Country Discovery - Peru🇵🇪

Country Discovery

Peru🇵🇪

Inca round trip

If you visited Peru only once in your life, what should you absolutely see? Our Country Discovery itineraries are designed just for that. In our past trips with you we learned the tourist traps to avoid and the less-known gems that make the trip much more authentic. Let us take you through the vast nature and rich history of Peru in this 13 day itinerary.

Day 1

Arrival in Lima

Our Peruvian adventure begins in Lima. Upon arrival at Jorge Chávez International Airport, you'll be met by our local representative and transferred to your hotel. Check-in is available from 2:00 PM. Once settled, you'll have a coordination briefing to go over the final details of your journey.

Day 2

Lima to Paracas

After breakfast (no later than 8:00 AM), our representative will pick you up from the hotel for the private transfer to Paracas (approximately 4 hours, 245 km). You'll arrive in late morning and check into your hotel. In the afternoon, you'll visit the spectacular Paracas National Reserve (2.5-3 hours), where you can appreciate the biodiversity and panoramic richness of this wonderful country. Return to the hotel in the afternoon.

Day 3

Ballestas Islands, Ica & Huacachina

Early morning (7:45 AM), excursion to the Ballestas Islands. With our local representative, you'll head to the pier to board the motorboat that will take you to the islands. After about 15 minutes, you'll make a first stop at the majestic Candelabro, the famous Paracas geoglyph whose meaning remains shrouded in mystery. You can observe and photograph it directly from your boat. Then you'll continue navigation toward the Islands. The spectacle will be incredible! Once you arrive, thousands of birds will fly over your heads, penguins and cormorants will watch you from the cliffs, and families of sea lions will dance around the boat. The total duration is just over 2 hours.

Afterward, you'll head by private vehicle to Ica. Upon arrival in Ica, you'll go to the Huacachina Oasis where you can relax for a few hours or do sandboarding and/or dune buggy activities on the very high dunes. You can also visit the Regional Archaeological Museum of Ica. In the late afternoon, independent transfer to the Ica terminal to take the bus to Arequipa (departure 7:30 PM, arrival 8:35 AM next day). Night on bus.

Day 4

Arrival in Arequipa - City Tour

Arrival in Arequipa and hotel check-in. Check-in available from 2:00 PM. Arequipa is generally the first Andean city visited during the trip. It's located at 2,400 meters above sea level, so it's recommended to do activities in a relaxed and calm manner to facilitate the acclimatization process.

At the scheduled time, our private guide will pick you up from the hotel for the day's program. You'll visit the historic center of the city, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the picturesque San Camilo market, the Santa Catalina convent, and the Santuarios Andinos Museum, also known as the home of the famous 'Juanita Mummy.' We highly recommend scheduling, with the help of our local office, a lunch at one of the many traditional Picanterias in Yanahuara, the panoramic neighborhood of Arequipa, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city with the backdrop of Misti Volcano (5,822 meters). Rest of the day free.

Day 5

Arequipa to Colca Canyon

Departure from the hotel at 7:30/8:00 AM, assisted by our guide, to begin the excursion to the famous Colca Canyon, which will develop over 2 days/1 night. During the journey, we'll appreciate, during various panoramic stops, the landscapes of the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve, where you'll spot South American camelids (vicuñas, llamas, and alpacas) and especially where we'll be delighted by splendid Andean scenery. We'll stop to take unforgettable photos at the Chucura Viewpoint (Mirador de los Volcanes) and then descend to Chivay (3,600 meters above sea level). Hotel check-in for a well-deserved rest - after all, we've just touched 5,000 meters of altitude! Free afternoon to acclimatize. If you're feeling strong, you can relax with a visit to the La Calera hot springs, located not far from the various hotels (about 4 km from the town center). Enjoying very hot water in outdoor pools at over 3,500 meters altitude is an experience to try.

Day 6

Colca Canyon to Puno

The goal of the day is to reach the heart of the Colca Canyon to visit the Cruz del Cóndor, a mythical place located in the central part of the Valley where you can observe the regal flight of condors and the depth of the Colca Canyon. Early in the morning - at dawn or even before - departure with our vehicle and guide to the heart of the Colca Canyon, to the Cruz del Condor to wait and admire the takeoff of the impressive Andean condors. Immediately after arrival at the Cruz del Condor, time available for observation and to take as many photos as we want; afterward, the journey will continue to Puno.

Day 7

Lake Titicaca Full Day - Sicuani

After breakfast, our local representative will pick you up from the hotel to begin a wonderful full-day tour of Lake Titicaca, using a shared boat with other travelers. We'll first visit the floating islands of the Uros, then the traditional and folkloric Taquile Island, where after some activities with the local inhabitants, we'll have lunch (lunch included). Return to Puno in the afternoon and transfer to Sicuani. Late evening arrival and hotel check-in.

Day 8

Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain Trek - Cusco

Early morning departure from the hotel to begin the approximately 3-hour transfer to the Ausangate group. Once arrived, we prepare for the walk which will last a total of 4/5 hours, during which it will be possible to observe the different South American camelids and obviously the spectacular panorama of the Rainbow Mountain. Arrival in Cusco in the evening.

Note: The realization of the trekking is always and strictly linked to favorable weather conditions, which will be evaluated by the assigned guide. This evaluation has as its main objective the protection of the safety of travelers. In case of impossibility to carry out the trekking, alternative services will be provided (Visit of the South Sacred Valley - Tipon, Pikillaqta).

Day 9

Cusco City Tour

At the appropriate time, you'll be picked up from the hotel by one of our guides to do the Cusco city tour - a cultural heritage of humanity - and then visit the archaeological sites that surround the city. The tour includes the unmissable stop at the wonderful Plaza Mayor, one of the most beautiful in America, and the Temple of the Sun or Qoriqancha. We continue outside the city to visit the Inca complexes of Qenqo, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, and the impressive Sacsayhuamán Fortress, built strategically on a hill that dominates Cusco. The fortress is famous for its enormous stones that form the outer walls of the complex, fitted together with inexplicable perfection. Some of these stones exceed 9 meters in height and weigh more than 350 tons.

In your free time, we suggest a walk in the picturesque San Blas neighborhood and taking advantage of one of the many visits whose entrance is included in the BTC (Cusco Tourist Ticket).

Day 10

Sacred Valley - Aguas Calientes

On this day you'll visit the 'left margin' (left side) of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. You can visit Chinchero, the spectacular Inca salt mines of Maras, carved into the slope of a mountain and still used today by the village inhabitants for salt extraction, and Moray, singular craters worked by hand and used by the Incas to acclimate seeds of cereals, potatoes, and tropical flowers to Andean altitudes. In the early afternoon you'll arrive in Ollantaytambo to visit its majestic archaeological site with the Temple of the Sun.

At the appropriate time, after a free and self-managed lunch, you'll depart by train to Aguas Calientes, a small town located at the foot of the Machu Picchu archaeological sanctuary. Hotel check-in.

Day 11

Machu Picchu

Very early in the morning, a few minutes' walk transfer (there is no other option and the town is really tiny!) to the Aguas Calientes bus station to immediately take the shuttle that in just 30 minutes will take you, along a zigzagging path, to the wonderful citadel of Machu Picchu. Once arrived, you'll enjoy a guided tour of the citadel lasting approximately 2.5 hours, which will touch on the most important points of the site. After the visit, you'll return to the Aguas Calientes station for departure by train to Ollantaytambo/Poroy and from there to Cusco.

Day 12

Cusco to Lima

Free time in Cusco before our flight back to Lima. 2 hours and 15 minutes before flight departure, transfer to Cusco airport for the flight to Lima. Check-in Hotel available from 2:00 PM (unless otherwise indicated). Immediately after arrival in Lima, travelers will have free time available to deepen their knowledge of the city with a visit to some neighborhoods of notable historical/cultural interest or some museums, exhibitions, or galleries in the Barranco district. Very interesting is the LUM (Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion), a pedagogical and cultural commemoration space, inaugurated in December 2015, which houses the history of the violence experienced in Peru between 1980 and 2000 due to clashes between the State and the terrorist groups Sendero Luminoso and Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru.

Day 13

Lima Exploration

Your final day in Peru is dedicated to exploring Lima! After breakfast, you'll have a full day to discover the capital city's vibrant culture, history, and local life. You can explore the historic center with its colonial architecture, visit the Larco Museum to see pre-Columbian art, stroll through the bohemian Barranco district with its colorful streets and art galleries, or enjoy the coastal views along the Malecón. This is your chance to soak in the last moments of Peruvian culture before heading home tomorrow.

Day 14

Return Flight

Approximately 4 hours before the international flight departure, transfer to the airport will take place. It will be necessary to present yourself at check-in at least 3 hours in advance of the flight departure time for the next destination.