Enjoy the best of Peru with this memorable seven-day tour from Lima to Cusco. Visit beautiful colonial cities, see the legacy of ancient civilisations, and admire some of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet. Meet the descendants of the Incas, the indigenous camelids of the Andes, and go on a pilgrimage to the mountain peaks to visit the magnificent citadel and mountain of Machu Picchu. Join this fantastic tour and catch a glimpse of Peru´s natural beauty, history, and culture.
Inclusions & Exclusions
✔ Bus Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes.
✔ Train Ollanta/Aguas Calientes/Ollanta
✔ Coricancha Temple, Cathedral, Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay in Cusco
✔ Lunch
✔ Breakfast
✔ Private transfers from and to the airport
✔ 6 nights accomodation
✔ Shared transfers from and to the train stations
✔ All the visits mentioned in the above itinerary: Casa Aliaga, Cathedral and Larco Museum in Lima
✔ Operated with bilingual Spanish and English-speaking local guides
✔ Two nights of accommodation in Lima, three nights in Cusco and one night in Aguas Calientes
✔ Moray, Maras, Awanakancha, Pisac Market and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
✔ on selected hotels
✔ Daily breakfast at the hotel and lunch on day 5 in the Sacred Valley and in day 6 in Aguas Calientes
✖ Expenses of a personal nature. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages during meals.
✖ Meals not stated in the program
✖ Tips for driver and guide
✖ Additional optional visits
✖ International flights to Peru
✖ Domestic flights (we advise booking the first flights in the morning)
✖ International and domestic airport departure taxes.
Pickup Locations
1. J Chavez Intl Airport
Additional Info: Arrive at Lima Airport where our representative will be waiting for you to transfer you to the hotel in Lima.
Itinerary
Day 1 : ARRIVAL LIMA
1
Arrive at Lima Airport where our representative will be waiting for you to transfer you to the hotel in Lima. Have the rest of the day at leisure to get to know the city. The Peruvian capital is a modern metropolis full of history and the home of approximately 10 million inhabitants. The city is currently undergoing an exciting process of cultural and economic changes.
Overnight in selected hotel in Lima on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Duration: 12 hours
Day 2 : LIMA
1
Start your day with a tasty breakfast at the hotel. Then, explore Lima’s old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site packed with fascinating historic buildings. Begin with a scenic tour in the colonial core and appreciate the grandiose architecture of the Spanish Empire. Stroll over to the impressive Cathedral, and visit the Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion granted in 1535 by chief conquistador Francisco Pizarro to one of his captains, Jerónimo de Aliaga. This is the only house from that time still belonging to the same family. Continue to the Larco Museum, located in the traditional Pueblo Libre district and housed in a beautifully restored viceregal mansion built over a seventh-century pre-Columbian pyramid. The museum boasts the most complete pre-Hispanic collection of gold and silver artefacts, as well as pieces of erotic art.
Overnight in selected hotel in Lima on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Duration: 12 hours
Day 3 : LIMA – CUSCO (90 mins’ flight time)
1
After a tasty breakfast, enjoy a comfortable transfer from your hotel to Lima Airport to catch a flight to Cusco. Domestic flight from Lima to Cusco must arrive not later than 10:30hrs. Noon arrivals are too late. A representative will meet and greet you, and then transfer you to the selected hotel in Cusco. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of this charming city, which was the capital of the Inca Empire. The tour starts with a visit to Santo Domingo Convent, a large Renaissance-baroque complex, which was built over the Inca Coricancha temple. It was one of the most important temples dedicated to worshipping of the sun and its foundations are still prominent at the base of the convent. Ancient chronicles say the temple was covered in gold leaf and filled with golden representations of nature.Then, visit the Cathedral, the most imposing monument of the Main Square. Head to the hills above Cusco to visit the remains of the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, whose imposing ramparts offer a stunning panoramic view of Cusco, and the ruins of the temple and amphitheatre of Qenqo, where it is believed the Incas practised agricultural rituals. Admire Qenqo and then finally visit Puka Pukara (‘Red fortress’ in Quechua) an Inca military complex located on a prominent hill. Its dwellings squares, bathrooms, aqueducts, walls, and towers can still be appreciated. Afterwards, return to your hotel. Your flight to Cusco is not included.
Overnight in selected hotel in Cusco on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Duration: 12 hours
Day 4 : CUSCO – MORAY – MARAS – SACRED VALLEY (75 km – 2 hrs)
1
Sacred Valley
Depart after breakfast at the hotel, heading along the Sacred Valley towards the archaeological site of Moray, approximately an hour and a half away. As with many Inca ruins, its exact function remains a mystery though the design of ever-wider concentric circular terraces means each level had a different microclimate. Continue to Maras, where the salt ponds create a dazzling scene. The thousands of small ponds give work to and help feed many local families. During Inca times, the salt deposits were an important economic centre and of great value to the imperial economy. After the tour, transfer to your hotel in Sacred Valley.
Overnight in Sacred Valley on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Duration: 12 hours
Day 5 : SACRED VALLEY – CHINCHERO – OLLANTAYTAMBO – SACRED VALLEY (115 km – 2.5 hrs)
1
Sacred Valley
After breakfast, visit the town of Chinchero, a traditional Cusco urban centre with a beautiful view of the valley. Here the artisan traditions and inherited knowledge of the Incas are preserved in the local clothes and customs. Chinchero also has archaeological remains and a beautiful 17th-century church, one of the first Catholic buildings in Peru. Then go discover the Living Museum of Yucay, an Andean traditions centre where textile work, adobe, pottery and silverware are all manufactured as they were in antiquity. Residents of the museum include llamas, sheep and alpacas, and they can be fed! Later have lunch in Ollantaytambo and live a superior Andean gastronomy experience in a restaurant that conveys the true spirit of the Sacred Valley in a cosy atmosphere. Then visit the town of Ollantaytambo, uninterruptedly inhabited since the time of the Incas, and climb to the iconic fortress built next to a mountain.
Overnight in Sacred Valley on a bed-and-breakfast basis. Lunch included.
Duration: 12 hours
Day 6 : SACRED VALLEY – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO (200 km – 4 hrs)
1
Enjoy breakfast transfer to the Ollanta Station to board the train to Aguas Calientes. Here you will 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. The Spaniards never found it, so it was spared the destruction they wrought on other Inca sites. 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, and the Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Towers, the Sacred Sun Dial and the Burial Grounds. Return to Aguas Calientes for lunch at the famous Café Inkaterra, a beautiful thatched-roof restaurant hemmed in between the railway and a mountain. In the afternoon, transfer to the Aguas Calientes station to take the train back to the Ollanta station, from where you will be taken to your hotel in Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco on bed and breakfast basis. Lunch included.
Duration: 12 hours
Day 7 : DEPART CUSCO
1
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Cusco airport to catch your return flight to Lima. A representative will assist you along the way.
Breakfast included.
Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Additional info
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Rates do not apply to Peruvians or residents with more than 60 days of stay. If passengers are Peruvians or exceed 60 days of stay, sale taxes (18%) will be collected by our local operator
• Please note that Check In in most hotels begins at 1:00 p.m. Clients will be subject to the availability of the room if they arrive before, waiting in the hotel lobby
• If your trip includes the visit to high altitude cities such as Cusco and Puno located at more than 3400 meters (11 200 feet above sea level), do not forget to take precautions in order to avoid altitude sickness. Passengers who have heart problems or high blood pressure should check with their doctor before travelling
• Upon arrival is recommended to rest for few hours, drink coca tea and eat lightly. As a reference Machu Picchu is located at 2400 meters (8 000 feet above sea level)
• During the months of December and March (rainy season), we will include the visit to Chinchero, town of Maras and chicherías (local corn beer factory), instead of Las Salineras. Also, during these months, you have the option to replace this tour with a visit to the South Valley
• We reserve the right to change itineraries and activities due to weather conditions, technical problems or security reasons
• IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW ENTRANCE REGULATIONS TO MACHU PICCHU The current restrictions on visits to Machu Picchu allow a maximum stay of 4 hours in the citadel accompanied by a guide during the first entry. If the visitor tours an alternate route (Mountain Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu) the passenger will have 3 hours to for this purpose, additional to the 4 hours in the citadel. If the passenger wishes to enter the citadel again during the afternoon shift or the next day, he must acquire previously an additional ticket to enter in the new shift. There is no ticket sale in the archaeological zone. The following objects are not permitted on the tour: professional cameras that require lights and tripods or equipped with telephoto lenses weighing more than 2 kilos (special authorization and an additional fee are required), drones, selfie sticks, sprays, high heels, walking sticks without rubber tips, banners and posters, sharp objects and backpacks that surpass the following dimensions: 40cm x 35 cm x 20 cm.
• NEW PLASTIC REGULATION: Following the prohibition of bringing single-use plastic items into the 76 natural parks and reserves, including Machu Picchu, it is important to carry reusable bottles. Lima Tours has installed a water refilling point in our office in Aguas Calientes.
• INSTRUCTIONS Domestic flight from Lima to Cusco must arrive not later than 10:30hrs. Noon arrivals are too late. Carry the same document that you presented to the agency, given that the train tickets and entrance to Machu Picchu will be issued with the same information In all train services to Machu Picchu, the passenger can carry only hand luggage (backpack, bag or briefcase) weighing no more than 5kg / 11lb on the train to / from Machu Picchu. You will find your luggage at the chosen hotel. Allowed size: 62 linear inches 157cm (height + length + width).
• What do I need to bring? Comfortable and light clothing is recommended for visiting the coastal areas of Peru, while for the high Andean area the use of warm clothing is recommended. It is not recommended that visitors wear sleeveless shirts, shorts, short skirts or short clothes when visiting religious temples or official buildings. Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay.
