Best of Peru

Day 1 Lima

Your Peruvian journey begins as you’re whisked from the airport to your carefully selected hotel in either Miraflores, with its stunning ocean views and cosmopolitan vibe, or artsy Barranco, the city’s bohemian quarter filled with colorful colonial mansions and trendy galleries. Take time to settle in and feel the energy of Peru’s dynamic capital.

Day 2 Lima

Discovering Lima
Cultural Explorer Option:
Step back in time at the renowned Larco Museum, housing the world’s finest collection of pre-Columbian art. Wander through Lima’s historic center, where Spanish colonial buildings stand on ancient indigenous foundations, and visit the striking Santo Domingo Convent with its remarkable Moorish-style cloisters.

Active Adventurer Option:
Pedal along Lima’s scenic Malecón clifftop bike paths, with the Pacific Ocean stretching endlessly beside you. Stop at Parque del Amor to admire the romantic mosaic walls and breathtaking coastal views.

Foodie Favorite Option:
Dive into Peru’s culinary revolution at a local market, learning about exotic fruits and Amazonian ingredients before rolling up your sleeves for a hands-on cooking class with a master chef.

Day 3 Lima/Sacred Valley

After a short flight over the Andes, descend into the Sacred Valley (2,792m), where the lower altitude makes for gentler acclimatization. Spend your first afternoon relaxing amid the valley’s tranquility, perhaps sipping coca tea while watching farmers tend ancient terraces just as their Inca ancestors did.

Day 4 Sacred Valley

Ascend to Pisac’s magnificent hilltop ruins in the morning light, when the stonework glows golden. Your guide will reveal how this was both a strategic military outpost and sophisticated agricultural center. The rewarding hike down passes through ingenious Inca terracing still in use today. Later, lose yourself in Pisac’s vibrant market, where Quechua women in traditional dress sell exquisite handwoven textiles.

Day 5 Sacred Valley

At Moray, walk among the concentric circular terraces that served as an Inca agricultural laboratory – each level creating different microclimates. Then follow an ancient path downhill to the dazzling salt pans of Maras, where thousands of white evaporation pools have been harvested since pre-Inca times. After visit Ollantaytambo, explore the massive fortress that guarded this perfectly preserved Inca town.

Day 6 Sacred Valley

Experience what it is like to trek in the mountains on these ancient trails that are still used today by llama drivers who make their living by leading their animals to different points in the Andes. You will observe beautiful landscapes and share a day with the members of a local Andean community. The women of the village are renowned as fine weavers and many of the Huilloc men work as porters on the Inca Trail. Your picnic lunch at Pumamarca ruins offers stunning views over terraced valleys.

Day 7 Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu

Board the panoramic Vistadome train, watching as the Urubamba River churns beside you and the vegetation grows lusher with each mile. After a winding bus ascent, Machu Picchu appears suddenly – its granite walls emerging from the mist. Your expert guide will bring the citadel to life, explaining its astronomical alignments and mysterious history during a comprehensive tour.

Day 8 Machu Picchu/Cuzco

Return at dawn to witness the ruins awakening, when soft light illuminates the stonework and clouds drift through the mountains (weather permitting). Those who secured advance permits can challenge the steep climb up Huayna Picchu for that iconic birds-eye view. The afternoon train journey back to Cusco offers time to reflect on this wonder of the world.

Day 9 Cuzco

Stroll from the exquisite Koricancha (Temple of the Sun) to the grand Plaza de Armas, where Inca foundations support Spanish colonial architecture. Then explore the massive stone zigzags of Sacsayhuamán fortress, where 100-ton stones fit together with impossible precision. Don’t miss the hidden Inca baths at Tambomachay, a testament to their advanced hydraulic engineering.

Day 10 Cuzco

Perhaps visit the San Pedro Market to sample exotic fruits and artisanal chocolates, or explore the Museo de Arte Precolombino’s gold collection. Consider a short taxi ride to the lesser-known but spectacular Tipón ruins, with their ingenious water channels still flowing after 600 years.

Day 11 Cuzco/Puno

Standard Route:
Travel through the high plains with stops at the Baroque “Sistine Chapel of the Andes” in Andahuaylillas and the monumental Inca temple complex at Raqchi. Lunch in Sicuani features traditional pachamanca (earth oven) cooking.

Luxury Option:
Board South America’s first luxury sleeper train, where panoramic windows frame breathtaking Altiplano scenery as you enjoy gourmet Peruvian cuisine and Pisco sours in the observation car.

Day 12 Puno

Glide across the world’s highest navigable lake to the remarkable Uros Islands – entire communities living on floating reed platforms. Continue to Taquile Island, where the UNESCO-protected textile tradition sees men knitting intricate hats that declare their marital status through color codes.

Day 13 Puno/Colca Canyon

Descend through surreal landscapes where vicuñas (wild Andean camelids) graze beside snow-capped volcanoes. Stop in Chivay to soak in thermal baths under star-filled skies, or continue directly to your canyon lodge with its breathtaking views.

Day 14 Colca Canyon/Arequipa

At Cruz del Cóndor, watch in awe as the world’s largest flying birds (with 3m wingspans) ride thermal currents just meters overhead. The afternoon drive to Arequipa reveals dramatic changes in vegetation as you descend from the highlands.

Day 15 Arequipa

Tour the Santa Catalina Monastery, a miniature colonial city frozen in time with its cobalt-blue walls and flower-filled cloisters. Later, visit the Juanita Mummy Museum to see the perfectly preserved “Ice Maiden” sacrificed on a volcano peak 500 years ago.

Day 16 Arequipa

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.