Best of Peru — Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Lake Titicaca, Floating Islands of Uros, Arequipa, Colca Canyon — TOUR DETAILS Best of Peru Highlights • Price: $3,295 USD • Machu Picchu • Discounts: • Sacred Valley of the Incas • 5% - Returning Volant Customer • Vistadome Train Ride, Andes Mountains • Cusco, 16th century Spanish Culture • Duration: 15 days • Puerto Maldonado • Date: April/May 2018 • Tambopata Reserve • Difficulty: Easy • Amazon River • Manu National Park Inclusions • Puno, Historic Plaza de Armas • Lake Titicaca • All internal flights (while on tour) • Floating Islands of Uros • All scheduled accommodations (2-3 star) • Arequipa, Historic Old Town • All scheduled meals • Colca Canyon • Transportation throughout tour • Lima, Historic Old Town • Airport transfers • Machu Picchu entrance fee Exclusions • Vistadome Train Ride, Peru Rail • International airfare (to and from Lima, Peru) • Luxury tour bus ride to Puno • Entrance fees to museums and other attractions • Personal guide throughout tour not listed in inclusions • Personal items: Laundry, shopping, etc. ITINERARY Best of Peru - 15 Days / 14 Nights Itinerary - DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS • Arrive: Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM), Lima, Peru Lima, Peru 1 • Transfer to hotel • Miraflores and Pacific coast Dinner Lima, Peru • Tour Lima’s Historic District 2 • San Francisco Monastery & Catacombs, Plaza Mayor, Lima Cathedral, Government Palace Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Flight to Puerto Maldonado Puerto Maldonado • Transfer to hotel 3 • Leisurely afternoon in the Amazon Basin Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Puerto Maldonado • Puerto Maldonado Puerto Maldonado 4 • Boat tour of the the Madre de Dios River • Overnight: Puerto Maldonado Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ollyantaytambo, Sacred Valley • Morning flight to Cusco, The Sacred Valley of the Incas 5 • Inca ruins: Saqsaywaman, Rodadero, Puca Pucara, Tambomachay, Pisac • Overnight: Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Visit the Inca ruins at Ollyantaytambo Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley • Board the Vistadome train for a ride through the Andes to Aguas Calientes 6 • Optional: take a dip in the natural hot springs • Overnight: Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Take an early morning bus ride to Machu Picchu Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley • Explore the mystical Inca ruins of the Machu Picchu Citadel 7 • Optional: hike to either Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu Mountain • Overnight: Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Sacred Valley - Cusco • Board the Vistadome train, return to Ollantaytambo 8 • Get picked up for a private tour of the Sacred Valley: Maras, Moray, and Chincheros • Overnight: Cusco Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Walking tour of Cusco’s most iconic sites: Cusco • Bascilica, Convent, and Catacombs of San Francisco; Cusco Cathedral 9 • Step back into the 15th century while visiting Qorikancha, The Temple of the Sun, known as the most important temple in the Inca Empire Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Cusco • Bus ride to Puno (10h w/ stops) Puno • Pikillacta (Wari culture) • Templo de la Virgen Inmaculada de Checacupe 10 • Lunch at a countryside ranch with alpaca • Raqchi Temple Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Puno • Cruise to the Floating Islands of Uros Puno 11 • Lunch on Taquile Island • Overnight: Puno Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner ITINERARY DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS Colca Canyon • Transfer to Colca Canyon (5h) 12 • Enjoy Colca Canyon’s grand vistas from Mirador Cruz del Cóndor • Overnight: Colca Canyon Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Transfer to Aarequipa (3h 30m) Arequipa • Basílica Catedral de Arequipa • Plaza de Armas de Arequipa 13 • Monasterio de Santa Catalina • Museo de la Catedral Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Arequipa • Claustros de La Compañia Lima • Iglesia de la Compañía Flight to Lima 14 • Afternoon flight to Lima • Overnight: Lima Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lima • Flight home 15 • Depart: Transfer to Chavez International Airport, Lima, Peru Breakfast TOUR MAP BRAZIL Lima PERU Puerto Maldonado Sacred Valley of the Incas Amazon River Machu Picchu Cusco BOLIVIA Colca Canyon Juliaca Floating Islands of Uros Puno Arequipa Lake Titicaca SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN CHILE ITINERARY DAY 1: HOLA! WELCOME TO DAY 2: LIMA LIMA, PERU We will spend our day in the historic city A Volant representative will pick you up center of the "City of Kings." At the heart of at the airport and transfer you to your it all, Plaza de Armas contains many hotel. We will spend the remainder of the different roman catholic cathedrals as well day exploring Lima. Larcomar is a modern as colonial architecture. We will visit the shopping center in the Miraflores District Government Center, San Fransisco located right on the coast. After a long day Monastery, enter the catacombs, and of travel we can grab a bite to eat and walk perhaps even stop by the Archbishop's along the Pacific Ocean. Make sure to stop Palace of Lima to witness the changing of by Parque del Amor, the home to a giant the guard. Take advantage of the modern sculpture of a couple kissing as well as comforts of Lima as we dive deeper into beautiful mosaic walls. the cultures and history of South America. ITINERARY DAY 3: LIMA - PUERTO MALDONADO Early this morning we will transfer back to the Jorge Chávez International Airport and fly down to the Padre Aldamiz International Airport in Puerto Maldonado. There are a number of different activity options available to us while in this region. You may choose to observe the colorful macaws at the salt lick in Tambopata National Reserve or i Manu National Park. Or maybe you would prefer to explore Lago Valencia, a lake situated near the Bolivian border that is home to the giant river otter and the squirrel monkey. Whatever you decide just know that you are officially in the Amazon Rainforest. DAY 4: PUERTO MALDONADO - AMAZON BASIN Don't be frightened, that deep rumble noise off in distance is just a howler monkey starting his day. Once we have decided to do the same we will take a boat tour of the Madre de Dios river. This paradise of biodiversity is home to an abundance of wildlife, winding rivers and never-ending forests. Your nature guide will open your eyes to the many different species of flora and fauna. For those who may be interested your afternoon can be spent in any one of the nature reserves in the area. Tonight will be our last night in Puerto Maldonado. ITINERARY DAY 5: SACERD VALLEY OF THE INCAS - OLLANTAYTAMBO After our short flight to Cusco we will explore many different archeological sites in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Some of which are called Saqsaywaman, Rodadero, Humedal Wayllarqocha, Tambomachay and Pisac. We will also see spectacular views of the Urumbamba River. Tonight we will rest in Ollantaytambo, the only Inca settlement that has been inhabited since its inception. DAY 6: OLLANTAYTAMBO - AGUAS CALIENTES Waking up in the Sacred Valley we will spend our morning visiting the archeological sites of Ollantaytambo. We will witness the massive Incan Fortress that includes large stone terraces. Next, a 90 minute ride aboard the Vistadome train will take us to Aguas Calientes. Along the way peer outside for incredible views of the Sacred Valley. In the afternoon we will have time for an optional dip in the hot springs. Our evening will be spent in Aguas Calientes. ITINERARY DAY 7: MACHU PICCHU For our seventh day of adventure we will catch an early morning bus ride (20 minutes) to Machu Picchu. The early morning sun will magnify the beauty of the citadel. Our day in this "Lost City of the Incas" will be spiritually awakening as the history here is immeasurable. The majority of our day in this region will be spent hiking around the ruins. For those willing and able we will have the option to hike the Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu Mountain later in the day. In the evening we will return to Aguas Calientes. DAY 8: MORAY - MARAS - CHINCHEROS - CUSCO Once we have returned to Ollantaytambo by way of the Vistadome train we will take a private car to Maras. The hour drive follows the Urumbaba River and passes through more ruins. Once in Maras we will visit the ancient site of Moray. These Incan ruins consist of concentric depressions measuring 30 m at their deepest. From Maras we will drive to the Chincheros District. Known to the Incas as the "Birthplace of the Rainbow," the old town of Chincheros is a small Andean Indian Village. Before our drive back into Cusco we will see a demonstration of cultural and historical agricultural practices. Be sure to soak up the our final views of the Sacred Valley. ITINERARY DAY 9: CUSCO In the heart of the former capital of the Incas we will tour the Plaza de Armas, Cusco Cathedral, Iglesia De La Santo Domingo and the Iglesia De La Compania De Jesus. We will also check out sites that date back to the 15th century including the Temple of the Sun and Qorikancha. As we explore this colonial city we will encounter local shopping markets as well as buildings that were once covered in gold. Much like in Lima the Plaza de Armas is considered the center square of Cusco. Here there are picturesque gardens as well as a central fountain to see. Colonial paintings inside the Cusco Cathedral are also a must. Our comfortable accommodations tonight will be in Cusco. DAY 10: CUSCO - PUNO Today will be dedicated to traveling to Puno, a city situated on Lake Titicaca. While on our scenic drive through southern Peru we will make several historically relevant stops. Our first stop will be made at the Pikillacta, a large Wari culture and archaeological site. Our next stop in Checacupe will allow us to visit the Templo de la Virgen Inmaculada de Checacupe. After lunch at an alpaca ranch in the countryside we will stop to stretch our legs at the Raqchi Temple, an Incan archaeological museum dating almost 2,000 years old.