21 Days/20 Nights April - September Moderate
Peru is the country that can completely satisfy all human tastes, preferences and energy! The people there are extremely earthy, humble and kind - a mentality too close to the senses of much of humanity. It is unique to Peru - Nature, mysticism and unparalleled world cultural and historical heritage!
Lima is the capital: of Peru located on the arid Pacific coast of the country. Although its colonial center is preserved, it is an overflowing metropolis and one of the largest cities in South America. The Larco Museum houses a collection of pre-Columbian art and the Museum of the Nation traces the history of the ancient civilizations of Peru. The Plaza de Armas and the 16th century cathedral are the core of the old center of Lima.
Peru's cultural treasures - from the Pacific via Machu Picchu to Lake Titicaca
Day 1: Flight from Europe, USA, Canada, etc - Country of origin to Peru - Flight to Trujillo
Day 2: Trujillo city - Visit Chan Chan - Mochica - Huaca del Sol - Chimu
Day 3: Trujillo - Visiting el Brujo - Huaca Arco Iris and Huaca Esmeralda
Day 4: Trujillo - flight to Lima - Transport to Ica
Day 5: Ica - Flight over the Nazca lines
Day 6: Lima - By private bus drive Paracas Ballestar - go back Lima - Flight to Arequipa (2350 m)
Day 7: Arequipa visit Sta. Catalina
Day 8: Arequipa - Drive with the private bus Chivay (3600 m)
Day 9: Chivay - Tour to Colca Canon
Day 10: Chivay - Colca Canon - Juliaca - Puno (3800 m)
Day 11: Puno - Floating Islands of the Uros and the island of Taquile
Day 12: Puno - Juliaca - Lampa - Visit Chullpas of Sillustani
Day 13: Lampa - Pass La Raya (4310 m) - Cusco (3400 m)
Day 14: Cusco - Visit to Qoricancha - Saqsaywaman with its gigantic stone walls, Qenko - Tambomachay
Day 15: Cusco - By Car to Ollantaytambo and by train to Aguas Calientes (2400 m)
Day 16: Aguas Calientes - Visit to Machu Picchu (2800 m) - Back to Aguas Calientes
Day 17: Aguas Calientes by train to Ollantaytambo - Transport to Urubamba
Day 18: Urubamba - Visit Pisac - Drive back to Cusco
Day 19: Cusco transfer to airport - Flight back to Lima
Day 20: Lima transfer to airport - Flight back to home
Day 21: Return flight - Arrival home
Day 1: Flight from Europe, USA, Canada, etc - Country of origin to Peru - Flight to Trujillo
Flight from Europe or the country of origin (USA or Canada), etc. Arrival in Lima - Transfer Hotel the large city in South America; population approximately 11 million. Arrival in Lima. Onward flight to Trujillo. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. After Lima and Arequipa, Trujillo is the third largest city in Peru with a beautiful colonial old town surrounded by impressive temples of various pre-Inca cultures.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (-/-/-)
Day 2: Trujillo city - Visit Chan Chan - Mochica - Huaca del Sol - Chimu
Sightseeing in and around Trujillo: Guided tour of the colonial Trujillo with its colorful facades, magnificent courtyards, ornate wooden balconies and wrought-iron window bars. Visit to Chan Chan, the capital of Chimu around 1000 AD. Huge, up to 12m high, weathered walls of Adobe bricks (adobe = clay-sand brick) surround the city, in which once 100'000 inhabitants have lived. It is believed
that Chan Chan was not only the largest city in South America in his day, but the whole world. Its heyday ended in 1465 with the subjugation by the Inca. Interesting also the Huaca de la Luna, with its colored relief walls, and Huaca del
Sol from the Mochica epoch. The Mochica inhabited the valley around Trujillo already around 200 BC. until about 800 AD. respectively, until they had to submit to the Chimu. The solar and moon pyramids are the largest pre-Columbian temples in South America. The solar pyramid originally measured 345 x 160 m and was 48 m high. Approximately 140 million Adobe bricks were used for the construction.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 3: Trujillo - Visiting el Brujo - Huaca Arco Iris and Huaca Esmeralda
Continuation of the tours: El Brujo, approximately 55 km from Trujillo, Huaca Arco Iris and Huaca Esmeralda, approximately 5 km from Trujillo. The archaeological site el Brujo (The Witcher) contains the most beautiful painted reliefs of the Mochica culture that have been discovered so far. The most famous find, a large bas-relief, represents a life-size warrior with his naked prisoners. But also animals, mythical creatures, priests, human sacrifices and typical geometrical patterns. Also worth seeing is the attached museum with its valuable finds. La Esmeralda is an almost square temple complex of the Chimu, whose mud walls are decorated with filigree rhombic patterns and wave reliefs, fish, seabirds, sea otters and other animal symbols.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 4: Trujillo - flight to Lima - Transport to Ica
Return flight to Lima and onward journey by private vehicle to Ica. Hotel terms.
Afternoon: Flight over the enigmatic pictures in the desert (if the weather is good). The approximately 30 - 45-minute round trip gives an impression of the representations and their dimensions. In addition to many straight lines and triangles, a human figure known as an astronaut can be recognized because it spontaneously reminds of a spaceman. A lama, a handsome 188m long lizard, an iguana, a spider, a hummingbird and a dog. In addition, a whale, a 90m long monkey and a mighty tree are shown as well as a condor with a wingspan of 180m! Why this was done by the people of Nasca is still a mystery. The scientists agree, however, that the geoglyphs mostly served a fertility and water cult. If the weather is not a scenic flight, the afternoon is at leisure, with the opportunity to participate in a hotel activity.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/D)
Day 5: Ica - Flight over the Nazca lines
Tomorrow: Flight over the Nasca lines - if the weather was bad the day before.
Afternoon: program of your choice, eg: visit to a winery or participation in a hotel activity such as horse riding in the sand dunes, golf, bike ride, tennis .... or just relax.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/D)
Day 6: Lima - By private bus drive Paracas Ballestar - go back Lima - Flight to Arequipa (2350 m)
Drive in private vehicle to Paracas and boat trip to the Ballestas Islands (about 25 km off the coast) with their huge seabird and sea lion colonies. Also dolphins, Humboldt penguins and otters can be spotted. After this detour we drive back to Lima, to the Flufghafen.
Flight Lima - Arequipa. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. On the site of a former Inca city, the Spaniards founded Arequipa in 1540, which, with its churches and palaces of characteristic white tufa (sillar), soon blossomed into one of the most beautiful cities in the Spanish colonial empire. The dry, mild desert climate gives the city over 300 sunny days a year.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 7: Arequipa visit Sta. Catalina
Morning: visit of the monastery Sta. Catalina. In the monastery, one gets the impression of having entered a colonial gem. Founded in 1579, it was only 400 years later that the restored monastery was opened to the public for the first time. Nothing reminds us of sad monastic cells. The nuns lived together with their maids in small apartment blocks, built around a courtyard. Small streets lead to idyllic places and pretty gardens. Afternoon for discoveries on your own.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 8: Arequipa - Drive with the private bus Chivay (3600 m)
Drive from Arequipa into the ravine and mountain landscape of Colca Canon to Chivay. The valley around Chivay is dominated by the typical agricultural terraces, which also pull up on the extremely steep and exposed mountain slopes. For the rest of the day, it is advisable to lie down and rest a bit, which promotes acclimatization. You can also combine this with a visit to the hotel's outdoor hot spring bath!
Overnight Lodge. Overnight Lodge (B/-/D)
Day 9: Chivay - Tour to Colca Canon
Early drive to the Cruz del Condor, a vantage point on the edge of the Colca Canon, where we have the best chance in the morning to observe one or more condors (10 -13 kg heavy, about 1.30 m tall and a wingspan of up to 3 m). The condor was one of the most important animals in the mythology of almost all ancient Peruvian cultures; as messenger of the gods and mediator between heaven and earth. Even today, the bird enjoys respect and respect among the people of the Andes. Afterwards we visit some of the idyllic villages with their simple but beautiful colonial churches (for example Coporaque, Yanque).
Overnight Lodge. Overnight Lodge (B/-/D)
Day 10: Chivay - Colca Canon - Juliaca - Puno (3800 m)
From the canyon and mountain landscape, the trip today leads up to the wide and barren highlands, the Altiplano (about 5 hours / about 310 km). Spectacular in particular the part before reaching the main road. We pass through the Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca with their humid wetlands, which include the Andean flamingo. But up here also live the four small-leaved species, the llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicunas. The track winds for about 4900 m to the pass Patapampa, where in all directions five and six thousand peaks are visible on the horizon.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 11: Puno - Floating Islands of the Uros and the island of Taquile
Boat trip to the floating islands of the Uros and the island of Taquile, far out in Lake Titicaca. Originally the Uros lived on fishing, hunting for waterfowl and bartering, today on tourism! Their floating islands, their boats and houses are made of the Totora, a type of rush. The Totora is also on the menu. Extensive agricultural terraces dominate the image of Taquile Island. The view extends over the entire Lake Titicaca up to the 6000s of the Royal Cordillera of Bolivia. Here it is possible to experience the real size and uniqueness of Lake Titicaca. Taquile is also known as the island of "knitting men", but women are not inferior with their web skills. Traditional textile production was raised by UNESCO in 2006 to the status of intangible cultural heritage. The sale of their products is through a cooperative, which also regulates other aspects of the common good of the islanders.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 12: Puno - Juliaca - Lampa - Visit Chullpas of Sillustani
Short drive over Juliaca to Lampa. On the way we visit the grave towers or Chullpas of Sillustani. Powerfully, the Chullpa del Lagarto rises into the sky, with a height of 12 m, the largest tomb tower in South America at all. Visit the church in Lampa (guided by the owner of the hostel), the rest of the time is at leisure. Enjoy this quiet place off the beaten path. Lampa played an important role especially during the colonial period. Several buildings from this period are still in good condition.
Overnight Hostal. Overnight Hostal (B/-/D)
Day 13: Lampa - Pass La Raya (4310 m) - Cusco (3400 m)
We leave Lampa and drive along the Andes to Cusco (travel time approx. 6 hours / approx. 350km).
The varied ride leads more or less always parallel to the Andean Railway and through fascinating landscapes and several Andean towns. A first stop is Pucara, known for its skilled potters. One of their best-known products are the beloved Torritos de Pucara, clay bull figures designed to protect the houses of the Altiplano from harm. After just another 100km we reach the 4310m high pass La Raya, a watershed and source of the Urubamba River. The ruins of Racchi are visible from afar. The remains of this Inca temple are reminiscent of a Roman viaduct. Nowhere else had the Inca master builders made such a large roof construction. Short tour of the ruins. To conclude, Andahuaylillas - the baroque church is worth a visit, despite its simplicity, the frescoes and paintings from the Cusqueñer school are impressive.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 14: Cusco - Visit to Qoricancha - Saqsaywaman with its gigantic stone walls, Qenko - Tambomachay
Sightseeing in the ancient Inca capital of Cusco (Cathedral, Compania de Jesus Church, Qoricancha Sun Temple / Santo Domingo Monastery) and the nearby Inca Saqsaywaman with its gigantic stone walls, Qenko, probably served as a mortuary cult or was used for sacrificial ceremonies, and Tambomachay a water sanctuary. The fineness of the Inca walls overshadows the colonial walls and has so far outlived all earthquakes (in contrast to the colonial buildings). Free time at e.g. visit the "Arte Precolombiano" museum with its beautiful finds from the pre-Inca period, or take a stroll through the artists' quarter of San Blas or browse the souvenir shops ... Or just enjoy the ambiance of our hotel, a former convent. Take e.g. Take a short tour of the complex, visit the chapel, look at the paintings, typical representatives of the so-called "Cusco School". Teachers from the ancient world traveled to South America and taught the local artists. These mixed the European models with elements from their homeland, the Andes: Colorful birds and one, for Europeans, alien vegetation.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 15: Cusco - By Car to Ollantaytambo and by train to Aguas Calientes (2400 m)
Before continuing, you have time to roam Cusco on your own. In the early afternoon transfer from the hotel to the train station. The first part of the route is covered in the bus. The following, varied and interesting train ride in Vistadom leads to the Urubamba Valley, the sacred valley of the Inca. The valley is getting narrower, so that only river and railway line between the slopes of rock find space. In the last 20km, before the train reaches Aguas Calientes, the village below Machu Picchu, the vegetation changes. Dense tropical forest and a variety of colorful flowers replace the sparse flora of the highlands, the temperatures are rising and it is getting smoother.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 16: Aguas Calientes - Visit to Machu Picchu (2800 m) - Back to Aguas Calientes
With one of the first buses, we drive up to the fabled ruins to visit this mystical site at a time when not too many visitors roam the grounds.
Guided tour of the temple complex, which towers like an eagle's nest 400m above the Rio Urubamba.
Before returning to Auguas Calientes, you will have time to explore the ruins on your own. You can e.g. Going up to the Sun Gate through which the Inca reached Machu Picchu and today mark the end of the famous Inca Trail or, more strenuously, climb Machu Picchu, rewarded with a spectacular view of the ruins.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 17: Aguas Calientes by train to Ollantaytambo - Transport to Urubamba
We take the train back to Ollantaytambo, where we visit the Inca fortress Ollantaytambo and take a stroll through the best preserved inca village Ollanta. Ollantaytambo is visible from afar. Strategically, she was built on a rock spur, which dominates both the Urubamba and the neighboring Patachanchatal. Gigantic stone blocks weighing up to 60 tons were once transported from the 5 km distant quarry on the opposite side of the valley here. Continue to Urubamba. On the way visit the salt pans of Maras, combined with a short hike through the salt pans, back to the main road.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 18: Urubamba - Visit Pisac - Drive back to Cusco
Drive back through the Urubamba Valley to Cusco. On the way we visit the ruins of Pisac and the market in the village of the same name, with its wide range of handicrafts, ceramics, weaving, hats, knickknacks and kitsch. The trip to the 'potato park', where the indigenous population introduces us to the potato cultivation, offers something special. In Peru, hundreds of different types of potatoes are cultivated! The last stop is at the Awana-Cancha Center, where we get a glimpse of traditional crafts and the traditional way of life of the indigenous people. On the site are also the four camel species of South America: Lama, Alpaca, Vicuna, Guanaco.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 19: Cusco transfer to airport - Flight back to Lima
Morning: Transfer to the airport and return flight to Lima. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. Afternoon Visit to the Gold Museum with its outstanding exhibits. It is above all grave goods of the coastal peoples from before the Inca. The gold of the Inca landed for the most part in the smelters of the Spaniards.
Overnight stay Hotel. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)
Day 20: Lima transfer to airport - Flight back to home
Morning city tour of the historic center with cathedral, government square and catacombs. Afternoon free at the hotel or a stroll through Miraflores. In the evening transfer from the hotel to the airport. Return. Departure return flight to Switzerland, USA, Canada, Europa, etc. Overnight flight (B/-/-)
Day 21: Return flight - Arrival home
Go back home - end tour in Peru / South America. Overnight fligh (-/-/-)
Included meals: B=breakfast; L=lunch; D=dinner
Season: April - September
Difficulty: Moderate
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