Trip Highlights

15 DAYS PRICES FROM £2,400 pp SAVE £50 pp

Contact us for your tailor-made itinerary on 0207 622 1116 or email us with your requirements.

This is our classic trip to Peru - taking in memorable highlights mixed with secret hideaways and tours that we love.

2 nights in Lima
3 nights in Cusco
1 nights in Urubamba
1 night Machu Picchu
1 night Cusco
1 night Puno
2 nights Lake Titicaca
2 nights in Arequipa
1 night flying

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Lima:
Lima was the most prized jewel of the Spanish colonies and for 300 years the wealthiest city in the Americas. It is crammed with heritage (the historic centre was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1991) and a worthwhile stop for a night or two. The main attractions are those that remain of the colonial and Republican era, such as the lively Plaza de Armas with its grand Presidential Palace and cathedral where the remains of Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Inca Empire for the Spanish, are thought to be interred. The museums are especially worth exploring and it is here that Lima comes into its own as an informative and entertaining city, as you learn about the fascinating cultures whose remnants you will see later on your trip.

The Inca and pre-Inca ceramics at the Larco Herrera museum and the amazing collection of weapons and jewellery at the Gold Museum are not to be missed, plus a meal at the Huaca Pucllana restaurant, overlooking the site of a major pre-Inca archaeological dig, is recommended.

Lima has also been working hard on its reputation as a centre of gastronomy. There are many excellent chefs and restaurants based here.

Cusco:
As the capital of the vast Inca empire and their ‘navel of the world’, Cusco was a remarkable city, reputedly built in the shape of a puma, full of magnificent stone palaces and temples decorated with gold. The conquering Spanish were impressed, and instead of completely destroying Cusco, they built their colonial city atop these solid foundations. Cusco today is a must-see. The elegant Plaza de Armas is at the heart of the city and is the perfect place to stop, sit and take in the sights around you; we recommend that as well as exploring with a guide you should have time to relax and soak up the atmosphere.

Sacred Valley:
This fertile valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo was at the spiritual and commercial heart of the Inca empire. It is a beautiful, colourful and fascinating area, guarded throughout by ancient Inca citadels set high on the sides of the mountains. One of the most impressive is to be found near the little market town of Pisac. These ruins show very well the precise stonework that is the trademark of the Incas and you will see astronomical observation posts and ceremonial baths fed by aqueducts. The equally impressive remnants of the sturdy fortress at Ollantaytambo rise up at the end of the paved road between Cusco and the Sacred Valley, dominating the town that was once an important administrative centre for the Incas. Today its layout and remaining Inca walls give you the closest approximation of what an Inca town must have looked like five centuries ago.

Machu Picchu:
Hidden from the world until the American explorer Hiram Bingham stumbled across the ruins in 1911, this magnificent citadel is one of South America’s most famous sights. Machu Picchu rests on a saddle between two lushly forested peaks, and its inaccessible location only heightens its impressiveness. Well preserved and largely intact, as you walk between these imposing palaces, temples, houses and storerooms it is easy to imagine the city at the height of the Inca Empire.

Lake Titicaca:
The lovely blue waters of Lake Titicaca wave across the altiplano of Peru and Bolivia. Its shores and islands, lapped by the chilly waters, are a land of legends, ancient customs and colourful dress, with the locals holding firmly to their pre-conquest traditions. Sail to the floating Uros Islands which feel springy underfoot as they are made from the tortora reed that grows on the lake. Further out, on Taquile Island and Amantani Island, take a walk past terraces of lima beans, maize and potatoes tended by shyly smiling locals, and learn about the origins of their unusual traditional dress and farming methods from the islanders themselves.

Arequipa:
The quite imposing ‘White City’ of Arequipa rests in the shadow of ice-capped volcanoes, their peaks the tombs of young Inca girls sacrificed to the Gods, and their pale rocks used by the Spanish in the construction of the city below.  The highlight of Arequipa is the Santa Catalina convent, a miniature city within a city. This peaceful haven, with russet and blue walled streets lined with bright geraniums, is still, 400 years after it was built, home to an order of nuns.

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PRICES
From £2,400 pp sharing.  Includes international flights from the UK, all accommodation (b & b), transfers, activities as per itinerary. Contact us now for your tailor-made itinerary on 0207 622 1116 or email us with your requirements.