Peru Highlights Exploration

Upon arrival at Lima Airport, our representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in the city. You will have the remainder of the day at your leisure to familiarise yourself with Lima. As Peru’s bustling capital, Lima is a modern metropolis rich in history, home to around 10 million people, and currently experiencing significant cultural and economic growth. You may choose to rest and recover from your journey or explore the city’s vibrant streets for a first impression of life in this sprawling urban centre. Alternatively, you can opt to join the Magic Water Circuit with Dinner – a shared tour (not available Sundays or Mondays) starting at 17:30. This includes pick-up and drop-off, a bilingual guide, admission to the world’s largest fountain complex as certified by Guinness World Records, and a dinner at a local restaurant. The tour lasts approximately four hours. Overnight in Lima.

After breakfast at the hotel, we explore Lima’s historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site rich in colonial architecture. Begin with a guided tour of the city’s colonial core, taking in the impressive Spanish Empire-era buildings. Visit the grand Cathedral and then the Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion granted in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro to Jerónimo de Aliaga; it remains in the same family today. Later, we head to the Larco Museum in the Pueblo Libre district, housed in a restored viceregal mansion built atop a seventh-century pre-Columbian pyramid. The museum holds an extensive collection of pre-Hispanic gold and silver artefacts, including notable examples of erotic art. The afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure. Overnight in Lima.

After breakfast, we transfer you from your hotel to Lima Airport for your flight to Cusco. Please note that your domestic flight should arrive no later than 10:30 to allow for the day’s activities. Upon arrival, a representative will meet you and escort you to your hotel in Cusco. In the afternoon, we take you on a guided tour of this historic city, once the capital of the Inca Empire. The tour begins at the Santo Domingo Convent, a Renaissance-baroque complex built atop the Inca Coricancha temple, once dedicated to sun worship and famed for its gold-covered walls. Next, we visit the Cathedral, the dominant landmark of the Main Square. Then, we head to the hills above Cusco to explore the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, known for its impressive stone ramparts and panoramic views of the city. We continue to the ruins of Qenqo, believed to have been a site for agricultural rituals, and finally visit Puka Pukara, an Inca military complex featuring dwellings, aqueducts and defensive structures. After the tour, we return you to your hotel. Please note that your flight to Cusco is not included. Overnight in Cusco.

After breakfast, we set off along the Sacred Valley towards the archaeological site of Moray, about an hour and a half away. Moray features a series of concentric circular terraces, each with its own microclimate, though its precise purpose remains uncertain. We then continue to Maras, where thousands of salt ponds create a striking landscape. These ponds have supported local families for generations and were a valuable resource during Inca times, playing an important role in the imperial economy. After the visit, we transfer you to your hotel in the Sacred Valley for an overnight stay.

After breakfast, we will collect you from your hotel and visit the town of Chinchero, a traditional Cusco settlement offering stunning views of the valley. Here, Inca heritage is preserved through local textiles and customs. You will also see archaeological remains and a 17th-century church, one of Peru’s earliest Catholic buildings. Next, we explore the Living Museum of Yucay, an Andean cultural centre where traditional crafts such as textile weaving, adobe work, pottery, and silverware are still practised as in ancient times. The museum is home to llamas, sheep, and alpacas, which you can feed. Afterwards, enjoy lunch in Ollantaytambo, savouring authentic Andean cuisine in a cosy restaurant that reflects the spirit of the Sacred Valley. In the afternoon, visit Ollantaytambo town, continuously inhabited since Inca times, and climb to the impressive fortress nestled against the mountain. After the tour, we will transfer you back to your hotel in the Sacred Valley for overnight.

After breakfast, we transfer you to Ollanta Station to board the train to Aguas Calientes. From there, a short 25-minute coach ride takes you to Machu Picchu. Known as the ‘Lost City of the Incas’, this remarkable site was built in the 1450s by Emperor Pachacuti as a royal retreat. It was abandoned within a century after the Spanish conquest but remained hidden from destruction, preserved by the surrounding jungle. A guided tour reveals the history and key features of this extraordinary citadel. After exploring, return to Aguas Calientes for lunch at Café Inkaterra, a charming thatched-roof restaurant nestled between the railway and the mountain. In the afternoon, we transfer you back to Aguas Calientes station for the train journey to Ollanta, followed by a transfer to your hotel in Cusco.

After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer you to Cusco airport for your return flight to Lima.