Detailed Itinerary
Tours begin the day after arrival. This tour includes 2 nights hotel in Lima - the day you arrive and Day-1 of the tour.
Day One: Lima City Tour
Start the tour in the modern and racially mix city of Lima. Being the largest city in Peru, Lima has many surprises waiting to be discovered. Start with the visit the Circuito de Playas. Walk around and enjoy the view and sound of the waves.
Travel to Larcomar, one of Lima's commercial hot spots. Apart from being the noisiest and most fashionable shopping center, Larcomar offers the best view of the Miraflores Bay. Next, tour Museo de Oro. Enjoy a traditional lunch in Lima's Plaza Mayor and then visit Lima's Cathedral. Stroll around Plazan mayor as you exit the Cathedral. In Jiron de la Union, you will find great examples of colonial architecture.
Finally, visit the Church of San Francisco, which is considered to be one of the greatest architectural complexes of its kind in Latin America. The convent, the cloisters, and gatehouse are decorated with tiles from Seville, Spain, and in the basement, there are underground galleries and catacombs that, during the Viceroyalty, served as a cemetery for the city.
On the day you arrive in Lima, you will spend that night at a beautiful and historic hotel in Lima.
Day Two: Cusco City Tour
You will fly to the ancient Incan capital of Cusco today. Have early breakfast at the hotel and get transferred to Lima Airport. When you arrive in Cusco, you'll have the morning to get settled into the hotel.
In Cucso, tour many fascinating Incan sites, including Q'oricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun and then tour Cusco's Cathedral, a 16th century church filled with original artwork and an amazing main altar made of silver. After that, you'll tour the four primary ruins surrounding Cusco, including Sacsaywaman, Q'enko, Tambomachay and Puka Pukara.
As part of the tour you will receive the "Tourist Ticket" which can be used in your free time to visit a number of museums and other attractions in and around Cusco.
Day Three: Sacred Valley Tour and Overnight at Machu Picchu
Continue with fascinating tour of ancient Inca kingdom. Travel from Cusco on a bus down into the lush, green Sacred Valley. You will see traditional Peruvian arts center and private zoo along the way. Witness also Peru's ancient weaving tradition. Feed animals like alpaca and vicuņa after getting very close.
In the Sacred Valley, you will make your way to the village of Pisac and tour ancient archeological complex, then make your way to Pisac market. Travel further after that along the Valley and at the city of Urubamba, where you will stop for lunch. Urubamba is known as the 'Pearl of the Vilcanota'.
At the end of the valley, arrive in the tiny village of Ollantaytambo and take a brief tour of the ruins of the fortress town. From there, you will arrive in the Ollantaytambo train station and catch a ride to Aguas Caliente, a village right on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest and literally at the foot of the mystical Machu Picchu Mountain. You will arrive in Aguas Caliente at around 4:30pm. Check into a hotel and enjoy the evening walking around the village. The village has many restaurants. Venture into one of them and enjoy dinner. You can also take a hot water bath in the local hot springs.
Day Four: Machu Picchu
Today, you will visit Machu Picchu, the highlight of the tour. Get up early for that and enjoy breakfast at the hotel. You will then ride to Machu Picchu, about 20 minutes on a bus. You will begin the tour with the Inca Guard House to watch the sunrise over Machu Picchu.
Then enjoy two hours of guided tour of the ancient ruins. At the end of the tour, there'll be time for those wanting to climb the top of Huayna Picchu - the pointy mountain overlooking Machu Picchu. Alternatively, you can hike to Inti Punktu ('Sun Gate'), which is the last point on the Inca Trail. There is also a hike to the Temple of the Moon, or you can go back down to Aguas Calients to do some shopping and relax in the hot springs.
At 3:30, take a train back to Cusco and arrive at 7:30 pm to finish the tour.
