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Culture, Vultures and Cuisine
16-Day Peru Andes Holiday Itinerary - Huacachina, Colca Canyon, Cusco & Machu Picchu
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Prices from £1,995 pp
All prices exclude international flights at the start/end of your trip. Let us book flights for you.
16 days / 15 nights (flexible)
Daily
Lima - Huacachina - Arequipa - Colca Canyon - Cusco - Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu
Overview
Skip the trekking and instead delve into the culture and cuisine of the Andes. Begin with a market tour in colonial Lima before journeying along the coast to magical Arequipa for a cooking lesson in a local home. Watch condors soar overhead in the Colca Canyon and help out on a local farm. Wander through the cobbled streets of Cusco then journey into the Sacred Valley for a chocolate making workshop and trip to the iconic Machu Picchu.
What's included
- Accommodation – price based on 2 people sharing
- Breakfast
- Transport as described
- Excursions as described
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Location map
Your day-by-day itinerary
Markets & Plazas of Lima
A proud Latino city, often cloaked in mist from the Pacific Ocean and with a famed food scene, Lima fizzes with energy and is more than just a handy starting point for your holiday. You’ll spend 2 nights in a cosy hotel in a pleasant part of town, and you’ll be shown around the lively Miraflores food market and the charming colonial centre by your local Limeño guide, before setting off to explore the city independently.
Onward transfers
Today you will be collected very early in the morning from your hotel and transferred south to the desert oasis of Huacachina. Along the way you’ll stop off at the port of Paracas, about 3 hours from Lima, from where you’ll hop on a boat over to experience the Ballestas Islands national reserve, about 45 minutes from the mainland. From Paracas on to Huacachina it’s about 90 minutes drive.
Sea Lions and Sand Dunes
Sleep next to a surreal desert lagoon and sail around islands crammed with sea lions. Welcome to the curious coastline of Peru. From Lima you’ll travel through coastal Peru by private car, with the surreal garúa mist rolling in from the sea, stopping to take a boat trip to the Islas Ballestas, where sea lions bark and penguins patrol along the shorelines. You’ll spend the evening and most of the next day in the charming oasis town of Huacachina, surrounded by sand dunes, before catching an overnight sleeper bu to Arequipa.
Onward transfers
Next you will make your own way to the bus station in Ica, about 45 minutes by taxi, for the comfortable overnight Royal Class bus to Arequipa. Your travel time overnight is roughly 11.5 hours.
Culture and Cookery in Arequipa
Arequipa is an understated highlight of Peru – an attractive city with a distinct personality and a striking volcanic backdrop. Wander along cobbled streets to the local market and enter an explosion of colour, sounds and smells, before exploring the nooks and crannies of the fascinating Monasterio de Santa Catalina. During your time here you’ll also step inside a local home and learn the secrets of how to cook perfect quinoa, chicha or caldo verde from your Arequipeño host.
Onward transfers
Early this morning you’ll be picked up in Arequipa for the five hour drive across the Altiplano to Coporaque. You can doze off for the first couple of hours, until the bus starts to wind its way up into the mountains.
Condors in the Colca Canyon
Around twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, the Colca Canyon slices through the Andes and affords some of the most spectacular views on the continent. Joining a small group, you’ll begin with a scenic drive past volcanoes, lakes and grazing alpacas, before arriving at your lodge in the town of Coporaque. In the afternoon you can relax or head out hiking through this striking landscape with your guide.
In the morning you’ll head to the deepest part of the canyon – a nesting site for the huge Andean condor, where they glide on thermals close above your head. In the afternoon you can hike or relax in the nearby hot springs, before meeting Josefina and Oswaldo, who live in the valley and will host you tonight in their simple farmstay. After a tasty breakfast prepared with local ingredients, you’ll spend a couple of hours helping out (as best you can!) on the farm, before you continue you Peruvian journey.
Onward transfers
Next, you’ll be picked up by minivan for the drive back to Arequipa. You’ll spend another night in the same hotel and the next day head to the airport for your roughly 1 hour flight to Cusco.
Explore the Cobbled Streets of Cusco
Explore Cusco, the Inca heartland and a city of colourful contrasts. During this trip, you’ll spend two nights in Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Travellers from all over the world meet here before heading into the mountains, making it a lively hub of restaurants, bars and museums. Scattered with Inca ruins and colonial churches, it’s a brilliant place for an atmospheric wander.
Onward transfers
We’ll arrange for a transfer to take you from Cusco into the Sacred Valley. You’ll be dropped off at your hotel in Ollantaytambo, roughly a 90 minute journey.
Train Tracks to Machu Picchu
Skip the trekking and take the train to Machu Picchu, arriving in easy style. Train and car are a great way to explore the Sacred Valley without any of the sweat and blisters of trekking. If you’re looking to relax en route to Machu Picchu, it’s absolutely the best way to travel. You’ll spend a couple of nights in the relaxed town of Ollantaytambo, before hopping on the train to Aguas Calientes ready to see the Lost City the following morning. Afterwards, we’ll arrange your train ticket back to Cusco.
Onward transfers
At the end of your time in the Sacred Valley and at Machu Picchu, you’ll take the train back to Poroy, near Cusco, which takes about 4 hours. On arrival you’ll make your own way back to spend a night in the same hotel in Cusco. The next day you’ll be transferred to the airport for your 90 minute flight back to Lima. We’ll arrange it so you can connect onto your international flight home.
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