Peru Round Trip Tour 15 Days

Day 01: Arrival in Lima – Miraflores

Welcome to Peru! A private driver meets you at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima and takes you to your hotel in Miraflores.

After a short briefing about the coming days, you check in and have the rest of the day free to relax or look around. Miraflores is a safe district on the coast: you can walk along the Malecón (the seafront), visit Kennedy Park in the center of Miraflores and have lunch or dinner at one of its many restaurants. The neighboring district of Barranco is also worth a visit.

Day 02: Lima City Tour

We pick you up at around 10:00 a.m. for a guided tour of Lima. In the historic center you walk past colonial buildings and squares such as Paseo de la República, Plaza San Martín and the main square, Plaza Mayor, with the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and the Cathedral.

You visit the San Francisco Monastery, which houses a collection of colonial religious art, and go down into the catacombs beneath it. The tour then shows you modern Lima: El Olivar in San Isidro, Miraflores and Larcomar.

After the tour you are free to explore more of Miraflores, Barranco or the city center.

Meals: breakfast.

Day 03: Lima – Paracas – Ballestas Islands – Huacachina

A driver picks you up at around 3:30 a.m. and takes you to the bus station, where you board a tourist bus heading south along the Pan-American Highway.

At around 8:00 a.m. we walk to the harbor in Paracas and board a small motorboat to the Ballestas Islands, about 30 minutes off the coast. Here you can watch Humboldt penguins, sea lions, cormorants, Peruvian boobies and other seabirds at close range. On the way back to the dock you see the Candelabra, a figure carved into the face of a cliff by an unknown culture.

After the boat tour you continue by bus to Ica, where we pick you up at the bus station and take you straight to the Huacachina oasis, in the middle of the Ica desert. You have time to relax by the hotel pool among sand dunes and palm trees, have lunch at one of the restaurants around the oasis or take a short walk into the desert.

At around 3:00 p.m. we pick you up for a dune buggy ride: an experienced driver takes you at high speed deep into the dunes around the oasis, with stops to take in the scenery and watch the sunset over the desert. If you feel adventurous, you can try sandboarding down the dunes. Overnight at your hotel in Huacachina.

Meals: breakfast.

Day 04: Huacachina – Ica – Nazca Lines – Night Bus to Arequipa

Early in the morning we pick you up at your hotel and take you to the bus station, where you board another tourist bus to Nazca (about 2 hours). Your driver waits for you at the Nazca bus station.

Today you visit the Nazca Lines, giant figures drawn on the floor of the Nazca desert whose meaning is still unexplained. Our tour takes you to several viewpoints from which you can see about 10 figures.

Optional: instead of the viewpoint tour, you can fly over the lines in a small plane with large windows. The flight is an optional extra; ask about it when you book and tell us which option you prefer.

After the tour you have some free time. We then take you to the bus station for the night bus to Arequipa at around 10:00 p.m. (about 9.5 hours). It is a tourist bus with sleeper seats, on-board service, hot drinks and a blanket.

Meals: breakfast.

Day 05: Arrival in Arequipa – Walking Tour

You arrive in Arequipa at around 7:30 a.m. We pick you up at the bus station and take you to your hotel in the city center. The morning is free to rest after the night bus and explore the city on your own.

At around 2:00 p.m. we pick you up for a walking tour of the White City (we prefer it to the panoramic bus tour). With your guide you walk through the narrow streets of the historic center and visit the main square, Plaza de Armas, with the Jesuit church of La Compañía and the colonial mansion Casona Tristán del Pozo.

You also visit the Santa Catalina Monastery, with its narrow, flower-filled alleys, colorful walls and many rooms with original antique furniture. The tour ends in the center, leaving you time to explore further or have dinner.

Day 06: Arequipa – Colca Canyon – Chivay

We pick you up between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. and drive through high Andean scenery toward the Colca Canyon. We pass the Chachani volcano and stop at the Pampa Cañahuas National Reserve, home to vicuñas (wild Andean camelids) and birds such as flamingos.

We pass the crater of the Chucura volcano and stop at the highest point of the journey, the volcano viewpoint at 4,800 m (15,750 ft), for views of the Cordillera Occidental (Western Andes).

Continuing into the canyon, we reach the village of Chivay at around 1:30–2:00 p.m., where you check into your hotel. You have time to walk around the traditional village and have lunch. In the afternoon we take you to the La Calera hot springs, where the water is 35–38 °C (95–100 °F); the hot springs entrance is not included.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 07: Cruz del Cóndor – Colca Canyon Villages – Puno

After an early breakfast, we pick you up at around 6:30 a.m. and head to Cruz del Cóndor, a viewpoint over the canyon and a good place to watch the Andean condor, Peru’s national bird, with a wingspan of up to 3 m (10 ft).

We continue through the Colca Canyon, visiting the villages of Pinchollo, Maca and Yanque, with their colonial churches, and stopping at several viewpoints. Back in Chivay, you have time for lunch before boarding the bus to Puno.

The ride takes about 6 hours, with stops at viewpoints along the way, and arrives in Puno at around 7:30 p.m. We pick you up at the bus station and take you to your hotel. Tonight you sleep at almost 4,000 m (13,120 ft), close to Lake Titicaca.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 08: Lake Titicaca – Uros Floating Islands – Taquile Island – Puno

In the morning we pick you up and take you to the port of Puno, where you board a boat onto Lake Titicaca. From the panoramic deck you can enjoy views of the deep-blue lake.

Your first stop is the floating islands of the Uros, small islands made entirely of reeds. The Uros community has kept its traditional way of life for hundreds of years. You visit one of the islands and learn about Uros culture. Depending on the island (the Uros use a rotation system for visits), you can take an optional ride in a traditional reed boat.

The boat then takes you to Taquile, a remote island with ancient Inca terraces. Its people still live a very traditional life, so before you go ashore your guide explains a few rules, such as not taking photos without asking and not giving sweets to children.

On Taquile you walk up to the main square, where local families welcome you into their homes for lunch: a typical meal such as trout with rice and potatoes, and a soup. During or after lunch your guide tells you more about Taquile culture and its traditional clothing, which shows each person’s marital status. After some more time on the island, you return to Puno.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 09: Puno – Sun Route – Cusco

Today you continue through the Andes along the Sun Route (Ruta del Sol) on a tourist bus to Cusco, with stops along the way. You visit the colonial town of Pukara and its museum and stop for photos at La Raya pass, at 4,300 m (14,110 ft).

After a typical lunch in Sicuani, you continue to the Inca site of Raqchi to visit the Temple of Wiracocha. The last stop before Cusco is the village of Andahuaylillas, where you visit its church, known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas for its art.

You arrive in Cusco at around 5:00 p.m. We pick you up at the bus station and take you to your hotel in the San Blas neighborhood, in Cusco’s historic center, where your Amazon Trip Peru travel advisor welcomes you in person.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 10: Cusco City Tour – Qoricancha – Sacsayhuamán

The morning is free to explore Cusco: the San Blas neighborhood, known for its craft shops and art galleries, and the historic center, with its Inca stone walls, narrow streets, colonial buildings, churches and museums. San Blas and the center have many local restaurants and small cafés for lunch.

At around 1:00 p.m. we pick you up at your hotel (or you can meet us at the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas; you arrange this with your travel advisor the day before). At around 2:00 p.m. your guided tour of the Inca capital starts with a local guide.

You first visit the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, then walk along some of Cusco’s oldest Inca streets to Qoricancha, the Temple of the Sun. Here the Spanish built a Catholic monastery on top of the Inca temple, a clear example of the clash between Inca and colonial cultures.

A small bus then takes you to the archaeological area above the city to visit Sacsayhuamán, a large complex with huge stone walls, followed by the ceremonial center of Q’enqo, the small site of Puka Pukara and the water temple of Tambomachay. You return to the city center in the late afternoon or early evening.

Meals: breakfast.

Day 11: Sacred Valley – Chinchero – Moray – Salt Mines – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

The Sacred Valley lies between Cusco and Machu Picchu, with rural scenery and small villages. We pick you up at around 8:00 a.m. and drive to our first stop, Chinchero, where we visit its archaeological site and its colorful market, where people from the valley sell handmade textiles, pottery, paintings, jewelry and food.

We continue through the valley to Moray, agricultural terraces where crops were acclimatized, and then to the salt mines. Lunch is a buffet in the town of Urubamba. Afterward we drive about 1 hour to Ollantaytambo, a traditional village with Inca ruins worth visiting.

At the end of the tour you walk about 10 minutes to the Ollantaytambo train station to catch the train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town), a ride of about 1 hour 45 minutes. We meet you at the station in Aguas Calientes, take you to your hotel and give you a short briefing about the next day’s Machu Picchu tour.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 12: Machu Picchu Guided Tour – Ollantaytambo – Cusco

Today you visit Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Early in the morning you hike up to the main entrance. We recommend the first tour at 6:00 a.m., which means starting the walk up at around 4:30 a.m. You can also take the first bus at 5:30 a.m., but you need to be in line by around 4:30 a.m. to get on it.

If you prefer not to get up that early, you can choose a later tour; you arrange this at the briefing the night before. Tour times are subject to availability.

With your local guide you explore the Inca city built on top of a mountain in the middle of the jungle. You visit its terraces, temples, houses and palaces and learn about its history, the life of the Incas who lived here and its discovery. The guided tour lasts about 2 hours to 2 hours 45 minutes.

Afterward you walk or take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes, pick up your luggage at the hotel and have something to eat before taking the train back to Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley. There we pick you up and drive you back to Cusco in a small tourist van, arriving at night.

Meals: breakfast.

Day 13: Cusco – Cusipata – Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) – Cusco

We pick you up at your hotel between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. and drive south of Cusco. After about 1.5 hours we stop for about 20 minutes in the district of Cusipata, at 3,310 m (10,860 ft), for breakfast at a local restaurant.

We then drive about another hour to Fulawasipata, at 4,660 m (15,290 ft), where your guide explains the route. From here, at the foot of the sacred Ausangate mountain, we start hiking: an ascent of about 2 hours to Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca, at 5,200 m (17,060 ft). Along the way you can see alpacas, llamas and vicuñas.

At the red hill (colina roja) you have time to rest, enjoy the views and take photos of Vinicunca and its red, pink, turquoise and yellow colors.

We then return along the same route: about 1 hour downhill to level ground, then uphill again to Fulawasipata, where our transport takes us back to the restaurant for lunch. We arrive back in Cusco at around 4:30–5:00 p.m.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 14: Cusco – Tinki – Pacchanta – Ausangate 7 Lagoons – Cusco

Today’s hike takes you to seven colorful lagoons around the Ausangate mountain range, in shades of green, turquoise and blue, surrounded by glaciers and hot springs. Along the way you pass through remote communities that keep their Quechua culture alive.

We pick you up at your hotel at 5:00 a.m. for a 3-hour drive through the South Valley, with views of Inca farming terraces, traditional villages, valleys and high Andean peaks. Breakfast comes with views of the snow-capped mountain.

Here you can meet local people, learn about their traditional clothing and the meaning of the different hats the men wear, and ask your guide to teach you a few words of Quechua.

We then hike gently uphill for about 1.5 hours to the first lagoon, where you have time to take in the 360-degree views and explore. From there the other six lagoons are close by, and the trail gets easier, mostly downhill or flat, with plenty of time for photos of the lagoons and glaciers.

After lunch we drive back to Cusco (about 3 hours), with a stop at natural hot springs where you can relax. We usually arrive back in Cusco at around 5:30 p.m. and drop you off at your hotel; the exact time depends on how long you want to stay at Ausangate.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 15: Free Day – Transfer to Cusco Airport

Enjoy your last day in Cusco. Today we transfer you to the airport for your flight from Cusco to Lima; your travel advisor will confirm the time with you.

Meals: breakfast.