Travel to Peru 10 Days: Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Colca Canyon

Day 01: Arrival in Cusco – City Tour

We pick you up at Cusco airport and take you to your hotel. You have free time for a first look around 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 where you can have a typical Peruvian lunch.

At around 1:00 p.m. we pick you up at your hotel for a guided tour of Cusco, the former Inca capital, with a local guide. You start at the cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, then walk through 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.

From Qoricancha a small bus takes you to the archaeological sites above the city: Sacsayhuamán, a large complex with huge stone walls; the ceremonial center of Qenqo; the small site of Puka Pukara; and Tambomachay, the water temple. You return to the city center in the late afternoon or early evening.

Day 02: Sacred Valley – Chinchero – Moray – Maras – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

We pick you up at around 8:00 a.m. and drive into the Sacred Valley, a valley of countryside and small villages between Cusco and Machu Picchu. The first stop is Chinchero, with its archaeological complex on top of a hill and its colorful market, where people from the valley sell handmade textiles, pottery, paintings, jewelry and food.

Next you visit Moray, the Inca farming terraces known as an agricultural laboratory, and the Maras salt mines. Lunch is a buffet in the town of Urubamba.

After lunch it is about a 1-hour drive to Ollantaytambo, a traditional village with Inca ruins. At the end of the tour you walk about 10 minutes to Ollantaytambo train station and take the train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town), a ride of about 1.5 hours. We meet you at the station in Aguas Calientes, take you to your hotel and give you a short briefing for your Machu Picchu tour the next day.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

Day 03: Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes – Ollantaytambo – Cusco

Today you visit Machu Picchu. We recommend the first guided tour at 6:00 a.m. (subject to availability), which means starting the walk up to the main entrance at around 4:30 a.m. You can also take the first bus up at 5:30 a.m., but you will still need to line up at around 4:30 a.m. If you prefer not to get up so early, you can choose a later tour; we arrange this at the briefing the evening before.

With your local guide you explore the Inca city built on top of the mountain: its terraces, temples, houses and palaces. You learn about Machu Picchu’s history, the life of the Incas who lived here and the discovery of the site. The guided tour takes about 2 to 2.5 hours, and afterwards you have some time to explore on your own.

In the afternoon you walk down or take the bus back to Aguas Calientes, pick up your luggage at the hotel, have something to eat and take 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 04: Cusco – Andahuaylillas – Raqchi – Sicuani – La Raya – Pukara – Puno

Today you continue through the Andes along the Sun Route, traveling to Puno in a comfortable tourist bus with stops along the way. You visit the church of Andahuaylillas, known as the “Sistine Chapel of the Americas” for its art; the Inca ruins of Raqchi and the Temple of Wiracocha; and the colonial town of Pukara and its museum. Lunch is a typical meal in Sicuani, and you stop for photos at La Raya pass, 4,300 m (14,110 ft).

You arrive in Puno at around 5:30 p.m., where we meet you at the bus station and take you to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

Day 05: Puno – Uros Floating Islands – Taquile Island – Puno

In the morning we pick you up and take you to Puno harbor, where you board a boat on Lake Titicaca. From the boat’s panoramic deck you can enjoy views of the lake.

The 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, and you have time to visit one of the islands and learn about their 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 continues to Taquile, a remote island with Inca terraces whose people still keep a very traditional way of life. Before you go ashore, your guide explains the local rules, such as not taking photos without asking and not giving sweets to children. You walk up to the main square, where local families welcome you and take you to their homes for lunch: a typical meal such as soup and trout with rice and potatoes.

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 free time on the island, you return to Puno.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

Day 06: Puno – Pampa Cañahuas – Chivay (Colca Canyon)

We pick you up at around 6:00 a.m. and travel by bus toward the Colca Canyon, passing Pampa Cañahuas and several lagoons. At around 1:00 p.m. you arrive in Chivay, a village in the middle of the canyon, and check in at your hotel. In the afternoon you can visit the La Calera hot springs (entrance not included) or walk around the village.

Meals: Breakfast.

Day 07: Cruz del Cóndor – Pinchollo – Maca – Yanque – Chivay – Arequipa

After breakfast you drive to Cruz del Cóndor, a viewpoint over the canyon and a good place to watch for the condor, Peru’s national bird, whose wingspan can reach 3 m (10 ft). The tour continues through the Colca Canyon, with stops at viewpoints and in the villages of Pinchollo, Maca and Yanque, with their colonial churches.

Back in Chivay you have lunch, then drive to Arequipa, arriving at around 6:00 p.m.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

Day 08: Arequipa Walking Tour – Flight to Lima

At around 9:00 a.m. we pick you up for a walking tour of Arequipa, the “White City.” We prefer a walking tour to the panoramic bus tour. With your guide you walk the streets of the historic center and visit the Plaza de Armas, with the Jesuit church of La Compañía, and the colonial mansion La Casona Tristán del Pozo.

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

In the afternoon we take you to the airport for your flight to Lima. On arrival in Lima we transfer you to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast.

Day 09: Lima – Paracas – Ballestas Islands – Huacachina – Lima

A driver picks you up at around 3:30 a.m. and takes you to the bus station, where you board a comfortable tourist bus heading south along the coast on the Pan-American Highway. At around 8:00 a.m. you walk to the harbor of Paracas and board a small motorboat to the Ballestas Islands, about 30 minutes off the coast. Here you can see Humboldt penguins, sea lions, cormorants, Peruvian boobies and other seabirds at close range. On the way back to the dock you pass the Candelabra, a figure carved into the cliff face by an unknown culture.

Back on land, you continue by bus to Ica, about 1.5 hours from Paracas, and from the bus station you are taken to the Huacachina oasis in the Ica desert. You have free time to relax among the 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. you are picked up for a dune buggy ride: an experienced driver takes you at high speed into the dunes around the oasis, with stops to take in the scenery and watch the sunset over the desert. If you like, you can try sandboarding down the dunes. Afterwards you take the bus back to Lima.

Meals: Breakfast.

Day 10: Free Time in Lima – Airport Transfer

Today is free for exploring Miraflores, a district on Lima’s coast: walk along the Malecón seafront, visit the center of Miraflores and Parque Kennedy, or have lunch or dinner at one of its many restaurants. The neighboring district of Barranco is also worth a visit. We transfer you to the airport according to the time of your international flight.

Meals: Breakfast.