Colours of Peru; Small Group Tour

On arrival into Lima, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Lima, the capital of Peru, sits on the country's arid Pacific coast. Founded in 1535, its colonial centre is well preserved, but today Lima is a bustling metropolis and one of South America’s largest cities.
Overnight in Lima

Spend some time touring Lima, the Colonial ‘City of Kings’. Visit a number of well-known sites including the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Plaza de Armas, and the Catacombs located beneath the San Francisco Convent. This is a chance to appreciate Lima's magnificent Colonial architecture as well as vignettes of its pre-Colombian past.
Overnight in Lima

Today we fly from Lima to Puerto Maldonado, where we will transfer by boat to your lodge in the Amazon. All meals & a variety of jungle exclusions are included during your stay with local naturalist guides.

Overnight at a Peru Amazon Lodge

There are a variety of Amazon tours included, your day might look like:
After breakfast we head to Tres Chimbadas Oxbow Lake, 30 minutes by boat and then a 45 minute hike from the lodge. At the lake we set out in a catamaran, keeping a look out for giant river otters, caiman, hoatzin and horned screamers. There is a resident family of 9 giant river otters here.
After lunch at the lodge, an informative Ethnobotanical Tour will be conducted by a local group who run a small medicinal clinic using forest plants. The Centro Ñape is a communal organization that produces medicines out of forest plants and administers them to patients who choose to attend their small clinic. They have produced a trail which explains the different medicinal (and other) uses of selected plants.
In the evening after dinner, there is an optional night walk to find nocturnal animals by the reflection from their eyes in the flashlights, whilst listening to the hive of activity at this time.

Overnight at a Peru Amazon Lodge

There are a variety of Amazon tours included, your day might look like:
Enjoy the spectacle of a clay lick just a short walk from the lodge to see dozens of beautifully coloured parakeets and parrots. Later, trek from the lodge on the Ceiba Trail for two hours, studying the natural history of the rainforest with your knowledgeable guide. Following lunch, take a boat downriver to the community of Infierno to visit their farm of Amazon crops.
Overnight at a Peru Amazon Lodge

After breakfast, return to Puerto Maldonado for your flight from Puerto Maldonado to the famous Cusco where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight in Cusco

Take a sightseeing tour through Cusco, the heart of the Inca Empire. Visit the fascinating Qorikancha Temple of the Sun, the 12-Angled Rock and the Cathedral, built on the ruins of an Inca Palace. From here head to the archaeological remains located around the city, including the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo (giant rock), the ancient site of Puca Pucara and finally the Water Temple of Tambomachay. Lunch included.
Overnight in Cusco

Today, explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This fertile river valley was home to many important sites for the Incas, both strategic and religious. The first stop is the village of Pisac, with its famous market. The colonial village of Pisac sits at the base of the spectacular Pisac Ruins – a hilltop Inca citadel and fortress with impressive agricultural terracing. On market days Pisac comes alive with locals from nearby hillside villages in traditional dress selling local fruit and vegetables as well as handicrafts. There is free time to wander the colourful market stalls before a typical Andean lunch at a local restaurant.

Continue your journey along the River Urubamba, to Ollantaytambo. The town, which is dominated by a giant Inca fortress, is perhaps the best surviving example of Inca town planning and was the scene of a rare Inca victory over the invading Spanish. At the end of the tour you will be transferred to the train station in Ollantaytambo to take the train to Aguas Calientes.
Overnight Aguas Calientes

An early morning start for your first sights of Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is a 15th century Inca site, located 2,430 meters above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley. It is the most famous of all Inca sites, but it was not until 1911 that it was brought to the world’s attention by the American historian Hiram Bingham. The Incas abandoned the city just prior to Spanish colonisation, the city was never pillaged and as a result the ruins are still in fantastic condition. With its location on a dramatic ridgeline surrounded by sheer cliffs and the Urubamba River on three sides, the city of Machu Picchu is a remarkable place to visit. Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and in 2007 it was voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. You will be astonished by your first view of Machu Picchu, a stunning display of ancient architecture with incredible surroundings. Enjoy a guided tour of the ruins and monuments such as the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Cemeteries. Tour includes guided group tour, and return bus from Aguas Calientes village.
**Please be aware that your tour of Machu Picchu does not include an entry permit to Huayna Picchu (the iconic hill behind the Machu Picchu ruins). If you want to climb Huayna Picchu then you need to pre-book your permit. Please contact your sales consultant if you would like to do this. **Due to new regulations at Mach Picchu, our entry permits allow us to explore Machu Picchu between 6am-12noon. If you require longer, additional fees apply. Please ask for more details. Subject to change at any time.
Later in the afternoon we travel by train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo. Upon arrival at Ollantaytambo Train Station, we will transfer by road back to your hotel in Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco

Today is at leisure allowing you to spend wandering the cobble-stoned streets of the ancient Inca capital.
This evening, enjoy dinner and show in a nearby restaurant
Overnight in Cusco

After breakfast you will be driven to Puno.This drive will take you through sleepy Andean villages, past spectacular snow-capped mountains, sheer cliffs and rampaging rivers. Stops along the way include the atmospheric towns of Pucara and Andahuaylillas, and the pre-Inca ruin of Raqchi. You will stop for lunch along the way and arrive into Puno early evening, where you will have dinner at the hotel.
Overnight Puno

Starting early around 7am, we will head to the port to board our speedboat & head to Taquile Island. Disembarking at a secluded part of the island, we explore a scenic and less touristy area of Taquile Island (exclusive). Enjoy a pristine sandy beach for some time to relax and feel the serenity of Lake Titicaca. Hike along a pre-Inca trail with spectacular landscapes of the island, visiting families of weavers to learn about their textile art and symbolism. In 2005, "Taquile and its Textile Art" were proclaimed "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.
Our journey continues by speedboat to the community of Santa Maria-Llachon, on the tip of the Capachica Peninsula. This is a picturesque off the beaten track destination. We are welcomed by the small Quechua speaking community and introduced to an intensive cultural experience, observing the traditions of the community and participating in an ancient ceremony to learn about their magical world. Then experience the preparation of "Pachamanca", a traditional way of cooking meat, fish and potatoes using underground ovens, and one of the main dishes of Peruvian cuisine. Enjoy these delicacies in a small, but scenic restaurant. For the more adventurous there is an optional kayak along the coast of Llachon.
After lunch we leave Santa Maria and 35 minutes later we arrive at a remote area of the National Reserve of Lake Titicaca to explore Uros Ccapi. These are considered to be the last authentic floating islands, less commercial and little visited. The Uros are descendants of one of the oldest cultures in South America. There are optional tours in reed boats before we depart back to Puno at 15:25 pm. Expect to reach the hotel around 5pm.
Overnight in Puno

Today you will be collected from your hotel and taken to Julianca Airport for your flight back to Lima.
Overnight Lima

Time to say farewell to your fellow travelling companions as your tour comes to an end.

**EXTEND YOUR STAY**
Add a Galapagos Cruise, Travel to Cuba, How about Atacama or Santiago. Ask us for more details