Peru in Our Winter

Lima

You are met on arrival at Lima airport and transferred to your chosen hotel in the city. The rest of the day is free to relax after your journey.

Your guide comes to your hotel for a morning tour of Lima as an introduction to the city. You visit the Parque del Amor in Miraflores for its views of the Pacific, and visit the pre-Incan site of Huaca Pucllana. In Lima’s historic centre you pass the Government Palace and the City Hall on the Plaza de Armas, and visit the Cathedral. You also visit the impressive San Francisco monastery a highlight of Spanish colonial baroque with one of the oldest libraries in South America. You are returned to your hotel with the rest of the day free for you to get to know Lima for yourself. You are returned to your hotel with the rest of the day free for you to get to know Lima for yourself.

Today is free for you to explore Lima independently. We suggest joining a shared tour in the evening which visits the Larco Museum, with its world-renowned private collection of pre-Columbian art, and stops at a tavern in the Pueblo Libre district for local snacks and maybe a pisco sour (Peru’s gift to the world). It continues to the Park of the Magic Water Circuit on Wednesdays to Sundays, or the artsy Barranco district on other evenings.

Trujillo

A morning flight to Trujillo in the north, where you are met on arrival and driven to your hotel for two nights. In the afternoon your private guide takes you on a walking tour of Trujillo with its illustrious past and a pleasant ‘eternal spring’ climate.

This morning you visit the major archaeological sites outside the city: the Sun and Moon pyramids of the Moche civilisation and Chan Chan from the Chimu era, followed by a catch of the day lunch at the nearby fishing village of Huanchaco. Fishing boats made of reeds line the beach.

Chiclayo

You are collected from your hotel by a private driver for the journey on the desert coast road to Chiclayo (3hr). The Andes are the closest to the ocean in this part of Peru so the mountain profiles to your right are impressive. You stop to visit the Lady of Cao museum en route. The afternoon is free to relax. Your hotel has a pool and there are several interesting sites in the area, which we can arrange for you to visit at modest extra cost. These include the Bruning Museum, the Valley of the Pyramids at Tucume, the Lord of Sican museum, and Batan Grande. Let us know your preference in advance.

Morning visit to the archaeological excavation site of the Huaca Rajada–an adobe pyramid 45min drive SE of Chiclayo where the treasures of the Lord of Sipan were found. In the afternoon visit the world-class Royal Tombs Museum where the treasures from that pyramid are beautifully displayed.

Chaparri Reserve

Today you head into the countryside to the Chaparri Reserve, a protected dry forest that is home to a range of endemic and threatened species, most notably Spectacled Bear and the endangered White-winged Guan. It is a 2h drive from Chiclayo, the final 15km is unpaved. Return at the end of the day.

Arequipa

Transfer to Chiclayo airport for a flight to Lima and onwards flight to Arequipa. You are met on arrival and driven to your hotel. In the afternoon you might stroll by yourself in Arequipa’s colonial centre to visit the Santuarios Andinos Museum, with its 600 year old Incan ice maiden.

Today you are picked up and taken on a tour of Arequipa, starting in the district of San Lazaro, and Carmen Alto with its view across farming terraces to the three majestic snow capped volcanoes Misti, Chachani and Picchu Picchu which stand over the city, the district of Yanahuara. You return to the colonial centre and visiting the Plaza de Armas, Cathedral and Santa Catalina Monastery, one of Peru’s most important religious buildings. Your afternoon is free to explore. The market is a treat, with huge numbers of different types of potato and corn on display, and a ‘witches market’ of folk remedies. Arequipa has good shops for high quality llama, alpaca and vicuna woollens.

This morning you are taken to visit the Monasterio de la Recoleta Museum (closed Mondays), which dates from the 1600s. Then at Casa del Moral you taste the life of the colonial elite in a mansion built in 1730, one of Arequipa’s best examples of colonial baroque architecture. Its ornate sillar façade is decorated with pumas with serpents flowing from their mouths; period furniture, paintings and sculptures within. Your afternoon is free. We would suggest a visit to the Sta Catalina convent, although this would make a lot of religious architecture in one day. The Mario Vargas Llosa exhibit would make for balance.

The Sacred Valley

Morning flight to Cusco and onwards by road to the Sacred Valley, stopping at Awanacancha, where you can pet and feed Andean camelids such as llamas and alpacas, and where the locals show their traditional spinning, weaving and dyeing techniques. At Pisac you visit the daily market in the main square. There is a charming small ‘botanical’ garden with hollyhocks, cacti, arums, agapanthus and varieties of pulses, corn cobs and potatoes, just off the main square (modest entry fee locally) if you wish. You drive through the main part of the Sacred Valley to reach the Incan fortress of Ollantaytambo with its temples, observatories, grain stores and stone-walled terraces. Overnight in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, your base for one night.

Machu Picchu

You board a train at Ollantaytambo and travel beside the Urubamba River into the mountains of the Vilcabamba to reach Machu Picchu Pueblo where a bus takes you to the citadel of Machu Picchu ‘The Lost City of the Incas’. Here you have a guided tour of the ruins, its terraces and ceremonial shrines, perched high among the mountains with dramatic views in all directions. You return by bus down the mountain to the village for a late lunch at one of the restaurants in the area (not included). At the arranged time, you catch a return train and onwards by road to your hotel in Cusco, your base for the next 2 nights.

Cusco

This morning you visit the nearby ruins of Tambomachay with their water foundations, Qenko amphitheatre, Puca-pucara (the Red Fortress) and the mighty Sacsayhuaman Fortress. After lunch you explore Cusco itself. You’ll see a blend of Spanish colonial architecture over Inca foundations, and learn about Incan society and the remarkable story of its downfall. Visit the Koricancha or Temple of the Sun and the 17th century baroque cathedral, then explore San Blas the artists’ quarter with steep streets and old Inca buildings and Spanish mansions.

Transfer to Cusco airport for a flight to Lima in time for international flights departing in the late afternoon. If you have more time you could visit the Amazon near Iquitos, which is the better Amazon option at this time of year.