Transfer Lima Airport / Hotel (private)
Upon arrival into Lima International Airport, you will be met by our representative and private driver and will be transferred to your hotel. Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and provide you with a detailed itinerary, vouchers covering all the services included in your tour and additional information on the organization of your Peru trip. You will also receive a contact information sheet with all the hotel details as well as our offices contact information for each city and a 24-hour emergency number.
Lima (B/L/D)
AM: Half day Colonial Lima City tour with Santo Domingo Convent, Casa Aliaga and Larco Museum (private)
Enjoy a full day guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima, the "City of Kings". Visit Lima's Historical Center, passing by Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall, and the Santo Domingo Convent which we will be able to witness from the inside, an architectural set of religious buildings under the invocation to Our Lady of the Rosary built towards the end of the 16th century.
Still in downtown Lima, visit "Casa de Aliaga", the oldest Colonial mansion in Lima, maybe even in whole South America. The house has been owned and lived in by the Aliaga family and their descendants since Francisco Pizarro granted the land to Jerónimo de Aliaga in 1535.
Continue with a stop at Larco Herrera Museum, for an excellent overview of Peru's ancient past as it holds the best private collection of pre-Columbian art in the country. You will have the chance to tour through this old Hacienda House in the Pueblo Libre district, which was built upon a pre-Incan sacred site (huaca), housing the private collection of a great Peruvian scholar: Don Rafael Larco Hoyle. The museum chronologically exhibits hundreds of ceramics, textile, metal, and precious stone pieces and inside you will find the vault which safeguards precious pieces of gold and silver with semiprecious stones. It is one of the few museums in the world that allows such intimate access to its deposits, in this case around 45,000 pieces. Another attraction of the museum and of great interest to visitors is the exhibition of erotic pre-Colombian art.
Lunch set menu at Café del Museo Restaurant including Gastronomic Lecture
Located in the gardens of Museo Larco, Café del Museo beckons patrons to enjoy their meals in a relaxed atmosphere. They seek to rediscover the flavors, products, and customs of the different regions of Peru through a varied and select homemade menu, confirming that Peru is an extraordinary gastronomic and cultural destination.
After lunch you will be driven to your hotel.
PM: At leisure
For Dinner will be served at one of the fifty best restaurants in the world.
Lima (B/-/D)
Lima Gourmet Day Tour (private)
Combines gastronomic routes with walks around the capital and discover not only the gastronomy but also the local culture. Our tour begins with a drive through Barranco where we will taste organic coffee and visit a local market. Then we will go to the modern and tourist district of Miraflores for a tasting of typical dishes and pisco in a "cebichería". As a perfect closure for this gastronomic experience, we will visit the Huaca Pucllana where we will try different dishes and desserts.
PM: At leisure
Dinner will be served at one of the fifty best restaurants in the world. (on your own, transportation is not included).
Lima / Ica (B/-/-)
Transfer from Lima to Ica
(Distance Lima – Ica: 262 Km.)
(Altitude Ica: 406 masl)
We departure by private transportation and private guide to Ica, an esoteric land, one of profound religious faith, sand dunes, valleys, and sun. Ica is an agricultural zone where we see interspersed among the extensive desert area fields of cotton, butter beans, asparagus, citrus tree orchards, as well as vineyards. Arrive in Ica and transfer to the hotel.
Visit the winery plant which has the capacity to produce more than 5 million liters annually and is equipped with stainless steel vats with cooling systems. When the wine is aged, it is done in French and American oak barrels, which are kept in a temperature and humidity-controlled room. For Pisco production there is a row of discontinuous Charentais pot stills, there is also a traditional still called “falca”.
By sunset, visit the lookout of the hotel where tour will enjoy some snacks and sparkling wine. After this, you will enjoy a guided tasting wine and pisco experience led by the Sommelier of the hotel. Varieties of wines or pisco are sought, looking for the organoleptic characteristics of each of the products and thus appreciate all its complexity.
AM: City tour Ica, Traditional distillery and Tejas experience
We take a sightseeing tour of the city including the Main Plaza, Municipal Palace, and the Cathedral of Ica.
Then, we will visit a traditional distillery where guests will learn about the artisanal and industrial processes involved in the production of pisco. At the end of the tour, guests will enter a tasting room to sample different piscos. After the tasting, they will be directed to the restaurant area, as lunch is included (starter, main course, and dessert). In front of the restaurant, there will be a Paso Horse show, and once the show is over, guests can approach the horse trainer for a short ride through the property’s gardens.
We will finish the journey at the traditional chocolate factory, where you will be able to learn the elaboration of Tejas and Choco-Tejas which are typical sweets of the region. Also, you will be able to have free sampling.
After the excursion we return to the hotel.
Ica (B/-/-)
The Scallops Experience (collection and tasting)
Be part of this incomparable experience. Move to the Paracas National Reserve in a premium motorboat and participate in an authentic collection of shells at sea followed by an exquisite tasting.
PM: Paracas National Reserve, Lagunillas and Mirador de Lobos
In the afternoon, we visit the Paracas National Reserve, stopping at Lagunillas, a white sand bay and the "Mirador de Lobos", the sea lion viewpoint where you will be able to admire these animals and some seabirds typical of this area.
After the excursion we will return to the hotel.
Ica / Lima (B/L/-)
Half day Ballestas Island Tour
Discover the Ballestas Islands, home to peculiar and diverse coastal fauna from a luxury yacht. This two-hour journey takes us around several small islands while hearing location cries from sea lions, spotting Humboldt penguins and a wide variety of guano birds. On the way to the islands, you will be able to appreciate the magnificence of the “Candelabro” (the Candlestick), an enormous and mysterious geoglyph carved on the desert soil, making this a morning of archeological and natural history discovery.
At the appropriate time, we travel by private transportation and private guide to the City of Lima approximately 4 hours along the Desert and Panamerican Highway.
En route, local lunch at Casa Hacienda San Jose to taste the typical dish “Carapulcra and Sopa Seca”. Upon arrival in Lima, we are transferred to the hotel.
Lima / Cusco / Sacred Valley (B/L/-)
Transfer Hotel / Lima Airport (private)
At the appropriate time, our representative will meet you at the hotel lobby and transfer you to the Lima Airport to board your next flight. Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and all departure formalities.
Transfer Cusco Airport / Sacred Valley including Textile Center en route (private)
Upon arrival into Cusco International Airport, you will be met by our representative and private driver and will be transferred to your hotel in the Sacred Valley. Our representative will assist you with the corresponding check-in procedures.
En route to the Sacred Valley, you will have the opportunity to visit the Sulca Textile Museum. The museum recreates fabrics and pieces from ancient Peru using ancestral techniques from the different Pre-Columbian Inca, Viceroyalty and Contemporary cultures. Visitors can also shop the museum's unique collection of pieces.
Andean Ceremony of Offering to Mother Earth
In Andean cosmology and religious beliefs, it is believed that the earth is a deity, who is called Pachamama which means "mother earth", that protects us, gives us sustenance and is a source of life and fertility. In special occasions, as during the solstices or an important request, we perform a ritual with an Andean priest to thank Pachamama and respectfully ask her to give us her energy to achieve what we long for.
An offering is prepared for the Pachamama with different ingredients such as sugar, sweets, wine, chicha, palo santo, Florida water and others. A powerful ritual with different types of prayers and symbols that can only be performed by a special person who maintains the connection with the land called an Andean priest or Paco. All this ceremony will have an Andean musical accompaniment.
At the end of the ceremony, the Andean priest will perform the reading of Coca leaves for you.
Farm Chic Lunch at Hacienda Sarapampa (private)
Further into the Sacred Valley, reach working Hacienda Sarapampa, a vivid expression of the culture of corn farming from its beginnings in ancient Peru until today.
“Sarapampa” is a word from the Quechua language meaning "cornfield." The variety grown is the Giant White Corn, a unique variety in the world due to its exceptional characteristics and size. Domesticated since ancient times, this corn has adapted to the unique conditions of this valley in such way that it only grows here, protected by the mountains and their spirits.
In Hacienda Sarapampa, learn how corn influenced the Andeans and those who followed during colonial and recent times. Visit the Giant White Corn fields and learn more about this unique crop, the stages in the process of cultivating corn (fallow, sowing, hilling, harvest) and its importance in the economy of the Sacred Valley of the Incas and its farmers.
Then, enjoy a countryside five-course gourmet lunch hosted by the landowners of the Hacienda, full of anecdotes about the hacienda life, the culture of corn and the legends that surround the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
After lunch, you will be taken to your hotel in Sacred Valley.
Sacred Valley (B/L/-)
Experience at Mil Restaurant and lunch (private)
Be more than a spectator and become part of the components that orbit Mil. A journey that includes a visit to our farmlands, a route in search of endemic plants, an interactive look at Mater activities and meeting local figures that have an impact on our projects, all before embarking with an 8-course tasting menu.
Half day Maras Saltpans & Moray Terraces (private)
We embark on a journey through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, to the salt fields of Maras and its seemingly never-ending terraces, where salt extracted from springs is stored. It supplied salt to the southern highlands during the viceroyalty, so it was an important town. It is impressive to see the variety of colors created by the reflection of the sun’s rays in this field of salt deposits, and to learn about the Incas striking ability to generate resources.
Continue your excursion to admire the Moray terraces. It is thought that Moray was used for plant adaptation to new climatic environments thanks to its circular terraces in immense cone-shaped depressions that resemble giant fingerprints. These create a series of microclimates at the different heights of the terraces, which enabled the Incas to improve a great variety of crops. It is an evidence of the high level of agricultural knowledge they reached.
After the tour we return to the hotel.
Sacred Valley (B/L/-)
Visit Ollantaytambo Fortress including visits to a Traditional “Chichería” and a Brewery (private)
Today we will visit the Inca fortress and citadel of Ollantaytambo. This fortress was believed to be constructed to guard the entrance to this part of the valley and protect it from possible invasions of tribes from the jungle lowlands. Later it served as a temporary capital for Manco Inca, leader of the Inca resistance in 1537 during the Spanish conquest of Perú, who fortified the town to stop the advance, as Cusco fell under Spanish domination.
Ollantaytambo also features the vestiges of the town built by orders of Inca Pachacutec and thought to be not only a strategic military place to control the Sacred Valley of the Incas, but also for agricultural and religious purposes. The town of Ollantaytambo is referred to as a "Live Inca Town" because inhabitants still live according to customs and traditions inherited from their ancestors.
After the visit, we will do a stop and tasting in a traditional “Chichería” of the Sacred Valley. Then, we will go to a distillery and taste some of their products. Finally, we continue to a brewery where a craft beer tasting will be offered.
Lunch at El Huacatay Restaurant
It is a small restaurant in Urubamba, that little by little has been becoming one of the most creative kitchens in the region. Not only is this a place where every dish is an experience for the senses, but also a refuge where the atmosphere and aesthetics are part of the charm. El Huacatay serves Peruvian fusion cuisine prepared from locally available fresh produce.
After the tour we return to the hotel.
Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu (B/L/D)
Journey to Machu Picchu (private)
We begin with a morning transfer to the train station for an amazing train journey to the famous Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, the great mountain-top city abandoned by the Inca Empire, reclaimed by the jungle and lost to humanity until its rediscovery in 1911.
First Class Train
Travel with maximum comfort and space on board; delight an exquisite gourmet menu prepared using Andean organic ingredients like trout, quinoa, aguaymanto accompanied by a selection of wines. In addition, a welcome cocktail and a variety of warm and cold natural drinks. The new First Class features a luxurious Observatory Lounge carriage offering live music, bar and a balcony to admire the most incredible scenary.
Along the way we will enjoy the changing landscape as we travel from Andean highlands to the beginnings of the jungle (“eyebrow of the jungle”), before finally arriving at the town of Aguas Calientes.
From here, we board the bus that will take us on a 20-minute ride up to the citadel of Machu Picchu (3,400masl/11,15ft), or Lost City of the Incas. Here, we take a guided tour of the Citadel, probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire, with its giant walls, terraces, and ramps, which appear as though they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments.
The legendary 'Lost City' is without a doubt one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites. Built by the Incas on the summit of "Machu Picchu" (old peak), overlooking the deep canyon of the Urubamba river in a semi-tropical area 120 Kms (75 miles) from the city of Cusco at 3,400 m.a.s.l (11,155 f.a.s.l).
It sits on a mountain site of extraordinary beauty, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest; Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height, with its giant walls, terraces and ramps, which appear as though they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments.
Machu Picchu is also one of the Inca's best kept secrets, since they did not leave written records and Spanish chronicles make no mention of the citadel, it remains a mystery.
In the afternoon, we return to Aguas Calientes by bus and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner Tasting Menu at Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel
The tasting menu is a harmony of dishes in 6 courses in which guests can discover the origin of each product of Pachamama (Mother Earth).
Machu Picchu / Cusco (B/-/D)
Second Entrance fee to Machu Picchu
Excellent opportunity to wake up early and enjoy a beautiful sunrise as well as stroll around the Town of Machu Picchu and visit their Hot Springs. Then, you will have time to perform some of the following activities (not included in the overall pricing): visit the Citadel of Machu Picchu for a second time, or for more active and adventurous people, we suggest to climb up the Huayna Picchu from where you can appreciate the immensity of Machu Picchu, even more amazing being so high and distant (no entrance fees, no bus ticket or guide services this day).
In the afternoon, return to Cusco by train. Before boarding the bus to Aguas Calientes, a cocktail in the mountains will be served at the Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel. Then, you will travel on the exclusive and luxurious Belmond Hiram Bingham train and enjoy the elegant dining car, the bar car with the best Peruvian cocktails and live traditional Peruvian music. The return trip includes a fine dining experience at dinner. Upon arrival at the train station you will be met by our representative and private driver for your transfer to the hotel.
Cusco (B/L/-)
AM: Peruvian Culinary experience at Cusco (cooking class)
The experience starts with a visit to traditional open air San Pedro Market, a typical local Mercado, and a popular place for locals to eat a hot meal or drink fresh juice. They offer almost all the regional produce from fruits, vegetables and meats to hand-woven sweaters, other clothes and crafts. Here you will learn about our regions culinary history and the unique ingredients.
Then, you will have the opportunity to learn to cook exotic, delicious and healthy dishes with Red Quinoa, yellow aji and other ingredients that are a distinct part of our culture and heritage, but still easy to find anywhere in the world. Our sophisticated, but easy to prepare dishes let you experience rich Peruvian flavors while providing you the expertise to demonstrate your new cooking skills back home. You will take recipes home for the two dishes you prepare, in addition to our famous Peruvian pisco sour cocktail.
PM: Half day Cusco City tour Panoramic & Sacsayhuaman (private)
A guided sightseeing tour of Cusco, the Imperial City and archaeological capital of South America, where we will be able to admire the finest examples of Inca history and architecture. Visit the city's most important historical monuments that reveal the influence of different cultures: The Main Square, the Cathedral, and the Santo Domingo church built upon the foundations of the Inca temple Koricancha, dedicated to worship the Sun God.
We continue to Cusco City’s main surrounding ruins, the Sacsayhuaman Fortress, a ceremonial compound and magnificent example of Inca military power that boasts a panoramic view of the city.
After the tour we return to the hotel.
Cusco / … (B/L/-)
Transfer Hotel / Cusco Airport (private)
At the appropriate time, our representative will meet you at the hotel lobby and transfer you to Cusco Airport to board your next flight. Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and all departure formalities.
