Depart London Gatwick with British Airways.
Private transfer on arrival to your hotel.
Private half day city tour (inc. Larco Herrera Museum)
Get to know Peru's Capital City and its 2000 years of history and colonial heritage. Experience the artistic traditions and contemporary lives of its residents. Tour Lima's Historical Centre, cultural heritage of humanity according to UNESCO, and admire its most important historical monuments and colonial constructions. You will visit the San Francisco Monastery and the Larco Herrera Museum with its ceramic, gold and silver art collections. Visit Casa Luna and drive through the residential district of Miraflores where you will stop briefly to enjoy a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean and its beaches before returning to your hotel.
Private transfer to the airport and on arrival in Arequipa, to your hotel.
Private half day city tour including the Santa Catalina Monastery
You tour starts at the Main Square, one of the most beautiful squares in Peru, which is located next to the impressive Arequipa Cathedral. Then you will go to the Santa Catalina Monastery which has an authentic medieval cloister and a small religious citadel. Your tour continues with a visit to the Church of the Society of Jesus (1590), considered a classical example of the local baroque architecture, which houses an exceptional collection of paintings and murals. You will end the tour visiting the Yanahuara and Carmen Alto districts, where you can enjoy stunning views of Arequipa's countryside.
Private transfer to the train station for the 'Andean Plains & Islands of discovery’ from Arequipa to Cusco, via Puno.
Rise early to see the sunrise over Lake Titicaca, breakfast will be served between 06:00 – 08:00.
Morning excursion to the islands on Lake Titicaca
This morning you will be taken to Puno harbour to board a boat for your day excursion on Lake Titicaca. Straddling the Peruvian and Bolivian borders, Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable lake anywhere in the world. Revered by the Incas, the brilliant blue waters of the lake are home to a number of small island communities. Closest to shore, the Uros Islands are constructed from reeds and actually float on the water, making walking on the islands a surreal experience. Sail further on to see both pre-Inca and Inca ruins on the traditional island of Taquile.
At 12:30 you will enjoy a picnic lunch on a private beach, whilst you eat you will be treated to Peruvian traditional dancing and a demonstration of artisan work.
At 15:30 you will arrive into Titicaca Lake station, tea will be served at the station at 16:00. The train will depart for Cusco at 17:00. Enjoy pre dinner cocktails from 18:30 and dinner from 19:00. The Andean Explorer will arrive into Marangani station at 21:00.
This morning is another early rise, breakfast is served from 06:00 to 08:00, the train will depart from the station at 08:00.
Morning excursion to Raqchi
About an hour from Cusco, this archaeological site is far less visited than other more well-known sites but still incredibly impressive. The Inca site is home to numerous buildings, the most prominent being the Temple of Wiracocha. It is believed this two story structure was originally built as a control point on the main road system that joined Cusco to other parts of the Inca Empire. The enormous structure stands over 92 metre long and here you can see parts of the original roof and windows. The site of Raqchi is huge, said to be one the biggest Inca archaeological sites ever. There are 12 living quarters attached to the temple. These were thought to belong to administrative and religious persons. The area to the west of the temple you can find ceremonial baths similar to those found on other sites. The complex also holds a large number of storehouses, approximately 150.
After your excursion the train will continue on wards, arriving into Cusco station at 12:58. Here you will be met for a transfer to your hotel.
Private half day city tour including nearby Inca sites
Known as the Temple of the Sun, your first stop today is to Koricancha where the Sun was worshipped during Inca times. Continue on your tour as you visit one of the most splendid Spanish colonial churches in the Americas; Cusco Cathedral. Located on the main square, it houses about 400 colonial painting from the Cusco art school, impressive gold, silver and precious stone works. You will then head to the Sacsayhuamán fortress, an emblematic work of the Incas, which protected the Holy City. Sacsayhuamán was built with megalithic blocks, which transportation and construction continue to be a mystery.
Private full day excursion in the Sacred Valley including lunch
After being collected from your hotel, you will visit Pisac market, here you can find an intriguing mix of local produce, including carvings, textiles and replicas of old Inca pieces. Pisac is also where you will stop for lunch, which can be enjoyed at a local restaurant. In the afternoon you will continue on to Ollantaytambo to explore the town whose residents still live in accordance with their old traditions. Ollantaytambo shows a huge archaeological complex that, without a doubt is one of the most monumental works of the Inca Empire. Although it bears the name of fortress, it was actually a ‘tambo’, a leisure place used to accommodate the delegations that travelled long distances.
Shared transfer from your hotel to the station.
Your tour to Machu Picchu begins with a train ride to Aguas Calientes.
On arrival in Aguas Calientes, you will be met and taken to meet a shared bus transfer up to Machu Picchu citadel. Aguas Calientes is also known as ‘Machu Picchu Pueblo’ and is the last stop before entering the remains of the most important archaeological site in Peru. In Aguas Calientes, you will find the train station, a craft market, restaurants and hotels.
Shared half day tour of Machu Picchu
Upon arrival at the site enjoy a three hour guided tour of this magnificent and mysterious Inca citadel. Your guide will explain the three different route options for your tour and together with your group (max 12 people) you will decide which route to take. There is no need to pre-book a particular route. During your tour the guide will explain everything currently known about the site and the history of the Incas.
Once you have completed the tour, make your way to your hotel.
Half day un-guided re-entry to Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu (inc. bus tickets & permits) (from Sanctuary Lodge)
This morning you will be able to spend more time exploring Machu Picchu citadel, this time unguided. Rise early to take advantage of having a head start on those who are accommodated down in Aguas Calientes. Also arriving at dawn means that if the sky is clear you will be able to witness an amazing sunrise. You will also be able to climb the peak of Huayna Picchu where you can enjoy spectacular views looking down on the site and the surrounding Andean Peaks.
Once you are ready collect your bags from Sanctuary Lodge and check out. Make your way to the bus stop to meet the bus back into Aguas Calientes. Here you will need to make the short walk to the train station to meet your train to Cusco.
Transfer on arrival to your hotel.
Private transfer to the airport to meet your onward flight with LATAM.
On arrival in Lima, meet your return flights with British Airways.
Arrive back into the UK.
