Peru

Day 1:

  • Overnight flight to Lima.

Day 2:

  • Transfer to Cusco. Welcome to Cusco, capitol of the Incas.
  • First off, just breathe and begin adjusting to the 10,500 ft altitude.
  • Leisurely orientation and walking tour of Plaza de Armas, Inca walls, Spanish churches, and markets.

Day 3:

  • Half-day city bus tour, including the temple of Qorikancha, the ceremonial fortress of Saqsaywaman, along with the ruins at Qenko, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay.
  • Free afternoon for crafts shopping or other museum sites.

Day 4:

  • All day Sacred Valley tour to several high Inca sites overlooking the Urubamba River, including elaborate Pisaq, its famed market below, terraced Ollantaytambo, and sacred Chinchero.

Day 5:

  • Day trip to Chinchero, Maras and Moray.
  • Chinchero is spectacularly sited above the rest of the valley.
  • Moray is one of the most unique Inca sites in the region, featuring enigmatic concentric ring terraces.
  • Salinas de Maras is an amazing sight where thousands of individual saltpans form unique terraces on the hillside.
  • At 4pm transfer to the train station and 2 hours of journey to Aguas Calientes town located in the bottom of Machu Picchu and if time permits, an optional visit to the thermal pools located next of the hotel. ($2 additional).

Day 6:

  • Today the tour starts with breakfast at 5:30am and then will be all day guided tour to Machu Picchu, the famed lost city of the Incas. It was never discovered by the Spanish, eventually abandoned and forgotten until its 1911 discovery by American Hiram Bingham. Its striking position on a remote precipice adds to its mystical aura.
  • In the late afternoon, take a train journey to Ollantaytambo and from there bus transfer to hotel in Cusco.

Day 7:

  • Fly back to Lima from Cusco in the morning.
  • Visit the comprehensive Archeology Museum.
  • Driving tour of Miraflores, Barranco, and Pachacamac.
  • Shopping at trendy Larcomar on the coast, dinner on famous Pizza Street, check into Miraflores hotel.

Day 8:

  • Driving and walking tour of historic downtown Lima: Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, colonial structures, modern shopping, and artisan markets.
  • Overnight flight to US or depart in the morning.

Day 9:

  • Travel Home