Brief Itinerary
- June 28 – Arrive in Lima
- June 29 – Tour of Pachacamac, lunch at María’s home
- June 30 – Lima city tour
- July 1 – Fly to Cusco, rest, city tour
- July 2 – Tour of Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Train to Aguas Calientes and overnight there
- July 3 – Tour of Machu Picchu
- July 4 – Optional second day in Machu Picchu, overnight in the Sacred Valley
- July 5 – Tour of Maras and Moray with a Pachamanca (traditional meal)
- July 6 – Free day in Cusco (Optional: trip to the Rainbow Mountain)
- July 7 – Bus trip through the Southern Valley to Puno
- July 8 – Tour of UROS floating islands & Amantani Island
- July 9 – Taquile Island – Return to Puno
- July 10 – Return to Lima
- July 11 – Lima – OPTIONAL: Museums, Craft Market
Transfer to the Airport, Overnight flight: LIM-RDU
Detailed Itinerary
● Friday, June 28 RDU – LIMA (DAY 1)
Fly to Jorge Chavez Airport, Lima Peru.
A representative of Prime Travel will meet you at the airport holding a sign that says “Peru with the Palmers.”
Transfer from airport to our hotel.
Overnight in Lima: Hotel Casa Andina Select, Miraflores
● Saturday, June 29 TOUR OF PACHACAMAC (DAY 2)
A visit to the Archeological Complex of Pachacamac, about 40km. South of Lima Center. Visit the remains of pre-inca temples (Wari, Ichma cultures) and of the Inca structures at this important site. We will have a typical (and late) lunch at Maria’s family home after our tour.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch
● Sunday, June 30 LIMA CITY TOUR & LUNCH (DAY 3)
Lima City Tour will include the best of Pre-Columbian, colonial and modern Lima, Morning: visit Lima’s most imposing colonial churches and mansions such as the Government Palace, City Hall, the Cathedral, and 17th Century San Francisco Monastery, a world cultural heritage site.
Afternoon: Larco Museum, housed in an 18th-century building, showcases chronologically arranged galleries that provide an overview of 4,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history and the largest collection of pre-Columbian jewelry.
The tour ends with a visit to the modern suburbs of San Isidro and Miraflores. Return to Hotel around 6pm.
Dinner options: Lots of local cafés and small restaurants within walking distance. Palmers will probably walk over to Larcomar, a shopping/ dinning center by the ocean (4-block walk) around 7:30pm.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch.
● Monday, July 1 ARRIVE IN CUSCO, CITY TOUR (DAY 4)
Transfer from airport, rest and acclimate to altitude 12n: Board bus for City Tour, including lunch, with visit to the Main Square, the Cathedral, Qoriqancha Temple and the archaeological sites close to Cusco: Qenqo, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara and the Fortress of Sacsayhuamán.
● Tuesday, July 2 SACRED VALLEY TOUR (DAY 5)
Breakfast at the hotel: 7-8:15am.
8:15am: Board bus for full day journey to the “Sacred Valley of the Incas”. Visit the picturesque village of Pisac, the Archeological site, and its colorful Craft Fair.
12:00 noon: Buffet Lunch
Afternoon: continue to the Fortress of Ollantaytambo, administrative, agricultural, civil, military and religious complex. Board bus for transfer to the Ollantaytambo train station to board train to Aguas Calientes, at the base of Machu Picchu. Afternoon free to explore the town of Aguas Calientes.
8:00pm: Meet guide at the hotel for an overview of Machu Picchu tour.
Overnight Aguas Calientes: Casa Andina Machupicchu. Meals Included: breakfast, lunch.
● Wednesday, July 3 MACHUPICCHU (DAY 6)
Enjoy dawn at the summit !!!
6:00am: Board bus for the 30-minute trip to “The Sanctuary of MachuPicchu”, “The Lost City of the Incas,” to enjoy the sunrise.
Your guided tour will include a visit to the Main Plaza, Circular Tower, Intihuatana, Royal Quarters, Temple of the Three Windows and the cemeteries. The tour lasts about two hours, followed by free time to stroll the citadel or climb surrounding peaks.
Buffet lunch at the citadel’s Sanctuary Lodge restaurant.
Overnight in Aguas Calientes: Hotel Casa Andina Machupicchu. Meals Included: brunch.
● Thursday, July 4 MACHUPICCHU – SACRED VALLEY (DAY 7)
Morning free with option of returning to Machu Picchu and climb Wayna Picchu, explore the ruins, or to explore the town of Aguas Calientes.
Note: Wayna Picchu climbers must register in advance and pay an additional fee. See the budget for details. You will need to depart by 10am.
4:30pm: Report to train station to take train back to the town of Poroy.
Overnight in the Sacred Valley.
● Friday, July 5 MARAS & MORAY (DAY 8)
Breakfast at the hotel.
8:00am board bus to Maras. Passing through small towns, we will visit the following places:
MORAY: Unusual Inca ruins consisting of terraced circular depressions that have a complex irrigation system. The depth, design, and orientation create temperature differences of as much as 27 ℉ between the top and the bottom, which has led some to speculate that they were agricultural laboratories.
SALINERAS: “Salt Mines” consisting of about 2000 wells that have been in continuous use since the time of the Incas.
After Moray and Salineras, we will visit the community of Misminary, where we will participate in the preparation of a typical meal called a Pachmanca. While the food is cooking, there will be an optional trek to the Moray lookout (45 minutes).
After the Pachamanca and visit, we will return to Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Casa Andina.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch.
● Saturday, July 6 FREE DAY TO EXPLORE CUSCO (DAY 9)
Breakfast at the hotel. You are free to explore the city, visit museums, the craft markets, San Blas neighborhood, the 12 angled stone, San Pedro market, among other attractions.
OPTIONAL: Visit Vinicunca (“Rainbow mountain”).
Additional cost: USD 40.00 for to trek or USD 70.00 to go by pack horse
NOTE: This the climb begins at 14,000 ft (5,100m) and requires a demanding hike.
5:00am: Drive South for 2 hours to Cusipata, stop for breakfast. After a short lecture, continue to the site where the trek begins, at the foot of Ausangate Mtn.
The trek takes, on average, 90 minutes. On the way we will see the variety of camelids, and the flora of the area. We will have 30 to 40 minutes for pictures of the Rainbow Mountain before returning to meet our return transportation to Cusipata for lunch.
Arrive back in Cusco around 4:30pm.
Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Casa Andina.
● Sunday, July 7 CUSCO-PUNO by BUS (DAY 10)
VALLE SUR Y RUTA DEL SOL
Breakfast at the hotel.
8:15am Leave for Puno.
Our first stop is Tipón, with its extensive terraces, believed to be an experimental irrigation system. we will also visit the church in Andahuaylilla, the Lagoon of Huacarpay, and the significant archeological sits of Pikillaqta (pre-inca Wari culture), Raqchi and Pukara.
Stop for lunch at Sicuani, arriving in Puno around 5:00pm.
Overnight in Puno: Hotel Casa Andina
● Monday, July 8 UROS ISLANDS & AMANTANI (DAY 11)
7:00—8:45am: Breakfast at the Hotel
We will embark on a motorboat excursion on Lake Titicaca to visit the floating islands of the Uros, where ancient inhabitants of the lake, known as the Water Tribe, have build their own native islands by periodically adding new layers of reeds. The material is also used to build houses and boats.
We will continue to the island of Amantani for lunch. After the meal we are invited to a celebration organized by the locals.
Overnight on the Island
● Tuesday, July 9 TAQUILE ISLAND (DAY 12)
7:00—8:45am: Breakfast at the Hotel
We will sail to Taquile Island, inhabited by Quechua-speaking natives who have developed efficient and unique social systems and fine hand weaving techniques perfected over centuries.
Upon arrival: Lunch at Taquile Island.
Afternoon: Walk on the various hills and archeological sites. Return to Puno and transfer to hotel.
Overnight in Puno: Hotel Casa Andina.
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch.
● Wednesday, July 10 RETURN TO LIMA (DAY 13)
Breakfast at the Hotel.
Transfer to Juliaca Airport for return flight to Lima.
Afternoon: Free time in Lima to go to museums, go to the theater, visit the water fountains or walk around Miraflores.
● Thursday, July 11 LIMA, RETURN HOME (DAY 14)
Breakfast at the Hotel.
OPTIONAL activities: Gold Museum (Museo de Oro), National Museum (Museo de la Nación), Lima Art Museum (Museo de Arte de Lima: MALI), Craft Market.
Transfer to the airport around 8:00pm for the return to North Carolina.
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