Peru South & Mystery
Lima – Cusco – Puno (7 days / 6 nights)
Day 1: Lima
Assistance and transfer to the selected hotel. Overnight.
Meals: None
Day 2: Lima – City
In the morning, guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima. The tour starts with a panoramic visit to the Huaca Pucllana, archaeological precinct built in the IV century A.D. It was a ceremonial and administrative centre which was considered by the Incas as a sacred site. The tour continues passing through the Historical Centre, with its colonial mansions and its Moorish style balconies, San Martin Square and the Main Square with their different buildings: Government Palace, Archbishop’s Palace, Cathedral Basilica and the Town hall.
A visit to the Banco Central de Reserva Museum (*) is included. It has a fine selection of objects made in gold, ceramic and textiles of different pre-columbine cultures. Then we visit the San Francisco Convent, which displays the largest collection of religious colonial art in America, and where we can appreciate the great Patio decorated with Seville tiles from the XVI century, Moorish arches and underground catacombs.
The tour finishes in Larcomar, an entertainment center and a privileged spot to have a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean.
(*) Banco Central de Reserva Museum closed to the public on Saturdays and Sundays afternoon and Mondays all day.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Lima – Cusco – City
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel. Free time to rest and get used to the altitude. In the afternoon city tour, passing by the Main Square and the Cathedral, with its valuable paintings of the Colonial Cusco School, the famous Temple of the Sun or Koricancha, an ancient Inca temple over which the Santo Domingo Convent was built. Then we pass by the impressive ruins of Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Qenko, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4: Cusco – Machu Picchu
Early in the morning, transfer to the train station for the trip to Machu Picchu Pueblo. The train journey passes by the Andes, parallel to the Urubamba River with the magnificent view of the High Jungle. From there we will ascend to the archaeological complex of the ‘Lost City of the Incas’, Machu Picchu, located on a high mountain covered by exuberant Amazon vegetation, with its rich fauna and flora. In the Historic Machu Picchu Sanctuary we can appreciate the mix of the impressive precision of its stone structures, which reveal the deep knowledge and the technological advance of the Inca Culture, with the mystical aspect of one of the most important archaeological sites of the world. After lunch, return to Cusco and transfer to the hotel. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Day 5: Cusco – Puno
Transfer to the station for the tourist bus trip to Puno (aprox 9 hrs). On our way, we will stop at Andahuaylillas town, where we will visit its church, known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of the Americas’, due to its decorated polychrome ceiling. Then we stop at Racchi, where we will see an Inca Sanctuary dedicated to the great Inca god Wiracocha. From there, we continue to Sicuani, where we will have lunch at a local restaurant. Continuing our trip, we pass by La Raya ranch (the highest point on the route – 14,222 ft), where we can see herds of vicunas and llamas. Then we will visit the Kalasaya Temple, remnants of the ancient Pucara Culture. Upon arrival in Puno, transfer to the hotel. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Day 6: Puno – Uros Islands and Taquile
In the morning, motor boat excursion on the Lake Titicaca to the floating Uros Islands. The ancient inhabitants have built their islands by periodically adding new layers of dry Totora (a kind of reed). They also use this material to build their houses and boats.
Our excursion continues to Taquile Island, inhabited by native Quechuas who have developed an efficient and original social system, and a magnificent textile technique. Upon arrival, we will have lunch, and then we will walk throughout its hills and archaeological sites. In the afternoon, return to Puno and transfer to the hotel. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Day 7: Juliaca – Puno – Lima
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima. En route, visit the Chullpas of Sillustani, 40 ft high stone cylinder burial chambers that were used by the Collas and the Incas. On our way, we can enjoy the beauty of the fauna and flora of the Altiplano, witness of millenary cultures.
Meals: Breakfast
