Peru Inca Hopper Vacation Package

Arrival in Lima, the “City of Kings” famous for its Spanish Colonial architecture, extraordinary museums and cuisine. Lima is internationally recognized as the “Gastronomic Capital of the Americas”, and its cuisine is considered among the most diverse and exquisite in the world on par with French cuisine. Upon arrival a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and in registering.

Tour the capital and largest city of Peru. Located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean, forms a contiguous urban area with the seaport of Callao.
Among the ten largest in the Americas, and among the thirty largest in the world, Lima offers the sophistication of a modern and cosmopolitan city. Drive along the fashionable districts of Miraflores and San Isidro, El Parque del Amor (The Park of Love) and the striking beaches of Costa Verde.

Early morning transfer from the hotel to the airport for a short but spectacular flight over the snowcapped Andes to the oldest inhabited city in the hemisphere, Cusco, at an elevation of 11,440 feet.Immediate transfer to the Sacred Valley at 8,200 feet of altitude.Upon arrival a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and in registering.
The rest of the day is at leisure to relax.

Full Day Excursion to the Pisac Indian Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress – Morning departure for a drive through the fertile countryside of the Urubamba Valley to the colonial village of Pisac where a unique Indian Market takes place daily. The variety of products offered is overwhelming, from pottery with reproductions of archaeological pieces, to all kinds of textiles, jewelry and Peruvian handicrafts. During your visit to this bustling marketplace you will have the opportunity to bargain with the artisans and indigenous traders. Grab the items you like, you will hardly see the same one again.

Continue to the Ollantaytambo archaeological complex, the Incas built it as a fort that included a temple, agricultural terraces, and an urban area. There are two distinct sectors: The religious and worship zone, and the residential area. Ollantaytambo was an important administrative center with probable military functions if one considers the walls and towers. There are also traces of ancient roads and aqueducts. The town of Ollantaytambo is called a “Living Inca Town” since the inhabitants maintain very old practices and customs. Lunch is at a beautiful country estate on the shores of the Urubamba River.

Moray, Maras Salt Pools and Authentic Quechua Village – Pass through unspoiled and picturesque Andean communities on your way to the Incan agricultural experimental center of Moray, famous for its sunken amphitheater, made up of four circular terraces, which appear to fade away into the earth like an artificial crater. The site was apparently an Inca agricultural research station filled with fertile earth and watered by complex irrigation systems, designed for experimenting with crops at various altitudes (some of which run down to depths of 100 meters).

Continue to the impressive Maras salt pools formed by water emerging from a lake inside a mountain in the Urubamba Valley. An amazing view of evaporating ponds for the extraction of salt. Learn about ancestral techniques, which are still used, in agricultural, irrigation and salt-recollection tasks, as well as in Andean festivals and rites.

After lunch, visit an authentic Quechua Village to feel the way of life of the Inca’s ancestors. The Inca himself was a noble Quechua. They live off the land and are always wearing their colorful ponchos, see Quechua children scamper about while woman are weaving their family’s clothes. A meaningful experience! Lunch is included. At proper time train ride to Machu Picchu. Overnight and dinner at the hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Visit to the “Lost City of the Incas,” Machu Picchu. Perched 8,200 feet above the valley, it was hidden by mountains and semi-tropical jungles for 400 years until discovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale University in 1911. Archaeologists believe that the Inca “Virgins of the Sun” took refuge from the Spanish Conquistadors here. Guided tour of the ruins upon arrival. Lunch is at Café Inkaterra. Dinner at the hotel.

Free morning to enjoy one of the most incredible sights on earth, the sanctuary of Machu Picchu. Take as much time as you need to study these magnificent ruins or hike the steep stone-paved trail of Huayna Picchu, the pyramid-shape mountain above Machu Picchu for a breathtaking “condor view” of the citadel (reservation and extra fee are needed). Or stroll to the Inca Bridge a secret entrance used by the Inca’s army or walk toward the Inca Trail to find the historic Intipunku or “Sun Gate” or visit Manuel Chavez Museum or hike in Mandor Valley or just enjoy the thermal springs of the town. Afternoon return train ride.

Tour of Cusco and Nearby Ruins – Visitors are caught up in the excitement of touring the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, a delightful combination of Inca and colonial architecture. The tour visits important landmarks such us Cusco’s Cathedral, Plaza de Armas and Koricancha “The Temple of the Sun”. This tour of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the western hemisphere also includes the nearby ruins of Kenko, Puca-Pucara, Tambomachay as well as the Sacsayhuaman fortress, an imposing example of Inca military architecture.

Cusco Dinner and Show
Cusco has enough entertainment to keep you busy for a week. Tonight you flavor a Novo Andean and International buffet, which utilizes regional ingredients to rescue the gastronomic roots of the Andes.

Dinner is followed by a folkloric show with whirling Peruvian dancers performing a variety of regional entertaining dances.

Transfer to the airport for your departure at 07:30AM arriving in Lima at 09:00AM and your connecting international flight.
Arrive home full of great memories of the rich tradition of Colonial Lima, the snowcapped roaring Andean mountains and lush valleys, and the zig-zag road to the overwhelming sight of Machu Picchu, the amazing legacy the Incas.