Peru Round Trip 14 Days / 13 Nights

Day 1: Lima

Welcome to Peru! A personal driver will wait for you at Jorge Chávez International Airport and take you to your hostel in Lima’s charming quarter Miraflores. After a little information talk about the next days you will check into your room and have the rest of the day to relax or have a first look around town. Miraflores is a safe quarter located at the coast of Lima so you can without worrying take a walk on the “Malecon” (the beautiful seafront), visit the center of Miraflores and its “Parque Kennedy” (the central park) or have a delicious lunch or dinner in one of the many restaurants. The neighboring quarter Barranco is also worth a visit!

Day 3: Lima Paracas – Ballestas Islands- Huacachina (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. You spend the night at your hotel by the Oasis.

Day 5: Visit of the mysterious Nazca lines and travel to Arequipa (B)

Today you will observe the mysterious Nazca lines – one of Peru’s most famous highlights! The gigantic figures scratched into the ground of the Nazca desert are an ancient mystery that remains unexplained until today. Our tour includes visiting different viewpoints from where you can see around 10 figures. After the tour you have some free time before we pick you up and take you to the bus station where you take the night bus at around 10:00pm to Arequipa (9,5 hours). Again you will travel with a comfortable tourist bus sleeping seats, service on board, hot drinks and a blanket.

*OPTIONAL: Flight over the Nazca LinesThe best way to experience the Nazca lines is with a flight in a small airplane with large windows, but this depends on your budget. Let us know if you prefer the flight or the “traditional” viewpoint tour.

Day 7: Visiting the Colca Canyon, the world’s second deepest canyon (B)

We’ll pick you up between 7:30 and 8:00am in the morning and start traveling through breathtaking landscapes towards the Colca Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world. We pass the impressive volcano Chachani and stop at the Pampa Cañahuas National Reserve, home to the beautiful Andean camelids called Vicuñas and a variety of birds such as flamencos. We pass the crater of the Chucura volcano and stop at the highest point of our journey at 4800m, the volcano viewpoint to contemplate the amazing view of the “Cordillera Cccidental”. We continue our journey into the canyon and at approx. 1:30 to 2:00pm arrive to the village Chivay in the middle of the canyon where you check into your hotel. Here, you have some time to walk around, visit the traditional village and have lunch. In the afternoon we will take you to the hot springs “La Calera” (water temperature between 35º and 38º).

Day 9: Visit the floating islands & island Taquile at Lake Titicaca (B, L)

We pick you up in the morning and take you to the harbor of Puno. Here, you will get on a boat and start your tour on the Lake Titicaca. During the journey you can enjoy the amazing view of the deep blue, huge lake from the panoramic deck of the boat. Your first stop will be the floating islands of the Uros, a group of small islands that are entirely made off reed. The inhabitants of the islands, the community of the Uros, have preserved their traditional lifestyle since hounded of years. You will have some time to visit one of the islands, learn about the culture of the Uros and (depending on which island you stop, the Uros have an established rotation system for the visit) take a ride in a traditional reed boat (optional). After visiting the Uros, you will continue your journey by boat to visit the remote island Taquile, a beautiful island with ancient Inca terraces. Again, the inhabitants still live a very traditional lifestyle and visitors are asked to respect the rules and norms while visiting the island. That’s why your guide will explain to you some rules (such as not taking photos without asking and not giving sweets to the children) before entering the island. On the island you will make a little walk to the main square where the locals will receive you and take you to their houses for lunch and you will enjoy a nice typical meal such as trout with rice and potatoes and a delicious soup. During or after lunch your guide will show and explain you more about the culture of the Taquile and show you the traditional clothes they wear which actually show the marital status of each inhabitant. After that you will have some more time on the island before returning to Puno.

Day 11: A tour through the capital if the Incas (B)

In the morning 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 hostel (optional you can also wait at the Cathedral at “Plaza de Armas”, you will coordinate that with your travel advisor the day before). At around 2:00pm 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 13: The highlight of your Peru tour: Machu Picchu! (B)

Excited?! Today you will visit Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World! Early in the morning you start your little hike up to the main entrance of Machu Picchu. We recommend taking the first tour at 6:00am, which implies starting your walk up at around 4:30am. Optional, you can take the first bus leaving at 5:30am (however, you will have to line at around 4:30am as well in order to catch the very first bus). If you don’t want to get up that early, you can chose one of the later tours (you will coordinate that at the briefing the night before). With your local guide you will explore the massive Inca city built on top of the mountain in the middle of the jungle. You will visit its terraces, temples, houses and palaces and learn about Machu Picchu’s history, the life of the Incas living here, the discovery of this magic place and much more. After the tour which takes about 2 – 2,5 hours you will have time for your own explorations and can basically stay the whole day at Machu Picchu (we recommend taking snacks with you and enjoy your lunch inside of the complex). In the afternoon, you walk down or take the bus (optional) back to Aguas Calientes where you have some more time to pick up your luggage at the hostel, grab some food and then take your train back to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. In Ollantaytambo you’ll be picked up and travel back to Cusco in a small tourist van arriving at night.

Wonderful Peru Trip 10 Days / 09 Nights

Viva Peru Tours provides unique round trips between the coast, the Andes and the Amazon jungle, providing clients first class concerning to services, hotels and lodging, guiding, equipment and tour organization.