Day 1: Touch-down in Peru
Lima to Arequipa
Upon arrival in Lima you will be welcomed and assisted with your connecting flight to Arequipa where you will be met and shown to your hotel. After talking a little time to relax and settle in your guide will meet you on an excursion to the colorful local market. With help from your guides you will select the ingredients for a traditional meal which you will learn to prepare in a nearby family house.
Show more Your guide will help translate the cooking process and you'll all sit down together to enjoy the meal that you helped prepare. The rest of the day is free for you to relax at your hotel or go out and explore the town. Consult your CAT Travel booklet or your Peru travel specialist for advice. (Meals L)
Day 2: Exploring the White City
Arequipa
After breakfast at your Arequipa hotel you will take a relaxed walking tour around town visiting the Plaza de Armas, the Church of the Company and the Church of San Francisco. The highlight of the morning will be a guided tour around the 16th century Santa Catalina Convent. This beautiful complex of plazas and buildings is remarkably intact and remained closed to the world until 1970.
Show more In the afternoon, Premium Service passengers will head into the mountains to visit the Momia Juanita, also known as the Lady of Ampato, the mummified body of a young Inca girl found frozen in the ice on southern Peru volcano. It is thought that the girl was sacrificed to Ampato Apu the god of protection in the mid-fifteenth century. The evening is free for you to relax at your hotel or take a stroll around town. (Meals B)
Day 3: Up to the Altiplano
Arequipa to the Colca Canyon
After breakfast in your hotel you'll be picked up for your journey to the Colca Canyon. It's a scenic route and you'll enjoy beautiful views of the Misti, Chachani and PichuPichu volcanoes as you climb to the Canahuas National Reserve. Along the way you'll stop in the town of Sumbay at 3800m to drink some coca tea to counteract the effects of altitude sickness.
Show more As you climb yet further up onto the Altiplano you'll begin to spot wild vicunas, llama and guanacos as well as some interesting birdlife on the lakes. After reaching the highest point at about 4500m you'll descend a little to the town of Chivay. After relaxing and enjoying lunch at your hotel you can take an optional walking tour around the area visiting an Indian village before relaxing at the nearby hot-springs as the sun sets over the mountains. (Meals B, L).
Day 4: Exploring the Colca Canyon
Colca Canyon
This morning you will have an early breakfast at your hotel and set out to the Cruz del Condor look-out point for spectacular views across the canyon. With any luck we'll be able to spot the majestic Andean condors gliding on the thermals that rise up through the canyon. Be sure to bring your camera as it's often possible to get some great shots.
Show more After taking a walk around the area, you'll begin your descent back to Chivay. Along the way you'll make various stops, firstly at the traditional town of Pinchollo with its 1500 year old stone terraces, and later at the Choqetico view point and the Andean town of Maca. You'll arrive back at your Colca Canyon hotel for a relaxed lunch and the rest of the day is free for you to take a walk around the local area or visit the hot-springs. (Meals B, L)
Day 5: The Altiplano and Lake Titicaca
Colca Canyon to Lake Titicaca
Following breakfast at your hotel you will be collected for your journey to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Premium Service includes a boxed lunch and a guided tour of the interesting funeral towers of Sillustani in the Puno region. Upon arrival at Lake Titicaca you will be shown to your hotel and have the remainder of the day free to spend at your leisure.
Show more Many of our hotels in the area are on the lakeside and offer impressive views over Lake Titicaca's beautiful waters. CAT Travel suggests a light dinner at your hotel this evening, but please do not hesitate to ask your Peru travel specialist for advice and restaurant recommendations. Meals - B, Premium L)
Day 6: Lake Titicaca and the Islands of Uros
Lake Titicaca
Today you will head out onto the deep blue waters of the incredible Lake Titicaca. Situated some 3800m above sea level and covering an area of over 8000 square kilometres, Lake Titicaca stretches between the high Puno plains of Peru and Bolivia. You'll begin your tour by visiting the fascinating Uros islands, home to the descendants of the pre-Inca Uru people who continue to live on the floating islands, which are constructed using the tortora reeds which grow around the lake.
Show more In the afternoon Comfort hotel passengers continue on to Amantani Island where they will have the unique experience of staying overnight in a family house, sharing an evening of traditional dance and dinner with the local people. Superior and Luxury passengers will instead visit the stunning Suasi Island, where they'll enjoy a delicious barbeque and luxurious spa treatments at their hotel. (Meals B, L, D)
Day 7: Taquile Island life
Lake Titicaca
After breakfast you'll have some time to stroll around the island and see the bustling morning activity before bidding goodbye to your hosts and setting out by boat to Taquile, a remote island inhabited by Ayamara Indians. After climbing to the main village you'll enjoy lunch and spend the afternoon exploring the island and finding out about its people. The islanders are known for the beautiful textiles and garments that they produce, and interestingly the knitting of these garments is done exclusively by men who are trained in the art from the age of eight.
Show more In the afternoon you'll take a motorboat back to the mainland where you'll be transferred to your hotel. The evening is free for you to relax and enjoy dinner. (Meals B, L)
Day 8: Through the Andes to Cusco
Lake Titicaca to Cusco
After an early breakfast you will be transferred to the train or bus station for your journey to Cusco. Traveler Service passengers will travel by coach whereas Premium Service will make the journey by train aboard the Andean Explorer. Those traveling by coach will break up the journey with tours of Rachi, Andahuayillas and la Raya en route.
Show more Premium Service passengers will enjoy stunning views of beautiful landscapes as the train travels down from the puno plains and through the Andes to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco you will be met and transferred to your hotel and the evening is free for you to relax at your Cusco hotel and enjoy dinner. Ask your Peru travel specialist or consult your Peru welcome booklet for Cusco restaurant recommendations. (Meals B, L)
Day 9: Exploring the Inca Capital
Cusco City Tour
Your first morning in Cusco can be spent at your leisure, enjoying breakfast before exploring the town or relaxing at your hotel. In the afternoon you will be met for your guided tour of Cusco and its archaeological sites. Your Cusco tour will begin with a visit to the impressive colonial cathedral, followed by a private guided walking tour of the Korikancha (Temple of the Sun).
Show more Later you will go to the outskirts of Cusco for a tour of the archaeological site of Sacsayhuaman. In Traveler Service you will have a private tour of the site with an expert local guide. Premium Service is also private, with an afternoon visit and lunch inside the Pre-Colombian Art Museum in addition. (Meals B, Premium L)
Day 10: Sacred Valley of the Inca
Cusco to the Sacred Valley
Today your Peru tour guide will meet you at your hotel in Cusco for your visit to the verdant Urubamba Valley, otherwise known as the Sacred Valley of the Inca. You will make your first stop at the local market in the village of Pisac (T/Th/Su), before enjoying lunch at Posada Yucay (Traveler), or the Huayocari Hacienda (Premium). The Huayocari Hacienda is located in a private residence with an impressive collection of Inca and colonial Peruvian art and artifacts.
Show more After lunch you'll spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the impressive Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo town and ceremonial center, an important archeological site and an Inca stronghold during the Spanish conquest. After a full day of exploring, the evening will be spent at your new hotel in the Sacred Valley. (Meals - B, L)
Day 11: The Majesty of Machu Picchu
The Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu
After breakfast you will be picked up for your transfer to the train station for your journey through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. Traveler Service will include the Expedition train to Machu Picchu whereas in Premium Service you will make your journey aboard the 1st Class Vistadome train, allowing for spectacular views of the surrounding area. Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes (the town close to Machu Picchu) you will enjoy lunch (Traveler Service at Cafe Inkaterra, Premium Service at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge) before visiting the Machu Picchu ruins.
Show more Following a guided tour of the ruins, in which you will learn all about the origins of this archeological wonder, you will have the rest of the afternoon free to explore. Transportation is provided to your hotel where you can spend the evening at your leisure. (Meals B, L) Please note: The Premium Service Machu Picchu tour is private (4 hrs); Traveler Service Machu Picchu tour is in small groups (2 hrs).
Day 12: Return train to Cusco
Machu Picchu to Cusco
Today you may well wish to return to the Machu Picchu ruins for some further exploration. For those looking for adventure, CAT Travel recommends the trek to Wayna Picchu, which requires approximately four hours to complete, and allows for spectacular views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding area. Your return train through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Cusco will depart in the afternoon and arrive just after sundown.
Show more For those in the mood for luxury ask your Peru travel specialist for details of an upgrade to the Hiram Bingham Orient Express train. This evening you may wish to dine in the Pre-Columbian Art Museum, considered one of the top private collections in all of Peru. For reservations speak to your Peru travel specialist. (Meals - B)
Day 13: Leaving Peru
Cusco to Lima and away
After a relaxed breakfast at your Cusco hotel and a morning spent at your leisure you will be transferred to the airport for your afternoon flight to Lima. Upon arrival you'll be met and assisted with connecting to your international flight home. (Meals - B) Note: Ask your Peru travel specialist about including an adventure trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Show more CAT Travel offers the Classic Inca Trail Trek (4 days) or the shorter Express Inca Trail Trek (2 days).
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Visit Machu Picchu, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Lima
See Andean condors soaring through the Colca Canyon
Discover the Inca heartland of Cusco and the Sacred Valley
Take a guided tour of the lost citadel of Machu Picchu
Enjoy a scenic train journey through the Sacred Valley
Visit traditional island communities on Lake Titicaca
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