Day 1. November 26, 2024, Tuesday. LIMA.
Airport pickup. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation. Vacation. Meet the group.
Overnight at the hotel in Lima 4*.
Day 2. November 27, 2024, Wednesday. LIMA.
City tour – through the beautiful Pacific Ocean promenade and into Lima’s colonial-era historic district. We will see the oldest streets, the presidential palace, the cathedral.
After lunch, fly to Cusco (altitude 3400 meters). Flight to Cusco (1.5 hours).
Overnight at the hotel in Cusco 4*.
Day 3. November 28, 2024, Thursday.
CUZCO – CORICANCHA – SAXAYHUAMAN – KENCO – TAMBOMACHAY.
Getting to know Cusco and the surrounding area. We will see the ancient Gilded Temple of Korikancha (Temple of the Sun). This is where the Incas held their main ritual celebration, the day of the winter solstice.
Cusco was the capital of the great Inca Empire for 200 years, but excavations show that people lived in the area as early as 3,000 years ago. The name of the city can be translated from the Quechua language as “Center of the World, Navel of the Earth”. It was in Cuzco during the Inca period that all the main temples were located and the most significant spiritual ceremonies took place here as well.
Today we will also visit megalithic structures such as Sacsayhuaman, Kenko Moon Temple and Tambomachay Water Temple.
Overnight at the hotel in Cusco 4*.
Day 4 – Day 4.
Cusco – Pisac – MORAY – MARAS SOLAR TERRACES.
Today we will visit the small colonial-era town of Pisac, home to a famous handicraft market where people from different villages bring their wares. First, the minibus will take us up to a mountain trail that will take us to Intihuatana, a sacred place where the so-called Attachment of the Sun (Intihuatana) is located inside a rounded tower. It is a rock that was thought to be the place where the gods descended. It is a trekking on scenic mountain trails for about 3-4 hours.
We will then travel to a place of strength in the mountains called Moray. There are several huge hollows in the ground in the form of amphitheaters. The mystery of this place is obscured by the story that there was a laboratory here under the Incas, where they were engaged in the selection and breeding of certain plants. You have to see the place with your own eyes to realize that it has nothing to do with such a theory.
Then we will reach a very picturesque place – the Maras salt terraces, where natural salt is extracted in a geological fault in the earth with the help of sun, water and wind. This place is especially beautiful in the sunset sunlight.
Overnight at the hotel in Cusco 4*.
Day 5. November 30, 2024, Saturday.
Cusco – Olliantaytambo (pyramid mountain) – Aguas Calientes (hot springs).
After breakfast we leave for Ollantaytambo.
Ollantaytambo is a site that is as much a stepped pyramid mountain, where again we will see clear traces of the technology of the gods as we have seen elsewhere. After viewing the pyramid, we descend to the train station where we board a train bound for the precursor to Machu Picchu, a small hiking town, Aguas Calientes (Hot Springs). On the way we are waiting for very picturesque views of the mountain landscape, where, the closer to Machu Picchu, the denser the vegetation becomes, as it is already the upper jungle, growing at altitudes above 2000 meters.
Upon arrival in small, cozy Aguas Calientes we check into the hotel. In the evening, those who wish can bathe in pools with natural mineral water from hot springs.
Overnight at the hotel in Aguas Calientes 4*.
Day 6. December 1, 2024, Sunday.
AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – HUAYNA PICCHU.
Today we will spend the day in the mysterious city of Machu Picchu, abandoned in the mountains, the creation of which modern historians attribute to the Inca civilization. On the territory of Machu Picchu we will see buildings made in the technique of polygonal masonry without the use of gluing material, which were created long before our era, which again calls into question the creation of this city by the Incas. There are also some unusual astronomical structures here. Machu Picchu has become one of the seven new wonders of the world.
If we manage to buy tickets (sometimes they sell out months in advance), after seeing Machu Picchu we will climb Huayna Picchu, the famous mountain where we will get a bird’s eye view of the lost city in the clouds.
Overnight at the hotel in Aguas Calientes 4*.
Day 7. December 2, 2024, Monday.
AGUAS CALIENTES – IGLESIA NIAUPA CAVE – CUSCO.
In the morning, we leave the hotel and head to the train that will take us back to Ollantaytambo where our minibus will pick us up. From here we will travel to the sacred cave of Iglesia Niaupa (Old Church). Going up into it, we get many more questions regarding the ancient civilization that built it all.
After seeing this place, we return to the bus and ride all the way to Cusco.
Overnight at the hotel in Cusco 4*.
Day 8. December 3, 2024, Tuesday. KUSKO – Raduzhye Mountains in ANDAH (trekking) or quinceanera ceremony (optional)
After breakfast, we leave for the Rainbow Mountains. Return to Cusco in the evening.
The Rainbow Mountains are a new wonder of the world that National Geographic has included in its “100 Places to Visit in a Lifetime.” It’s a whole multicolored valley with all the colors of the rainbow. The existence of the rainbow mountain became known not long ago, it was revealed to the world from the fact that due to global warming on the mountain melted snow and all the beauty of this place was exposed. The first tourists came to see Rainbow Mountain in 2016.
The hike will start from an elevation of 4700m and climb to 5040m, where we will get a panorama of the Rainbow Mountains and the surrounding valleys. The entire hike will take 5-6 hours.
If you wish, you can take a horse (for an additional fee).
Overnight in Cusco 4* hotel or at the ceremony site (for those who have a quinceanera ceremony).
Day 9. December 4, 2024, Wednesday.
Free day in Cusco or quinceanera ceremony (optional).
Overnight in Cusco 4* hotel or at the ceremony site (for those who have a quinceanera ceremony).
Day 10. December 5, 2024, Thursday.
CUSCO -. PUNO – Lake Titicaca
Transfer to Puno city by tourist bus or minibus (6-7 hours).
Along the way stops: Andahuayilillas – Sistine Chapel of South America, Rakchi – Inca administrative structure. Lunch in Sikuani.
Next stops: La Raya (4400 meters above sea level) a roadside market with beautiful mountains in the background; and Pucara, the center of the pre-Incan culture of the same name.
Arrival in Puno by evening, transfer and accommodation at the hotel.
Overnight in a hotel on the shores of Lake Titicaca 4*.
Day 11. December 6, 2024, Friday.
OZERO TITIKAKA – UROS ISLANDS – Portal of the Gods to Aram Moore
Then transfer to the port on the shores of the legendary Lake Titicaca. The Uros Floating Cane Islands Tour is a tour of over 40 man-made islands created by the Uros Indians from reeds growing on the lake. Here you will learn the history of the islands and its people. You can buy numerous souvenirs and ride on a cane boat. Our excursion continues deep into Lake Titicaca to Taquile Island. The island is famous for its ethnic cultural values – the island’s population preserves ancient traditions, especially weaving. The island was proclaimed a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO in 2005 for its weaving art.
After finishing the tour to the Uros Islands, we return to the port of Puno city and continue to another mysterious place – the portal of the gods Aramu Muru or, as it is called, Aja Marca (City of Death). Here we have to walk among red rocks, in whose profiles we can guess ancient lizards. Parts of these red rocks were added by someone in ancient times with amazing masonry, giving them the mysterious outlines of ancient reptiles. This place is especially beautiful and mystical at sunset.
Overnight in a hotel Taypikala Lago 4* on the shore of Lake Titicaca.
Day 12. December 7, 2024, Saturday.
Temple of Fertility – Dolmens of SILUSTANI – AIRPORT (in Huliak) – LIMA.
After breakfast, excursion to the ancient Temple of Fertility, where ceremonies are held for women who want to have children. On the Temple grounds we will see many stone phalluses.
Today after breakfast we will continue our acquaintance with the dolmens. Table Mountain is home to the ancient Silustani dolmens, set above the beautiful Lake Umayo. It is an unusually beguiling and mysterious place in which we will have time to meditate. After lunch, we’ll go to the airport.
Boarding a flight from Juliaca to Lima.
Upon arrival in Lima, transfer to the hotel. Overnight in a 4* hotel.
Day 13. December 8, 2024, Sunday.
Free day in Lima. Shopping. Stroll along the waterfront. You can visit the bohemian romantic neighborhood of Barranco, where artists, musicians and other creative people live. There are unusual houses and a lot of graffiti, souvenir shops, and a spirit of freedom. The neighborhood is located on the Pacific Ocean promenade, where there are many nice cafes and restaurants.
If you wish, you can visit one of the 25 best museums in the world – theLarco Herrera Museum. Founded in 1925, it is located in the house of the Viceroy of Peru. KThe 18th-century palonial style stands at the very top of the pyramid. It houses an unimaginably rich collection of ceramics, fabrics, jewelry, gold, mummies, and also displays a one-of-a-kind and one of the richest collections of pottery with an erotic allusion. The total number of exhibits is 45 thousand. They all tell the history, life and culture of civilizations such as the Inca, Moche, Nazca , Chimu.
There is also a very good restaurant of national cuisine “Café del Muzeo“.
If you wish, you can visit house museum “Casa Aliaga“ Built on the foundations of an ancient Inca pyramid in May 1536, at the time of the foundation of the city of Lima. Belonged to the Spanish conquistador Jeronimo De Altiaga, an associate of Francisco Pizarro. There is no other mansion in America that has been inhabited for so many years by the same family, generation after generation. Many historical treasures are preserved here and give a complete picture of the life of the nobility during the colonial period.
If you wish, you can visit the Archaeological Museum of Gold.
The museum presents a wide variety of artifacts: gold masks, shoulder pads, various jewelry – tiaras, crowns, necklaces, knives for rituals, wine goblets, tunics decorated with gold plates, wallpaper made of gold and silver. A unique exhibit of the museum is a human skull with artificial teeth made of rock crystal. There is also a skull with traces of trepanation, in which two holes were made, covered with gold plates. The mummy of an Inca ruler is kept in the museum. You can also familiarize yourself with unique samples of the legendary writing of the Peruvian Indians – the knotted writing of kipu.
The weapons collection, displayed on two floors of the museum, consists of many rare weapons.
Overnight in Lima in a 4* hotel.
Day 14. December 9, 2024, Monday.
LIMA – PARACAS – PROTECTED AREA.
After breakfast we leave for Paracas. Upon arrival in Paracas, accommodation at the hotel. We then take an excursion to the Paracas Conservation Area, where we will see unusually beautiful natural desert beaches and, along the way, ancient fossils of marine animals. Then, from here we drive to a place called Huacachina, where a lagoon is hidden in the sand dunes in the middle of the desert. Here you can ride buggies and boards down the sandy mountain. Sunset on the Pacific Ocean.
Overnight at the hotel in Paracas 4*.
Day 15. December 10, 2024, Tuesday. PARACAS – boat trip to BALESTAS ISLANDS – ICA (Museum of Engraved Stones) – NASCA.
Today we will travel by fast open boat to the Balestas Islands, on our way to see the famous giant drawing made on the desert sand called “Candilabre” and related to the Nazca Desert drawings. Then, see the Balestas Islands themselves, home to countless colonies of a variety of birds and penguins, as well as harbor seals.
On our return to Paracas, we board the minibus again and drive to the town of Ica, where we will visit the famous museum of Engraved Stones, where different sizes of andesites depict humans along with dinosaurs and complex medical operations on humans, as well as UFOs. After exploring the museum, we will continue our journey to Nazca.
Overnight in a hotel in Nazca 3*.
Day 16. December 11, 2024, Wednesday.
An overflight of Nazca drawings and lines. KAUCHI PYRAMIDS. NASCA LIMA DESERT.
Today we will fly over the Nazca lines and optionally Palpa in a small airplane for 6 passengers. The overflight takes about 35 minutes. The second part of the desert with drawings of geometrical figures is called Palpa and it also takes 35 minutes approximately. If you wish to do an overflight over both parts of the desert, you can decide on this at the last moment if necessary.
After the overflight, we will continue our journey to the Cahuachi pyramids in the desert and then to the ancient aqueducts that supplied water to the Nazca Indians and are still in operation today. Back to the hotel in Lima.
Overnight at the hotel in Lima 4*.
Day 17. December 12, 2024, Thursday.
Transfer to the airport for departure to Lima (for those flying home). Flight home.
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