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Day 1
ARRIVE LIMA (2 NIGHTS)
Bienvenidos a Lima! Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted and taken to your hotel in San Isidro, close to lots of fun restaurants and shops. (Check-in time is 3 p.m. depending on your flight schedule, or if flying from the USA/Canada, you may arrive in Lima early morning of Day 2 where your hotel room is ready for immediate occupancy.)
M: Moderate, D: Deluxe, SF: Superior First Class, F: First Class. For further details please see the notes section below.
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Day 2
LIMA FREE TIME & SIGHTSEEING
Enjoy the morning to settle in the great city of Lima, dubbed the “City of Kings” by the early conquistadors. Then, join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Be My Guest lunch and a warm welcome at the Casa Diez Canseco. Here, Dr. Diez Canseco, the illustrious owner, will take you on a tour of his historical and enchanting home, and join you in celebrating your arrival in Peru with a festive Kick-off Party and a home-cooked meal of tasty Peruvian dishes. Then, set out on a walk with a Local Guide through Lima’s UNESCO World Heritage Historical Centre. Be brave as you descend into the eerie catacombs of the San Francisco Monastery, where you will see hundreds of old bones and skulls. Later, you’ll be wowed by the incredible collection of pre-Columbian artefacts at the Larco Museum.
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Day 3
LIMA - CUSCO - SACRED VALLEY (3 NIGHTS)
Fly to Cusco and travel toward the Sacred Valley with a Local Guide. En route, visit Awanakancha, a breeding centre for wooly llamas and alpacas. You’ll also see rare vicunas whose super-fine wool the Incas called “the fabric of the gods.” Travel on to Wayra Ranch where you are treated to an exciting performance of dancing and horsemanship featuring Peruvian Paso horses while you enjoy a Highlight Lunch. Later, meet Peru’s beloved ceramicist Pablo Seminario, a Local Expert who shows you how to create your own pottery masterpiece to keep as a souvenir. Sample the Peruvian drink called chicha, a Local Speciality, at a local watering hole. After tonight’s Make Your Own Pizza Highlight Dinner, meet an Andean storyteller and learn about intriguing local legends and the strange quipu or “talking knot.”
M: Moderate, D: Deluxe, SF: Superior First Class, F: First Class. For further details please see the notes section below.
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Day 4
MACHU PICCHU ADVENTURES
All aboard! Ride the rails on an adventure to mysterious Machu Picchu—“The Lost City of the Incas”—one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Visit the ruins, the great Temple of the Sun, the House of the Priest, the Sacred Plaza and many more cool places. Save up some energy to hike up to the Gate of the Sun along the Inca Trail to look out over the fortress and the valley below. Return to your hotel by train late this afternoon.
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Day 5
SACRED VALLEY ADVENTURES
Decisions, decisions! Go river rafting? Mountain biking? Horseback riding? Ziplining? Relaxing at the hotel? The choice is yours—it’s all included! Tempting your taste buds at another Highlight Lunch is a Peruvian Pachamanca feast, where you can lend a hand, cooking tasty foods in a large hole in the ground! Then meet with a Shaman for a Local Speciality demonstration of the Inca’s Pago a la Tierra, or Payment to the Earth ceremony. Kids and kids at heart can join a game of Sapo or “frog game,” handed down from an ancient Inca royal family. Tonight, stargaze with a Local Expert at the Observatory.
Day 6
SACRED VALLEY - MARAS - SACSAYHUAMAN - CUSCO (2 NIGHTS)
Did you know that potatoes originated from Peru over 7,000 years ago and that today, Peruvian farmers grow more kinds of corn than anywhere else on earth? Learn about Peru’s ancient farming history as you explore some local farm fields. Then saddle up on a donkey for a ride through the little village of Maras and visit the amazing ancient Inca salt pans with a guide. Visit a local family for lunch (box lunch provided) and learn how to make delicious quinua soup, a Local Speciality. At the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, test your strength and try to figure out how the ancient Incas moved these enormous stones.
M: Moderate, D: Deluxe, SF: Superior First Class, F: First Class. For further details please see the notes section below.
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Day 7
CUSCO SIGHTSEEING & FREE TIME
This morning, join a Local Guide and check out Cusco’s colonial Cathedral and the Temple of the Sun, said to have been sheeted in silver and gold! Continue on to watch expert weavers create the Local Speciality of intricate Andean Textiles and try some weaving yourself. The afternoon is yours for further exploration. Maybe you’ll want to join in the dancing at tonight’s Highlight Dinner, where you’ll be shown traditional dances.
Day 8
CUSCO - LIMA - ICA (2 NIGHTS)
Fly back to Lima and travel with a Local Guide south into the Peruvian desert to Ica whose dry climate is just perfect for the preservation of mummies. View the creepy collection and learn about the sacred burial process at the Regional Museum.
M: Moderate, D: Deluxe, SF: Superior First Class, F: First Class. For further details please see the notes section below.
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Day 9
ICA ADVENTURES
Take to the sky to see the otherworldly Nazca Lines, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Marvel at the mysterious ancient drawings of creatures and wonder how and why they were created. Back on the ground, grownups can sample Peru’s Local Speciality, Pisco, at El Catador Pisco Winery, while kids will enjoy a stop at a chocolate factory. This afternoon, hit the slopes on a fast and furious dune buggy ride and sand-boarding adventure on the vast sand dunes! Tonight, celebrate your new friendships and share your awesome experiences at a festive Farewell Dinner at the hotel.
Day 10
ICA - BALLESTAS ISLANDS - LIMA
Board a motorboat for an expedition with a Local Guide to the Ballestas Islands, a wildlife wonderland. Be sure to look back toward the coast to see the Candelabra, another mysterious design carved into the earth; then observe thousands of sea lions, Humboldt penguins, countless bird species, and, if you’re lucky, blue-footed boobies and dolphins playing in the waves. Return to Lima late afternoon.
M: Moderate, D: Deluxe, SF: Superior First Class, F: First Class. For further details please see the notes section below.
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Day 11
DEPART LIMA
Bid adios to your newfound companeros as you take your transfer to the airport for your onward travel arrangements (not included in holiday price).