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Highlights of Peru (6 days)6 days duration
On arrival into Lima, the capital of Peru, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your conveniently located hotel for tonight.
This afternoon you will be taken on a Lima City Tour which includes the historical centre’s Plaza Mayor, Government Palace, City Hall, Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace. You will then be driven through the vibrant modern districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You will also be taken to the Huaca Pucllana, a 2,000-year-old oracle pyramid which is being painstakingly restored. Later you will be returned to your hotel for the night.
This morning you will be collected from your hotel and transferred back to Lima Airport for your flight to Cuzco, the “Inca Capital” as it was known. Upon arrival in Cuzco, high in the Andes, you will be met and driven out of the town and into the Sacred Valley of the Incas, at a lower altitude. As you drive through the Sacred Valley you will stop to visit the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. You also have the opportunity of strolling through an original Inca town, where time seems to have stopped 500 years ago. You will have lunch at a local inn.
You then continue on to the lively and colourful Indian markets of Pisac, where locals following ancient traditions, sell or exchange their products. Here you will have free time to shop before being taken to your hotel, in this most stunning of destinations, for the night. (BL)
This morning after breakfast you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to Ollanta Train Station for the Peru Rail train service to Aguas Calientes, from where you bus up to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. On arrival you will be taken on a guided walking tour of the ruins of this marvellous citadel. You will visit the Main Plaza, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of Three Windows, the Circular Tower and the Sacred Sun Dial and Burial Grounds. You will then enjoy lunch at Orient Express Sanctuary Lodge Hotel, directly adjoining Machu Picchu.
After lunch you may further explore the site. Tonight you will be accommodated directly below the ruins, in the village of Aguas Calientes, an absolute highlight in itself! (BL) Please note: An optional Express Inca Trail Hike is available today upon request. Machu Picchu is undoubtedly the best known and most spectacular archaeological site on the continent. The site discovered in 1911 was very different to the one you see today. All the buildings were thickly overgrown with vegetation. On clearing the thick forest from the ruins, over 50 burial sites were discovered containing over 100 skeletal remains, about 80% female. An early theory is that it was a city of chosen women who catered to the Incas’ needs has lost support, and it is now thought that Machu Picchu was already an uninhabited, forgotten place at the time of conquest. The ruins: staircases, terraces, temples, palaces, towers, fountains, the famous sundial and the Museo de Sitio below the ruins require at least a day or two to explore properly. The mountain overlooking the site, Huayna Picchu (on which there are also some ruins), has steps to the top for a superlative view of the whole. This walk takes about 60 minutes but the steps can be dangerous after rain.
This morning you make your own way back to the station for your return train service to Cuzco. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your Cuzco hotel for two nights.
This afternoon you will be taken on a comprehensive City Tour of Cuzco, experiencing and exploring this most magical place, capital of the Inca Empire in the 15th Century. The tour includes the Plaza Regocijo, the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the Santo Domingo Monastery – the legendary Korikancha Temple (Temple of the Sun) – and the old Colonial town. You are then driven out of Cuzco to visit four of the important Inca sites on its outskirts: Tambomachay, Kenko, Puca-Pucara and the impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman. (B)
Today is entirely at leisure to further explore this historic and cultural town. Enjoy Cuzco’s Colonial churches and mansions built over original Inca constructions. Admire its beautiful plazas or just stroll its picturesque cobble-stoned streets. Visit the quaint San Blas Quarter or simply spend the day shopping at the various local markets and stores. (B)
Today you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to Cuzco Airport for your return flight to Lima. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your Lima hotel or alternatively, provided with personal assistance in connecting with you onward international flight. (B)
Please note: Rather than fly back to Lima today, you may prefer to take the Orient Express Train over the Altiplano, from Cuzco to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca and then travel on to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. Please enquire for details. Inca Tours does not own any of the hotels, lodges or service providers utilised in making up the tours. As a result Inca Tours is only acting as an agent for the operators and as such does not accept responsibility for any negligence, omissions, errors or differences in standard experienced by passengers when utilising the operators' products or services. Please Note: for full booking terms and conditions please see the back of our booking form. To Enquire about this Product Please call us now on 1800 024 955. Alternatively, you can enquire about this product by clicking the button below. |
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