Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lake Titicaca Tour

Arrival at Jorge Chávez, Lima international airport. 

Welcome by our local English-speaking staff. 

Transfer to your hotel located in the residential and shopping district of Miraflores, overlooking the Pacific ocean (1 hour). 

Free evening. 

Overnight at your hotel in Lima. 

City tour by car around Miraflores upmarket district, famous for its 'Malecon' (the strand) and Larcomar, the huge iconic shopping center overlooking the ocean. 

Drive along the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site before heading to Lima's historical center (30 min). 

The city founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, still features many invaluable colonial buildings along the main square (the Plaza Mayor) and the nearby streets. 

Discover Lima's Cathedral, the Government Palace and the San Francisco Convent among many other impressive colonial buildings. 

In the afternoon, transfer to Lima airport (40 min to 1 hour) for your flight to Cusco (1 hour 15 min). 

Arrival in Cusco (11,152 ft - 3400 m) where you will be welcome by your local driver and guide. Transfer to your hotel in the Sacred Valley (1 hour 30min). 

Free evening.

Overnight at your hotel in the Sacred Valley. 

In the morning, drive from your hotel to the village of Pisac (1 hour) famous for its Sunday market where many indigenous Quechua communities meet to sell and trade their goods. 

The rest of the week, the whole place is bustling with a large handicraft and souvenir market. You will have time to search for jewellery, ponchos, hats, traditional music instruments, ceramics, alpaca products and many other typical Andean crafts  (1 hour 30 min). 

Visit Pisaqa, Intihuatana, Q’allaqasa, and Kinchiracay. (1 hour 30 min). All 4 places are part of an Inca site on the nearby hill at an altitude of 10,980 feet (3345 m). 

The hill was shaped during Inca times by carving ingenious terraces that are still used for agriculture to this day. 

With military, religious, and agricultural structures, the site was an important and busy place for the Inca empire. 

In the afternoon, transfer to Ollantaytambo, a fortified city built during the reign of Pachacutec, the most powerful Inca emperor. 

Explore this quaint settlement with an interesting orthogonal layout (30 min). 

Climb the Temple Hill known as the fortress to learn about the purpose of those inca constructions (1 hour 30 min). 

Transfer to Ollantaytambo train station (5 min). 

Board the comfortable train that will take you to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu (1 hour 30 min). 

Arrival in Aguas Calientes by late afternoon, walk to your hotel for check-in (5 min). 

Free evening. 

Overnight at your hotel in Aguas Calientes. 

Your passport is required to enter the Machu Picchu site. You have the option to get a 'Machu Picchu' stamp in your passport if you wish. 

Today might be THE day you have been expecting from the moment you landed on Peruvian soil as you will finally enter the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu. 

Your private guide will meet you and walk you to the bus station (5 min) to hop on a bus to the entrance of the archaeological site. 

Enjoy the impressive 20-minute drive up the hill to the Machu Picchu site at 7,972 feet (2430 m). The abandoned stronghold was rediscovered in 1911 by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham, Macchu Picchu is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Learn about every secret this ancient Inca citadel holds and grab every opportunity to take amazing photographs (3 to 4 hours). 

Take the bus back to Aguas Calientes (20 min) and board the train back to Ollantaytambo (1 hour 30 min). 

Transfer to your hotel in Cusco (1 hour 30 min). 

Free evening. 

Overnight at your hotel in Cusco. 

In the morning, you will meet your guide for a city tour of Cusco including the visit of the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral and the Korikancha, the original Temple of the Sun. 

Drive to the hills of Cusco to explore the archaeological sites of Sacsayhuamán, Q’enqo, PukaPukara and Tambomachay. 

Transfer back to your hotel or to the city centre (20 min). 

Afternoon at leisure to explore the Spanish colonial city known to the Inca as the 'belly button of the world'. 

Stroll around numerous plazas, shops selling incredible art and crafts or visit the great Pre-Columbian Museum MAP (not included). 

Free evening to discover Cusco's vibrant nightlife. We recommend the lively pisco bar La Republica del Pisco. 

Overnight at your hotel in Cusco. 

Early morning transfer from your hotel to the bus station (10 min) where you will board a premium tour bus to Cusco (10 hours). 

Drinks and snacks are included for the day-long trip during which you will visit four exciting sites. 

First stop at  the incredible church of San Pedro Apostol of Andahuaylillas known as the 'Andean Sistine Chapel' (30 min). 

Second stop at Raqchi, a former Inca stronghold on the edge of the Empire that served administrative, economic and military purposes and hosted the unique Temple of Wiracocha (40 min).  

Third stop at La Raya pass, the highest point on the journey at 14,222 feet (4335 m), the border between the provinces of Puno and Cusco, and the transition between the Aymara and Quechua cultures (5 to 10 min). 

Final stop at the lithic museum of Pukara, a small town named after a pre-Inca civilization that left behind considerable stone statues and a distinctive pottery art. 

Late in the afternoon, arrival in Puno (12,560 ft - 3828 m), a culturally-rich town on the shores of Lake Titicaca. 

Free evening. 

Overnight at your hotel in Puno. 

Transfer to the lake's main pier (10 min) to board a shared motor boat. 

Today will be spent sailing Lake Titicaca and exploring two of its islands. 

With its 214 cubic miles (893 km³) of water and an altitude of 12,507 feet (3812 m), Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable lake in the world. 

According to Inca mythology, lake Titicaca is the birthplace of the sun, moon, stars, and first human beings. Many myths and legends still inhabitate those majestic dark-blue waters. 

A 20-minute boat ride will take you to one of the many floating islands called Uros. 

The Uro floating islands are built from the totora reed that grows particularly well in the shallows of the lake. 

You will be welcome by a local family that will showcase the versatility of the totora, used to build their houses, boats, crafts and even as a source of food. 

After a short visit of the main Uro island you will sail on to Taquile island (1 hour). 

Discover Taquile island, famous for its knitting and weaving tradition. 

You will learn about the numerous customs of the local Taquilenos who still live off the island's ressources, living and working in their traditional clothes on the century-old man-made terraces. 

Enjoy some free time to browse the high-quality handicrafts that are unique to the island and cannot be found anywhere else in Peru. The textile art is actually listed as a 'Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity' by the UNESCO. 

End of the afternoon, sail back to Puno (1 hour 30 min). 

Transfer from the pier to your hotel (10 min). 

Free evening in Puno. 

Overnight at your hotel in Puno. 

Transfer to Sillustani burial site (50 min). 

Towering over the beautiful Umayo Lagoon, lies the archeological site of Sillustani where funeral stone towers known as 'ayawasis' or 'chullpas' were used by the Collas and later by the Incas to preserve the bodies of their deceased rulers and chiefs (1 hour). 

Transfer to Juliaca airport (1 hour), flight to Lima (1 hour 30 min). 

Arrival at Lima airport to pick-up your luggage. 

Check-in assistance with your international flight. 

Departure.