Magnific Peru Trip 10 Days / 09 Nights

Day 2: Lima Paracas – Ballestas Islands- Huacachina – Nazca (B)

A driver will pick you up at around 3:30 am and take you to the bus station where you board a comfortable tourist bus. You travel down South along the coast on the Panamerican highway to the city of Ica (approx. 4 hours in the morning at around 8:00 am we will walk towards the harbor of Paracas, located approx. 1,5 hours from Ica. Here you will board a small motor boat taking you to the Ballestas Islands approx. 30 minutes from the coast. Here you can observe Humboldt penguins, sea lions, cormorants, Peruvian boobies and other sea-birds from a very short distance. On your way back to the dock you will also see the so-called “Candelabra”, a mysterious symbol that was carved into the face of the cliff by an unknown civilization.

Here you will be picked up at the bus station and be taken straight to the oasis Huacachina in the middle of the desert of Ica. You will have time to relax at the hostel pool between sand dunes and palm trees, have lunch in one of the restaurants around the small oasis, take a little walk through the desert or climbing up one of In the afternoon around 15:00 pm you will be picked up for a thrilling and beautiful adventure: an experienced driver will take you at high speed deep into the desert and dunes around the oasis in a so-called sand buggy. You will stop at various points to contemplate the beautiful scenery and enjoy the sunset within the desert. Adventurous travelers are invited to try sandboarding, sliding down the dunes on special sand boards. Then take a bus to Nazca where you spend the night.

Day 4: Flight to Cusco and tour through the capital if the Incas

In the morning we will transfer you to the aiport flight to Cusco, you will have some free time to have a first look around Cusco: visit the charming quarter San Blas, famous for its crafts and arts stores and gallerys, the historical center with its ancient Inca stone walls, narrow streets and colonial buildings, churches and museums. In San Blas and the center you find a variety of local restaurants to enjoy a typical Peruvian lunch and lots of nice small cafes. At around 1:00pm we will pick you up at your hotel you will start your guided tour through Cusco, the capital of the Incas, with a local tour guide. You will first visit the impressive cathedral on the main square “Plaza de Armas” and then walk through some of Cusco’s oldest Inca streets to the “Qoricancha” temple, also called the temple of the sun. This extraordinary building is one of the most important examples for the clash between Inca and Colonial culture, as the Spanish built their Catholic monastery upon the remains of the ancient Inca temple. After visiting the temple, you will hop on a small bus that will take you the archaeological zone in the upper part of Cusco. Here, you can find one of the most important Inca ruins of Peru: Sacsayhuaman, an extended archaeological complex with huge stone walls and a lot of mysteries. You also visit the ceremonial center of Qenqo, the small ruins of Puka Pukara and the water temple Tambomachay. You’ll return to the city center in the late afternoon / early evening.

Day 6: Visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas (B, L)

The Sacred Valley is a beautiful valley with picturesque landscapes and small charming villages located between Cusco and Machu Picchu. We will pick you up at around 8:00am in the morning and travel to the valley, our first stop being the village of Pisac. Here, we will visit one of the most extended archaeological complex of Peru located on the top of the hill. Then we’ll stop in the city center for a visit of the colorful market where people from the valley sell their handmade textiles, pottery, paintings, jewelry and food. After a little shopping tour we continue our journey through the valley to the town Urubamba where a delicious lunch buffet is waiting for you. On a full stomach we continue approx. 1 hour to Ollantaytambo, a beautiful traditional village that hosts other Inca ruins worth visiting. Finishing the tour, you have to walk approx. 10 minutes to the train station of Ollantaytambo to catch the train leaving to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town). Arriving in Aguas Calientes (the journey by train takes approx. 1,5 hours), we will pick you up at the train station and take you to your hostel where you’ll have another short briefing about your Machu Picchu tour the next day.

Day 8: Travel through the Andes to Cusco (B, L)

Today, you will continue your journey through the Andes along the “Sun Route”: in a comfortable tourist bus you will travel to Puno – a nice ride through picturesque landscapes. Along the way you will stop at different points of interest: you will visit the colonial town Pukara and its museum and stop for some amazing photos at the “La Raya” pass on 4300m. You’ll enjoy a delicious typical lunch in Sicuany and continue to the Inca ruins of Raqchi to visit the Wirachocha temple. Your last stop before arriving to Cusco will be the village Andahuaylillas, where you will visit its church, also known as the “Sixtine Chapel of the Americas” due to its impressive arts. You will arrive in Puno around 5:30 pm in the afternoon. We’ll pick you up at the bus station and take you to your hotel.

Day 10: Transfer out (B)