On Top of the Andes

Arrival at Jorge Chavez Lima airport, meet and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Lima.

We take the famed Ormeño Royal Class bus for a picturesque drive along the coast. If you thought Mel Gibson’s movie “SIGNS” was merely science fiction – strange etchings in wheat fields was science fiction — wait until we fly over the mysterious Nasca Lines for an aerial view of the mysterious, eerie drawings of animals, geometric figures and birds scratched onto the arid crust of the desert more than 1000 years ago. Overnight at Paracas (B)

Early transfer for a two-hour cruise to the Ballestas Islands in the beautiful Pacific off the coast of the Paracas Reserve, Peru’s largest coastal wildlife sanctuary. These two beautiful islands are home to thousands of unique migratory sea birds, include pelicans, cormorants, gulls and boobies – the bird variety that is. Watch them fight for survival with colonies of frisky sea lions. More mysterious faces await you – the etched in the desert sand variety — on our way back to Lima in the Candlestick.Bus. (Peru names its luxury buses like other countries name their luxury cruise ships.) Transfer to your hotel. (B)

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Arequipa. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. Tour of Peru’s “White City” including a visit to the Santa Catalina convent, Plaza de Armas, the Jesuit church of La Compañia and it’s beautiful painted chapel, then visit the district of Cayma and Yanahuara. Overnight in Arequipa. (B)

Early pick up from hotel for a bus ride to Colca Canyon (*) taking the road which passes between the Misti and Chachani volcanoes. On the way you will have the opportunity to appreciate a Vicuna reserve before arriving to the picturesque towns of Callalli and Sibayo. Continue to the town of Chivay, rest of the afternoon at leisure to relax or visit the town. Overnight at local lodge (B/L/D)

Early departure to the “Cruz del Condor,” the best place to admire the Colca canyon and the Condor’s flight. Appreciate the archaeological remains, more than just “remains” the Inca terraces still in use today around scenic towns like Maca, Achoma and Yanque. Return to Chivay to visit a “hot” site, the hot springs of La Calera. After lunch return to Arequipa. Overnight in Arequipa. (B/L)

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Cusco. Transfer to your Cusco hotel.
“Layered” is a key word in fashion. “Layered” is also the word for the buildings of Cusco, the former Inca capital. Cusco’s “layered” buildings are totally unique: Inca foundations, cut with infinite precision and fitted together without mortar, topped with Spanish Renaissance and Baroque churches and palaces. And throughout its many earthquakes, it’s the Inca foundations that have survived intact. On our tour you’ll visit the Koricancha or Temple of the Sun” — with it’s interior formerly lined with gold. We stroll and sightsee through the lively historic hub of the city, the Plaza de Armas and its magnificent Cathedral. The outskirts are equally fascinating with the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, temple of Kenko and Tambomachay, known as the “Baths of the Inca”-yet another example of the Inca’s advanced culture. Overnight in Cusco. (B)

Early morning departure for what is called “the world’s most picturesque train ride” through the Andes to Machu Pichu. The very name, “Machu Pichu” conjures up mystery and wonder. An entire Inca city, where all its walls, alleys, stairs survive not only intact, but it survives perched on a mountain top in the clouds, piercing the heavens. How did the Incas build on such heights? And how did it elude the Conquistadors and the rest of the world until it was discovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham? A guided visit of the ruins will try to answer those questions as you explore the “Archeological miracle of the Americas.” Your worked-up appetite is satisfied at lunch at the beautiful Sanctuary Lodge. Overnight in Aguas Calientes. (B/L)

Morning at leisure to visit Machu Pichu again without the crowds to see the mystical spectacle of sunrise. Or tour the surroundings. Train back to Cusco. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Cusco. (B)

On the bus ride to Puno , you’ll pass herds of llamas and vicunas grazing on the highland pampas as nonchalantly as cows graze back home. Picturesque small villages, cast in the majestic backdrop of the Andes, roll on before us. Lunch included. On arrival to Puno, transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Puno. (B/L)

Full Day Inca Trail Explorer (From Puno to La Paz) Overland transfer to Copacabana. Visit the church of Pomata and the Copacabana cathedral. Hydrofoil cruise to Moon Island, visit the Sun Virgins Temple Iñak Uyu. Continue to Sun Island, visit the Inca Staircase & Sacred fountain, taste the sacred water believed to give eternal youth & happiness. Lunch at “Uma Kollu” archaeological restaurant and visit a picturesque handicraft market. Hydrofoil cruise to Huatajata. Arrive to Huatajata to experience the ” Andean Roots Eco Village”: Visit The Altiplano Museum, where a state of the art audio system will explain in your own language the cultural heritage of the Aymaras and the Incas, the colonial time and Jacques Cousteau Expedition to Lake Titicaca. Handicrafts and fisherman villages, the Mud Igloos of the Urus Chipayas; meet the Limachi family, builders of the RA II and Tigris for Thor Heyerdhal epic expeditions across the Atlantic Ocean and much more. Continue by bus to La Paz. The road is running parallel with the Royal Range of the Andes. Overnight in La Paz.(B/L).

La Paz, Bolivia is the highest capital city in the world. Everything about it is unspoiled from its air to its sights. You’re in an exclusive group – very few tourists ever make it to this undiscovered Andes’ treasure. Tour the city, visiting the typical Indian market where the women wear – and sell – their traditional bowler hats. Then you’re in the heart of La Paz, the beautiful Plaza Murillo where the Cathedral, the Government Palace and the National Congress form a unified historically-preserved center. The tour continues through chic residential areas ending with a visit to Moon Valley – named because it looks like a set from STAR WARS. This unique lunar-like landscape is one of highlights of Andes. Overnight in La Paz (B)