14 Day – Machupicchu and Multiple Cities
Getting to Cachicata takes 3 to 4 hours
INCLUDED:
- Internal flights (Lima – Arequipa, Cusco – Lima) and airport taxes.
- Private ground transportation the entire trip
- Beautiful Hotels.
- Private boat and entrance fees to Lake Titicaca
- Entrance fees to Inca Trail, Machu Picchu (2), Sacred Valley, Cusco, Colca Canyon, Lima Museum and Parks.
- All breakfasts and lunches and 1 Farewell dinner in Lima. (Vegetarian option available)
- Shaman-trained Guide the entire trip.
- Train fares ( Vista Dome )
- Bus to Machu Picchu round trip (2).
- Bottled water and energy bars daily.
- All listed activities.
- Service for children (Solar Lights), Others.
FLIGHT FROM U.S. TO LIMA, PERU
Usually you will arrive in Lima around midnight. Your guide Washi will transfer you to the Hotel for overnight in Lima. Dinner on your own (usually you will have eaten on the plane.) Welcome to Peru. Note. We will provide bottle water all the trip.
LIMA TO AREQUIPA
Pick up from hotel after breakfast and transfer to the airport for your flight from Lima to Arequipa (specific time depending on flight schedules.) Exchange currency and learn about the activities. You will be welcomed with a good lunch and then take a nice City Tour of the colonial white city by bus for the rest of the day. You will see the mummies Juanita at the Museum. Arequipa is famous for its good food. Dinner on your own. Arequipa is at approx. 7,660 ft. and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. (B, L)
AREQUIPA – COLCA CANYON.
After late breakfast, drive to the Colca Canyon – the Sacred Canyon to Pre–Incas and Incas, Arrive at around 2:00 p.m. to a colorful town name Chivay, on the way we will hike to the 8000 year old caves name Sumbay – petroglyphs. Here we will perform a ceremony to get connected with the Ancient Sumbay People which will be magical and deeper to our heart and minds. This experience is surrounded by amazing terraces and the high peaks of the Andes. Take the rest of the afternoon to relax, acclimate to the altitude, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings from your hotel (Natural Hot springs are available 24 hours). Dinner on your own. (B, L).
COLCA CANYON – SACRED CONDORS
Breakfast beginning at 5:00 a.m. Pick up at 6:00 a.m. to drive to the Condors Cross, where you can see these majestic birds from the Andes flying few feet from us. Here the floor of the Canyon is about 4000 ft from the rim. Express your gratitude to those sacred birds by doing a ceremony in the middle of the Andes. Take photos of the second deepest canyon in the world. You will visit native communities to bring gifts for the children. (Pencils, note books etc.) Buffet Lunch along the canyon, you will hike the rest of the afternoon via ancient trails. Back to the Hotel and you will spend the evening relaxing at Hot Springs. Bring your swim apparel. Dinner on your own. (B,L) Hike will be 2 miles downhill from the Condor cross at 12,467 ft to 11,900 ft.
COLCA CANYON TO LAKE TITICACA.
Breakfast starting at 6:00 a.m. Pick up at 9:00 a.m. for travel to Puno City on Lake Titicaca, approx. 6 hours driving. You will pass by lakes with many beautiful birds of the Andes and natural rocks formations and other beautiful places to take good photos. Here is where you are going try a good chicken on the oven in the town of Juliaca. Arrive at hotel on the shore of Lake Titicaca in the afternoon. Discussion of your next day’s activities. (B, L)
LAKE TITICACA
After breakfast, 8:00 a.m. pick up at the hotel for a boat ride to the floating islands. There are 70 islands where the locals still wear the beautiful costumes of their ancestors’ heritage. You will ride on a reed boat like the ancient people used, seeing a diversity of colorful birds. Your boat will take you to the amazing Island Takile. This is a great location to see the Bolivian side of the lake and their part of the Andean snowcapped mountains. Surface elevation of the lake is 12,507 ft. Climb to an ancient temple (2 miles round trip, 650 ft elevation change) for an amazing ceremony of the water and this place is so amazing to see UFOs as the natives see all the time; have a lunch of local trout and quinoa soup on the island of Takile Vegetarian available, which is famous for its food and weavings. Back by boat to Puno for overnight. (B,L)
PUNO – CUSCO
Breakfast at the hotel starting at 6:00 a.m. Pickup at the hotel in Puno at approximately 7:30 a.m. Visit the Puma Temple of Pukara, which is very beautiful for its stone carvings. Stop at various attractions on the way to the city of Cusco to take amazing photos, snowcapped mountains and other beautiful scenery on the way to Cusco, Capital of the Inca Empire. Visit the site of Racchi, also known as the Temple of Wiracocha, the spiritual God of the Incas. Magical ruins built with adobes and stone at the same time. Ceremony and meditations at this important site. Lunch along the way. Get to Cusco around 6:00 p.m.; check in to your beautiful Hotel. Dinner on your own. Altitude in Cusco about 10,500 ft. (B,L)
CUSCO – CITY AND SURROUNDS
Today you will spend learning about the region’s rich cultural history. The day starts with a guided walking tour through Cusco’s craft markets. You will visit the colonial cathedral and Koricancha, the Inca’s Temple of the Sun, before enjoying a delectable lunch of regional cuisine. The afternoon will be spent visiting by private transportation the other significant Inca ruins in the vicinity of Cusco including: the mammoth fortress of Saqsayhuaman above the city, noted for its megalithic stone terraces; Kenko with its distinctive zig zag – patterned carved stone and subterranean altars; the hillside outpost of Puka Pukara, a small fortress that formerly protected the royal capital; and the Tambo Machay water temple that served as royal baths. You will be returned to you hotel for another evening in colonial Cusco, dinner on your own. (B, L)
CUSCO – MORAY – SALT MINES – OLLANTAYTAMBO
After yesterday’s climb, you will enjoy a mostly downhill route today by our private van with some option for hiking a little. On the way to the Sacred Valley, we feel the energy of the ancient site of Moray – the Navel of the Earth. At this sacred site we will feel the connection with the three worlds represented by the Condor, Puma and Snake sacred animals. See how our ancestors built an amphitheater-like structure to study different microclimates. We will also visit an amazing salt flats operation en route to Ollantaytambo, and for those who want to stretch their legs and get a little exercise, there is an opportunity to hike down into the valley for a while and meet up with the bus further down the road. Buffet Lunch at Tunupa Restaurant at the Sacred Valley in an Spanish old Hacienda. Then, the next stop is Ollantaytambo site (9,185 ft.), a small town with an impressive Inca fortress, the princess baths and pink granite temples which we will explore. Another good night. (B, L)
OLLANTAYTAMBO TO MACHU PICCHU
Begin today with a walking to the train station at Ollantaytambo. The train travels along the scenic the Urubamba River before gaining elevation and mountain views and passing through a magnificent cloud forest before reaching the town of Aguas Calientes. We will take the bus to Machu Picchu the ruins to avoid the crowds and see the sun illuminating the walls of this sacred and magical place. Exploring the mountain citadel of Machu Picchu (7,875 ft.) for about 4 hours. Late Lunch Included near the Ruins. Spend the remain of the day climbing to the gate of the SUN or to the Inca Gate, returning in the late afternoon to the hotel at the ruins and a delicious dinner of regional cuisine included at the Luxury Hotel. (B, L)
DAY MACHU PICCHU MANDOR WATERFALL – CHINCHEROS MARKET – CUSCO
After a great breakfast and then nature walk to the waterfalls of Mandor, with your guide and shaman. Here we will learn more about “Madre Tierra” (Mother Earth) as seen through the eyes of the indigenous people of this region; and experience a sacred ritual to connect with that earth energy. After enjoying Back to the town for a great lunch included at the Indio Feliz Restaurant or similar. Return to the train station for a ride back to Ollantaytambo where you will meet your driver who will take you to the Chincheros artisan market. Here, local artisans explain their craft of textile work, describing their traditional ways of shearing, processing, dyeing, and weaving from alpaca wool. (B, L)
CUSCO FREE DAY – LATE FLIGHT TO LIMA
Spend the day exploring the quaint streets of Cusco. You may enjoy one of the following museums: the Laura Museum of Tapestry Art, the Cusco Center of Native Arts, or the famous Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, to name a few. Explore the cobblestone streets and poke your head into ancient courtyards – you never know what you may find! Explore the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas with its little shops and cafes. Stroll through its cobblestone streets, poke your head into galleries and meet artists and artisans before you stop for a café on the Plaza de Armas or in the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas. Wander into local galleries, and if you are up to it, hike up to the huge statue Cristo Blanco (White Christ) that watches over the city – about 2 hours round-trip. Cusco is a great place to do last minute shopping before you head back to the airport to catch your flight to Lima. Dinner on your own. (B, L)
LIMA CULINARY TOUR
Your Peru culinary tour gets underway at 10 AM when you’re picked up at your hotel by a specialized local guide and Washi. You will be taken to the market of Lima’s heroic district, Miraflores. Teeming with local produce and seafood, here you’ll learn about the ingredients of Peruvian cuisine from your knowledgeable local guide. Your private cooking lesson, featuring ceviche and pisco sours, will take place at one of the restaurants in Lima under the guidance of an expert chef. Ceviche is originally a Peruvian dish dating back to colonial times. After devouring the creation, you’ll also learn how to prepare the national aperitif, the Pisco Sour, a sublime blend of Peruvian brandy and lime juice topped with a froth of whipped egg whites. Afterwards, your guide will have lunch with you and explain all the dishes from the menu so you can try different Peruvian plates. Finally, you will visit the Culinary Museum before heading back to the hotel. Afternoon and dinner on your own. (B, L)
LIMA – HOME
Breakfast at the hotel at 7:30 am. Tour of the most important museums in South America: the Larco Museum and Gold Museum where you will discover the most extraordinary treasures from ancient Peru. In Mira Flores you can finish up your shopping at the Indian Market or enjoy one last taste of Lima’s famous seafood dishes. Our final meal together will be at the amazing ocean front restaurant La Rosa Nautica, the price of which is included in your trip. After dinner, we take you to the Lima Airport for your flight to the US. (B, L, D)
End of the service
Key: (B)reakfast (L)unch (D)inner
*Please note that exact pick up times and tour start times will be reconfirmed daily with your local guides.
HOTELES: Are listed in each day, you can get more information by entering to their Web page; all of them have Wi-Fi in room.
WHAT TO BRING:
- Comfortable walking shoes and shoes you can hike in.
- Waterproof Jacket and pants
- Wind proof jacket, mostly clothes for mild weather 60-70 degrees F. Warm jacket, hat and gloves for high altitude evenings.
- Good camera and extra battery and memory card
- Good flash light
- 220/ 110V ( plug) adaptor
- Insect repellent (you can buy it there if needed)
- Sun block, sunglasses, hat
- Some school supplies to share with the children while visiting communities. (Pencils, Pens, notebooks etc.)
- International airfares.
- Most Dinners.
- Extra beverages.
- Tips. (bellmen, waiters, guides, cooks, drivers)
