Grand Peru Circuit

Ballestas Islands, Ica and Huacachina

You leave at 5:00 a.m. with a box breakfast and travel about 3 hours to Paracas Bay, with a stop to try handmade empanadas (at your own expense). From the El Chaco pier you go by boat to the Ballestas Islands, with sea lions, penguins, seabirds, and the Candelabra.

In Ica you have time for lunch on your own, then a tasting of pisco and local wines. In the afternoon, at the Huacachina Oasis (403 m), you ride dune buggies up the dunes and sandboard down. At the end of the day we take you to Nazca, where you spend the night.

Overnight: Nazca

Nazca Flight and Bus to Arequipa

After breakfast we pick you up for the airfield. After an informational briefing you board the small plane to see the Nazca Lines (520 m) from the air for about 35 minutes. Then you have free time.

Around 2:10 p.m. you take the bus at the Nazca Terrapuerto to Arequipa, arriving around 11:55 p.m. There we meet you and take you to your hotel.

Overnight: Arequipa

Arequipa at Your Pace and Santa Catalina Monastery

You have the day free to explore Arequipa (2,335 m) at your own pace: the main square and its white sillar buildings, and queso helado, the city's traditional dessert.

We give you tickets to the Santa Catalina Monastery so you can visit the convent whenever you prefer.

Overnight: Arequipa

Arequipa – Chivay: Volcano Lookout and Hot Springs

At 7:30 a.m. you leave for the Colca by the Yura road, skirting Chachani, and cross the Pampa Cañahuas, in the Aguada Blanca and Salinas National Reserve, where vicuñas live. You pass the Tocra wetlands and stop at the volcano lookout, the highest point on the route (4,800 m).

Around 1:30 p.m. you reach Chivay (3,635 m), check in, and have lunch. In the afternoon you relax at the La Calera hot springs, with waters of 35 to 38 °C, and at night you have dinner with a folk show.

Overnight: Chivay (Colca)

Cruz del Cóndor and Bus to Puno

At 7:00 a.m. you go to the Cruz del Cóndor lookout (3,800 m), where you see the depth of the canyon and Andean condors in flight. On the way back you stop at the villages of Pinchollo, Maca, and Yanque, with their colonial churches, and at the Choquetico and Antahuilque lookouts, with pre-Inca and Inca terraces.

At midday you have a buffet lunch and then travel by bus to Puno (3,827 m), where you settle in to rest.

Overnight: Puno

Lake Titicaca: Uros and Night in Amantaní

At 7:30 a.m. we take you to the pier. First you visit the floating Uros islands (3,810 m), where they explain how they build their islands and totora boats. If you wish, you can take an optional 20-minute ride in one of their boats.

Then you sail to Amantaní Island (4,150 m), where a local family welcomes you with a traditional lunch. In the afternoon you walk to the Pachata and Pachamama temples. Then you have dinner and, weather permitting, join a show with the islanders. You sleep at the family's home.

Overnight: Family home on Amantaní

Taquile and Overnight Bus to Cusco

In the morning you sail to Taquile Island (3,950 m) and walk about 35 minutes to the village. You learn about its customs and its textile art, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, have lunch with a view of the lake, and walk through its stone arches before returning to Puno.

In the evening we take you to the terminal to catch the overnight bus to Cusco, departing around 10:00 p.m.

Overnight: Overnight bus Puno – Cusco

Arrival in Cusco and City Tour

We meet you at the Cusco terminal (3,399 m) and take you to your hotel, where you have a coca mate to begin acclimatizing and we give you a briefing on the trip details.

At 12:45 p.m. we pick you up for the city tour: the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, the Qorikancha or Temple of the Sun, and, on the outskirts, Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay. You return to the city around 6:30 p.m.

Overnight: Cusco

Sacred Valley and Night in Aguas Calientes

At 7:30 a.m. we pick you up to tour the Sacred Valley. You stop at the Taray lookout (3,200 m), visit the Pisaq archaeological complex and its craft market, and follow the Vilcanota River to Urubamba, where you have a buffet lunch.

In the afternoon you tour Ollantaytambo (2,792 m), one of the last living Inca towns, with its archaeological complex and stone streets. From its station you take the train to Aguas Calientes, where you spend the night.

Overnight: Aguas Calientes

Machu Picchu and Return to Cusco

After breakfast you go up by bus from Aguas Calientes (2,040 m) to Machu Picchu (2,430 m). With your guide you walk through the citadel for about 2 hours, depending on the route of your ticket, with explanations of its history and architecture.

You go down by bus to Aguas Calientes and have free time. In the afternoon you take the train to Ollantaytambo, and from there tourist transport to Cusco.

Overnight: Cusco

Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)

You leave Cusco at 4:30 a.m. for Cusipata, where you have breakfast at a buffet. From Phulawasipata (4,600 m) you walk about 1 h 30 min to the Rainbow Mountain lookout (Vinicunca, 5,200 m), among llamas and alpacas, with a view of the Ausangate range.

After the guide's explanation and time for photos, you go down the same way, have lunch in Cusipata, and return to Cusco. You arrive around 5:00 p.m.

Overnight: Cusco

Maras, Moray and Chinchero

At 8:10 a.m. we pick you up at your hotel to visit the circular terraces of Moray (3,500 m), an Inca agricultural center, and the Maras salt pans, with more than 3,000 salt ponds worked since before the Incas.

You end in Chinchero with a demonstration of Andean weaving and natural dyeing. You return to Cusco around 2:30 p.m. The afternoon is free.

Overnight: Cusco

Humantay Lake

You leave at 4:30 a.m. for Mollepata (2,900 m), where you have breakfast at an Andean buffet, and continue by transport to Soraypampa (3,900 m). From there you walk about 1 h 45 min, at a moderate pace, to Humantay Lake (4,200 m).

After the guide's explanation and time for photos, you go down the same way, have lunch in Mollepata, and return to Cusco. You arrive around 5:00 p.m.

Overnight: Cusco

Transfer to Cusco Airport

After breakfast, at the scheduled time, we take you to Cusco airport 2 hours before your flight. This is where our services end.