Essential South

Enjoy the best of Peru during this round-trip tour beginning in beautiful Lima and ending with a drop-off at the Puno airport. Spend nine memorable days in this stunning country, visit charming colonial cities, learn about the legacy of ancient civilizations, and explore some of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet. Meet the descendants of the Incas and the camelids of the Andes. Discover the Sacred Valley of the Incas, observe the shadows of the past surrounding the islands of Lake Titicaca. Then, enjoy a pilgrimage to the peaks of the Andes to tour the magnificent citadel and mountain of Machu Picchu. 

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Lima: Filled with history and culture, the Peruvian capital is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Cusco: This ancient city is a fascinating mixture of pre-Columbian sites and Spanish colonial architecture.

Chinchero & Ollantaytambo: Discover the town of Chinchero and the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo among other impressive places on the banks of the Urubamba River. 

Machu Picchu: The ‘lost city of the Incas’ is hidden at the top of an Andean peak, offering mesmerizing views of the mountains and a glimpse of the mysterious Inca past.

Andahuaylillas: Visit the Renaissance-Baroque Church of St Peter the Apostle, known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of America’, thanks to its fabulous fresco paintings.

Lake Titicaca: Visit Taquile and the floating islands of Uros and let the spectacular landscapes amaze your eyes. 

Day 1: ARRIVAL LIMA

Arrive at Lima Airport. Transportation service and a representative will pick you up from the airport at the scheduled time to transfer you to your hotel in Lima. The Peruvian capital is a modern metropolis full of history, currently undergoing an exciting process of cultural and economic changes. Take the opportunity to rest and recover after the flight or head out into the city for your first glimpse of life in Peru´s sprawling capital city. Alternatively, you can book our optional Magic Water Circuit with Dinner and Folk Show: 

Magic Water Circuit with Dinner and Folk Show (shared basis):

A modern system of fountains certified as the largest in the world by the Guinness World Records. Built-in Exhibition Park, the Magical Water Circuit attracts crowds during summer and winter, being one of the new favorite attractions of Lima. See yourself and enjoy our water cruise that is followed by a unique gastronomical experience at a restaurant, accompanied by a delicious buffet dinner and amusing folk show.

Notes: Shared service. Start time: 18:00 hours. Duration 4 hours. Includes Pick-up and Drop-off, Bilingual guide (Spanish and English), Admission to Magic Water Circuit, and Buffet Dinner with Folkloric show

Overnight in Lima.

Day 2: LIMA

Begin your day with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. Explore Lima’s old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, packed with fascinating historic buildings. Start with a scenic tour in the colonial downtown. See the Main Square, where you can appreciate the grandiose architecture of the Spanish Empire. Admire Lima’s Cathedral, built during the 16th century and then visit the Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion granted by chief conquistador Francisco Pizarro to one of his captains, Jeronimo de Aliaga. This is the only house from that time, still belonging to the same family. Continue to the traditional Pueblo Libre district and visit the Larco Museum, located in a beautifully restored viceregal mansion built on a pre-Columbian pyramid from the seventh century. The museum boasts a complete pre-Hispanic collection of gold and silver objects, as well as pieces of erotic art. Rest of the afternoon at leisure. 

Overnight in Lima. 

Day 3: LIMA – CUSCO (90 min flight, not included)

Have breakfast at the hotel, before transferring to Lima airport for your flight to Cusco.  Domestic flight from Lima to Cusco must arrive not later than 10:30hrs. Noon arrivals are too late.Arrive at Cusco airport and enjoy your transfer to the selected hotel. The tour begins in the afternoon, in Coricancha, also known as the ‘Temple of the Sun’ and built by order of Inca Pachacuti. At the arrival of the Spaniards, it became the basis for the construction of the Santo Domingo Convent. Then, visit the Cathedral, the most imposing monument of the Main Square and the Sacsayhuaman, one of the most emblematic buildings of the Incas. It is an immense fortress built with larges stones. The way workers transferred and ensembled these stones is still a mystery! Continue your tour with exploring Qenqo, an archaeological complex of religious use, where inhabitants used to participate in agricultural rituals. To conclude, visit Puka Pukara, located seven kilometres far from the city. Puka Pukara means ‘red fort’ and it was an architectural complex of supposed military use with multiple environments, plazas, baths, aqueducts, and towers. It is believed that it was used by the Inca entourage while the leader rested in Tambomachay. In the evening return to the hotel and get ready for another memorable day. 

Overnight in Cusco.

Day 4: CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY (75km – 2 hrs)

Breakfast at the hotel. During the morning, you are picked up from your hotel in Cusco to visit the town of Chinchero, a traditional Cusco urban centre located at an elevated point with a beautiful view of the valley. The inhabitants of this area preserve the artisan traditions and the inherited knowledge of the Incas and display them in their clothes and customs. In Chinchero there are also archaeological remains and a beautiful seventeenth-century church, one of the first Catholic buildings in Peru. Then, you are transferred to the Living Museum of Yucay, a centre Andean traditions interpretations, where demonstrations of the elaboration of textile work, adobe, pottery and silverware are carried out in the same way in which they used to in antiquity; an original recreation of Inca traditions. Also, residents of the museum include llamas, sheep and alpacas, and they can be fed!. Upon arriving in Ollantaytambo visit its town, inhabited uninterruptedly since Inca times, and climb the iconic fortress, built next to a mountain. Later, have lunch in Ollantaytambo and live a superior Andean gastronomy experience in a restaurant, where the true spirit of the Sacred Valley is transmitted in a cosy atmosphere.  At the end of this activity, you are transferred back to your hotel. *On Sundays, also visit the local market.

Overnight in Sacred Valley.

Day 5: SACRED VALLEY – MACHU PICCHU – AGUAS CALIENTES (75km – 1.5 hrs)

Wake up and have breakfast at the hotel. Transportation service will pick you up and transfer you to the Ollanta Station. Your trip to Machu Picchu starts with a train ride to the town of Aguas Calientes. Aguas Calientes has a handicrafts market, restaurants, and accommodation of different categories for those who prefer to spend the night next to the mountain and then visit it early next morning. After a short trip, arrive at Machu Picchu, a masterpiece of engineering and architecture that served as a sanctuary and resting place for Inca Pachacuti. Machu Picchu means ‘Old Mountain’, and was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the tour, return by bus to Aguas Calientes, where you will enjoy a delicious lunch and have the afternoon at leisure.

Overnight in Aguas Calientes.

Day 6: AGUAS CALIENTES – OLLANTA STATION – CUSCO (170km – 4 hrs)

Today, after a tasty breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a full day at leisure. We recommend you to return to Machu Picchu and visit any of the attractions that the citadel keeps (second entrance ticket to Machu Picchu and bus from/to Aguas Calientes available as an optional extra). Visit the Intipunku (‘Puerta del Sol’) a former control gate, climb the Huayna Picchu (entrance to Huayna Picchu and bus from/to Aguas Calientes available as an optional extra; subject to space availability), seeing the ‘Temple of the Moon’, an underground complex of constructions. Along the way, admire the Inca Bridge, amazing stone construction that served as an entrance or exit to the citadel. In the afternoon, transfer to the Aguas Calientes train station and head back to the Ollanta station, from where you are transferred to your hotel in Cusco.

Overnight in Cusco.

Day 7: CUSCO – PUNO (360km – 6 hrs)

Indulge in a delicious breakfast at the hotel, before transferring to the bus station to begin our trip to Puno. First, we stop in Andahuaylillas, a town located 40 kilometres from Cusco that has as its main attraction the Church of Andahuaylillas, nicknamed the ‘Sistine Chapel of America’, due to the impressive works of art found in it. We continue our route to Racchi, where the Wiracocha Temple is located, a surprising 30-meters wide by 20-meters high construction of rectangular shape. Have a tasty lunch in Sicuani, followed by a brief stop in La Raya, the highest point between Puno and Cusco, over 4,313 metres above sea level. Then, we arrive at the town of Pucara, where the Pucara Lithic Museum is located. Developed between the years 100 and 300 AC, this town was the first proper urban settlement of the lacustrine highlands. Finally, we undertake the last trip to the city of Puno, arriving at the selected hotel where a representative will assist you with the check-in.

Overnight in Puno.

Day 8: PUNO – LAKE TITICACA – PUNO

Start your day with breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the lacustrine port of Puno, where a boat takes you to the floating island of the Uros. The Uros are an ancestral society that populates a series of artificial islands built with totora plant, a type of reed which grows in the Titikaka lake. There they build their houses, also from totora. This is why they cook outdoors, to prevent possible fires. After a journey of an hour and a half, continue your trip to the island of Taquile. This island was part of the Inca Empire and remains of the culture can still be seen when looking at its buildings. Once there, receive a briefing of the island and witness a cultural activity. Have a tasty lunch and start your return to Puno.

Overnight in Puno.

Day 9: DEPART PUNO

Enjoy a delightful breakfast at the hotel. A transportation service will take you from the selected hotel to Puno airport, and a representative will assist you along the way.

Comfortable and light clothing is recommended for visiting the coastal areas of Peru, while for the high Andean area; use of warm clothing is ALSO recommended. It is not recommended that visitors wear sleeveless shirts, shorts, short skirts or short clothes when visiting religious temples or official buildings. Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay.