Reception at Lima Airport and transfer to the hotel. Lima-known as The City of Kings; once the center of the Spanish Empire in the New World for three centuries after Pizarro's conquest. Now, capital of Peru and one of the most important cities in South America, has been declared Humanity Cultural Patrimony.  A vibrant city with friendly people, it quickly snares the curious traveler with fine museums, striking architecture and richly historical neighborhoods.   Overnight at the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection Miraflores.

 

 

After your buffet breakfast, you will enjoy a great panoramic view of ancient Lima. Founded in 1535 by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro, the colonial city of Lima became the political and military capital of the New World until it was declared the capital of Peru in 1821.  Begin your tour of Colonial and Modern Lima. See the Presidential or Government Palace, the Cathedral and Archbishop’s Palace and the City Hall. The Cathedral was built in 1625 in a Baroque Renaissance Style and has a unique collection of oil paintings and sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries. You will visit the Church of San Francisco built on top of a network of underground tunnels or catacombs.  Afterwards, you will be transferred to San Isidro, Lima’s garden district and one of the upscale and luxurious suburbs with the best restaurants and entertainment centers.  Afternoon at leisure.  Perhaps visit the Indian market at Petit Thouars Street just around the corner from your hotel or sip a cup of coffee at Larcomar Shopping Mall with a view of the ocean.  Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection Miraflores.   

 

 

Morning transfer to Lima airport for the flight to Cusco.  Reception at Cusco Airport and transfer to the hotel. Cusco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the western hemisphere. The tour will start with a visit to Cusco's most important landmarks of both the Inca and the Colonial times such as the Inca street of Loreto (made of 12 cornered stones), the Temple of the Sun (Korikancha) featuring remains of the outstanding palaces of the ancient city, and the most important Colonial monuments. See the Cathedral, famous for its gold and silver baroque style.  Continue your visit to nearby Cusco’s Inca Ruins where you will see the archaeological park of Saqsaywaman  and the ancient Inca’s storage palaces Tambo Machay, Pukapukara and Quenqo.  Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco.    

 

 

 

Enjoy a visit this morning to the famous Pisac Indian Market located in theartisans for a variety of Peruvian handicrafts such as carved gourds (mates burilados), jewelry, felt hats, paintings, antiques, mittens, Alpaca sweaters, musical instruments and many others. See the villagers some coming from far away to barter and sell their products. Even if you are not buying, the café balconies overlooking the market offer superb people-watching. Hundreds of camera-toting tourists from every conceivable country on earth haggle with Quechua-speaking merchants all to the beat of drum-and-juggling sessions put on by a scraggly band of local hippies. Lunch at Tunupa Restaurant.  After lunch we will depart towards the north of the Sacred Valley.   We cross the plateau, descend to Urubamba and visit the village of Ollantaytambo, the best surviving example of Inca city planning.  Among the most spectacular ruins are the rising terrace walls that served as an integral mean of defense from the Spanish Conquistadores.  Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco.

 

 

The tour will start very early in the morning. Take the Vistadome train for a breathtaking ride through the Andes to Aguas Calientes, a town 20 minutes away from Machu Picchu. There we will take the shuttle bus to ascend to Machu Picchu.  Hidden by mountains and semi-tropical jungle, Machu Picchu is considered the most spectacular sight in South America.  Spend the day with your guide uncovering the mysteries of these majestic ruins.  Optional:  Lunch ($39) at Sanctuary Lodge located just steps from the entrance to the ruins. In the afternoon we return by bus and train just the same way we arrived. Transfer back to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco.  

 

 

Enjoy a morning excursion to Centro Artesanal Cusco, the biggest craft market in the city, where you can browse colorful displays of textiles, pottery, jewelry and high quality woolens. Most storekeepers do not accept credit card; so, bring cash in order to be able to bargain.  At due time transfer to Cusco airport for your flight to Juliaca/Puno.  Reception at Juliaca airport and transfer to your hotel in Puno. Dinner at the hotel’s Royal Inn Restaurant and enjoy a folklore show. You will appreciate the beauty of dances from different parts of Puno such as Diablada, Morenada, Saya, etc., all of them represented in typical colorful dresses. Overnight at the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection Puno.    

 

 

 

In the morning you will be picked up from your hotel to depart from Puno’s dock towards the Uros Islands in the Titicaca Lake. The floating islands of Uros, an ancient lake Indian tribe, still maintains traditions and way of life as they have for centuries.  They live on these floating islands made of packed totora reeds that grow in abundance in the shallow waters of the lake.  After visiting the Uros Islands we will head by boat to Taquile Island. Taquile  was part of the Inca Empire and has a number of Inca ruins.  It was one of the last locations in Peru that capitulated to Spanish domination during the Spanish conquest of Peru.  Finally depart back to Puno and transfer to your hotel by car.  Box lunch is included for today’s journey. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection Puno.  (B/BL/D)

 

 

Transfer for the flight at Juliaca/Puno airport to Lima. Reception at Lima Airport and transfer to Pueblo Libre District. Enjoy a guided visit to the Rafael Larco Herrera Museum founded in 1926 by Rafael Larco. The Larco Museum exhibits the world’s largest private collection of pre-Columbian Peruvian art in the world and includes the collection of Peruvian Gold and Silver from the ancient times and the Pre-Hispanic Erotic Art Salon.   You will be transferred later to the National Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, one of the most complete pre-Columbian collections of ceramics, textiles, and fine metal works. Farewell Dinner at Tiendecita Blanca Restaurant in Miraflores.  After dinner, transfer to Lima airport for your late evening international flight. 

 

 Arrive home with vivid memories of a trip of a lifetime experience.

 

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