You have probably heard of Peru’s southern highlights… but not like this. Join us on a journey of rediscovery. Connect Machu Picchu and Peru’s main highlights with the absolute best of our country’s hidden jewels. Lakes, forests, and sacred mountains; all connected. Feel the warmth of our most authentic communities, disconnect from modern life and soak in thousands of years of Andean culture! Expect the unexpected in this very new way of experiencing the more authentic side of Peru.
One of our local experts in Peru will make this the perfect trip for you!
Speaks: English and Spanish
Welcome to Peru and Lima! Upon arrival, we'll meet you at Lima Airport and continue together to your hotel in Miraflores, where you are free to relax and wander around at your own pace. After check-in, we'll hand you your travel kit and have a short briefing to answer any last-minute questions. Depending on your time of arrival, we have plenty of suggestions for you to make the most of your first day in the city.
Optional activity: If your arrival time permits, take a morning/afternoon walk to iconic sites near your hotel, such as the Amano Museum or the pyramids of Huaca Pucllana (closed on Tuesdays).
Transportation: Approx. 1 hour from the airport to your hotel.
Accommodation options: El Tambo Hotel (3-star hotel)
Lima is not only the capital of Peru but a blend of cultures due to 500 years of the different migration processes. Today, we want to go beyond the traditional touristic circuits and take you to experience an off-the-beaten activity. We'll be visiting an artisan workshop run by the people of the Sarhua community, who migrated in the early '70s from the Central Andes due to the lack of opportunities and terrorism activity that shocked this region. Here we'll meet Primitivo, Valeriana, and other artisans that will share with us their stories and artwork. In Sarhua, when a new couple builds their first house, an artist represents in a big wooden log "Table de Sarhua" the new couple, their activities, and close friends. This tradition has passed generation by generation in Sarhua. In this workshop, we'll not only learn about this unique art but have the opportunity to paint by ourselves a small artwork. We'll be painting with natural pigments guided by an expert artisan and take home a piece of this incredible tradition.
Included Activities: Visit Sarhua workshop in the morning.
Optional activity: Afternoon walk around the bohemian district of Barranco or culinary experience with dinner.
Transportation: Approx. 25 minutes to Chorrillos district from Miraflores.
Accommodation options: El Tambo Hotel (3-star hotel)
After breakfast, we'll drive you back to Lima airport to take your flight to the city of Arequipa. Upon arrival, our local representative will meet you and take you to your hotel in the city center. This afternoon gets ready to explore the best of the stunning white city. First, we'll walk to San Camilo, the principal market in Arequipa founded back in 1881, where most Arequipeños shop nowadays. Explore the beautiful surroundings of the main square and the stunning façade of Arequipa's cathedral. After this delightful visit, continue to La Compañia Church, famous for its interesting baroque style and colorful Cupula of Saint Ignacio. We'll take a look at El Tambo La Cabezona, a 17th-century apartment built following the classic colonial style, on your way to the Santa Catalina Monastery, one of the most fascinating colonial and religious buildings in Peru! Then, get ready for an exquisite and enriching culinary experience, which will basically be a special Arequipa-style lunch, served at a traditional restaurant called “Victoria Democratica”, where along with your guide you will try and learn more about the most iconic dishes of this traditional city. Take a time to talk to the owner of the restaurant and ask them for some of their top-secret tips to prepare such authentic and delicious meals.
Included Activities: Guided visit to Arequipa's highlights & Arequipa-style lunch with the explanation of different dishes.
Optional activities: Night walk around Arequipa city
Transportation: Approx. 1 hour from Lima hotel to local airport / 40 minutes from Arequipa airport to your hotel.
Accommodation options: Villa Elisa (3-star hotel)
Surrounded by three volcanoes, Arequipa is popularly known as the white city because of the white volcanic rock used to build most of the colonial constructions. Enjoy a full day of free wandering around the charming historical center of Arequipa. One of the main advantages of this beautiful city is that everything is within walking distance, which means you can easily explore its main sites at your own pace. We highly recommend visiting Santa Catalina Monastery, one of the most fascinating colonial and religious buildings in Peru, and the beautiful neo-classical Cathedral of Arequipa. Don't miss the chance to visit the museum of the Andean Sanctuaries.
Optional activities: Morning hands-on cooking class, Tour to Añashuayco Quarry, Rafting in the surroundings of Arequipa
Accommodation options: Villa Elisa
This morning, we leave Arequipa and head to the Colca Canyon on a 160km journey. On route, we'll enjoy beautiful views of the Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu, the three volcanoes that surround the city of Arequipa. As we travel, we'll enter the Salinas and Aguada Blanca national reserve, where it is quite common to see llamas, alpacas, and wild vicuña herds grazing on the local pastures. We'll make a short stop to enjoy a warm Inca tea made with local herbs, which is a pretty popular beverage to help deal with the altitude of the Andes. Finally, we will reach El Mirador de Los Andes, a famous high pass with astonishing views of most of the volcanoes in the area. We'll only be here for some minutes before we begin our descent into the Colca Valley and Canyon. We should be arriving at your comfortable hotel in the Colca valley just before lunchtime. In the afternoon, we can relax in the hotel while enjoying the beautiful surroundings, or we can take a walk around the charming countryside.
Included Activities: Guided exploration towards the Colca Valley.
Optional activities: Visit Colca hots springs, walk to villager's local homes of the area.
Transportation: Approx. 3 hours from Arequipa city to the Colca area.
Accommodation options: Casa Mamayacchi (3-star hotel)
Our second day exploring the Colca Canyon starts with an early visit to La Cruz del Condor's (The Condor's Cross) viewpoint, a perfect spot to observe the majestic flight of the condors and the depth of the canyon. On bright sunny days, we can usually see up to 10 condors flying just a few meters from us; however, it's a weather-dependent activity and, if it's rainy, the condors might choose not to appear. After that, we’ll make our way to Chivay, stopping by a route at the traditional village of Pinchollo and the Antahuilque viewpoint, where we will observe the beautiful terraces that the pre-Inca Collaguas culture constructed 1500 years ago. Then, we continue to Choquetico, the Andean community of Maca and Yanque, home to the most beautiful colonial church of the Valley. After lunch at Chivay, we'll board our transport to Puno on a scenic drive with great views of huge lagoons, beautiful stone forests, and small Andean farmhouses. Upon arrival in Puno city, we will transfer you to the selected hotel.
Included Activities: Guided visit to Cross of Condor and local villages in the Colca area.
Transportation: Approx. 1 hour 20 minutes from Colca hotel to Cross of Condor viewpoint / 5 hours from Chivay (Colca) to Puno hotel.
Accommodation options: Intiqa Puno (3-star hotel)
Get ready to enjoy a full day at Lake Titicaca. First, we head to Taquile Island. The rocky shoreline and clear waters here might remind you of the Mediterranean, but we are in the Andes of course! We'll spend our time here enjoying the scenery and mingling with our local hosts. The highlight at Taquile must be their textile traditions, which are considered an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Our host family will be happy to show us what they can do. Lunch will be a tasty buffet-style meal carefully prepared at the Luquina community. Finally, we continue our boat journey to the floating islands of Uros. The locals will welcome us at these human-made reed islands. They will tell us about how the islands are built and how they used to make a living through fishing and trade here (nowadays it's mostly tourism). We then return to Puno.
Included Activities: Guided excursion to iconic islands in Lake Titicaca and Luquina Chico village.
Optional activities: Evening walk around Puno city center.
Transportation: Approx. 15 minutes from Puno hotel to the local pier / 2 hours by boat from pier to Taquile island / 30 minutes by boat from Taquile island to Luquina Chico / 1 hour from Luquina Chico to Uros islands / 30 minutes from Uros islands to Puno pier.
Accommodation options: Intiqa Puno (3-star hotel)
After a great time in the Andes, it is now time to continue to Lima. At the coordinated time, we'll head to Juliaca's airport to catch our flight. On route, we'd like to show you one final site that this area has to offer called Sillustani. This archaeological site, located at the shores of Lake Umayo, is an area full of energy and mystery. Sillustani is something entirely different from what Lake Titicaca has to offer. Here we will see a marvelous burial site made up of cylindrical tower-like tombs called Chulpas. Most of the tombs here were built by the Pukaras, a prehispanic civilization related to the Tiwanaku's, that were conquered by the Incas in the XVth century. After the tour, we continue to the airport for our flight to Cusco city. Upon arriving, we'll be expecting you at the airport, ready to take you to the Sacred Valley Incas. Because of its lower elevation (2,870 m or 9,415 ft) and its peaceful atmosphere, this valley is the perfect place to acclimatize. On route, we'll stop at the Awanacancha museum to see the different camelids of the Peruvian Andes. Finally, we continue to our cozy hotel at the Sacred Valley, where we can relax and enjoy its facilities for the rest of the day.
Important note: If you wish to maximize your day, we'd suggest taking a full-day bus journey from Puno to Cusco with tourist stops on the route (10 hours).
Included Activities: Guided visit to Sillustani burial towers (Puno) and visit Awanacancha farm in the Sacred Valley (Cusco).
Optional activities: Afternoon visit to Museo Yucay & Hiking near the hotel in the Sacred Valley.
Transportation: Approx. 40 minutes from Puno hotel to Sillustani / 1 hour from Sillustani to Puno airport / 40 minutes from Cusco airport to Awanacancha farm / 1 hour from Awanacancha to Sacred Valley hotel.
Accommodation options: La Casona de Yucay (3-star hotel)
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Incas traveled with hundreds of llamas around their territory to move several products from one town to another. Today, enjoy a leisurely walk in the picturesque surroundings of Urubamba with the beautiful llamas part of the Llamapack Project. This initiative seeks to value the traditional usage of llamas in herding communities. Your mission today will be to take them out to their grazing spot while you learn all about this noble native animal. After lunch at a nice local restaurant, we'll drive you to Moray, a unique Inca site consisting of circular terraces built upon a natural depression. Afterward, we will visit Maras, an impressive salt-extraction complex composed of thousands of small ponds. Locals have been collecting and selling the salt at the markets of the region since before the Inca times!
Notes about the llama walk:
Trekking distance: 1.5km (1.5 hours hiking)
Altitude: 2700 to 2900 meters above sea level
Included Activities: Guided walk with Llamas in the Sacred Valley and visit Maras salt mines-Moray circular terraces.
Optional activities: Only if time permits, visit the colorful Chinchero village for a weaving demonstration.
Transportation: Approx. 25 minutes from your hotel to the point of beginning of the llama walk / 1 hour from Llama point start to Maras-Moray area.
Accommodation options: La Casona de Yucay (3-star hotel)
Let's go towards the Sacred Valley's mountains, Pisac, and the Andean community of Amaru. Leaving your hotel, we'll head towards Pisac, a lovely village where you'll be able to visit its colorful Indian market and see its local products and handicrafts. Afterward, we'll continue to the community of Amaru. This traditional village has kept its ancient traditions alive, farming methods, and weaving techniques. Locals will be happy to share and teach you, first-hand, about their habits and customs. You will also learn about agricultural practices and take part in sowing or harvesting, depending on the season. Find many varieties of potatoes and learn about Andean superfoods, such as quinoa, kiwicha, and medicinal herbs. Afterward, join your hosts at the table and share a typical Andean meal that you prepared together. Finally, it's time to leave Amaru and continue to your hotel.
Included Activities: Guided visit to Amaru community with activities included and tour to Pisac Market.
Transportation: Approx. 1 hour from Sacred Valley hotel to Pisac village / 30 minutes from Pisac to Amaru community.
Accommodation options: La Casona de Yucay (3-star hotel)
Get ready to visit a wonderful icon in the Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, a charming village that has not changed much since Inca times. This town is famous due to the Ollantantaytambo archaeological site, a place with impressive Inca stonework only second to Machu Picchu. For lunch, enjoy a Pachamanca, which in Quechua means Earth Pot. It's a traditional cooking technique that has the food prepared underground using preheated stones and leaves to separate ingredients from the soil. The main components are tubers, beef, or lamb, and aromatic Andean Herbs for flavor. After some free time to relax at this village, board the train to Aguas Calientes town and travel alongside the meandering Urubamba River. Once in town, we'll take you to your comfortable hotel.
Notes:
Be sure to be at the train station 30 minutes before the train departure.
Please don't forget to bring your original passport as it will be required when boarding trains and entering Machu Picchu.
Included Activities: Guided visit to Ollantaytambo Fortress and andean Pachamanca experience.
Optional activities: If time permits, you will have the chance to hike to Pinkuylluna look point along with your private guide.
Transportation: Approx. 30 minutes from your hotel to Ollantaytambo village / 1 hour 40 minutes by train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu town.
Accommodation options: Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu (3-star hotel)
The big day has come, and it's time to explore Machu Picchu! After an early rise, a 30-minute bus takes you up the steep zigzagging road to the main entrance. During the visit, you will not only explore the citadel but hike up one of three trail options to its viewpoints. The order of activities may vary a little as it depends on what tickets we get, but it won't make much difference. Depending on your rhythm, the guided route through the citadel takes around 3 hours, while the hike can last between 2 and 3. Through the tour, we'll be more than happy to share with you all about the site, as you enjoy its dramatic scenery. Finally, you'll return to the village to take the return train to Ollantaytambo, where your transportation will be waiting to take you to your hotel.
Notes:
· Be sure to be at the train station 30 minutes before the train departure.
· Please don't forget to bring your passport since it's required when entering Machu Picchu.
Included Activities: Guided excursion to Machu Picchu and spots around the citadel, train journey back to Cusco.
Optional activities: Hike to Huayna Picchu Mountain hike or Machu Picchu Montaña for an extra US$45.00 per person (subject to availability).
Transportation: Approx. 30 minutes from Machu Picchu village to the citadel's entrance, 1 hour / 40 minutes from Machu Picchu town to Ollantaytambo train station & 1 hour / 40 minutes from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco.
Accommodation options: Casa San Blas Boutique (3-star hotel)
Strap on our walking shoes and get ready for a soft hike around the historical center of Cusco and the surrounding countryside! We begin the tour on the outskirts of Cusco with a visit to Sacsayhuaman, a massive Inca fortress overlooking the city. Next, we'll start an easy one-hour descent walk through a small portion of an old Inca road, one of the best-preserved in the area, until arriving at the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas. Our tour will take you not only through the top landmarks in Cusco, such as the Main Square, and the "Koricancha" or Temple of the Sun, but you will also walk into its lively neighborhoods and local markets where you'll discover the true magic of this city. This is the perfect way to get a more authentic feel of this fantastic place and its people. A spot we like to visit, where few others go, is San Francisco Church. It has impressive colonial architecture, catacombs, and excellent rooftop views of the city.
Included Activities: Guided excursion Sacsayhuaman fortress and all Cusco's highlights described above.
Optional activities: Visit the other nearby archaeological sites around Cusco, Puka Pukara, Tambomahcay, and Q'enqo. Visit Chocolate Museum.
Transportation: Approx. 25 minutes from Cusco hotel to Sacsayhuaman entrance.
Accommodation options: Casa San Blas Boutique (3-star hotel)
Today you’ll have the entire day to explore the city on your own. Cusco is alive, and you can find activities according to your interests. If you would like to take a short walk, you could head uphill to the Cristo Blanco viewpoint or San Cristobal convent, both perfect for watching a beautiful sunset. You could also visit some local museums, several from natural history to art. Take a walk around Cuesta San Blas in search of local workshops and galleries. Some of the most renowned are Hilario Mendivil and Maximo Laura, among many other impressive art proposals. Finally, a night in Cusco is the perfect opportunity to see the stars and constellations.
Optional morning/evening activities: Visit an artisan's workshop in the San Blas neighborhood, Hike to Inkilltambo, Biking adventure to Southern Valley, folkloric show, and live Andean music with buffet dinner.
Accommodation options: Casa San Blas Boutique (3-star hotel)
Today, you have free time to explore the area at your leisure. Maybe take a last walk around Cusco’s shops and markets. After, at the coordinated time, we will head to Cusco’s airport to board your flight to Lima and connecting flight home. Hopefully, you will be heading back full of happy memories, new friends, and great pictures of your time with us! Depending on the time of your departure flight, we will be happy to recommend extra activities for your last morning in Cusco.
Optional activities: If time permits, go for some last-minute shopping at the Art Center of Cusco, San Pedro local market, visit Inka Museum or Casa Concha Museum.
Transportation: Approx. 30 minutes from Cusco hotel to the local airport.
Accommodations
Hotel accommodations as indicated, including all hotel taxes and service charges
Tours and activities
Unique experiences available daily. See the day-by-day itinerary for recommended tours and additional options available
Local Guides
English speaking local & specialized guides during activities
Transport
All ground transportation for all excursions as indicated
Domestic flights
Domestic flights with Latam Airlines are included (subject to price variation at the time of booking)
Entrance fees
To sites of interest, museums and national parks
Food
Included meals are noted in the itinerary: B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, BL= Boxed Lunch, D= Dinner
24/7 AssistanceIn country assistance in English during the whole trip + Comprehensive assortment of pre-tour planning materials and amenities
Tips
For guides or drivers
International flights
Travel Insurance
We can recommend some options
Additional activities
Nonspecified meals
Our No Gimmicks Pledge
• When booking a trip with us, we require a 5% front pay, non-refundable deposit. This covers the costs of the hard work our team and collaborators put towards creating your itineraries and making all the necessary pre-trip arrangements.
• There are scenarios in which the initial payment is higher (e.g. domestic flights, Inca trail, and some high-end hotels that need upfront payments to be booked). In these cases, we always let you know in advance and explain the reasons. You will always be in control of your decisions.
• Your deposit is non-refundable because we value all our collaborators' hard work highly. Many of them work from long before you arrive to prepare your trips. For guides, drivers, and communities we work with, their time is just as valuable as yours or ours, and it is not easy to find new bookings when cancellations happen. It also allows us to offer better protection to the guides, communities, field staff, and other partners whose livelihoods depend on tourism.
• Just like with the initial down payment, the final trip payment is a non-refundable commitment from you and us to ensuring that your fantastic holiday experience will happen. The final trip payment is always scheduled 35 days before you arrive.
• We understand that you are making a significant effort to visit our country. This is why we prefer to make our pledge clear before you book. Having said this, we also assure you that you can always reach us about any issue concerning the trip.
• We do not have a policy stating that you can postpone your journey after booking. Through our time, we could help travelers postpone trips on a case-by-case basis. We are a small, trusted operator, so there is no computer-generated algorithm deciding if we can help with your postponement, a human being is. We will always do the best we can to help accommodate you, however, charges corresponding to new services or penalties are passed to you.
• We ask you to please purchase travel insurance to guarantee that you are well protected in case of any unexpected situations. We can recommend some options that best fit your necessities.
Locally Owned Social Enterprise
We offer authentic, sustainable and tailor-made trips throughout Peru. As a young and fresh company we are constantly exploring, so we can offer out of the box experiences to our customers. We have a strong commitment towards creating authentic human bonds and