Peru Machu Picchu and the Land of the Incas

Fly to Lima where your private guide will meet you for a private transfer to your hotel. We’ll get you out of the airport and downtown as quickly as possible for a time to relax and get ready for the adventure. Stay at Hotel B, a simple name for an elegant boutique hotel set in a historic art deco mansion.Meals included: None
Accommodation: Hotel B

See the historic centre of Lima on a private tour with an expert guide. The historic downtown area has a Spanish colonial appearance with grand mansions and government buildings and you can visit the San Francisco Monastery and descend into the eerie crypt. Visit Casa Aliaga, one of the oldest Spanish houses in the Americas dating back to 1535 and in the same family.

At the Larco Museum, you can get an understanding of Peru from before the arrival of the Spanish. It’s not just a stuffy museum, you can see the collection of ancient erotic art. Lunch is also included here in the lovely courtyard of the hacienda.

Drive on back to your hotel, passing El Olivar park and stopping for Pacific Ocean views from the clifftops of Miraflores. You can hang out this afternoon with the ocean views by the Miraflores promenade or take high tea at Hotel B. For dinner we can give you some recommendations for traditional or trailblazing Peruvian restaurants, which have spread out from Lima around the world.

Fly to Cusco this morning and drive into the spectacular Andes mountains, heading into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This is the name given to the Urubamba River valley, which is scattered with ancient Inca and pre-Inca sites and traditional farming villages. We recommend getting straight into the Sacred Valley of the Incas today and coming back to Cusco later, as this is the best way to acclimatise to the altitude.

On the way into the valley, stop at Awanacancha textile centre where you can see the traditional Inca weaving skills. It’s also a place to stop and feed a few llamas!

A colourful introduction to the Andes mountains is to stop at Pisac market, where they trade textiles, clothing and also snacks. Grab yourself a bottle of bright yellow Inka Cola!!

Stop at Pisac ruins high on the hills above town. It’s one of the best-preserved Inca settlements with terraces climbing the steep mountainside and fantastic views of the valley you’ll be exploring.

Relax over a long lunch at a local farm and try the wonderfully tasty organic foods on offer. Visitors are amazed by the variety of potatoes and corns in Peru, of course, it’s where they come from, and you can have a wander in the cornfields.

Slowly make your way to Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba for a few nights in the Sacred Valley Of the Incas. Stay in an individual Casita room, it’s a place to revel in luxury and look out over an ancient land from a prime position.

Head out with your guide to explore the valley. You can imagine what this area will have been like before the Spanish arrived. It was the centre of a complex civilisation covering thousands of miles. Many people in the valley cling to their Inca roots and the culture of the Andes is being preserved in many ways. A private guide means that you can set your own timetable. Linger longer at a beautiful view or stop to pick up a souvenir of your time in the Inca lands.

Visit Maras Salt Pans, a simply astounding site where salt has been farmed on steep mountain slopes for thousands of years. At Moray, you will see circular pre-Inca farming terraces which create a series of micro-climates at these high altitudes. It’s amazing to ponder on the knowledge of farming here thousands of years ago. Your private guide will take you to a traditional settlement to meet speakers of the Andean language Quechua. Try a few phrases and see the villagers do a short play in the language, which was dying out but is now growing again.

Returning to the hotel later. You can treat yourself to a spa treatment in the beautiful surroundings of the mountainside garden.

Depart early to visit Ollantaytambo, the giant fortress at the end of the valley which saw a major battle between the Inca King Mango Kapac and Spanish Conquistadors. It’s an amazing feat of construction in a dramatic setting.

The drama and mystery continue in the afternoon. Take the first class train through the canyon of the Urubamba River and arrive in the valley below the fabled Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu probably needs no introduction, this lost city sitting precariously high in the Andes is one of the world’s most iconic images. On a private guided tour of the ruined city, you will hear stories on how it was built, and how ceremonial stones line up with the movement of the sun to amazing accuracy.

It’s well worth spending the night, as you have time to wander around on your own after many of the crowds have left. Take plenty of photos and just sit looking down on Machu Picchu and the sharp peak of Wayna Picchu in the background. It’s an experience to live long in the memory.

Take the chance to visit Machu Picchu as dawn breaks over the mountains. You can also take the trail up the slope of Wayana Picchu – the hill behind the city which you can see on all the photos. It’s a relatively challenging but do-able trail with some scrambling. The views from the top back down on the terraces are amazing. You can also see distant peaks, just beyond these ranges, the Andes descend into the Amazon Basin.

Return to Cusco in a stylish manner on the Belmond Hiram Bingham train. It’s an Orient Express experience in the high Andes. Dinner is served along with wine and cocktails as the train twists back through the darkening Sacred Valley of the Incas. It’s a wonderfully memorable way to toast a few days at one of the wonders of the world.

Arrive in Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, for a 2-night stay. Even your hotel has been built on a former Inca palace.

Have a lazy morning, after all that mountain air you’ll probably need it. Cusco is also a cool city to wander around. It’s a mix of Spanish colonial buildings and churches, built on top of the Inca city and you can see the old Inca walls. It’s now a melting pot of travellers, with pizzerias and cafes around the main square and the odd Irish bar!

Later take a private walking tour through the historic city to Sacsayhuaman. This is a ceremonial Inca site, where they used to hold the ceremonies to the Sun God. The way the stones fit together with no gaps is mind-blowing. You can also look down on the city from here, spreading out through the valley.

If you’re had your fill of Inca sites, you can instead join a hands-on Peruvian cooking class with a visit to the market.

Fly from Cusco to Lima to connect with your return international flight. If you have a bit more time, it’s a short hop for a few days in the Amazon rainforest in a small lodge or even a cruise on the Amazon River. Or fly up to Ecuador and cruise around the Galapagos Islands.

Fly over the Andes to Puerto Maldonado. The team from the lodge will meet you for the journey into the Amazon jungle. Travel for an hour or so down the Madre de Dios river. It’s not just any old transfer because you’ll be travelling into the protected rainforest which makes up part of the Tambopata National Reserve. The Madre de Dios River flows into the Amazon River far downstream.

Guests at Inkterra Reserva Amazonica stay in some of the most comfortable and well-appointed lodges in the Amazon Rainforest. Relax in a hammock on the verandah and listen to the sounds of the jungle. Escape midday heat in your private plunge pool, it’s certainly not roughing it and moreover you’re staying in the heart of the rainforest.

On the first afternoon, have time to wander the well-laid trail around the lodge, among huge trees, look out of monkeys or maybe even sloths. In the evening head out on a twilight river trip, when animals are most active and the evening light on the emerald jungle is captivating.

Each evening dinner is served using some of the unique flavours of the Amazon, not forgetting a pisco sour cocktail for an aperitif!

You can if you desire to rise at dawn for a guided walk into the jungle. At daybreak, the wildlife is at its most active and your guide will be able to pinpoint the tiniest movement such as rare frogs in the undergrowth.

Later in the morning head out in dugout canoes through mangroves to Lake Sandoval, where you might see giant river otters or perhaps a troop of howler monkeys. Their booming calls can be heard from miles away. Each day in the Amazon follows a pattern of early exploration, followed by a lazy lunch and later siesta time to enjoy the lodge. Then head out again in the afternoon and evening at the perfect time.

Not to be missed is the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, a series of hanging bridges and platforms almost 350 metres high above the tree line. This allows you to see different wildlife, particularly flocks of birds and see the jungle stretching far into the horizon. Enjoy a sundowner drink in ‘magic hour’ of the Amazon rainforest.

There’s even the possibility to sleep high above the jungle for the night in a treehouse cabin, for those who really want something unique.

Enjoy the early morning in the rainforest. The area around the lodge has over 500 recorded species of bird and you may wish to stay longer in this paradise.

Travel back upriver to Puerto Maldonado, stopping on the way at the Butterfly House. Fly to Lima to connect with your international flights.

Arrive home fresh from your Andes and Amazon adventure.