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Taste of Peru

Route: Lima - Arequipa - Colca Canyon - Arequipa - Puno - Lake Titicaca - Puno - Cuzco - Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Urubamba - Cuzco - Lima

Even if you’re short on time, you can cover the highlights of Peru in one trip - it just takes a bit of clever planning. During this two week best of Peru holiday you’ll follow the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, sail to the floating islands of Lake Titicaca and come face to face with the majestic condors of the Colca Canyon. Because you’ll be travelling across different time zones and varying altitudes we’ll schedule in plenty of time to relax and catch your breath.

All your transfers by coach and plane will be taken care of and you'll be staying in comfortable middle-class hotels (breakfast included). Get ready to catch the Latino fever. Over two weeks you’ll see the best of Peru and fall in love with the place, just like we did.

Fancy building your own Peru holiday? Take a look at our bite-sized Peru tours.

Duration	14 days / 13 nights, departure daily	Accommodation	13 nights including breakfast. Comfort level mainly 3 (see accommodation)
Price	£1145 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	Transport as described, accommodation with breakfast, guided excursions: Colca Canyon, Titicaca, 2 day Inca Trail. Machu Picchu entrance fee.
Transport	Domestic flights, Buses and Trains	Excludes	International flights, Calera hot springs (US$2 per person), airport taxes, other excursions, transfers, meals and other entrance fees

Day 1: Lima - arrival

Bienvenidos a Peru! Because of the time difference, you'll be arriving for your best of Peru itinerary on the same day as you left the UK. Once you've reclaimed your bags, you'll be met in the arrivals hall and transferred to your hotel in Miraflores, about 30 minutes' drive from the airport. Miraflores is a green, cosmopolitan district on the coast with lots of hotels, bars and restaurants and a couple of busy shopping streets. It's a nice place to spend your first day or two of your Peru holiday.

In Miraflores you'll be staying in one of our selected posadas: small-scale traditional Peruvian accommodation with a garden, patio and breakfast room.

Day 2: Lima - Arequipa

Today your Peru trip kicks off with a short one-hour flight from Lima to Arequipa. This friendly Peruvian city lies at an altitude of 2300m and with an average temperature of 20-25C and sunshine all year round it’s a lovely place to spend a couple of days adjusting to the altitude.

Arequipa is surrounded by several volcanoes (Misti 5821m, Chachani 6075m and Pichu Pichu 5425m). Arequipa is cleaner and more cosmopolitan than Lima, but still has that distinct Latino vibe and typical Latin-American colonial buildings and churches. On arrival at the airport you’ll be picked up by your driver and transferred to your hotel for this night of your Peru tour. This pretty colonial posada is a real gem, with classic iron wrought gates and a courtyard filled with flowers. The light and airy rooms have TV, phone and mini bar and tasteful colonial-style furniture and very comfy beds. The posada, run by a very friendly family is just minutes away from the Santa Catalina the Plaza de Armas.

The Plaza de Armas is reputedly one of the most beautiful public squares in Peru. The city is full of beautiful Spanish colonial buildings and churches, but the main attraction is the Santa Catalina monastery.

Towards the end of the afternoon, as the sun begins to set, head to the Santa Catalina monastery. As you pass through the gateway it’s like stepping into another world. Hidden behind the walls lies a labyrinth of narrow winding alleyways between high red and blue painted walls. To the left and right small secluded courtyards decorated with flowerpots and jugs, prayer rooms with dark crevices, stairways leading nowhere and pretty flower gardens lovingly tended by the nuns living in the monastery. It’s a magical place, especially at this time of day when the glow of the setting sun makes the colours pop out and there are virtually no tourists around. Keep an eye on the closing time though, it’s easy to get lost here.

Day 3: Arequipa

You can ease into the Day 3 of your best of Peru itinerary with a cup of coffee on a balcony cafe overlooking the Plaza de Armas, the central square of Arequipa. From the Plaza de Armas walk through the historic centre and take a look inside one of the many churches and cathedrals, visit the Santuarios Museum to see the frozen mummy girl Juanita, or explore the hidden quarters of the city. It's all up to you on this Peru trip.

In the evening it can get quite chilly so bring a warm sweater if you're planning on hitting the town. In the city centre you’ll find lots of little restaurants that serve Peruvian and international dishes.

Day 4: Arequipa - Chivay (Colca Canyon)

At the crack of dawn you’ll be picked up in Arequipa for the five hour drive across the Altiplano to Chivay. Pack light for the next two days - you can leave the rest of your baggage at the hotel in Arequipa. You can doze off for the first couple of hours, until the bus starts to wind its way up in to the mountains and the plains begin to open up into immense vistas. Crossing the Salinas y Aguada Blanca nature reserve you’ll see llamas and alpacas grazing, and perhaps even their more elusive sibling the vicuña. At the highest point, a mountain pass at 4910m, the bus will make a short stop so you can stretch your legs and breathe in the fresh (thin) air. The last stretch into Chivay follows a sandy road into the Colca Valley, a real highlight of your Peru holiday.

When you arrive in Chivay, you can drop your bags at the hotel and head into the village for a spot of lunch. Later that afternoon, you can visit the hot springs at La Calera for a relaxing soak in the 35C, silted sulphuric pools (admission 10 Sol per person) so don't forget to pack your swimming gear in Arequipa.

In the evening, head to one of the local bars to swap travel stories of your best of Peru trip with your fellow travellers over a couple of beers. You could have a quiet night and curl up in front of the fireplace at the hotel with a cup of coca tea and a good book.

Day 5: Chivay - Cruz del Condor - Arequipa

Early in the morning, you’ll leave the hotel to visit the Cruz del Condor viewpoint, weaving your way through the cows, donkeys, dogs and sheep blocking the road. The local villagers all wear brightly coloured traditional dress, a very cheerful sight. Cruz del Condor is the deepest point in the Canyon, at 3200m comparable to the Grand Canyon. The area is home to hundreds of Andes condors and the best place to see these giant birds of prey soaring on the thermal air currents that rise up from the canyon.

Be patient, find a comfortable rock in the sun and keep your binoculars handy. Between 8am – 10am as the sun begins to heat the air deep in the canyon. The condors love to glide up on these warm thermal currents and if you sit still they’ll swoop right over your head, a real highlight of your best of Peru holiday.

Around 9.30am, you’ll leave Cruz del Condor and continue on to the village of Yanque where you can visit the colonial church and buy some local souvenirs at the small shops and stalls on the way. The route back to Chivay leads past the spectacular terraced valley and, with bright warm sun reflecting in the river far below, the views are magnificent.

You’ll stop off for lunch in Chivay and another stop on your Peru tour. There’s time for a last wander around town and stock up on some snacks at the bus station before boarding the bus for the five hour drive back to Arequipa, where you'll be dropped off back at your hotel around 7pm.

Day 6: Arequipa - Puno

On the morning of day 6 of your Peru holiday, you'll make your own way (by Daewoo taxi) to Terrapuerto bus station where you can buy a cup of coffee and some snacks before boarding the 8.30am Royal Class bus to Puno. The double decker bus has soft leather seats, and on-board toilet and hot drinks and snacks are available. The bus simply glides along the brand new road, making the 6 hour journey incredible comfortable. Just sit back and look out the window. The best views are around halfway on the trip. Eventually, you’ll catch your first glimpse of Lake Titicaca - another highlight of you best of Peru holiday. You’ll arrive in Puno around 2.30pm. The fresh atmosphere is immediately tangible.

Puno is a popular university town with lots of festivals, markets, restaurants and bars but it’s also incredibly cosy. Instead of cars you’ll see mainly horse carts and rickshaws that would look more at home in Asia instead of a high-altitude Peruvian student town.

Day 7: Lake Titicaca

In the morning of day 7 of your Peru holiday, you’ll be picked up at your hotel for the short drive to the busy harbour of Puno. Around 8am, you’ll board the boat with your fellow passengers and sail out onto the wide, open lake. You’ll need to wear a life jacket – well, at least until you’re out of sight of the harbour… The boat goes quite fast so it can get quite chilly in the wind even though it’s nice and sunny, so bring a hat and gloves if you have them.

According to local legend, Lake Titicaca was the location of the lost city of Atlantis, the birthplace of our civilization, and as you sail across the lake, the mountains and sky reflecting in the deep blue water, you can understand why.

After about an hour, the boat will moor at the floating reed islands of Uros. The islands are one of Peru's best destinations for day trippers, but thanks to their location and layout, the islands have managed to maintain their unique atmosphere. As you set foot on the reed you’ll notice the buoyancy under your feet. It’s a really weird feeling walking across the floating floor of the island. A local island family will show you around and explain how the islands were built and tell you about their way of life. The Indian population are very photogenic and commercial. You’ll be offered a short tour on their traditional reed boats to some of the other islands. An hour later, the boat will set off to the island of Taquile. It’s another 2 hours’ sailing, so you might want to bring a couple of snacks. On Taquile, the next stop of your Peru holiday, it’s quite a long climb up to the village square, so it’s better to have a quick snack beforehand.

Best of Peru - Lake Titicaca island locals

You’ll arrive at the village on Taquile around lunch time. As you tuck in to your lunch of fresh fish from the lake, your guide will fill you in on the ‘rules’ of Taquile. The original character of the island must be maintained as much as possible and it’s forbidden to build hotels on the island. Tourism seems to have had very little effect on the Taquilans and they certainly (rightly so) haven't let it influence their way of life.

You can’t help but notice it’s mainly men hanging round on the village square, dressed in white blouses with a coloured sash and all knitting woolly hats. The shape and colour of the hat tells you whether someone’s married, single or a prominent person in the village. It certainly makes it a lot easier for the ladies to pick their partner.

Around 2pm, you’ll follow the long flight of steps back down to the jetty where you’ll board the boat and sail back to Puno, another 3 hours’ sailing. The sun’s already beginning to set as you sail into Puno, so once you’re back on land you can round off the day with a traditional dinner of pollo a la plancha, the perfect end to another busy day of your best of Peru holiday.

Day 8: Puno - Cuzco

After a good night's sleep and a substantial breakfast, you'll make your own way to the bus station to catch the 9am express bus to Cuzco for the next stop on your Peru trip. The trip takes about 6 hours and you'll arrive in Cuzco around 3pm where you can take a taxi to your hotel for around 4 sol.

Your posada is in the heart of the artists' district San Blas, just 5 minutes by taxi steeply uphill from the Plaza de Armas. The hotel has a great atmosphere and the modern rooms have private bathrooms with shower and toilet.

San Blas is more residential and authentic than the touristy centre. The narrow streets have lots of little view holes with amazing views across the city and the surrounding mountains. The district is filled with bars and restaurants, shops and little churches and because the streets are so tiny you won’t be bothered by roaring traffic.

Day 9: Cuzco

The sights of Cuzco around the Plaza de Armas are about 10 minutes’ walk downhill from your hotel. The cathedral and the Compañia church are exceptionally beautiful and make sure you take a walk through the Calle Loreto, where the houses are built on the original Inca walls. If you want to visit the Inca ruins outside the city, you can buy a combo-ticket or ‘boletin turistico’ for US$10. It can also come in handy if you're visiting the Sacred Valley later on your Peru trip.

For a small 'taster' trek of what's in store on the next day of your Peru holiday, visit the ruins of Sacsahuaman. From Cuzco follow the ancient Inca path steeply uphill to the ruins. It's about 45 minutes' walk from the city. The ruins are perched on a hilltop with a fantastic view across the city. Sacsayhuaman is an ancient Inca fortress made of huge limestone boulders constructed in a unique impenetrable pattern. For about 20 Sol you can take a tour on horseback along the crucifix, Kenko and the Temple of the Moon.

Day 10: Cuzco - Winay Wayna - Machu Picchu
(2 day Inca Trail)

In the morning of day 10 of your two week Peru holiday, you can leave whatever you won't be needing for the next four days at your hotel reception for storage. You'll be dropped off at Poroy station where your train leaves at 7.30am. The official Cuzco train station is no longer in operation. It's an incredibly long stretch of railway that zigzags through the mountains so the government recently closed it down for environmental reasons. Poroy is the nearest station, about 15 minutes from the centre of Cuzco. As soon as it leaves Cuzco, the train starts to climb its way up into the mountains at a snail’s pace. Three hours later, around 11am, you’ll arrive at post 106, the starting point of this two-day ‘Camino Real’ trail. Tell the train driver where you want to get off because there’s no station here so it’s not an official stop.

Setting off at 2300m altitude, you’ll cross a footbridge across the Urubamba river and your trekking to Machu Picchu begins. The trail is easy, even for novice trekkers, but the first three hours are the toughest, walking uphill in the bright unrelenting sunshine. Stick to your own pace for this part of your Peru trip, as you trudge up the endless steps of the former Inca trading route from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, passing several small ruins that were once resting points on the route. Around 1pm, you'll stop for lunch at the ruins of Winay Wayna. Munching on your packed lunch as you look out across the Andes you realise why the Inca city remained hidden until it was discovered by accident in 1911. Surrounded by the towering mountains and endless green valleys you feel rather small by comparison.

After lunch, your guide will show you around the ruins of Winay Wayna before continuing on the next leg of the trek along a level track in the shade. The landscape here is completely different and, at times you'll feel like your walking through the jungle. The guide can tell you all about the plants and wildlife on the way. After 2.5 hours you’ll arrive at the ‘Sun Gate’ Inti Punco where you suddenly catch your first glimpse of Machu Picchu. No matter how many pictures you’ve seen, it’s even more beautiful in real life.
From the viewpoint, it’s another hour downhill to the entrance to the Machu Picchu. The sun is already low in the sky and now’s not the best time to do the whole background talk on the ruins. Instead, your guide will probably hang back a little to let everyone enjoy their first impressions of the majestic ruins. After a while, you’ll head on down to the entrance of the ruins, where you’ll find the bus waiting to take you to Aguas Calientes. Everyone visiting Machu Picchu has to pass through this small town, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo. After a tiring day on your best of Peru holiday, crawl into the soft comfy bed in your small posada in the centre of town.

Day 11: Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo

You’ll need to be up early on day 11 of your two week Peru holiday so you can see Machu Picchu in relative quiet before the crowds of tourists arrive. After you’ve handed in your backpack at the entrance, your guide will take you on a two-hour tour past the ruins. Walking among the remains of what must have been a thriving city you get a good idea of the daily life in this remote Inca complex. The terraces, the temples and houses show you how sophisticated the Incas were for their time but, whatever led to the decline of this once magnificent Inca city, still remains a mystery. Scientists and archaeologists maintain different theories on the origin and history of Machu Picchu, none of which have ever been proven. At the end of the guided tour, there's plenty of time to wander along the endless network basalt walls before picking up your backpack at the entrance, where the buses are waiting to take you back to Aguas Calientes.

Everyone visiting Machu Picchu has to pass through this small town, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo. It's a fun little town even though it's swarming with tourists on their way to (or back from) Machu Picchu. Along the train tracks, you'll find several souvenir stalls and plenty of places to grab a quick bite to eat before boarding the train to Cuzco at 3.30pm.

The train pulls into Ollanta(ytambo) around 5.30pm for the next stop on your two week Peru itinerary. Most travellers will stay on the train and continue on to Cuzco but this traditional Peruvian village is your final destination for today. From the station, it's a 10 minute walk to the village. Ollanta lies in the Sacred Valley, halfway between Aguas Calientes and Pisac. The valley gets its name from the many sacred Inca sites found in the area. Most tourists only stop here briefly to visit the fort at Ollanta before travelling on to their next destination, but we can assure you the sleepy atmosphere of this town is what makes it so charming. Along the road into the village, you'll find your basic, but very charming posada with flower garden, where you'll be staying tonight on your Peru trip.

Day 12: Ollantaytambo - Urubamba

Early in the morning, head up to the Inca fort for a wonderful view across mountains, terraces and the village as it slowly wakes up. The fort is the only citadel in the area where the Incas managed to fend off the Spaniards by riddling them with arrows. Once you’re done exploring the fort, head back to the village to see the unique courtyards. The original layout, as designed by the Incas, has remained intact: the village is divided into blocks, each with its own entrance to a central courtyard with houses on all sides.

One of the best ways to see the area is on horseback. The horses are very tame and know the way past waterfalls, playing dogs, llamas and parades. We came across it all. You can add a two-hour horse ride to your Peru holiday for around US$7 at the hotel reception.

Later in the afternoon, make your way to Urubamba for the next stop on your best of Peru holiday. In the central square of Ollanta, you’ll find several ‘collectivos’, minibuses that leave once they have enough passengers. The road follows the banks of the Urubamba river and, on the right you can catch a glimpse of the Las Salinas salt pans. The 20 minute drive to Urubamba costs around US$1,- per person. At Urubamba bus station, take another taxi (4 sol for a 5-minute drive) to your accommodation.

Tonight, you’ll be staying in a converted 16th Century Franciscan monastery just outside the village, surrounded on all sides by snow-capped mountain peaks. The 30 comfortable colonial-style rooms have a private bathroom with shower/toilet, TV and air-conditioning. The monastery has a small chapel, several peaceful courtyards and a real clock tower (which luckily for your sleep is no longer in use) and there's a cosy fireplace in the dining room. In the evening, head to restaurant Los Geranios in the village to try the Rocoto Relleno, a local specialty of peppers filled with minced beef and vegetables.

Day 13: Urubamba - Cuzco

Urubamba is a good base for various outdoor activities in the Sacred Valley but, if that all sounds way too exhausting, you could always hang around the monastery and take it easy. You’ve got the whole day to yourself on day 13 of your best of Peru tour. From Urubamba you can take a taxi to the Maras salt pans and ruins at Moray, or take the collectivo or local bus to Pisac (1 hour). On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays there's a busy market with lots of stalls selling clothing, pottery, jewellery and various other crafts. There’s also a market on the other days, though a lot smaller. The ruins at Pisac rival Machu Picchu and are open daily and, on non-market days, they’re surprisingly quiet. From Pisac main square collectivos and local buses leave for Cuzco until 6pm. (1 hour, US$1 per person) so they’re easy to arrange yourself. On arrival in Cuzco take a taxi back to San Blas where you'll check in again at your posada.

Day 14: Cuzco - Lima - End of itinerary

Later this morning, depending on your flight departure time, you'll make your way from your San Blas posada to Cuzco airport. The flight to Lima takes just 1 hour and you'll probably have a long stopover before your flight back to the UK. If you'd rather see a bit more of Lima rather than hanging around at the airport all day, we can arrange a last day tour for you. Please get in touch with us for more details.

You'll be picked up at the airport and taken to one of the best arts and crafts markets in Lima where you can wander among the stalls filled with ceramic pots and bowls, hand-woven blankets, lama slippers, tacky fridge magnets and whatever else takes your fancy. At the end of the day you'll be picked up again at Larcomar, a large modern shopping mall directly on the beach. Enjoy your last Peruvian sunset before it's time to say adios Peru and board the plane home knowing you have experienced the best of Peru.