7 Days Andean world from Lima

A transportation service and a representative will pick you up from the airport at the scheduled time and transfer you to your hotel in Lima. The Peruvian capital is a modern metropolis full of history and is home to approximately 10 million inhabitants. The city is currently undergoing an exciting process of cultural and economic changes.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport to take the flight to Cusco. A transportation service takes you to the hotel to check-in. Then, start the city tour visiting Coricancha, also known as 'The Temple of the Sun', ordered to be built by Inca Pachacuti, which became the foundation for the construction of the Santo Domingo Convent at the arrival of the Spanish. Next, visit the Cathedral, the most imposing monument of the Main Square, construction of which began in the sixteenth century. Then, get to know the Sacsayhuaman fortress, one of the most emblematic Inca buildings, erected in the 15th century. It is an immense fortress built with large stones, their transportation, carving and assembly still remains a mystery. Every June 24th the Inti Raymi Festival, where the sun is worshipped, is recreated during the winter solstice. Continue to Qenqo, an archaeological complex for mainly religious purposes. It is believed that agricultural rituals were held in this site, located at four kilometres from the city of Cusco. Finally, visit Puca Pucara, at seven kilometres from the city. Puca Pucara, meaning 'red fort', was an architectural complex of alleged military use with multiple environments, plazas, aqueducts, walls and towers. It is believed that it was used by the Inca entourage while he rested in Tambomachay. When finished, return to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. During the morning, you are picked up from your hotel to visit the town of Chinchero, a traditional Cusco urban centre located at an elevated point with a beautiful view of the valley. The inhabitants of this area preserve the artisan traditions and the inherited knowledge of the Incas and display them in their clothes and customs. In Chinchero there are also archaeological remains and a beautiful seventeenth-century church, one of the first Catholic buildings in Peru. Then, you are transferred to the Living Museum of Yucay, a centre of Andean handicraft traditions where demonstrations of the elaboration of textile work, adobe, pottery and silverware are carried out in the same way in which they used to in antiquity; an original recreation of Incan traditions. In addition, you may be able to feed the ´residents´ of the museum! These include llamas, sheep and alpacas! Later, have lunch in Ollantaytambo and enjoy a superior Andean gastronomy experience in a restaurant, where the true spirit of the Sacred Valley radiates in a cosy atmosphere. Upon arriving in Ollantaytambo, visit its town, inhabited uninterruptedly sice Inca times, and climb the iconic fortress, built next to a mountain. At the end of this activity, you are transferred back to your hotel. On Sundays, also visit the local market.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transportation service will pick you up and transfer you to the Ollanta Station to board the train to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. Following a scenic journey through dramatic Andean landscapes, arrive at the station in Aguas Calientes. Here you board a coach for a 25-minute ride to Machu Picchu. The ‘Lost City of the Incas’ is believed to have been built in the 1450s by Inca emperor Pachacuti as a holiday retreat, yet within a century the city would be abandoned following the Spanish conquest. The Spaniards never found it, so it was spared the destruction they brought on other Inca sites. Instead, it was slowly swallowed up by the jungle and hidden from harm. A guided tour explains the origins behind this awe-inspiring citadel, presenting its most prominent landmarks such as the monumental Main Square, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Towers, the Sacred Sun Dial, and the Burial Grounds. Return to Aguas Calientes for lunch and then board the train back to Cusco.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel then transfer to the bus station to start your journey through the impressive landscape of the Andes to Puno. Your first stop of the day is in Andahuaylillas, a town located around 40 kilometres away from Cusco. The main attraction here is the local Church, known as the “Sistine Chapel of America” owing to the high quality of art found inside. Continue the journey to Racchi, home to the Wiracocha Temple, a striking rectangular structure measuring 30 metres wide and 20 metres high. Lunch will be taken in the town of Sicuani before you head to La Raya, the highest point of the trip between Puno and Cusco, at the dizzying altitude of 4,313 metres above sea level. The next stop is the town of Pucara, the first urban settlement on Lake Titicaca, established between 100 and 300 A.D. Visit some of the monoliths from the town’s pre-Inca site at the Pucara Lithic Museum before completing the final part of the journey to Puno. Once in the city, a representative will check you in to your hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, travel to the port of Puno where a boat will be waiting to take you to the beautiful Uros Islands. The Uros are an indigenous people of Peru that live on a series of human-made islands, created entirely from the buoyant totora reeds that grow abundantly in the shallows of the lake. The islands are composed of layers of woven totora, which are regularly replenished from the top as they rot from the bottom. The Uros people also use reeds to construct their homes, so cooking is done outdoors to avoid possible fires! After visiting this fascinating island, sail to Taquile, a small slice of heaven that once belonged to the Inca Empire. Look around and notice traces of its Incan past in the ruins that still exist around the island. After a brief introduction, the local community will give you an insight into their customs and traditions with a cultural demonstration. Lunch is enjoyed on the island before the return trip to Puno.

After finishing your breakfast at the hotel, you will be transfer from Puno to the airport.