You will be picked up at your hotel and driven to the airport to catch your flight to Arequipa. When you arrive in this beautiful city at 2,350m, with the imposing Misti volcano looming in the background, private transport will be waiting to take you to your hotel. After a brief rest, we will visit the colonial heart of the city, with its elegant white architecture (you’ll see why its nickname is “The White City”), the main plaza, museums, churches and the famous Santa Catalina Convent, a noteworthy example of religious art. The agreeable climate and local food make Arequipa a friendly and inviting city.

In the morning, we’ll travel by private bus to the Colca Canyon. En route, we’ll pass close to Misti volcano, the Chachani glacier, and the Pampa Cañahuas National Reserve, a refuge for wild vicuñas (a llama relative) in danger of extinction. After crossing a 4,000m high pass we’ll stop in the village of Chivay, where we’ll learn about the daily life of the locals who work the land on the hundreds of terraces surrounding the town. We’ll spend a peaceful evening underneath the starry sky in hot pools or in one of the beautiful lodges in Colca.

We’ll hit the road early and head for the deepest part of the canyon, known as “Cruz del Condor” due to the warm air currents there which condors use to fly over the rim of the canyon. After enjoying our tour around the area and taking in the views, our bus will take us back to Arequipa, where we will spend the night in a hotel.

A short flight will take you to Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. Upon your arrival, the Land of the Inkas team will be waiting to greet you. During the trip to the center in a private vehicle, the guide will give a brief introductory talk about the city. You’ll have the rest of the day free to acclimatize, relax and enjoy the exceptional atmosphere in Cusco, home to the some of the most amazing history and culture in South America.

Today, we’ll visit the most important tourist sites in the city and its surroundings. This is an opportunity to try new things and to learn about the history of Cusco and the daily life of its people. Our destinations today include churches, museums and archeological sites. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the fortress of Saqsaywaman and the complexes of Qenqo, Pucapucara and Tambomachay. All of these were highly important sites in the Inca religion and are located close to Cusco. After our explorations, we’ll return you to your hotel to spend the night.

We’ll continue our excursion by heading out to the Sacred Valley, which awaits us with its warmer climate. The town of Pisac is our first stop. All along the road out to the ruins there, you can see remains of Inca agricultural activity. You’ll take in the sweeping panoramic views of the Andean mountains and visit the towns of Calca and Urubamba. After lunch, our journey continues towards Ollantaytambo, whose layout still shows signs of Inca planning, with its cobbled streets and Inca fort. We will spend the night in a hotel here.

We’ll depart for Machu Picchu from Ollantaytambo by train, a journey which follows the course of the Urubamba river for around 1.5 hours. Our destination is the thickly vegetated land with high peaks that shelters the town of Aguas Calientes. After checking in to our hotel and having lunch, a bus will carry us to the ruins of Machu Picchu, recognized as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Your guide will go into depth about the history and archeology of the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary. We’ll also have time to appreciate the cloud forest which surrounds the site before returning by bus to Aguas Calientes and your hotel.

Early on the following day, we’ll return to Machu Picchu in bus to enjoy the early morning light and thinner crowds. We’ll then climb the steep path up to Huayna Picchu. This is a fascinating archeological site in its own right, but it also offers a commanding view of Machu Picchu in its entirety.

In the afternoon, we’ll return to Aguas Calientes to take the return train to Ollantaytambo, where our bus will be waiting for us. On the way back, we’ll be able to visit to town of Chinchero before returning to your hotel in Cusco.

On the final day, we’ll take you to the Cusco airport for your return flight to Lima and your connecting flight home.

* In case you want to visit any additional sites, you can add extensions on to your original package. If you choose an extension, we’ll organize the connection to your next destination. Someone from the Land of the Inkas team will accompany you to ensure that you make your connection and that everything goes smoothly.