Itinerary Details
Upon your arrival, you will be welcomed by a Rahhalah representative who will transfer you to the hotel (located in Miraflores, the most beautiful and safest area of Lima, facing the Pacific Ocean). Spend the rest of the day relaxing or exploring your neighborhood at your own pace, before the group re-assembles in the evening for a welcome dinner. Accommodation in Lima: Casa Andina Select Miraflores – Superior Room or similar.
After breakfast, you will embark on an exploration of the capital city of Peru. You will start with a short visit to a local farmers’ market where you will learn about various Peruvian fruits, the country’s famous potatoes, local vegetables, fish, and other ingredients used in the local cuisine.
Afterwards, you will head to the City of the Kings to explore its beautiful monuments, including numerous colonial houses adorned with Moorish-style balconies, central Plazas like San Martin and Plaza de Armas, the baroque cathedral, the Governors’ Palace, the Archbishop's Palace with its big wood-carved balconies, and the convent of San Francisco: home to the largest collection of religious art in the Americas. Underneath the convent, there is a vast network of catacombs that served as a cemetery during the colonial period.
The tour will end with a visit to the famous “Park of Love” where you will enjoy stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.
Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the Miraflores parks at your own pace, checking the local, Peruvian Indian markets, or the chocolate museum. Accommodation in Lima: Casa Andina Select Miraflores – Superior Room or similar.
Early in morning, you will head to the airport for your flight to Cusco: the ancient capital of the Incas, perched on the mountains, at an altitude of 3,400 meters (11,155 feet) above sea level.
Upon your arrival there, you will be welcomed by your new local guides and will be driven to the Sacred Valley (located at an altitude of 2,870 meters (9,416 feet) above sea level) for an initial exploration and, above all, an adjustment to the altitude shock.
First, you will stop at the Awanacancha farm, where you will have the opportunity to feed Llamas and Alpacas, take pictures with them, learn how these stunning animals are the camels of the Andes, and explore the traditional, colorful textiles made by the Quechua weavers.
Second stop: the peaceful Quechua village of Pisac, an ideal place to immerse into the Quechua culture. You will spend time exploring its famous Peruvian Indian market and interacting with the Quechua families who sell unique handicraft and souvenirs, some of them wearing traditional outfits. Last but not least, you will taste the delicious, local empanadas baked in a wood-burning oven.
You will head to your hotel, where you can relax and enjoy a free afternoon. Accommodation in the Sacred Valley: Casa Andina Premium Valle Hotel – Superior Room or similar.
After an early breakfast, you will head to Pachar village: the starting point of your ziplining adventure in the Sacred Valley.
The Sacred Valley zip-line gives people of all ages the opportunity to fly over this magical and magnificent valley, in a safe and fun way. The zip line has 7 lines or cables, from 150mt to 700mt, for a total of 2800mt. You will start with a 30-40-minute hike, then you will have a small via Ferrata climb (four meters).
Each line is different from the other, so you will start with an easy and short one and the circuit will allow you to upgrade based on your zipline expertise. You will enjoy a three-hour zip-lining adventure before you head to your hotel. Accommodation in the Sacred Valley: Casa Andina Premium valley Hotel – Superior Room or similar.
Early in the morning, you will head to the train station to board the train that will take you to Km 104: the starting point of your hiking adventure (duration of the trip: around 1h40m).
Upon arrival at Km 104 (trailhead), you will cross the foot bridge over the Vilcanota River, pass the checkpoint (you need to show your passport), and start your hiking adventure on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Your first stop will be Chachabamba, considered an important Inca religious site and a guardhouse to control the access to Machu Picchu. Then, you will continue with a 4-hour uphill hike to Wiñaywayna Ruins: the largest and most amazing Inca site on the Inca Trail, where you will have enough time to explore its terraces and houses, while enjoying the magical scenery.
After a brief lunch break (box lunch), you will hike through the cloud-forest until the stone threshold of Inti Punku, known as “The Sun Gate,” located at an altitude of 2,745 meters (9,005 ft). It is a unique place to enjoy panoramic views of Machu Picchu. You will finally arrive in the “Hidden City” of Machu Picchu late in the afternoon, from where you will board the bus to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). Hiking details: Hiking distance: 11 kilometers (7 miles). Hiking time: 7 hours. Accommodation in Aguas Calientes: Casa Andina Standard Hotel – Superior Room.
Note that: *Aguas Calientes is located at an altitude of 2000 meters (6,562 ft) above sea level. *Machu Picchu is located at an altitude of 2400 meters (7,874 feet) above sea level.
After breakfast, you will return to Machu Picchu by bus (a 25-min drive) to enjoy a private tour (around 2.5 hours) around the remains of the ancient city.
During the tour, you will explore this impressive Inca city and learn about its history, who lived there, how it was discovered in modern times and why the Spaniards never found it. You will finally have some free time to enjoy the site by yourself, cherishing its ambience and energy.
Once your finish, you will board again the bus to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) for lunch and some free time before you board the vista dome train back to Ollantaytambo (duration of the ride: around 1.5 hours).
Upon your arrival at the Ollantaytambo station, you will be welcomed by the driver who will take you to Cusco (altitude: 3,385m).
Accommodation in Cusco: Casa Andina Premium Cusco Hotel – Superior Room or similar.
Early in the morning you, you will drive to Phulawasipata (a 3-hour drive), from where you will embark on a new hiking adventure at the foot of the Ausangate mountain. Your target is to reach the highest point of Rainbow Mountain (altitude: 5,200m), while enjoying on the way amazing landscapes and the presence of different types of South American camelids.
At the top, you will have time to take pictures and relax before hiking back to Phulawasipata and, from there, driving to Cusipata for lunch. In the afternoon, you will head back to Cusco. Hiking details: Hiking distance:7 km (4 miles). Hiking time: 4 hours. Summit elevation: 5,200 meters (17,060 feet) above sea level. Accommodation in Cusco: Casa Andina Premium Cusco Hotel – Superior Room or similar.
After a leisurely morning, you will embark on a private tour around Cusco, which has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You will start with a walk to the main attractions of the city, such as its main square Plaza de Armas and the Cusco Cathedral built in 1559 and hosting an impressive collection of more than 400 paintings from the 16th and 17th century artistic style known as “Cusco school”. Next, you walk through the narrow Inca streets close to the Plaza and appreciate the massive Inca walls which are the foundations of city. You will also visit one of the most impressive Inca temples: Koricancha, known as the Temple of the Sun. During the Inca times, the walls of this temple were lined in sheets of solid gold and its courtyard was decorated with statues and ornaments made of gold as well. Finally, you will stop at the Santo Domingo Church built by the Spanish colonists.
After exploring Cusco, you will head to Sacsayhuaman: an amazing Inca fortress with perfectly fitted walls made of massive stones. You will delve further into the Inca culture as you continue to Qenko, a site of carved living rock, Puca Pucara, an Inca lodging site, and finally Tambo Machay, known as the Baths of the Inca. You will end the day enjoying amazing panoramic views of Cusco and its surrounding area. Estimated guided tour time: 4 hours. Accommodation in Cusco: Casa Andina Premium Cusco Hotel – Superior Room or similar.
Enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your own pace, before the group re-assembles in the evening for a farewell dinner. Accommodation in Cusco: Casa Andina Premium Cusco Hotel – Superior Room or similar.
After an early breakfast, you will head to the airport to fly back to Lima and, from there, catch your flight back home.
Note: it is recommended that your international flight departs after 6 pm.
Optional Amazon Extension (3 days)
After an early breakfast, you will head, once more, to the airport, to board your flight to Puerto Maldonado.
Upon your arrival at Puerto Maldonado, you will be welcomed by the local Rahhalah guide who will take you to the Refugio Amazonas Lodge office where you will register, leave the excess luggage in a safe deposit and then depart for the Tambopata River Port (in Infierno), to take the boat to the Refugio Amazonas Lodge (inside the Tambopata Reserve). During your boat trip, you will enjoy a box lunch. Estimated boat-ride time: 2.5 hrs. When at Refugio Amazonas, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you on important navigation and security tips.
After dinner, you will enjoy a caiman search, walking by the river’s edge, scanning the banks with headlamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection on the caiman eyes. Accommodation: Refugio Amazonas Lodge - Superior Room (or similar).
After breakfast, you will paddle around the Oxbow Lake on a canoe or catamaran, looking for lakeside wildlife such as hoatzin, caiman, and horned screamers, hoping to see otters and macaws as well.
Afterwards, you will go on a 30-min walk towards the 25-meter scaffolding canopy tower. The tower has been built on high ground, allowing stunning 360-views of the rainforest up until the Tambopata National Reserve. From there you will see toucans, macaws and raptors.
After lunch, you will visit a farm owned and managed by Don Manuel from the community of Condenado. He grows a variety of popular and exotic Amazon crops and will introduce you to the mysteries of the local flora.
Late in the afternoon, you will enjoy an ethnobotanical tour packed with interesting information about the variety of plants and trees (like Ajo-Sacha, Yuca de Venado, Uña de Gato, Charcot-Sacha, Para-Para, to name but a few) that are used by the local population for medicinal purposes.
After dinner, there will be a presentation about the ecotourism projects in the Tambopata National Reserve. Accommodation: Refugio Amazonas Lodge - Superior Room (or similar).
After breakfast, you will head to the airport of Puerto Maldonado to fly to Lima (after retrieving your luggage from the Refugio Amazonas Lodge), and, from there, catch your flight back home. Note: it is recommended that your international departure flights should be after 7-8 pm.
