Upon arriving in the city of Lima, you will be welcomed by one of our representatives, who will give you a brief introduction to the city and our services while in route to the hotel.
You will have the afternoon free.
Explore the modern and colonial city of Lima on a half-day tour of one of the most exciting cities in Latin America. Full of intense life, Lima was founded in the 16th-Century by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro and is known as the “City of Kings.”
At the center of the viceroyalty, you will observe all the main attractions of downtown Lima and explore the Larco Museum where you will discover the gold and jewels of old Peru.
Start at the Love Park in Miraflores for spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Then continue to the Huaca Pucllana, ceremonial center of Lima culture. Later you will visit San Isidro, the financial center of the city, and take a walk in Olive Grove Park.
Visit the main square of Plaza Mayor, where the Government Palace and Town Hall are located. You will also visit the Cathedral to view the handsome colonial façade. Other major attractions include the Convent of San Francisco, built in the 17th-Century and home to the mysterious catacombs. Enter if you dare!
A highlight will be the Larco Museum, set in an 18th-Century mansion built on top of a pre-Colombian pyramid of the 7th-Century. Observe the myriad treasures exhibited at one of the world’s most prestigious museums for gold and silver.
Don’t miss the warehouse and the exclusive collection of pre-Columbia erotic ceramics, one of South America’s most popular attractions.
At the end of the tour you will have a broad knowledge of the capital of Peru setting you up for further exploration, or giving you a comprehensive overview if you are pushed for time.
Remaining day at your leisure.
At the scheduled time you will be transported to the airport to board the flight to Trujillo.
Upon arriving in the city of Trujillo, you will be welcomed by one of our representatives, who will give you a brief introduction to the city and our services while being transported to the hotel.
You will get your first taste of the architectural richness of colonial Trujillo as you admire the magnificent Plaza de Armas (Main Square), considered one of the largest and most beautiful squares in the country. Surrounding the square are the Cathedral and various Colonial and Republican mansions, notable for their wrought-iron windows and beautifully decorated porticoes.
The center of the square is dominated by the Monumento a La Libertad (Freedom Monument). Your tour will continue with a stroll down calle Pizarro (Pizarro Street), until you reach La Casa de la Emancipación (House of the Emancipation), a Republican Neoclassical architectural treasure.
You will have the rest of the afternoon free.
You will begin your tour of the region by visiting the remaining traces of the ancient Mochica, an important culture that achieved unmatched levels of sophistication in the Americas. You will visit the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Sun and Moon Pyramids), considered the most important Mochica ceremonial center in the region. Explore the interior of the Moon Pyramid and admire its amazing reliefs of the many Mochica anthropomorphic deities, expertly carved into the walls by the pyramid’s builders.
Upon visiting the site’s museum, you will bear witness to the Moche people’s great artistic sensibility, reflected in their textile, ceramic, metal, and wooden creations.
After visiting the pyramid, you will move on to the workshop of a local artisan. Here, you will have a chance to observe the thousand-year-old techniques once used by the ancient inhabitants of the valley to produce works of ceramics, leather, and wood.
You will continue your journey through northern Peru’s pre-Colombian history as you visit Chan Chan (meaning ‘Sun-Sun’), the social and administrative center of the Chimú civilization. Built on an area of roughly eight square miles (20 sq. km), Chan Chan came to be home to a population of around 100,000 people.
After finishing this tour, you will make your way to Trujillo’s best-known seaside resort, Huanchaco. Here, since pre-Hispanic times, intrepid fishermen have braved the ocean’s waves in crude vessels made from totora reeds (an aquatic reed native to the Americas), which were named “seahorses” by the Spanish upon their arrival. Nowadays, Huanchaco is heavily trafficked by surfing enthusiasts and lovers of great seafood called Ceviche. You will stop to eat at a local restaurant. You will have the rest of the afternoon free.
The first destination will be the Complejo Arqueológico Huaca Rajada (Cracked Pyramid Archeological Complex), a funerary complex located 22 miles (35 km) from the city of Chiclayo, where the tomb of one of the Moche ruling elite, the Señor de Sipán (Lord of Sipán), was found. Next, you will visit the Museo Tumbas Reales (Royal Tombs Museum), which was built specifically to house the greatest archeological discovery of recent times: the tomb of the Lord of Sipán. Its amazing pieces of unsurpassed beauty made of gold, silver, and precious stones, as well as the exquisitely produced ceramics, will make your visit here unforgettable.
After enjoying the excellent cuisine at a local restaurant, you will continue your tour by visiting the Pirámides de Túcume (Túcume Pyramids), a magnificent complex of 26 adobe pyramids that once formed part of an extensive urban center, perhaps once the capital of the realm of Sicán. You will visit the Museo de Sitio (on-site museum), move on to the Huaca Larga (Long Pyramid), the most important of the complex, and then climb up until you reach the lookout point on Cerro La Raya (Stingray Hill), where you will enjoy a spectacular view of the entire valley.
Return to the hotel.
At the scheduled departure time, you will be met by the transportation service and escorted to the airport to board the flight back to Lima.
Upon arrival in Lima, our representative will be at the airport and will escort you to the hotel located in the airport.
Overnight at Lima airport hotel.
At the scheduled departure time, you will be met by the transport service and escorted to the airport.Upon arriving in the city of Cuzco, you will be welcomed by one of our representatives, who will give you a brief introduction to the city and our services while en route to the hotel.
You will be free for the rest of the morning so that you can adjust to the altitude.
History-filled alleys, churches, walls and archeological treasures await you in the magnificent Incan capital.
OPTIONAL: Cuzco City Tour
13:15 See this magical city, capital of the Inca Empire (15th Century) on a tour that includes the Main Square, the cathedral, Santo Domingo monastery, the legendary Korikancha temple and a stop at San Cristobal for a panoramic view of the city. Then, in the outskirts you will see the Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman, an impressively designed fortress built of huge stone blocks, Qenqo ceremonial and ritual center, the amphitheater where sacrifices were held and Tambomachay a temple dedicated to a water cult. Return to Cuzco and a brief stop at Plaza Regocijo and the Main Square to visit the cathedral, the principal church of the Diocese of Cuzco. At the end of the visit, transport to your hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel. Early in the morning our guided visit to the Sacred Valley will take place. We will start the tour departing through the fertile countryside, arriving to the colonial town of Pisac, where a colorful market will welcome us. We will continue our route through the valley, passing by typical towns, until we reach the archaeological province of Urubamba to try a delicious lunch buffet. After we will visit an ancient but enigmatic Ollantaytambo Fortress located in a typical Inca town, composed by numerous temples and terraces. This archaeological complex is one of the biggest monumental that the Inca have ever done.”
Overnight at the Sacred Valley
On the second day, you will visit the Santuario Histórico de Machu Picchu (Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu). Aboard a comfortable train, you will depart for the Aguas Calientes Station, enjoying a spectacular view along the way. Upon arrival, you will board a bus that will take you to the entrance gate of the citadel of Machu Picchu. Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham more than a century ago, Machu Picchu is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Its architectural beauty, spectacular natural landscapes and the energy held in its enigmatic structures will take your breath away. You will follow in the footsteps of the ancient Incans as you explore this magical citadel along with your guide. After the tour, you will stop at a local restaurant for lunch. Time permitting you will be able to head back to the site for a second visit.
At the scheduled time, you will be picked up and taken to Aguas Calientes, where you will return to the your hotel.
Dinner and spend the night in Aguas Calientes.
Your morning will be free. You will have the option of visiting the citadel again on your own, if you like. If you are feeling adventurous, you can climb Huayna Picchu*, where you can visit the Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon). At the scheduled time, you will board the return train at Aguas Calientes Station. Upon your arrival at the station just outside of Cuzco, a private transport service will be waiting to take you back to your hotel in the city.
*Please keep in mind that there is a maximum daily number of visitors allowed to climb Huayna Picchu. It is essential that you buy your entry ticket in advance.