→ Majestic Active Circuit: Lima, Paracas, Nazca, Arequipa, Pun

Itinerary

Day 1 | Circuit

LIMA

Flight to Lima.

Welcome, reception, and transfer to the select hotel.

We will stop at Parque Intihutana and enjoy a nice view of the Pacific Ocean as we drive down the Miraflores Malecon, a road along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We will begin our tour visiting the modern suburbs of San Isidro and Miraflores. We will go by the Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Inca pyramid-shaped temple that has survived the expansion of modern civilization. We will see the Olive Grove Park and the Financial Center.

Then we will visit downtown Lima's historical center, designated by UNESCO as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1991. In this journey, we will enjoy what once was the center of the 16th-century Spanish colony. We will see the Plaza Mayor, the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, the City Hall, and the Desamparados Train Station. We will also see Plaza San Martin, a large park surrounded by old colonial buildings still displaying beautiful carved wood balconies and other landmarks.

We shall visit the Convent of Santo Domingo, where the relics of the three Peruvian saints, Santa Rosa de Lima, San Martin de Porres, and San Juan Macias, are conserved. At the end of the tour, you will have a choice to either shop at the Indian Market, Larcomar Mall, or return to your hotel.

Overnight in Lima.

Day 2 | Circuit

LIMA RELAX

Breakfast the hotel.

Day Free to personal activities

Overnight at Lima.

Day 3 | Circuit

FULL DAY PARACAS & ICA

03:00 am. Pick you up from the hotel to transfer you to the bus station.

03:45 am. Departure by bus Cruz Del Sur Semi-bed service to the Bay of Paracas.

07:45 Arrival to Paracas, reception, and immediate transfer to the pier of La Marina Touristic.

08:00 AM. Board the skimmer to visit the Ballestas Islands; on the way, they will make a brief stop to observe the candelabra, an enigmatic figure in the dunes of the dune on the sea, then continue the journey to the islands, where they can observe the ecosystem of the Ballestas Islands, or Guaneras Islands, where sea lions inhabit, different species from guano birds to penguins, and return to Paracas.

Free time to rest and drink

Transfer to the bus station in Paracas to take a bus to Nazca town.

11:00 am. Departure to Nazca

16:00 pm. Reception in Nazca and transfer to the hotel

Afternoon free.

Overnight at Nazca

Day 4 | Circuit

NAZCA LINES OVERFLIGHT - AREQUIPA

Breakfast at the hotel.

At the appropriate time, transfer to the aerodrome, where they will board the high-wing plane and fly over the enigmatic Nazca Lines for 35 minutes.

14:30 Transfer to the bus station to leave for Arequipa.

23:30 Arrival to Arequipa.

Arrival to Arequipa, reception, and transfer to the select hotel.

Overnight at Arequipa.

Day 5 | Circuit

AREQUIPA RELAX

Breakfast at the hotel.

Day free to personal activities

Overnight at Arequipa.

Day 6 | Circuit

AREQUIPA - PUNO

Am. Breakfast at the hotel.

At a convenient hour, transfer to the bus station for travel to Puno.

13.30 Departure by tourist bus to Puno; the duration of the trip is about 6 hours.

19:30 Arrival in Puno.

Reception at the bus station and transfer to the hotel

Overnight at Puno.

Day 7 | Circuit

PUNO / TITICACA / UROS & TAQUILE ISLANDS

Breakfast at the hotel.

07:00 After breakfast, visit the Uros Floating Island, where you can appreciate their customs and, in particular, the construction of the islands and their houses built with totora, which is a typical aquatic plant of the island; later, the island of Taquile to appreciate their customs, lunch included on the island; return to Puno and transfer to the hotel.

Overnight at Puno.

Day 8 | Circuit

PUNO - CUSCO

Breakfast at the hotel.

06:00 Transfer to the bus station for the connection to the Imperial city of Cusco by tourist bus in excursion service with 4 stops en route to visit the Lithic Museum of the ruins of Pucará, La Raya, Raqchi, and the Church in Andahuaylillas; additionally, an additional stop will be made in Sicuani for lunch. Arrival in Cusco and transfer to the hotel.

Overnight at Cusco.

Day 9 | Circuit

CITY TOUR CUSCO + 4 NEARBY RUINS

Breakfast at the hotel.

The rest of the morning is free for air conditioning.

14:00 for the Cusco City Tour, visiting the tourist attractions such as the Main Square and Koricancha, then visit the four nearby ruins of the city located 15 minutes away: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay, and return to the hotel.

Overnight at Cusco.

Day 10 | Circuit

SACRED VALLEY TOUR

Am. Breakfast at the hotel.

Full-day excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where you will visit the pampas of Calca and Lamay, the Indian Market of Pisaq, and lunch included in one of the tourist restaurants of Urubamba.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Fortress of Ollantaytambo.

Overnight at Sacred Valley

Day 11 | Circuit

TRANSFER BY VAN FROM CUSCO TO KM 82 INKA TRAIL ENTRANCE

TRANSFER BY ITEP VAN FROM CUSCO TO KM 82 INKA TRAIL ENTRANC

Today begins your adventure of a lifetime. We will pick you up from your hotel in our private van very early in the morning at 5:30 am. You will be transferred to the Sacred Valley of the Inkas, where our van is going to take us to Piskacucho, which is called kilometer 82, where the Classic Inca Trail begins. On the way, we stop for breakfast in Ollantaytambo at 6:30-7 am to load up on energy for our start of the trail. (Breakfast is not included). Upon arrival at kilometer 82 at 11:30 am, we will have some time to organize ourselves. At the Inka Trail first control point, be ready to show your entrance tickets, passports, and (if paying a student rate) your student card.

At the start of the trail (2720m/8923ft), we cross the Vilcanota River and follow its route to the right. The first day is relatively easy, a warm-up along the Inca flat terrain. There are great views of the Incan Fortress (‘Huillca Raccay’), the vast and incredible Inka site of Llactapata (officially called ‘Patallacta’), and the beautiful snow-capped peak of ‘W’akay Willca’ (5860m/19225ft), known in books as Veronica. Our first campsite is in Wayllabamba (3000m/9842ft) in the temperate green valley with the same name. Temperatures at night are around 5ºC depending on the month.

During the day, we will enjoy spectacular views of the snow-capped mountains, Veronica (5,860m/19,337ft), the lush green valley around us, and a myriad of flora and fauna.

Meals: Lunch, snacks, afternoon tea and dinner.
Accommodation: Camping facilities.
Distance: 11kms/6.8 miles (6 hours more or less of hiking)
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate.
Walking Time: Approximately 6 hours (including picnic lunch in route)
Walk and Terrain: Walk, canter on open roads, some steep ascending.

Day 12 | Circuit

TREKKING WAYLLABAMBA TO PACAYMAYUC/RUNKURAQAY

After waking up at 5 to 5:30 am and enjoying a hot breakfast, we start a steep ascent towards the highest pass, abra de Warmihuañusca, or Dead Woman’s pass, at 4200 m/13779 ft. On this day, you will feel a real sense of achievement upon reaching the top! After a well-deserved rest, we begin the descent to where we stop for lunch, which is located at Pacaymayu (3,550m/11,646ft).

On our way up to the pass, we will be able to see an array of hummingbirds and a combination of other species of bird life. There will be plenty of time to appreciate the incredible variety of native plants and the ´Polylepis´ or Q’ueuña trees, which grow in the astonishing cloud forest located at 3650 m/11972 ft! After lunch, begins the second two-hour steep climb to Runkuraqay pass (almost 4,000m/13,123ft). We arrive at our campsite by 5:00 pm. Temperatures at this campsite are around 4ºC during the night.

Meals: Breakfast, water, lunch, snacks, afternoon tea and Dinner.
Accommodation: Camping facilities.
Distance: 16kms/10mls (9 hours more or less of hiking time)
Difficulty: Moderate/challenge.

Day 13 | Circuit

TREKKING PACAYMAYUC TO WINAYHUAYNA

This is the most impressive day so far; keep this in mind as you ascend on day three! We wake up for breakfast at 6 am and start the day with a gentle climb to visit the archaeological site of Phuyupatamarca (meaning ‘Town in the Clouds’). Here we reach the third highest point on the Inka trail (3680 m). The views of the mountains, canyons, and surrounding areas are spectacular!

The Inca site of ‘Phuyupatamarca’ is located a few minutes walk from the third pass. After visiting this site, we continue walking down 3000 stairs through the cloud forest to the impressive agricultural Incan site of Intipata. After taking some time to visit this site, we continue until we arrive at our third campsite, Wiñay Wayna. (2680 m/8792 ft). Today, we will only walk about 4 to 5 hours. We arrive at camp by lunchtime! Temperatures during the night are about 12º C. A short walk from our campsite is the famous Incan site of ‘Wiñay Wayna’ (‘Forever Young’). Even if you are feeling tired after your day’s trek, it´s a moment you cannot miss, the most impressive site on the Inca trail.

Meals: Breakfast, water, lunch, snacks, afternoon tea and dinner.
Accommodation: Camping facilities and cold showers.
Distance: 10kms/6.2mls (5 hours more or less of hiking)
Difficulty: Moderate

Day 14 | Circuit

TREKKING WINAYHUAYNA - INTI PUNKU & MACHUPICCHU GUIDED TOUR

At around 4:00 am, it´s time to wake up, have breakfast, and start day 4 on the Inca Trail to get to Machu Picchu on time. This is the final part of your journey, arriving by 6:00 am to reach Inti Punku, or The Sun Gate. At that point, the majestic Machu Picchu Citadel is in front of us with its intense beauty—an incredible sight for all to see. The reality of what the Inca people must have encountered on their taxing journey to this expansive temple of Machu Picchu. At this point, we walk downhill towards the Machu Picchu Citadel. (2400 m/7872 ft.)

After walking for 40 minutes, we enter the citadel from the top through the “House of the Guardians” From there we proceed to the control point where we register and leave our belongings. Your professional guide will direct you throughout the astounding ruins and its main streets. You can wander around the town squares as well as climb the intricately carved stairways made from stone. Machu Picchu is considered the world’s spiritual center by esoteric wisdom. Once the guided tour is over, you will have free time to explore the site on your own.

Back to Cusco: You will descend to Aguas Calientes and later board the Expedition train to the Ollantaytambo Train Station “Train departure time can vary according train schedule and availability”. In Ollantaytambo Train station, you will meet our private van and be transferred to your hotel in Cusco.
Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 8.9kms/5.5mls “By Bus in 25 minutes”
Difficulty: Easy

Day 15 | Circuit