Private Classic Peru: Lima and Cusco

Upon your arrival at Lima International Airport, a private driver and our representative will be waiting to welcome you. They will assist you with your transfer to the hotel, facilitating the check-in process. Overnight at Hotel B.

Embark on a full-day guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima, the “City of Kings”. Visit Lima’s Historical Centre, passing by Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Cathedral, and its Religious Art Museum (closed on Sunday and Saturday pm; Santo Domingo Convent is provided instead on these days) as well as San Francisco Monastery and its famous underground crypts known as the Catacombs.  We continue through the residential Districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, passing by the Huaca Pucllana, a Ceremonial and Administrative Centre of the Lima Culture built in the II Century AC that the Incas considered as “Ñaupallaqta” or Sacred Town. Also, we visit the Central Park of Miraflores and El Parque del Amor, or Peruvian Love Park.  Then it is time to visit a quieter side of Lima, the district of Barranco (Spanish word for cliff), the heart of the bohemian history of the city. Towards the end of the 19th Century, it became the favorite hangout of poets, writers, painters, and sculptors, inspired by the coastal scenery. The most emblematic symbol of this neighborhood is its wooden Puente de los Suspiros or “Bridge of Sighs”.  Cajamarca is one of the most picturesque and colorful streets. Number 212 hosts Las Pallas, a renowned repository of Peruvian handicrafts where we can admire and/or buy a great variety of artisan goods such as tapestries and ceramics. Our visit continues with a stop at Larco Herrera Museum, for an excellent overview of Peru’s ancient past as it holds the country’s best private collection of pre-Columbian art.  Lunch is served at the Museum. We have the chance to tour this old Hacienda House in the Pueblo Libre district, which was built upon a pre-Incan sacred site (Huaca), housing the private collection of a great Peruvian scholar: Don Rafael Larco Hoyle.  The museum chronologically exhibits hundreds of ceramics, textiles, metal and precious stone pieces and inside you will find the vault which safeguards precious pieces of gold and silver with semiprecious stones. After the tour we are transferred to the hotel.  Overnight at Hotel B.

At the appropriate time, our representative will meet you in the hotel lobby and transfer you to the Lima Airport to board your flight to Cusco.  He will assist you with check-in procedures and all departure formalities.  You will be picked up from the Cusco airport at the agreed time and transferred to your hotel.  On the way there, stop to visit Inkariy Museum, an initiative from a group of artists whose goal was to protect and increase the value of Peruvian history with an emphasis on the human factor of the pre-Columbian societies.  Inkariy Museum gives travelers an overview of Peruvian culture before the arrival of the Inka Empire in a chronological exposition that will take them through the ancient civilizations of Caral, Chavín, Paracas, and Moche, among others.  Overnight at Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection.

Today set off in the direction of the Sacred Valley to the town of Chinchero, an authentic Andean village with lots of character, where we find the colonial church that houses a large collection of paintings from the Cusqueñan School of Art.  Next, continue the journey to the Maras Saltplan and its seemingly never-ending terraces, where salt extracted from springs is stored.  Although these waters have been used for centuries, even before the time of the Incas, Maras was founded by the Spanish in 1556.  It supplied salt to the southern highlands during the viceroyalty, making it a rather important town.  It is impressive to see the variety of colors created by the reflection of the sun’s rays in this field of salt deposits and to learn about the Inca’s striking ability to generate resources.  Then, prepare to admire the Moray terraces. Moray was thought to be used for plant adaptation to new climatic environments thanks to its circular terraces in immense cone-shaped depressions resembling giant fingerprints. These terraces created a series of microclimates at the different heights of the terraces, which enabled the Incas to experimentally improve a great variety of crops.  Today, it is evidence of the high level of agricultural knowledge they reached. Lunch Buffet is at UNU, known for its modern Andean cuisine. Overnight at Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection.

In the early morning, transfer to the train station for a scenic journey to the renowned Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu—a remarkable mountaintop city once abandoned by the Inca Empire, later reclaimed by the jungle, and hidden from the world until its rediscovery in 1911.  Upon arrival to the Aguas Calientes town, we board the bus that will take us on a 20-minute ride up to the citadel of Machu Picchu (3,400masl/11,15ft), or the Lost City of the Incas.  With your private local guide, take your time exploring the Citadel—one of the most impressive architectural achievements of the Inca Empire. Marvel at the massive stone walls, terraces, and ramps that seem seamlessly carved from the surrounding rock formations. Enjoy an à la carte lunch at the Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel. In the afternoon, board the train back to Ollantaytambo, where our representative and driver will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.  Overnight at Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection.

A guided sightseeing tour of Cusco, the Imperial City and archaeological capital of South America, where we will be able to admire the finest examples of Inca history and architecture. Visit the city’s most important historical monuments that reveal the influence of different cultures: The Main Square, the Cathedral, and the Santo Domingo church built upon the foundations of the Inca temple Koricancha, dedicated to worshiping the Sun God.  We continue to Cusco City’s main surrounding ruins, the Sacsayhuaman Fortress, a ceremonial compound and magnificent example of Inca military power that boasts a panoramic view of the city.  After the tour we return to the hotel.  Afternoon at leisure for activities on your own.  Overnight at Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection.

At the appropriate time, our representative will meet you in the hotel lobby and transfer you to Cusco Airport to board your flight back to Lima.  He will assist you with check-in procedures and all departure formalities.  Once at the Lima International Airport connect with your flight back home.