Tour Lima, Paracas, Cusco and Machu Picchu 7D/6N

DAY 1: RECEPTION AT LIMA AIRPORT – 1/2 DAY CITY TOUR OF LIMA

In the morning, upon your arrival in Lima, Peru, our staff will be waiting for you at the airport holding a sign with your names and will give you a warm welcome before transferring you to your hotel.

Once at the hotel, you will have some free time to rest and have lunch before beginning our tour of the city of Lima.

At 2:00 p.m., we will begin a tour of the “City of Kings,” enjoying a historical journey through Lima. Along the way, you will be able to admire the impressive Huaca Pucllana from the bus. We will then continue toward the old colonial center of Lima, where we will explore different monuments and colonial buildings, including Paseo de la República, Roosevelt House, San Martín Square, and the Main Square. Afterwards, we will visit the Convent of San Francisco, one of the finest examples of colonial religious art in the Americas. Its main attraction is the visit to the underground crypts known as the Catacombs.

Overnight at a hotel in Lima.

DAY 2: TOUR PARACAS, BALLESTAS ISLANDS, ICA, HUACACHINA – RETURN TO LIMA

5:00 am. We pick you up from your hotel in Lima. We drive 245 kilometers along the South Pan-American Highway toward Paracas, a coastal resort town in the province of Pisco. Along the way we make a short stop in Chincha to use the facilities and, if you like, try a typical local breakfast. Breakfast is not included. We arrive in Paracas between 8:30 and 9:00 am.

9:00 am. Departure to the Ballestas Islands. We set off from the El Chaco tourist pier in a motorboat. A few minutes out you will see the Candelabro, a 180-meter geoglyph traced onto the sandy hillside of Paracas Bay. We continue 30 minutes out to sea to the islands, where you watch the wildlife that lives there: Peruvian booby, Guanay cormorant, red-legged cormorant, Inca tern, Peruvian pelican, Humboldt penguin, sea lions and, if you are lucky, dolphins. The full excursion lasts 2 hours, including the boat ride out and back.

11:15 am. We return to the pier and head to the city of Ica.

12:00 pm. Visit to a wine bodega. You learn how wine and pisco are made by traditional methods and take part in the tasting. Afterward you have free time for lunch in Ica. Lunch is not included and is paid separately.

3:00 pm. Huacachina oasis and lagoon. This natural oasis sits five kilometers west of Ica, surrounded by dunes and green water. Palms, eucalyptus and huarango grow around it, a local carob tree where migratory birds passing through the region come to rest.

Here you take the buggy tour for 1 hour and 30 minutes. This is the adrenaline part of the day: the buggy climbs and drops down the largest dunes in the area and you will end up covered in sand. If you want, you can add sandboarding on the same dunes.

4:30 pm. We head back to the oasis, where you can walk along the boardwalk and take photos.

5:30 pm. We board our transport in Ica for the return to Lima. Arrival between 9:00 and 9:30 pm.

Overnight in Lima.

DAY 3: FLY FROM LIMA TO CUSCO – 1/2 DAY CITY TOUR OF CUSCO

AM breakfast in your hotel in Lima.

At appropriate time your private transport will then pick you up and drive you to Lima airport to board your mid-morning flight to Cusco.

After a 90 minute flight, you will land in Cusco to be greeted by your guide and driver, who will accompany you in your private transport to your hotel in Cusco.

Once at the hotel you can relax and enjoy an aromatic cup of coca-leaf tea and take lunch (not included) in one of the local restaurants, before beginning the afternoons’ tour of Cusco.

At 1.30pm you will regroup with your tour guide and private transportation to commence the tour of the Inca capital. The 4-hour tour will take you on a journey through Cusco’s most prominent historical sites such as the Temple of the Sun or Qoricancha, which was the religious, geographical, and political center of Cusco during the period of the Incas. The astounding Inca fortress of Sacsayhuamán, whose stonework is so impeccable that it is said ‘will endure as long as the world itself’, Tambomachay the temple of the water, Pukapukara the red fortress and finally, Q’enqo, a sacred Incan pilgrimage site, that once served as an astronomical observatory and mummification house.

On the City Tour Cusco, your personal tour guide will also accompany you the main Plaza before returning you back to your hotel at 6:30 pm.

Night of hotel in Cusco.

DAY 4: CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS – AGUAS CALIENTES

AM breakfast at your hotel in Cusco.

The tour to the Sacred Valley starts at 7:30am with the pick up from your hotel in Cusco.

After a 1-hour drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, you will participate in a short cultural tour with the local community and their resident alpacas in the town of Chinchero. Your guide will then accompany you around the local market and take you on a tour of the Colonial Temple.

The next destination of the day will be the circular, agricultural platforms of Moray. An experimental and research centre of the Incas, due to its ever changing micro-climate and surrounding mountain range. After visiting Moray, you’ll be driven the short distance to the salt mines of Maras. A unique collection of salt wells that have been formed into stepped terraces, fed by a nearby irrigation channel. Here your tour guide will educate you on the traditional ‘mining’ practices of the local people and the historical significance of the salt mines to the region.

The afternoons’ tour will begin surrounded by the natural beauty of Urubamba. The largest town in the sacred valley where we will have a very delicious and varied buffet lunch included in the tour.

After lunch, your transport will take you alongside the Urubamba River, to the picturesque town of Ollantaytambo. Here your guide will accompany you through the bustling local markets and the famous Inca fortress that towers above the town. The strategic position and architectural sophistication of the site, offers visitors some of the most spectacular views of the sacred valley from above. The exquisite stonework and rich history of Ollantaytambo will take you and your guide on an impressive journey through Inca antiquity, before you complete the days’ tour of the sacred valley at Ollantaytambo train station.

The final journey of the day will be aboard the tourist train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town). The 1 hour 45 minute train ride will treat you to breathtaking scenes of snow-capped mountains, Inka farming terraces and of course more remarkable Inka ruins. After which you will once again be greeted by your tour guide, and escorted to your hotel in the town of Aguas Calientes, the home of Machu Picchu.

Night of hotel in Aguas Calientes town.

DAY 5: AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU TOUR – CUSCO

This day, we will begin our Machu Picchu tour very early in the morning. After breakfast, we will head to the station to board the bus for a 30-minute ride to the Machu Picchu citadel. Once there, we will enjoy a 3-hour guided tour to visit the most important areas of Machu Picchu. As an optional activity, you may climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain for an additional cost of USD 75 per person.

At the appropriate time, we will descend from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes, where you will have lunch at one of the restaurants in town.

In the afternoon, we will take the train back toward Cusco. You must arrive at the train station 30 minutes before departure. Upon arrival at Ollantaytambo train station, a representative from our company will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel in Cusco. The drive from Ollantaytambo to Cusco takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Overnight at a hotel in Cusco.

DAY 6: RAINBOW MOUNTAIN FULL DAY TOUR – CUSCO

Our staff will pick you up from your hotel at 5:00 a.m. We will board our transportation and head toward the town of Cusipata-Paucarpata. During the journey, we will pass through different villages and enjoy incredible views of the Peruvian Andes. The drive takes approximately 2 hours.

Upon arrival, we will make a stop to enjoy a delicious breakfast and get any necessary supplies before continuing our tour to Rainbow Mountain. After this short break, we will continue driving for approximately 40 minutes, enjoying views of the landscapes, mysterious mountains, and deep valleys along the way.

We will arrive at the village of Phullawasipata, located at 4,650 m above sea level (15,255 ft). From here, we will begin an uphill hike of approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes until we reach Rainbow Mountain. Upon reaching the summit at 5,100 m above sea level (16,732 ft), you will be able to enjoy impressive views of the Andes and the surrounding Andean wildlife.

The mountains surrounding this area display striking reddish tones, and you will enjoy spectacular views of the valleys and the colorful mountain itself. We will have enough time to take photos and videos before beginning the descent. The hike down takes approximately 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach Phullawasipata, where our transportation will be waiting to take you to lunch.

After lunch, you may have the opportunity to visit some local family homes, where you can learn more about the lifestyle of people who still preserve and practice ancient Inca traditions.

Afterwards, we will return to Cusco, arriving in the city at approximately 4:00 p.m. We will then transfer you to your respective hotels, bringing our Rainbow Mountain tour to an end.

Overnight at a hotel in Cusco.

 DAY 7: CUSCO – AIRPORT TRANSFER – RETURN FLIGHT TO LIMA

AM breakfast in your hotel in Cusco.

In the morning free time to rest and explore the cusco city by your own or do some last shopping before return to Lima.

At the appropriate time you’ll be picked up by your guide and driver, and transferred to Cusco airport in plenty time to board your return flight to Lima. and then take your international flight back from Lima to home.

End of the services.