Journey Through Peru's History and Landscapes: A 12-Day Classic Tour

The first stop on our Lima city tour is Huaca Pucllana, a huge archaeological site in Miraflores, one of Lima’s most popular districts. Huaca Pucllana was an important ceremonial and administrative center of the Lima culture, which developed along this part of the Peruvian coast between 200 AD and 700 AD. This sacred place was built from seven staggered platforms surrounded by a plaza and large walls. It’s a very impressive site, and certainly not what you expect to find i...

After Breakfast, a representative of Valencia Travel Cusco will pick you up from the hotel (time to be confirmed) and take you to the airport where you will take your flight to Arequipa. When you arrive at the Arequipa airport our team will be waiting there to warmly welcome you and to help you get settled in your hotel. At your hotel you will find complementary coca tea and muña tea freely available. These natural beverages will help your body to adjust to the high altitude of...

Day 1 begins early in the morning as we leave the White City of Arequipa and set off along the route to the Colca Valley. It’s a beautiful drive, passing snow-capped volcanoes, rugged pampas, traditional terraced farms and picturesque villages where the old traditional ways of life are still very much alive.

We’ll make a few stops along the way, the first at the Aguada Blanca National Reserve, where we can watch innumerable guanacos, alpacas and vicuñas as t...

It’s another early start on Day 2, because there’s so much great stuff to see! First we’ll go to the lookout point known as Cruz del Cóndor (Cross of the Condor), near the small villages of Maca and Cabanaconde. Here, strong winds rise up from the canyon, providing a favorite spot for Andean condors. They soar on the thermals, often in pairs, normally in the early morning and late afternoon. There’s a good chance you’ll see these huge condors, with...

After an early breakfast at your hotel, a villager from nearby Coporaque will take you to his home for a day of cultural immersion, so you can get a feel for the traditional way of life in this part of Peru. Coporaque is a small village a short distance from Chivay, down an unpaved road. The village sits near the Colca River and is surrounded by a pretty of hills covered with agricultural terraces, some of which date back to the Incas. The green terraces are filled with crops and graz...

Our full-day trip begins at around 07h00 when we pick you up from your hotel in Puno. We’ll then head down to the port and board our comfortable motor launch to ride out to the island of Taquile.

Taquile is one of the most beautiful islands in Peru, where the traditional way of life is still very much alive. We’ll meet some of the master weavers of this ancient Andean community, whose textiles are considered among the best in the country. According to legend, the I...

We will pick you up at 07h00 and take you to the bus station to catch the bus to Cusco. The bus trip is more like a tour - it stops at four interesting sites along the way where you have guided tours:

• Pukara: This is the most important and oldest ceremonial center of the altiplano. There are interesting sculptures and tombs.

• La Raya: This is the halfway point between Cusco and Puno and the highest point (4335 meters above...

Our Cusco city tour begins in the morning, when we’ll first head to the wonderful Koricancha, next door to Santo Domingo Church. According to the chroniclers who wrote during the period directly after the Spanish Conquest, the Koricancha was the most sacred and most important temple in the Inca Empire. Its walls were covered with gold, and life-size statues of plants and animals – all made of pure gold and silver – decorated its rooms and hallways. Sadly, this wealth...

We’ll pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 07h30 and then set off towards the Sacred Valley. Leaving Cusco, we’ll pass by Saqsaywaman and head over the mountains before descending some 450 meters (1,500 ft) to the valley floor. Here we’ll find ourselves beside the sacred Urubamba River and the pretty village of Pisac. In Pisac, we will visit the colorful traditional market, where you can browse the array of local artisan work and other souvenirs – which of c...

To best appreciated Machu Picchu, we’ll wake up early in the morning so we can get to the citadel in good time. You’ll have time for breakfast first, and then your guide will pick you up from the hotel at around 05h40. We’ll then walk to the bus departure point for the short but zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu.

We’ll then pass through the gates into the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Here you’ll begin your guided walking tour with...

After breakfast enjoy your last day at leisure before transferring to the airport for your return flight home via Lima. Services Included: Transport: Hotel – Cusco Airport (20 minutes approx.). Meals: Breakfast