Peru
Visit the Inca heartland to explore Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu fortress
Empire of the Sun Tour - 13 Night Itinerary
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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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
Tour Route
- Lima - 2 Nights
- Arequipa - 2 Nights
- Lake Titicaca - 2 Nights
- Sacred Valley of the Incas - 3 Nights
- Machu Picchu - 1 Night
- Cusco - 3 Nights
This itinerary can be tailored to your preferences by our specialist advisors, who can provide a guaranteed price based on your choice of departure date, route, duration, flights, cabin, hotels, transport and excursions.
Request QuotationTour Itinerary
Lima
2 NightsDay 1 - Fly to Lima
Day 2 - Arrive and guided tour
Day 3 - Optional tours and excursions
- Full Description
- Accommodation
Fly to Lima
Depart the UK on an overnight flight to Lima.
Saturday, 14 June 2025
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.
Sunday, 15 June 2025
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.
Marvin Abato
Allpa
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…
Casa Andina Select Miraflores
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.…
Hotel "B"
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…
Arequipa
2 NightsDay 4 - Discover Arequipa
Day 5 - At leisure
- Full Description
- Accommodation
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
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
At leisure
A full day to explore Arequipa at your leisure.
Posada Del Monasterio San Augustin
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…
Casa Andina Select Arequipa
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…
Lake Titicaca
2 NightsDay 6 - Travel to Lake Titicaca
Day 7 - Boat excursion exploring Lake Titicaca
- Full Description
- Accommodation
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.
Thursday, 19 June 2025
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.
Manuel Quispe
Libertador 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…
Casa Andina Premium
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…
Titilaka 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…
Sacred Valley of the Incas
3 NightsDay 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
Inka Express Bus Journey to the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Today we travel by bus for approximately 10 hours visiting the most important attractions of the route “Ruta del Sol“. En route you will be inspired by the impressive Altiplano landscape, dry and barren scenery with wide views, lots of vicuñas and local communities.
Our first stop is the stepped pyramid elaborated by the villagers of Pukara, 106 kms to the north of Cusco, over 3,500 years old. It is impressive and enigmatic. We cross La Raya pass at an altitude of 4319 m. From here we descend through a marvellous valley cultivated with lots of crops such as corn and potatoes.
Before arriving to Cusco visit Andahuaylillas, whose famous colonial church is known as the “Sixtine Chapel of the Americas” because of its beautiful painted ceiling and other art treasures. We also visit Raqchi, a great temple complex and our first encounter with Inca Ruins.
Inca walls, colourful costumes, churches built on top of palaces, citadels lost in the Andean heights, legendary roads, all the beauty of a glorious past that enfolds the visitor who arrives in Cusco, the sacred city of the Incas and archaeological capital of the Americas.
On arrival in Cusco we will transfer to our hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where we stay for three nights.
Saturday, 21 June 2025
At leisure in the Sacred Valley
Today you have the flexibility to pursue your own interests or take an optional excursion.
Sunday, 22 June 2025
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.
Fernando Chara
Pakaritampu
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…
Casa Andina Premium
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…
Sol Y Luna
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…
Machu Picchu
1 NightDay 11 - Guided tour of Machu Picchu
- Full Description
- Accommodation
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
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.
El Mapi
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,…
Sanctuary Lodge, Belmond Hotels
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.…
Cusco
3 NightsDay 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
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.
Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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.
Thursday, 26 June 2025
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.
Friday, 27 June 2025
Return flight to the UK
Afternoon flight to Lima, connecting with the British Airways return overnight flight home.
Saturday, 28 June 2025
Arrive in the UK
Ursula Leonardo
Price Guidelines
| Season | |
|---|---|
| Travel Dates | |
| Room Arrangement | Tourist |
| Multiple Travellers - Twin Rooms | £3,245 |
Prices are a guideline per person, for travel within the next year and booking early and are subject to availability. Please see below what is included and request a detailed quotation with a guaranteed price for your specific departure date and for Special Events, Summer, 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
Complete a form or call our specialist advisors to start planning your trip. Please provide as much information as possible, and we will aim to respond to your enquiry the same or next working day.
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