Majestic classic circuit: Peru South and Machu Picchu in 12 days

12 day / 11 night
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Duration12 Day / 11 Nights
Group Size2/10
Activity LevelModerate / Challenging

In this circuit you will be able to know the most visited destinations in our majestic Peru, such as the city of the Kings, where we will visit the Intihuatana Park; we will pass through the Huaca Pucllana, the El Olivar park, and the main square, appreciating the Plaza de Armas from outside. With the Municipal Palace, Government Palace, and the Cathedral of Lima, at the end of the tour you will enter the convent of Santo Domingo.

To continue the tour, we will travel south to make the excursion to the Ballestas Islands, being able to observe the penguins and the figure of the chandelier on a dune in front of the sea. We will then continue towards the city of Nazca and then fly over the majestic Nazca lines. The circuit continues to the beautiful white city of Arequipa and then goes to the city of Puno and navigates Lake Titicaca. To continue advancing on our circuit, we will visit the imperial city of Cusco.

On the tour of the Imperial city of Cusco, we will enter the Cathedral and the Qoricancha temple, in addition to visiting the 4 ruins near the city. The next day we will continue our visit to the Pisac Ruins and the traditional Pisac Market; we will appreciate the majestic landscape of the Sacred Valley, and we will end the day with a visit to Ollantaytambo. We cannot finish the circuit without visiting our wonderful citadel of Machu Picchu and appreciating its majesty.

Itinerary

Day 1 | Circuit

Lima

Lima

Flight to Lima.
Welcome, reception, and transfer to the select hotel.

Day 2 | Circuit

Lima Relax

Lima Relax

Breakfast at the hotel.

Lima Colonial - City Tour

The tour begins with the gathering of our passengers from their hotels in Lima, and then we stop at the Intihuatana Park, located on the Malecon of Miraflores, where we will observe the Pacific Ocean. We start our tour by modern residential districts of Miraflores and San Isidro. We observe outside the Huaca Pucllana, a ceremonial pre-Inca temple pyramid that has survived the urban sprawl of Lima.

We will continue our journey to the park El Olivar and the Financial Center, and then we drive to the Historic Center of Lima, declared by UNESCO in 1991 as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity, where the center of the Spanish colony was established in the sixteenth century and erected the first buildings. Know the Plaza San Martin, balconies, and old houses, the Plaza Mayor, and its most important buildings like the Government Palace, the Cathedral of Lima, the Archbishop's Palace and Municipal, and Desamparados Station, among others.

We enter one of the most important monasteries of the seventeenth century. Where the relics of the three Peruvian saints, “Santa Rosa de Lima, San Martin de Porres, and San Juan Macías,” are preserved. Then return to Miraflores, and ending our tour, we will have the option to stay in the local market in Larcomar.

Return to your hotel.

Day 3 | Circuit

Full Day Paracas & Ica

Full Day Paracas & Ica

At 2:50 am we will pick you up from the hotel to take the bus from Lima to Paracas. Our bus will leave at 4:00 am, and after 3 hours we will arrive in Paracas.

At 8:00 am, pick up from Paracas and start of the Ballestas Islands Tour. From the Paracas spa, you can visit the Ballestas Islands by boat, habitat of sea lions, guano birds, penguins, and a diversity of marine fauna. On the way you can see a figure El Candelabro, engraved on the side of a hill, is a geoglyph with a rock formation eroded by the wind and the sea. It is more than 120 meters long and is also called Tres Cruces or Tridente. The best way to appreciate it is from the sea.

At noon we will take a bus from Paracas to Ica for around 3 hours. Upon arrival in Ica, we will continue the excursion of tubular rides, which are a fantastic adventure in the middle of the desert where you can enjoy the high and low dunes, and you can feel the adrenaline on these desert roller coasters.

In the high parts of the desert, you can practice sandboarding; our official driver will instruct you so that you can safely drop it if you do not have experience in this sport.

At 06:00 pm we will take the bus to Ica, where we will spend the night there and take the overflight of the Nazca lines the next day.

Overnight at Nazca 

 

Day 4 | Circuit

Nazca Lines Overflight - Arequipa

Nazca Lines Overflight - Arequipa

Early in the morning we will pick you up from the hotel to go to the aerodrome, where we will board a light plane for a memorable air excursion over the Nazca Lines. A bilingual guide (Spanish/English) will assist you at all times until you board the plane. This overflight over the Nazca Lines will cover the extension of the Nazca desert stone, whose surface is marked by gigantic drawings and geometric figures. The overflight to the Nazca lines takes approximately 35 minutes and is the best way to see these fascinating lines and drawings that have intrigued people for years.

Here, you will be able to see the different figures traced on the stone surface of the Nazca desert, representing stylized animals and plants, distributed in a huge maze of lines, trapezoids, triangles, and spirals that have been preserved for almost 2000 years. It is one of the most incredible legacies that a culture has left behind and that can only be seen from the sky at an altitude of 1500 feet. After the overflight, we will have time to have lunch and take a bus to Arequipa at 02:30 pm, arriving at our destination at 11:30 pm. We will be assisted upon arrival in Arequipa and transferred to the hotel where we will spend the night.

Day 5 | Circuit

Relax in Arequipa

Relax in Arequipa

Breakfast at the hotel. Free day for personal activities or take the tour of the Arequipeña countryside as an optional tour.

La Campiña Arequipeña excursion (optional and additional tour)

In the afternoon at 02:00 pm we will be picked up from our hotel to start the excursion to La Campiña Arequipeña. This interesting tour includes a visit to the most beautiful architectural monuments and viewpoints that surround the white city. We will drive our mobility to the outskirts of the city, where we will first visit the beautiful Mirador de Sachaca, which will offer us a beautiful natural panorama of Arequipa and its volcanoes.

Then we will drive our vehicle to the Founder's Mansion, a beautiful construction from the colonial era where the founder of the city of Arequipa, García Manuel de Carvajal, lived in the 15th century. Finally, we will travel through a spectacular Andean landscape and arrive at the Sabandia Mill, an impressive construction based on volcanic rock known as ashlar, where you can see an old stone mill that was built in 1785. Our excursion concludes at 06:00 pm in the city center.

Overnight in Arequipa.

Day 6 | Circuit

Arequipa - Puno

Arequipa - Puno

Early breakfast at the hotel.
At a convenient hour, transfer to the bus station for travel to Puno.

At 1:30 pm Departure by tourist bus to Puno, the duration of the trip is about 6 hours.
At 19:30 pm, arrival in Puno.

Reception at the bus station and transfer to the hotel
Overnight at Puno.

Day 7 | Circuit

Puno / Titicaca / Uros & Taquile Islands

Puno / Titicaca / Uros  & Taquile Islands

At 7:00 am we will be picked up from the hotel and transferred to the port of Lake Titicaca.

A local guide will be waiting with the boat to start our adventure on Lake Titicaca. Once we have left, our guide will explain important points of this great lake, and a few minutes later we will arrive at the famous floating islands of Los Uros. Here we will stop at one of the islands, visit its inhabitants, and learn about the customs of these communities that live for years in the highlands. Later we will return to the boat and continue our trip towards Taquile Island. The boat trip lasts approximately 3 hours.

Taquile is a huge island that is characterized by its beautiful fabrics. Here visitors will be able to observe how the people of the island make ponchos, belts, gloves, and other typical high Andean garments, all made by hand. In order to get to the top of the island, we will have to walk along a beautiful, slightly inclined path that offers spectacular views of the lake. Here we advise you to walk slowly and take it easy, since you are walking over 3800 meters high. After approximately 45 minutes we will arrive at the center of Taquile, where we can rest and visit a small site museum, which shows through photos important aspects of the life of the people of Taquile.

Our group will have lunch in a typical restaurant around the plaza. After lunch, visitors will have free time to visit the weaving workshops and take photos with the islanders. Later we will descend towards the pier, and we will start our return trip to Puno, arriving in the city at approximately 05:00 pm.

 Overnight in Puno.

Day 8 | Circuit

Puno - Cusco

Puno - Cusco

At 06:15 am, pick up from the hotel and transfer to the bus station in the Puno bus terminal.

During our tour, which lasts approximately 10 hours, we will have 4 excursions and guided visits to the tourist attractions of the southern corridor of the altiplano, visiting the temple of Andahuaylillas, or Sistine Chapel of America; the Inka temple of Raqchi; the passage of the Raya at 4335 meters; and the Inka Aymara museum in Pukara. Each visit lasts 20 to 40 minutes, where the passenger can ask questions, take photos, and explore the attraction at their own discretion, making this experience an unforgettable activity.

We will be arriving in Cusco at 4:30 p.m., being picked up and transferred to the hotel.

Overnight in Cusco

Day 9 | Circuit

City Tour Cusco + 4 Nearby Ruins

City Tour Cusco + 4 Nearby Ruins

Free time in the morning to acclimatize or make shopping.

City tour in Cusco

01:00 pm: pick up from the hotel; at 13:30 pm, start of our tour of the city, where our professional guide will provide us with detailed information of all the tourist attractions we will visit and will be attentive to any questions and needs that each of our visitors requires.

The places we have to visit are. The main temple of the Sun, also known as the "Qorikancha," and "Sacsayhuaman," known as the head of the Puma in reference to the fact that the City of Cusco had the shape of a Puma in Inca times and the head of this cougar was exactly Sacsayhuaman, immediately We visit Qenqo, a temple in honor of the mother earth, or Pachamama; we continue through Pucapucara, or the entrance control center, to the Sacred City of Cusco; later we visit Tambomachay, the Inca resting place and, at the same time, temple to the natural element of water.

Night in Cusco

Day 10 | Circuit

Sacred Valley of Incas Tour

Sacred Valley of Incas Tour

At 8:00 am Pick up from your hotel to start our tour of the Sacred Valley of the Inkas; we will be leaving the city to cross the Sacsahuaman archaeological park and arrive at the Taray viewpoint, a wide viewpoint from where you can see the beautiful Inca terraces and the current cultivation lands that surround the sacred river of the Inka, "Willcamayuc." Later we visit the archaeological park of Pisaq; we will also visit the indigenous market of Pisaq, which is very colorful as local people come to sell or purchase products that the population needs.

The Pisaq indigenous market is the best place to shop for handicrafts and souvenirs. After some free time, we will continue our journey towards the town of Urubamba, where we will have time to have lunch in the restaurant with buffet service, where you can taste a little of the wide variety of dishes presented with the best products from the area.

Continuing our journey, we arrive at the last living Inca city, Ollantaytambo.

Ollantaytambo reminds us of a mythical love story, a drama that makes love prevail over all obstacles. It is believed that this city was built by General Inca Ollantay in a moment of rebellion against the royal Inca army by preventing its union with the beautiful Princess Cusi Qoyllor, "beautiful star.".

After our free time and according to a determined time, we will be boarding the tourist train heading to the town of Aguas Calientes, also known as Machupicchu town.

Once we arrive in Machu Picchu, we will be picked up from the train station and transferred to the selected hotel.

Optional visit to the town's hot springs.

Overnight in Aguas Calientes—Machu Picchu.

Day 11 | Circuit

Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu / Cusco

Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu / Cusco

At 6:30 a.m., transfer from the hotel to the bus station.

We will board the tourist bus to the Inca city of Machupicchu; along the approximately 30-minute journey, we appreciate the abundant forest of this national reserve.

After a while, the start of our guided tour, this 02-hour guided tour will be through the main palaces and attractions of the Inca city and its attractions.

After that you will have free time to enjoy this world wonder at your own discretion and pace.

We recommend visiting the Casa de las Escogidas, the Intiwatana (sundial, which marks the seasons of the year), Kallancas (sheds for warriors), baths, and aqueducts, as well as its large areas with terraces.

Also ascend to the Huayna Picchu mountain, visit the Puerta del Sol and the Inca Bridge, or whatever you see convenient to do at that time.

Even if you were unable to visit the town's hot springs the night before, this day you will have plenty of time to enjoy it.

At the indicated time we will be approaching the railway station to board the train and start our return trip to Ollantaytambo and immediately a tourist bus to Cusco.

The train usually departs at 03:20 pm.

07:00 pm arrival in Cusco and transfer to the hotel.

Overnight in Cusco.

Day 12 | Circuit

Cusco - Lima

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer from the hotel to the airport.
Flight Cusco–Lima.
Arrival in Lima.
Waiting at the airport for an international flight.

What's Included?

    • Transfer of entry and exit at each destination. 
    • 2-night accommodation in Lima with breakfast 
    • Traditional city tour in Lima + Convent of Santo Domingo 
    • 1-night accommodation in Nazca with breakfast 
    • Ballestas Islands 
    • Overfly the Nazca lines without taxes. 
    • 2-night accommodation in Arequipa with breakfasts 
    • 2-night accommodation in Puno with breakfast 
    • Full Day Titicaca Lake with Typical Lunch 
    • 3-night accommodation in Cusco with breakfasts 
    • 1-night accommodation in Aguas Calientes 
    • City Tour + four nearby ruins, QenqoPuca PucaraSacsayhuaman, and Tambomachay 
    • Full Day Sacred Valley + Buffet Lunch 
    • Full Day Machu Picchu + Buffet Lunch 
    • Bus Consetur up and down. 
    • Ollantaytambo train - Aguas Calientes - Ollantaytambo (Expedition Train + Lunch at El Mapy restaurant for category 2 and 3 stars and Vistadome + Lunch at Tinkuy restaurant (Sanctuary Lodge) for category 4 and 5 stars) 
    • For two- and three-star hotels, the tourist bus with stops and income will be used on the Puno-Cusco route. 
    • For four- and five-star hotels, the Peru Rail Titicaca Train will be used on the Puno-Cusco route, with departures only on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The other days it will be on a tourist bus and will have a discount of US $200 per person.

What's not Included?

Additional Services

What to Bring?

  • Original passport.
  • T-shirts.
  • Comfortable trousers.
  • Sun hat.
  • Sunglasses.
  • Sun protection cream (factor 35 recommended).
  • Insect repellent.
  • Toiletries.
  • Personal medication.
  • Camera and films.
  • Torch with spare batteries (headlamps are the best).
  • Shorts.
  • Sandals.
  • Extra money.
  • Bathing suit (for the hot springs in Aguas Calientes) where the entrance fee at the door is US$4.

PRICES


Important information

Information Details

Duration 12 Days & 11 Nights
Code PERCLA12
Tour Type Archeological Cultural Ecological
Level Service Classic

 

  •  Great value, reasonable prices, quality experiences.
  •  Mix of public and private transport for the best overall comfort and sighting of the Sacred Valley’s historical and fascinating sites.
  •  All the top highlights included, plus plenty of time to explore on your own.

 

Accommodation Tourist class Comfortable and varied tourist-class accommodations chosen for their location and atmosphere.

Inca Trail and Machu Picchu Availability

What Our Travelers Say

Choquequirao four day hike

I am grateful for the Incas

Muy buena experiencia en Cusco y alrededores.

Best experience, no regrets!


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