South Peru Wonders Journey - 13 Days

Arrive at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, where a representative will meet you and arrange your transfer to the hotel at the scheduled time. Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure in Lima, Peru’s capital, rich in history and culture. The city’s Historic Centre, once known as the ‘Ciudad de Los Reyes’ (City of Kings), served as the political, religious and economic heart of Spanish colonial Peru and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Lima is a vibrant metropolis undergoing dynamic cultural and economic change. Use this time to rest after your flight or explore the city at your own pace. Alternatively, you may choose to join the optional Magic Water Circuit with dinner—a shared tour starting at 17:30, lasting around four hours. This experience includes transport, a bilingual guide, admission to the world’s largest fountain complex, and a meal at a local restaurant. Please note this option is unavailable on Sundays and Mondays. Overnight in Lima.

After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer you to Lima’s bus station to begin the journey to Paracas. The trip takes around three and a half hours, offering scenic views of Peru’s diverse landscape and the Pacific coastline. Paracas enjoys a mild desert climate, making it a year-round destination for nature lovers and those interested in ancient history. The area is renowned for its impressive National Reserve, which features striking rock formations and turquoise beaches. Upon arrival at Paracas bus station, we take you to your hotel to settle in for the night.

After breakfast, we transfer you to El Chaco pier for a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands, a group of rocky islets just off Peru’s western coast. These islands provide a vital habitat for a variety of wildlife, including sea lions, pelicans, boobies, Humboldt penguins, and numerous bird species. As we cruise close to the cliffs, you’ll see large colonies of sea lions resting on the rocks and birds in flight—dolphins may also appear if you’re lucky. Along the way, we pass the Paracas Candelabra, a large geoglyph dating back to around 200 BC, whose origins remain a mystery. After the boat tour, we transfer you to the bus station for the approximately four-hour journey to Nazca. Upon arrival, you will be taken to your hotel to rest.

After breakfast, take a 30-minute flight over the Peruvian desert to view the enigmatic Nasca Lines. These ancient geoglyphs, etched into the sand, form a series of geometric shapes and figures such as a spider, condor, and monkey, visible only from the air. Upon landing, you will be transferred to the bus station to begin the journey to Arequipa. The bus ride lasts approximately ten hours, crossing diverse landscapes before arriving at your hotel, where you can rest after the day’s travel.

After breakfast at the hotel, spend the day exploring Arequipa. Begin your tour in the Plaza de Armas, home to the elegant neo-Renaissance Basilica Cathedral. Then visit the remarkable Santa Catalina Monastery, founded in the 16th century as a self-contained community for nuns. Its colourful streets and courtyards offer a vivid glimpse into colonial Peru. To conclude, visit the neighbourhoods of Yanahuara and Carmen Alto, where you can enjoy stunning views of the Misti volcano towering above the city. Overnight in Arequipa.

After breakfast, we leave Arequipa and travel to the Colca Valley. The journey takes us through the Yura district, an area marked by dramatic landscapes including deep ravines, towering mountains, waterfalls and lush vegetation. We continue across the Pampa Cañahuas, a high Andean plateau home to the vicuña, a wild camelid native to the region. Along the way, we cross the pampas of Viscachani and Toccra and skirt the crater of the extinct Chucura Volcano before reaching the Mirador de los Andes at Patapampa, situated at 4,910 metres above sea level. From this viewpoint, you can admire sweeping views of the surrounding volcanoes near Arequipa. We stop for lunch in the charming town of Chivay before transferring to your chosen hotel in the Colca Valley, where you have the afternoon at leisure.

After breakfast, we set out early to the Cruz del Condor viewpoint in the Colca Canyon, one of the world’s deepest valleys at around 3,400 metres—twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. Here, you may see the magnificent Andean condors soaring on the rising thermals. We then descend into the valley to visit traditional riverside towns such as Chivay, Pinchollo, Maca, Achoma and Yanque, each home to charming colonial churches framed by the towering Andes. Along the way, we stop at the Antahuilque and Choquetico viewpoints for sweeping views of the valley. Later, we continue towards Puno, making a detour through Patahuasi to admire striking stone forests and vivid blue lagoons inhabited by cranes at 4,000 metres above sea level. Upon arrival in Puno, you will have time to relax and settle into your hotel.

After breakfast, we transfer you to the port of Puno to board a boat bound for the remarkable Uros Islands. These islands are unique, constructed entirely from totora reeds that grow in the shallows of Lake Titicaca. The Uros people maintain their homes and islands by continually layering fresh reeds atop the older, decaying ones. Their reed-built houses require outdoor cooking to prevent fire hazards. Following your visit to the Uros, we sail to Taquile Island, once part of the Inca Empire. Here, you will see remnants of its Incan heritage and enjoy a cultural demonstration by the local community, offering insight into their traditions. Lunch is served on the island before we return to Puno for your overnight stay.

After breakfast, we transfer you to the bus station to begin your journey to Cusco. En route, we stop in Pucara, the earliest urban settlement on Lake Titicaca dating from 100 to 300 A.D. Here, you will visit the Pucara Lithic Museum to see monoliths from this pre-Inca site. Next, we continue to Racchi to explore the Wiracocha Temple, an Inca construction dedicated to a major Andean deity, notable for its thatched roofs rising 20 metres above ground—the tallest known in the Inca Empire. Our final stop before Cusco is Andahuaylillas, a town famed for its church often called the “Sistine Chapel of America” due to its exceptional artwork. Upon arrival in Cusco, a transfer service will meet you at the bus station and take you to your hotel for your overnight stay.

After breakfast, spend the morning wandering the charming cobbled streets of Cusco at your own pace. In the afternoon, join a guided tour of the city’s key historical sites, beginning at the Santo Domingo Convent, built atop Coricancha—the Inca Temple of the Sun, once adorned with gold leaf and intricate nature motifs. Next, visit the impressive cathedral in the Plaza de Armas before heading to the surrounding hills to explore the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, where you’ll enjoy panoramic views over Cusco. Continue to Qenqo, an archaeological site believed to have been used for religious ceremonies aimed at ensuring good harvests. The tour concludes at Puka Pukara, or ‘Red Fortress’, an ancient military complex featuring rooms, courtyards, baths, aqueducts and towers. After the tour, we will transfer you back to your hotel for an evening at leisure.

After breakfast, we travel to the highland town of Chinchero, known for its stunning valley views and vibrant local traditions. Here, we visit archaeological remains and a 17th-century church, one of Peru’s earliest Catholic buildings. If it is Sunday, you may also explore the lively local market. Next, we head to the Yucay Museum of Living Culture, where you can observe traditional weaving, pottery, and silverwork techniques that date back to Inca times. The museum also offers the chance to feed llamas, sheep and alpacas, providing a hands-on insight into Andean life. Our journey continues to Ollantaytambo, a town continuously inhabited since Inca times. We explore its narrow streets and ascend the impressive fortress carved into the mountainside. To complete the experience, we enjoy a lunch of local cuisine in a cosy restaurant in Ollantaytambo. After lunch, you will return to your hotel to relax, enriched by the spirit of the Sacred Valley.

After breakfast, begin your visit to Machu Picchu at Ollanta station, where you will board a train to Aguas Calientes. The journey lasts around an hour and a half, passing through stunning Andean scenery. Upon arrival, a 25-minute bus ride will take you up to Machu Picchu, the renowned ‘lost city of the Incas’. Believed to have been constructed around 1450 by the Inca ruler Pachacutec as a royal retreat, the site was abandoned a century later following the Spanish conquest. This abandonment spared it from destruction, allowing the jungle to conceal its stone structures for centuries. During your guided tour, you will explore the origins of this remarkable citadel and visit its key monuments. After the tour, return to Aguas Calientes for lunch at Café Inkaterra, a charming thatched-roof restaurant nestled between the railway and the mountain. In the afternoon, transfer to Aguas Calientes station for the train back to Ollanta, where you will be met and taken to your hotel in Cusco for the night.

After breakfast at the hotel, you will check out and transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima (not included). This marks the end of your journey, but the rich culture and history you’ve experienced throughout the trip will stay with you long after you leave. Breakfast is included.