Highlights of Peru

Highlights of Peru

Highlights: Lima, Cuzco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
You’ll experience Lima, one of the world’s culinary capitals, savouring its rich flavours and rich cousine, explore Cuzco, steeped in history and culture and the oldest continuous inhabited city in America, venture into the world-famous Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, and witness its awe-inspiring beauty and inspiring mysteries.

Day 1: Arrival in Peru
You’ll be met off your flight and taken to the Belmond Miraflores Park hotel in Miraflores.

Ceviche in Lima, Peru

Day 2: Exploring Lima
At 9am, you’ll go on a half-day private tour of the city taking in the modern and colonial quarters, the Cathedral, Casa Aliaga, and Larco Museum. You’ll begin at the tourist district of Miraflores, where you’ll stroll around the Park of Love and enjoy majestic views of the Pacific Ocean. You’ll continue to the archaeological site of Huaca Pucallana, built in the 4th Century A.D., and explore the historical centre, including San Martin Square, the Main Square, Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Cathedral, the City Hall, the Desamparado train station, and the first bar of Lima, Cordano Bar. Finally, you’ll visit the Museum of the Saint Francis Convent, home to the biggest collection of religious art in America, as well as its subterranean crypts known as The Catacombs.

Day 3: Heading to Sacred Valley
Today, you’ll be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight to Cuzco. Upon arrival, you’ll be met by Explora and transferred to the Sacred Valley.

You will spend the next four days and three nights in the charming Hotel Explora in the Sacred Valley, located in a peaceful area that was once a cornfield. The hotel offers a tranquil environment perfect for relaxation, with spa services to unwind after your explorations. The Sacred Valley, once the agricultural heartlands of the Incan Empire, is a fertile plain perfect for growing the Inca staples of the Incan diet, such as maize and potatoes.

During your stay, you’ll enjoy delicious dishes specially prepared to make you feel agile and light during your adventures, prepared with top quality ingredients to fuel your expeditions in the Sacred Valley.

Sacred Valley, Peru

Day 4: Exploring the Sacred Valley
Its unique geography, Inca ruins, and the authenticity of the local people inspired Explora to create paths that allow you to discover all the area’s charms. With over 20 explorations by foot, van, or bike, you’ll explore everything from traditional towns, largely untouched by the force of globalization, to ancient ruins perfectly preserved over time, and lagoons nestled at the foot of snow-capped mountains.

In the Urubamba River Valley you’ll visit Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Moray, among other archaeological sites. On the plateau, you can explore the Huaypo Lake, trek along local trails that wind between lagoons, farm communities, and cornfields, and even visit mountain peaks that are not well-known to tourists.  The altitude of these explorations ranges from 2,800 to 4,700 meters above sea level (9,186 to 16,404 feet), so some travelers may require prior acclimatization.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Day 5: On the way to Machu Picchu
You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the Ollanta train station to board the Vistadome Train, which departs at 8:00 AM and arrives in Machu Picchu around 9:30 AM. Upon arrival, you’ll check-in at Inkaterra Machu Picchu.

Afterward, you’ll go on a guided tour of Machu Picchu, taking in the main monuments, including the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the Royal rooms, the Three Windows Temple and the cemeteries, which once served as both a place of residence and rest for the Incan Emperor Pachacútec (1410-1471). After the tour, you’ll have free time to explore Machu Picchu on your own. Your day will end with a stop at Aguas Calientes, where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch at Café Inkaterra.

Day 6: Visiting the citadel
Today, you will have the morning free to explore Machu Picchu on a second visit (please arrange this with your hotel if you wish to do so). We recommend visiting Intipunku (“Sun Gate”), the final stop before entering the Inca sanctuary. Another fascinating option is the Inca Bridge, part of the Inca Trail, which is made of vegetable fibre and straw. The bridge is woven using ancient techniques, and every year several area communities come together to renew and preserve this wonderful tradition.

In the afternoon, you’ll board the Vistadome train at 4:22 PM and head back to Ollanta Station. You’ll arrive in Cusco at 6:10 PM, where a car will pick you up and drive you to Belmond Monasterio, where you will stay in a Superior Room.

Day 7: Visiting Cusco
Today, you will be picked up at your hotel and begin your private tour of Cusco, starting at the lively San Cristobal main square. From here, you’ll enjoy panoramic views of this architecturally rich city, before heading to the vibrant San Pedro Market.

At the market, you can browse artisan treasures and colourful stalls, perhaps picking up a special souvenir to take home. Next, you’ll visit the sacred Temple of the Sun (El Korikancha), once reputed to be covered entirely in solid gold when the conquistadors arrived in Cusco.

You’ll admire the architectural precision of the temple’s interior before exploring the consecrated confines of the Convent of San Domingo and the Artisan’s Quarter of San Blas, a charming neighbourhood over which an impressive church reigns supreme. The intricate woodwork here is fantastic, as are the angular stones of Hatun Rumiyoc. Your guide will then lead you to one of the city’s most iconic landmarks: the Cathedral.

Inside, you’ll gaze up at the ornate ceiling, admire the impressive altarpiece, and peruse the classic colonial paintings that adorn the walls of this magnificent cathedral.

Cusco, Peru

Day 8: Heading home
Today, you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport to board your flight back to Lima, and your connection back home.