famous Museo Inka (Inca Museum) where we will get our start at exploring Inca culture and artifacts. Housed in the impressive Admirals Palace, this museum contains artifacts designed to trace Peruvian history from pre-Inca civilizations and Inca culture, including the impact of the Conquest and colonial times on the native cultures. On view are ceramics, textiles, jewelry, mummies, architectural models, and an interesting collection -- reputed to be the world's largest -- of Inca drinking vessels (qeros) carved out of wood, many meticulously painted. The museum is a good introduction to Inca culture, and there are explanations in English. The palace itself is one of Cusco's finest colonial mansions, with a superbly ornate portal indicating the importance of its owner; the house was built on top of yet another Inca palace at the beginning of the 17th century. In the courtyard is a studio of women weaving traditional textiles. In the afternoon we will visit the Koricancha Temple which is also known as the Temple of the Sun (Templo del Sol) and was the most sumptuous temple in the Inca Empire. Some 4,000 priests and their attendants once lived within its confines. Koricancha also served as the main astronomical observatory for the Incas. We will then continue on to visit the fortress Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, Puca-Pucara and Tambomachay ruins.
Day 6: Monday 4 March: Cusco/ Valle Sagrado & Mercado de Pisac
Breakfast at hotel. On the way to el Valle Sagrado we will visit an Alpaca farm where will see various members of the Alpaca family as well as beautiful hand-made Alpaca textiles. Buffet Lunch. After lunch visit the colorful Indian market in Pisac to see a blend of color, tradition and people. This will be your best gift-shopping opportunity. Situated 19 miles outside of from Cusco, and an altitude of 9,700 ft, Pisac is located right at the entrance to the Sacred Valley. Visit Ollantaytambo, the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the Americas. Ollantaytambo's narrow streets, complete with canals unchanged since Inca times, recall its ancient heritage. Transfer to the Ollantaytambo train station. Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu)
Day 7: Tuesday 5 March: Machu Picchu
Breakfast at hotel in Aguas Calientes. Day tour of Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas" one of the most renowned examples of Inca architecture. It was built around the year 1460 but was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. The Incas were among the best stone masons the world has seen, and many junctions in the central city are so perfect that it is said not even a knife blade fits between the stones. Machu Picchu is surrounded by a lush cloud forest and the citadel perches on a mist-shrouded mountain top. Buffet Lunch at the Totos House restaurant in Aguas Calientes.
Day 8: Wednesday 6 March: Aguas Calientes & Cuzco
Free morning & afternoon to explore the adorable town of Aguas Calientes. Late afternoon train trip back to Cusco and more free time to spend in this beautiful city.
Day 9: Thursday 7 March: Cuzco/Puno
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to the Bus station to take the bus First Class (“Inca Express”) to Puno. This is an 8-hour trip that consists of four stops on the way where we will visit various archeological ruins including “Pukara” which is and archaeological complex that consists of pyramidal structures. It is here that the first signs of civilized culture in the Peruvian Altiplano are found. The ruins date from 4,000 bc. One of the stops will be a nice outdoor buffet lunch. Transfer from station in Puno to hotel.
Day 10: Friday 8 March: Uros y Taquille
Breakfast at hotel. Morning excursion on Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca sits 12,500 ft above sea level making it the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world. It is surrounded by even higher mountains, dividing the countries of Peru and Bolivia. Lake Titicaca is fed by rainfall and meltwater from glaciers on the sierras that adjoin the Altiplan. For many tourists it provides the highlight of their adventure travel through Peru. We will first visit the floating reed island – built on layers of totora reeds – home to the Uros indians, who still live as their ancestors did a thousand years ago. We then continue by boat for 2&1/2 hours to Taquile, a remote island that is a remarkable community where Quechua, the language of the Incas, is kept alive by the islanders. The outstanding highlight of its inhabitants is their handicraft derived from techniques developed over centuries, as well as a beautiful hike to the top of the island for a spectacular panoramic view of Lake Titicaca. Lunch on island. Evening exploration of Puno and transport back to hotel.
Day 11: Saturday 9 March: Puno/Lima
Breakfast @ the hotel. Transfer from hotel to the airport, on the way visit the "Chullpas" of Sillustani, the burial towers made of stone. Flight from Juliaca to Lima Airport
Day 12: Sunday 10 March: International return flight
Return flight Lima – Houston - Seattle
Return flight Lima – Houston - Seattle
Package details:
Price of trip: $4195: ($550 deposit & 10 monthly payments of $365)
Included in price: Airfares (international round-trip & round-trip Lima-Cusco), Transport (hotel transfers, excursions, train to & from Machu Picchu, and Inca Express from Cusco to Puno), Hotels (based on double-occupancy), all breakfasts, 5 additional group meals (large lunch or dinner) tours & museum entrances.
Not included in the price: Entrance and exit taxes, airport fees (luggage, etc.), tips (guides, drivers, meals), drinks with group meals, & meals not listed in itinerary.
*We will have 2-3 informational group meetings before the trip
*The itinerary is tentative & subject to change*
*Ground only Option: Get your own flight and meet us in Lima $3100*
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