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Peru Holidays

Visit the Inca heartland to explore Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu fortress

13 Night Itinerary from  £3,245

Empire of the Sun Tour

Extended itinerary to explore the Inca Empire of the Sun including staying in the "Sacred Valley", Arequipa and taking the stunning train journeys to Machu Picchu and along magnificent Andean landscapes from Lake Titicaca to Cusco.

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Tour Route

Travel Highlights

  • Travel with expert local guides 
  • Explore iconic sites, across a region rich in history and Inca culture
  • Enjoy a tour of vibrant Lima and sample its world class culinary scene
  • Admire the beautiful 'White City' of Arequipa
  • Visit Lake Titicaca, home to small communities preserving their ancient traditions
  • Discover the hilltop Inca ruins and see rural Peruvian life in the Sacred Valley
  • Be guided around the historic streets of Cusco, former Inca capital
  • Marvel at Machu Picchu, the lost citadel of the Incas, hidden in lush cloud forest

This itinerary can be tailored to your preferences by our specialist advisors, who can provide a guaranteed price based on your choice of route, duration, flights, hotels, transport and excursions.

Tour Itinerary

Admire Lima's colonial architecture

Lima - 2 Nights

Day 1 - Fly to Lima 

Day 2 - Arrive and guided tour

Day 3 - Optional tours and excursions

  • Full Description
  • Accommodation

Tuesday, 19 March 2024

Fly to Lima

Depart the UK on an overnight flight to Lima.


Wednesday, 20 March 2024

Arrive in Lima and guided tour

Arrive in Lima in the morning and transfer to your chosen hotel for a 2-night stay including breakfast. In the afternoon, your guide will showcase the most fascinating places of interest in and around Lima, including the colonial history, architecture and Larco Herrera Museum.  


Thursday, 21 March 2024

Optional Tours and excursions

Today, enjoy a choice of optional guided tours, including: a tour to the Pachacamac ruins, a sacred and ceremonial site dating back to the beginnings of Christianity; a culinary tour of Lima by night; a full day visit and flight over the Nazca Lines - incredible geoglyph figures of animals, birds and geometric figures etched in the desert; a visit to the Paracas Islands; or a walking tour discovering Lima's wonderful array of street food.

 

Allpa

Lima - Tourist Hotel

This small contemporary hotel is located in the heart of Miraflores, with plenty of access to local conveniences such as restaurants and shops. The rooms are comfortable, spacious and modern although simple in character, and all with modern amenities such as WiFi, air conditioning and private facilities. The hotel has a bar and restaurant serving international dishes.

Accommodation is on a bed and breakfast basis.

Allpa Hotel

Casa Andina Select Miraflores

Lima - First Hotel

The 4* Casa Andina Select Miraflores Hotel is located near the Kennedy Park and a few minutes away from the main shopping centres and restaurants of Miraflores. It’s a hotel that combines a contemporary Andean design.

The air-conditioned superior rooms are well-appointed with private bathroom, hair dryer, coffee making facilities, safe, iron and other facilities. The hotel also offers room service, FREE Wi-Fi, sauna, Jacuzzi, lounge, bar and gym. The La Plaza & Grill restaurant offers a breakfast buffet and also a variety of dishes.

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Hotel "B"

Lima - Deluxe Hotel

A superbly renovated family house in the bohemian area Barranco, Arts Hotel "B" is a fusion of high-ceiling historical elegance and modern cultural sophistication. The rooms are spacious and elegant with modern amenties, some with balconies overlooking the boulevard or the square. The restaurant offers excellent modern Peruvian cuisine, providing the highest levels of service.

Accommodation is on a bed and breakfast basis.

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View of Arequipa

Arequipa - 2 Nights

Day 4 - Discover Arequipa

Day 5 - At leisure 

  • Full Description
  • Accommodation

Friday, 22 March 2024

Discover Arequipa

This morning we fly to Arequipa and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of the colonial centre of Arequipa, visiting the church of La Compania and colonial buildings including the Plaza de Armas and the grand Cathedral. We continue to the Santa Catalina Convent, established in 1579 and famed for its colourful maze of alleyways and rooms. These provide a fascinating insight into the way the nuns lived in the past. In fact, there are still some 20 nuns living there today


Saturday, 23 March 2024

At leisure

A full day to explore Arequipa at your leisure.

Posada Del Monasterio San Augustin

Arequipa - Tourist Hotel

In a perfect location in front of the Convent of Santa Catalina, the characterful San Agustin Posada del Monasterio Hotel is a traditional Sillar house dating back to the 18th century. It has been completely restored preserving its architectural heritage with modern touches.

The hotel has 46 rooms, a restaurant serving international and local dishes and a bar. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. 

Each room is air-conditioned with private bathroom, safe, hairdryer, telephone, TV and amenities.

The rates are on a bed and breakfast basis.

 

 

Hotel Posada Monasterio Arequipa

Casa Andina Select Arequipa

Arequipa - First Hotel

This historic hotel is located in front of the Plaza de Armas (the Main Square) of Arequipa and steps away from the main attractions of the city.

The hotel has 58 comfortable, air-conditioned rooms with private bathroom, FREE Wi-Fi, minibar, safe and flat screen TV.

The La Plaza & Grill restaurant offers a breakfast buffet and also a variety of dishes overlooking the Main Square. Other public facilities include a bar, spa and gym.  

Casa Andina Select Arequipa (4)
House on a floating island

Lake Titicaca - 2 Nights

Day 6 - Travel to Lake Titicaca

Day 7 - Boat excursion exploring Lake Titicaca

  • Full Description
  • Accommodation

Sunday, 24 March 2024

Travel to Lake Titicaca

We continue our journey overland, through the stunning Andean mountains, across the scenic landscapes of the altiplano to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where we will stay for 2 nights.


Monday, 25 March 2024

Boat excursion exploring Lake Titicaca

We explore the lake by boat visiting the Uros & Taquile Islands. The Uros natives set-up their home 500 years ago on islands of floating totora reeds which grow abundantly in the shallow waters of the lake. This traditional method is still used to create their boats, houses and islands. Afterwards we visit the beautiful and timeless island of Taquile, renowned for its fine weaving and vibrantly coloured clothes.

Libertador Hotel

Puno & Lake Titicaca - First Hotel

The Libertador Luxury Hotel is a beautiful and spacious hotel sets on the Esteves Island overlooking Lake Titicaca, the world´s highest navigable lake. All the rooms have a wonderful panoramic view, from where you can see the most beautiful sunrises. The hotel is located only 5 minutes from downtown Puno, 45 minutes from the airport in Juliaca, and 3 hours from the Bolivian border.

 

Boatman on Lake Titicaca

Casa Andina Premium

Puno & Lake Titicaca - First Hotel

The Casa Andina Premium, Puno is a few minutes’ walk outside of Puno city centre, including Lima Street which is very popular amongst tourists and locals alike.

The hotel lobby boasts a stone fireplace, ideal for warming up after being out in cold weather. It has 53 rooms, all with TV, FREE Wi-Fi, telephone, en-suite bathroom and mini-bar. The restaurant serves typical Andean cuisine.

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Titilaka Lodge

Puno & Lake Titicaca - Deluxe Lodge

Experience Lake Titicaca on a secluded private peninsula staying in a luxury lodge on the lake shore.

Titilaka Lodge features sumptuous lake view suites, intimate fireside dining, wraparound terraces, and a heated outdoor pool. A serene setting, surrounded by incomparably blue waters, graced with dramatic dawns and spectacular sunsets.

The lodge is all-inclusive, with 18 suites and includes private transport to and from the airport in Juliaca and from Puno train station, full board, bar and a choice of two, three or four day programmes with a choice of excursions in Land Rover or by boat. Rooms are facing the lake and all have private bathrooms with heated floors.

Daily included activities on offer are nature and archeology adventures, kayaking, visiting living cultures, bike excursions, colonial churches, islands like Taquile and the nearby man-made floating Uros islands, local markets, cloth weavers, canoeing, a reed boat ride, and a picnic overlooking the lake.

Overlooking Lake Titicaca
Pisac

Sacred Valley of the Incas - 3 Nights

Day 8 - Inka Express Bus Journey to the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Day 9 - At leisure in the Sacred Valley

Day 10 - Tour the Sacred Valley of the Incas

  • Full Description
  • Accommodation

Tuesday, 26 March 2024

Inka Express Bus Journey to the Sacred Valley of the Incas

We take a small bus to Cusco, accompanied by your Tour Leader. You will make stops along the way,  visiting the Pukara and unusual Raqchi ruins and also the Jesuit church in Andahauylillas. We stop for a buffet lunch in Sicuani. The journey takes approximately 8-10 hours. On arrival in Cusco we will transfer to our hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where we stay for three nights.


Wednesday, 27 March 2024

At leisure in the Sacred Valley

Today you have the flexibility to pursue your own interests or take an optional excursion.


Thursday, 28 March 2024

Tour the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Starting early in the morning we visit the colourful Chinchero market which offers a fabulous insight into the local indigenous people and well-known for their woven handcrafts, and visit a workshop to meet local artisans. From here we drive to the Moray Ruins, an ancient Inca open-air crop laboratory before visiting the pre-Inca salt mines of Maras, located on a wide-open hill above the Urubamba Valley. We visit a beautiful Spanish hacienda and the fortress of Ollantaytamba, intricately designed with geometrically straight streets and Inca drainage system. From here we travel to the colonial town of Pisac, built on the ruins of an Inca citadel and located at the entrance of the Urubamba Valley, before taking a short drive up the mountain to a vantage point with spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.

Pakaritampu

Sacred Valley of the Incas - Tourist Hotel

The Pakaritampu Hotel is located in Ollantaytambo in the heart of the Sacred Valley; ideally situated for exploring the Sacred Valley, starting the Inca Trail, and taking the train to Aguas Calientes. The hotel has large gardens hosting a variety of local plants and flowers and is a series of four separate buildings, built according to the architectural style of Cuzco. From the hotel you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Ollantaytambo ruins. Each of the 37 rooms features its own private bathroom facilities and telephone. The hotel has a cosy living room with open fire, a reading room, restaurant and bar. There is also internet access and laundry service.

Accommodation includes room and breakfast.

Pakaritampu

Casa Andina Premium

Sacred Valley of the Incas - First Hotel

Casa Andina Premium Sacred Valley is located in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, just 10 km from Ollantaytambo train station. The hotel is surrounded by beautiful gardens and offers an Andean spa and a Gym, restaurant, bar, room service, telescope to view the night sky and business centre with internet access. From the hotel River Rafting, Trekking, Mountain Biking and Horseback Riding can be arranged. Each of the 85 rooms is equipped with Cable TV, heating, bathtub or Jacuzzi, hairdryer and safe deposit box.

Accommodation includes room and breakfast. 

Casa Andina Premium

Sol Y Luna

Sacred Valley of the Incas - Luxury Hotel

Located in Huicho in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Sol y Luna has a stunning setting between the snow-capped mountain ranges of the Cordillera del Vilcanota and the Cordillera del Vilcabamba.

The hotel is a series of adobe bungalows, each with private facilities and a terrace, decorated in a rustic style and set in beautifully landscaped gardens. Each detail has been carefully chosen to reflect the ambience of the Andean culture in the Sacred Valley.

Public areas include a restaurant, spa and swimming pool.

The hotel also offers a unique combination of eco-tourism, adventure, sport and culture in a variety of outdoor activities. As well as hikes and treks in the surrounding areas, you can also choose from horseback riding, mountain biking and paragliding. You can also get involved with the hotel's charitable work, where they support local people through education at a dedicated Sol Y Luna School.

Accommodation includes room and breakfast.

Sol y Luna - Relais & Chateaux
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Machu Picchu - 1 Night

Day 11 - Guided tour of Machu Picchu

  • Full Description
  • Accommodation

Friday, 29 March 2024

Guided tour of Machu Picchu

Today we travel by train to Machu Picchu, on the "Vistadome" which offers a spectacular journey through breathtaking natural scenery and landscapes. We will set off early to catch the trail from Ollantaytambo Railway station, to board the train that runs from the Sacred Valley to the Aguas Calientes village located at the foot of Machu Picchu. We then travel by road up the mountain before reaching Machu Picchu, located on a majestic mountain plateau straddling the mountains edge and with steep terraces sloping downwards, it is not surprising this city was lost for 400 years. We have lunch at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge before taking a guided tour of the site to explore these stunning ruins.

Casa Andina Classic

Machu Picchu - Tourist Hotel

Located by train station, the hotel is modern, functional but bland, useful for an overnight stay. The standard rooms have no windows but others look out over the station or behind to the Urubamba river.

Casa Andina Standard

El Mapi

Machu Picchu - Tourist Hotel

A smart and contemporary hotel, located in the heart of Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes); the perfect spot to start enjoying a once in lifetime experience to the Citadel of Machu Picchu: the Lost City of the Incas. El Mapi hotel is located just a few steps from the main square and the train station, this hotel of only 48 rooms, offers its guests the opportunity to admire and interact with the picturesque Andean town of Machu Picchu town. The hotel welcomes all of its guests with great service in a friendly and cozy environment. With all the facilities in mind, the rooms are modern equipped with two twins or one king bed, 100% cotton sheets, down duvets covers, 32'' TV and cable, hair dryers and naturally scented toiletries.

El Mapi by Inkaterra

Sanctuary Lodge, Belmond Hotels

Machu Picchu - Deluxe Lodge

Set in its own gardens and the only hotel in such close proximity to the magical ruins, the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge offers twenty-nine well-appointed rooms and two suites. Also located just outside the gates to the Lost city of the Incas, this beautiful hotel is the only one to command views of the site. An Orient Express owned hotel, the service is impeccable and the food is excellent. Accommodation includes room, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In nearby Aguas Calientes hot springs you can enjoy a soothing bath at the end of a long day of exploring. Enjoy lunch in the cafeteria overlooking the citadel of Machu Picchu, where you can choose from a wide variety of dishes and enjoy a spectacular view. There is also an indoor dining room where a delicious breakfast buffet and international cuisineare available.

The Lodge has 31 rooms and one suite, bar, restaurant, self service autlet and a cliffhanging snack bar, with one of tha best views of the Sacred Mountain. All rooms have Television, laundry service, mini bar, Idd telephone.

 

Belmond Sanctuary Lodge
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Cusco - 3 Nights

Day 12 - Explore Machu Picchu and travel to Cusco

Day 13 - Guided tour of Cusco & nearby ruins

Day 14 - At leisure in Cusco

Day 15 - Return flight to the UK

Day 16 - Arrive in the UK

  • Full Description

Saturday, 30 March 2024

Explore Machu Picchu and travel to Cusco

Enjoy the morning at leisure to further explore the site. You have the flexibility of persuing your own interests. You may wish to climb Huayna Picchu, offering fantastic views of the valley and a different perspective of Machu Picchu. Alternatively, a gentler climb is the Inca Trail to the Intipunku also known as "the Gate of the Sun". In the afternoon, we take the Vistadome train back to Ollantaytambo Station from where we continue our journey back to Cusco, and transfer to our hotel where we stay for 3 nights.


Sunday, 31 March 2024

Guided tour of Cusco & nearby ruins

Beginning in the main square of Cusco we visit the cathedral, built by the Spanish on Inca foundations and with an unusually variation of the Last Supper. From the city centre we travel into the mountains above Cusco to visit the archeological sites of Sacsayhuaman and Qenko. The mighty fortress and complex of Sacsayhuaman was built with massive stones, some weighing over 100 tons and placed together like a jigsaw. On the return journey we stop at a fantastic vantage point with a superb view of the city and surrounding mountains.


Monday, 01 April 2024

At leisure in Cusco

A full day at leisure in Cusco to explore the city, relax, take an optional extra excursion, or simply enjoy the surroundings and atmosphere of this magnificent city.


Tuesday, 02 April 2024

Return flight to the UK

Afternoon flight to Lima, connecting with the British Airways return overnight flight home.

 


Wednesday, 03 April 2024

Arrive in the UK

Price Guidelines

Season
Travel Dates
Room Arrangement Tourist
Multiple Travellers - Twin Room £3,245

Prices are a guideline and per person. Please request a quote for Special Events, Christmas, New Year's Eve & Easter.


What's Included

  • 16 Days/13 Nights
  • International flights (2 overnight)
  • Excursions with English-speaking guides
  • Accommodation and breakfast
  • Transfers to and from accommodation
  • Transport and meals as show
  • Exclusive list of restaurant suggestions

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