PAT 1610 - INCA TREASURES

Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting for you at the airport to transfer you to the selected hotel. Remainder of the day off to rest or take an excursion (on request) if time allows. Overnight in Lima.

Breakfast at the hotel. Between 08:45 and 09:15 or between 13:45 and 14:15 hours, depending on your choice, we will pick you up from your hotel to start the panoramic city tour where we will visit the Colonial Center, the Plaza Mayor, the Palace of Government, the Cathedral Basilica, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Municipality of Lima. Also, we will be visiting San Francisco, a convent with cloisters and catacombs of the Colonial period.

The tour starts with a panoramic view of the Huaca Pucllana and the traditional, residential, and commercial areas of Lima to continue with the historic center of Lima and end with a spectacular panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and the beaches of the Miraflores district. Return to the hotel

Between 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. we will pick you up again from the hotel to begin with a guided visit to the Gold Museum, where you can see a private collection of gold pieces such as necklaces, funeral masks, ceremonial vessels, sceptres, Tumis, nose rings, idols, etc. These pieces are a sample of the advances in goldsmithing that were achieved in ancient Peru. Likewise, this museum has a large collection of ancient weapons from different parts of the world. Return to the hotel. Ovenight in Lima.    (B.)

Breakfast at the hotel. At the coordinated time, we will pick you up from the hotel to start the trip to the city of Ica. Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting to transfer you to the airfield of Ica. Upon arrival, you will enter an overflight orientation room where you will be able to appreciate audiovisual material referring to the Nasca Lines. Then, in turns, we will board the aircraft to fly over the Nasca Lines for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. During this flight, we will be able to appreciate the gigantic zoomorphic and geometric figures, traced in low relief on the sands of the Nasca desert.

The Nasca Lines are located in the southern part of Peru, mainly on a desert plateau between the Ingenio and Nasca valleys. On this dark plain of more than 500 square kilometers, the ancient men of the Nasca culture drew enormous designs, representing geometric figures, animals, birds, plants and straight lines that run through the desert for several kilometers in all directions. These images on the surface of the desert are so gigantic that the only way to appreciate them in their full dimension is to do so from the sky. The true origin of these lines and figures is unknown, no one knows for sure who built them, or why. For some, these lines represented a gigantic astronomical calendar related to agriculture, for others it is a navigation plane and extraterrestrial airport.   At the end of the flyby, you will be able to draw your own conclusions.

After this experience, we will transfer you to the beautiful Huacachina lagoon, which is a famous oasis in the middle of the Iqueño desert.

Optional and with an additional payment, you can request a buggy ride on the desert sands.

At the coordinated time, we will transfer you to the station to take the bus to Paracas. Upon arrival, reception and transfer to the selected hotel. Overnight in Paracas.   (B.)

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we will transfer to the Paracas pier to board the boat in which we will start the excursion out to sea towards the Ballestas Islands. During the ride we will be able to appreciate the gigantic Candelabra outlined on the side of a hill facing the sea, and our local guide will tell you the various theories that have been woven around this enigmatic design. When you arrive at the Ballestas Islands, you will be able to observe different species that make up part of the local marine fauna, including Humboldt penguins, sea lions, seagulls, boobies, Zarcilillos, pelicans, etc. (some of them are almost extinct).

NOTE: (The exact time of departure to the Ballestas Islands is subject to the weather, and it is necessary for the port captaincy to give the go-ahead for navigation).

After doing the tour of the islands we will return to the mainland and, after some free time, we will transfer you to the bus station to return to the city of Lima. Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting for you at the station to transfer you to your hotel.    (B.)

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport to board the flight to the “White City”: Arequipa. Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting for you at the airport to transfer you to the selected hotel.

At 14:00 hrs., we will begin a guided tour of the main tourist attractions of the city, where we will visit the Monastery of cloistered nuns of Santa Catalina, built in the 16th century and opened to the public since 1970. Santa Catalina is one of the most notable and beautiful buildings in the city, and behind its walls is more than 400 years of history. The city of Arequipa has various Spanish-type buildings and old churches built based on ashlar (white volcanic stone), among which the Cathedral and the church of the Company of Jesus stand out.     (B.)

Breakfast at the hotel. At the coordinated time we will transfer you to the airport to board your flight to the city of Juliaca.

Upon arrival our staff will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel in the city of Puno. On the way to Puno we will visit Sillustani, a necropolis of Pre-Inca origin, located 34 km from the city of Puno (35 minutes by car) and at an altitude of 3,840 masl. During this visit we can enjoy magnificent landscapes and the imposing pre-Inca architecture, located on the top of a peninsula surrounded by the beautiful Umayo lagoon. The Sillustani archaeological site is a cemetery that was built in the 12th century by a civilization that occupied the area, before the Inca domain: The Kolla culture. The most imposing towers that we will observe in this place were built for the most important chiefs and priests. For the ancient civilizations that spread throughout Peru, the cemeteries were resting places for their dead and that is why they strategically chose places beautiful that were considered sacred spaces.

As we walk around Sillustani we can feel the energy that emanates from the entire peninsula and the harmony that constitutes a landscape so perfect for our hearts to recharge with peace.

Overnight in Puno.    (B.)

Breakfast at the hotel. At the indicated time, we will transfer you to the pier of Titicaca Lake to begin our excursion to Taquile Island, a place of spectacular beauty, where its population still have their ancestral customs and where we can share with them some experiences. Continuing with the trip, we will visit the floating islands of the Uros; artificial islands, handcrafted by its inhabitants based on the Totora, plant that grows in the same lake. The Uros lives basically from fishing, hunting, and gathering, as well as selling handicrafts and multicolored fabrics. During the tour we can see and hear the legends of the Uros, their customs and folklore. It is worth noting that the whole journey of this day is made by navigating on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. Overnight in Puno    (B. L.)

Breakfast at the hotel.  Transfer to the bus terminal to board the tourist bus to the city of Cusco. On the way we will visit the Pucará site museum, we will make a brief stop at “La Raya”, the highest point of the route (4335 meters above sea level), we will visit the archaeological center of Raqchi (one of the main temples to the god Wiracocha), and we will stop in Sicuani to enjoy a pleasant buffet lunch. Finally, before arriving in Cusco we will visit the church of Andahuaylillas, also known as the Sistine Chapel of South America. Arriving in the city of Cusco, our staff will be waiting to transfer you to the hotel.  Overnight in Cusco.   (B.L.)

Breakfast at the hotel.  Morning off

Between 12:30 and 13:15 hours, our staff will pick you up from the hotel to start the tour of the colonial city, built on the bases of Inca palaces. In the tour we will visit the Plaza de Armas, the Temple of the Sun, also known as Qoricancha, and the Cathedral of Cusco, where we can see beautiful paintings and sculptures. Then we will continue to the archaeological center of Sacsayhuaman, a multipurpose place where the Sun, the Moon and the Earth were worshiped, and which was also used as a military fortress and an astrological center. Later we will arrive at Q’enco, a cult center related to the fire element. Finally, we have Puca Pucara, a place used as a supply center and Inca checkpoint, where wind ceremonies were also held. At the end of the tour we will arrive at Tambomachay, center of cult to water and fertility. Return to the hotel.    (B.)

Breakfast at the hotel. Between 07:20 and 07:40 hrs., we will start our tour visiting the beautiful town of Pisac, its handicraft market and its narrow streets. Continuing the tour through the Sacred Valley of Urubamba, where you can enjoy a nice lunch.

Next, we will visit Ollantaytambo, an Inca city still inhabited that conserves a complex system of irrigation canals and foundations of that time, on which a large part of the town was built. The archaeological center of Ollantaytambo has large groups of platforms, forts, plazas, canals and the Real Casa del Sol, a megalithic temple of great mystical value. Overnight in the Sacred Valley.   (B. L.)

Breakfast at the hotel.  At the agreed time transfer to the train station to begin the excursion to the Sacred Citadel of Machu Picchu, recognized as one of the wonders of the world and declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The train takes us to the town of Aguas Calientes and then upon arrival we will take the bus to go up to the Archaeological Center and then begin the guided tour that lasts approximately 2 hours. During the visit you can appreciate temples, squares, terraces, houses, barns, as well as the great biodiversity that exists in the surroundings. It is worth mentioning that because of where Machu Pichu is located its beauty is exalted. A National Reserve has been formed around the citadel that has an area of 32,500 hectares, and which includes a constellation of archaeological monuments, which, in our opinion, were built as part of the Machu Picchu complex and not in isolation. After our visit in the Archaeological Center, we will take the bus to go down and back to the town where you will enjoy a delicious meal. Finally, you will board the train back to the city of Cusco. Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel.    (B. L.)

Breakfast at the hotel.  At the appropriate time we will transfer you to the airport to board the flight to the city of Lima from where you will take your connecting flight to the city of Iquitos. Upon arrival our staff will be waiting for you to transfer you to the hotel. Along the way you will receive a brief orientation on the main tourist attractions of the city. Accommodation at the hotel and rest of the day free to walk around the city and rest.  (B.)

Breakfats at the hotel. At the appropriate time, we will transfer you to the pier and navigate in “Pamacaris” (small boats typical of this region that have an outboard motor) for an hour and a half, until you reach the Amazonian lodge, built in the native style with natural materials on high ground, not flooded or “restinga”, in which varieties of birds and butterflies abound. The lodge staff will welcome us with a drink, made with fruits from the region such as cocona, camu-camu, copoazú, etc., while we receive a brief explanation on the rules that govern the sustainability of the lodge and of the natural environment, which will make your stay and participation in eco tourist activities more rewarding. Then we will prepare to enjoy the local cuisine in a lunch tasting several natural and fresh delicacies, obtained from the river and forest jungle. In the afternoon, we will take a guided ethnobotanical excursion to recognize species of the Amazonian plant kingdom, and if the weather permits, we will witness a beautiful sunset over the Amazon River. At dusk we can leave the lodge accompanied by the guide to discover the mysterious world of some nocturnal insects such as the cicadas, different types of spiders, the Praying Mantis, etc. Likewise, we can learn to distinguish the songs of the owls and the “Ayaymamas”. After dinner the local guides will tell us some stories based on stories and legends of the Amazonian mythology  (B.L.D).

Note: Depending on the jungle lodge, this day’s lunch could be box lunch.

In the morning we will do a bird watching tour. After breakfast we will transfer you to the city of Iquitos, where you will be received by our staff and transferred to the hotel.

At the coordinated time we will go to Quisto Cocha, a tourist park located on the left of the Nanay River, 13.5 km from the Iquitos – Nauta Highway (south east of Iquitos), with an extension of 369 hectares. This park consists of several environments where we can observe an aquarium with small fish and ponds of larger fish such as Paiche or El Sábalo; It also has a serpentarium where shawls live, the famous anaconda and the black iguana. Likewise, in Quisto Cocha we will have the opportunity to enter a lookout to observe birds such as the blue and red macaw, the talking parrot, etc. In other environments we will visit animals such as the “tapir”, also known as “sachavaca”, the puma, the tigrillo and monkeys. Finally, as a complement to this place, we have the great variety of wood and fruit trees that reign in the park and that we can go recognizing. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight in the city of Iquitos       (B.)

Breakfast at the hotel. At the appropriate time transfer to the airport with return to Lima.   (B.)

Meals included in the program:     B. = BREAKFAST      A. = LUNCH        C. = DINNER