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Vamos Peru!

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

This three week Peru holiday is the most popular of our Peru itineraries, and you'll get to see the highlights of Peru at an easy pace. Starting in Lima, you’ll travel south along the west coast to the Islas Ballestas, Huacachina oasis and Nazca for a scenic flight to view the mystical Nazca lines. From Arequipa, you'll visit the condors in the remote Colca Canyon before taking the express bus to the floating islands of Lake Titicaca.

After spending the night with a local Indian family, you'll continue your Peru holiday and take the bus to Cuzco for a two day trek across the Andes to Machu Picchu. Finally, you can catch your breath with a couple of days in the Sacred Valley at the end of our action-packed three week Peru holiday.

If you would prefer to build your own three week trip, take a look at our
Peru tours and Machu Picchu holidays.

Duration	19 days / 18 nights, departure daily	Accommodation	17 nights including breakfast (1 night Nazca - Arequipa on overnight bus). Shared facilities on Titicaca. Comfort level: mainly 3 (see accommodation)
Price	£1195 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	Transport as described, accommodation with breakfast, guided excursions: Islas Ballestas, Colca Canyon, Titicaca (Amantani: full board), 2 days Inca Trail (full board). Entrance fees Ballestas and Machu Picchu (US$45 per person).
Transport	All transport between cities by plane, bus or train, except Ollantaytambo - Cuzco. Transfers: see description	Excludes	International flights,Chauchilla (£14), Cruz del Condor (US$13), Calera hot springs (US$2), airport taxes. Lunch at Taquile (Titicaca), other excursions, transfers, meals and entrance fees.

Day 1: Lima - arrival

Bienvenidos a Peru! Because of the time difference, you'll arrive for the start of your three week Peru holiday on the same day as you left the UK. Once you've reclaimed your baggage, 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, leafy suburb 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 in Peru. In Miraflores, you'll be staying in one of our selected posadas: small-scale traditional Peruvian accommodation with a garden, patio, pool and breakfast room.

Day 2: Lima - Ica

You can spend the first morning of your Peru holiday in Lima at your own leisure. You’ll be picked up at your hotel around 12.30pm and transferred to the bus station, so you won’t need to worry about finding the right bus in the busy terminal. The bus trip to Ica by Royal Class takes about 5 hours. The road follows the coast, which for a large part of the year is shrouded in that typical Peruvian mist called garúa. When the mist lifts, you’ll see the rugged coastline of bare and barren rocks and an arid landscape eroded by the sea winds.

On arrival in Ica, take a rickshaw to your hotel in Huacachina, a tropical oasis 4km outside of Ica. The village lies on a tropical lagoon fringed with palm trees and pastel-coloured houses, in the middle of a desert landscape with enormous sand dunes. Your hotel is a real little hideaway. Spend the rest of the afternoon chilling by the pool or take a walk along the lagoon or climb to the top of the sand dunes for a fantastic view.

Day 3: Islas Ballestas - Ica

After breakfast on the third day of your Peru holiday, you’ll be transferred to the small harbour of Paracas for the guided boat trip to the Reserva Nacional de las Islas Ballestas. The islands are famous for their unusual eroded rock formations (ballesta means arch) but particularly the unique birdlife.

The boat journey takes about 45 minutes, passing a huge figure of a candlebra carved into the rock face. It’s a small taster of what you’ll see at Nazca further on in your three week Peru itinerary. As you approach the islands, the noise of the barking sea lions gets louder and louder and you’re met with the unmistakeable acrid smell of bird droppings...

Once you're out at sea, the temperature can drop considerably so you'll need a warm sweater. A waterproof jacket will help you avoid getting soaked by the spray, as the boat crashes over the waves. Remember to bring your sunglasses and binoculars and, with thousands of birds flying overhead, there's a realistic chance of catching a direct hit, so you might want to bring a sun cap.

If you fancy an adrenaline rush at this point in your Peru holiday, you can have a go at sand surfing in the sand dunes around sunset (best time of day). It’s an optional activity which you can book at the hotel reception. Sand surfing is just like snowboarding, so try and keep your balance as you surf your way down the soft dunes. Beginners can slide down belly board style, just make sure you keep your mouth closed…

Day 4: Ica - Nazca

You can spend this morning of your Peru holiday relaxing at the hotel, enjoying the warm desert climate. Or, you could go wine tasting at one of the vineyards in the area or visit the nearby town of Ica. For a real thrill, take a dune buggy ride through the sand dunes. Racing down the slopes and crashing over the tops of the dunes is insanely good fun and you’d hardly think you were in Peru. You can have a go at sand-surfing during the buggy ride, and you’ll have the added bonus of not having to walk all the way to the top of the dunes with your board. The buggy will simply pick you up at the bottom and drive you up to the top of the next dune. Easy.

Later that afternoon you’ll make your way to Ica bus station to board the bus for the two-hour trip to Nazca, the next stop on your three week Peru itinerary. On arrival at the bus station, take a taxi (US$1) to your hotel.

Day 5: Nazca - Arequipa

Today you can take an optional scenic flight over the Nazca lines. Unfortunately we currently cannot offer you this flight option. After a recent serious incident on one of scenic flights the Peruvian government has launched an investigation into the flight safety of the planes and the flight operators. We have decided to await the outcome of the investigation before resuming our Nazca line flight option.

Scenic flights are still carried out but please be aware that this is at your own risk. If in doubt please ask our local agent for advice. The lines can also be viewed from a nearby viewpoint.

The origin of the lines remain a mystery, but from the air you can get a much better idea of the sheer size of these mystical geometric figures etched out in the sand.

Whatever the origin, the figures are a truly mind-boggling sight and it’s hard to fathom how the patterns were so perfectly drawn when they’re hardly perceptible from the ground. If you’ve booked the flight, we suggest you also include the excursion to the desert cemetery of Chauchilla (£17 per person, entrance fee to be paid locally: US$2 per person). Note that there’s no point taking the flight when there’s limited visibility which is why departure times are largely dictated by the weather conditions. Our local agent can change the flight and excursion times if it means you’ll have increased visibility. The cemetery is a bizarre necropolis in the middle of the desert, containing a collection of skeletons, bones and even entire mummies from the late Nazca period. It’s a morbid but fascinating sight.

In the evening, you’ll make your way to the bus station to catch the 10pm luxury Royal Class overnight bus to the friendly colonial town of Arequipa and the next stop on your Peru holiday.

Day 6: Arequipa

Arequipa 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 of your Peru holiday adjusting to the altitude. Arequipa has a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. It’s also considerably cleaner and more cosmopolitan than Lima, but still has that distinct Latin-American vibe. The city boasts plenty of grand colonial buildings and churches but its main attraction is the monastery of Santa Catalina. The best way to get around Arequipa is by taxi. They’re dirt cheap so venturing out of the city to explore the surrounding area won’t cost you much.

You'll arrive in Arequipa around 6am, so take a taxi from the bus station straight to your hotel. You'll have the rest of the day to explore Arequipa on your own. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Ease into the day 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 past the many churches and cathedrals, or visit the Santuarios Museum to see the frozen Inca-girl mummy Juanita. Take a taxi to one of the suburbs of Arequipa like Tingo or Yanahuara for a spicy Arequipeño lunch with views of the volcanoes surrounding the city.

Late afternoon, around sunset, is the best time of day to visit the Santa Catalina monastery. Hidden behind the walls lies a labyrinth of narrow winding alleyways between high red and blue painted walls and small secluded courtyards. Even though it’s warm during the day, the temperatures drop as soon as the sun goes down so bring a warm sweater. In the city centre you’ll find lots of little restaurants serving Peruvian and international dishes, the perfect end to your day 6 of your Peru holiday.

Peru holiday - llamas roaming the Altiplano

Day 7: 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, and the next stop of your Peru holiday. 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 into the mountains and the plains begin to open up into immense vistas. Crossing the Salinas y Aguada Blanca nature reserve you’ll see llamas, alpacas and vicuñas grazing. At the highest point, a mountain pass at 4910m, the bus will make a short stop so you can stretch your legs, drink a cup of coca tea and breathe in the fresh (thin) air.

On arrival in Chivay, drop your bags at the hotel and head into the village for a spot of lunch. In the afternoon you can take a dip in the hot springs at La Calera with views across the mountains. Chivay's not the liveliest place in the evening, but there are a couple of friendly bars where you can swap travel stories with your fellow travellers over a couple of beers.

Day 8: Chivay - Cruz del Condor - Arequipa

Around 6.30am, you’ll leave the hotel to visit the Cruz del Condor viewpoint, weaving your way through the cows and donkeys blocking the road. In the small villages you can see the local farmers in their brightly coloured traditional dress. Cruz del Condor is the deepest point in the Canyon and, at 3200m, it's comparable to the Grand Canyon. The area is home to hundreds of Andes condors and it's 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.

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. There’s time for a last wander around town and you can 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. Time to relax after a tiring day on your Peru holiday.

Day 9: Arequipa - Puno

This morning, 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, an 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 along the trip when you pass several lakes with bright pink flamingos.

As you leave the uninspiring town of Juliaca, with its brick factories, you’ll catch your first glimpse of Lake Titicaca (175km long and 45 km wide). You’ll arrive in Puno around 2.30pm for the next stop on your Peru holiday. The fresh atmosphere is immediately apparent.

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.

On the Plaza de Armas, you might see street performers doing tricks, cheered on by a large crowd and the local football team. They’re always top of their league; their opponents get out of breath too quickly at this altitude! If you're also feeling out of breath at this point of your Peru holiday, a rickshaw is a comfortable and cheap way to get from the bus terminal to your hotel and you'll immediately get a feel of the town centre. You'll be staying in a small family guesthouse in a peaceful district about 10 minutes' walk from the shopping street and just a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas. The guesthouse has been lovingly decorated by the Peruvian owner with lots of wood carvings and traditional details. Rooms have a private bathroom, phone, TV and central heating.

Day 10: Titicaca - Uros - Amantani

In the morning of day ten of your three week Peru itinerary, 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. The boat sails at a relaxed pace and it's lovely in the sun (don't forget your sunscreen). 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. 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. The Indian islanders are very photogenic and the island is beautiful: houses, boats, watchtowers, the school, they are all made from reed.

After about an hour, the boat will set off for the island of Amantani, where you'll be staying for this night of your Peru holiday. Based on a fair and impartial system, you’ll be placed with one of the island families. The proceeds of your stay all go towards the development of the island, for example to buy school supplies or farming tools. Usually, you’ll be staying in a small clay hut with a straw mattress and a couple of warm blankets.

Around sunset, you’ll go on a walk across the island with a local guide. At the top of a nearby hill there’s a small Inca ritual site with beautiful views across the island and the lake. Some small gifts for your hosts, like soap, crayons and paper or a toothbrush and toothpaste are greatly appreciated. If you're lucky the villagers will throw a party for their guests this evening...

Day 11: Amantani - Taquile - Puno

After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to your hosts and head down the long flight of steps to the jetty to continue your Peru trip. As the boat sails off around 8am, you can see the sun coming up across Lake Titicaca. An hour later, you'll step ashore in Taquile, but it's another 45 minutes uphill to the village square.

Like Amantani, there are no roads or cars on Taquile. Supplies are shipped in from Puno every day, but this island is much steeper than Amantani which means the islanders have to carry the heavy goods up hundreds of steps to the village. The locals are just as curious to see you as you are to see them, as you stare at their colourful traditional dress and knitting habits. Later that morning, you'll take a walk across the fields to a small Inca ruin and enjoy a fresh fish lunch on the other side of the island. With the sun setting across the water, you'll sail back from Taquile to Puno where you'll be dropped off at your hotel 3 hours later, for the next stop on your Peru holiday.

Day 12: Puno - Cuzco

After a good night's rest and substantial breakfast, you'll make your own way (by rickshaw or taxi) to the bus station for the next journey on your Peru holiday. There are several ways to get from Puno to Cuzco, but we've arranged the comfortable express bus, which takes about 6 hours. The more expensive tourist bus actually takes longer because it makes several stops on the way where people will try to sell you local souvenirs. There’s also a train connection on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, though it’s often cancelled if there aren’t enough tourist reservations. It also takes 4 hours longer than the express bus.

If you leave Puno at 9am you'll arrive in Cuzco around 3pm. From the bus terminal, take a taxi to your hotel. You'll be staying in a traditional posada, a small mid-class guesthouse with a garden or patio located in the heart of San Blas, about 10 minutes on foot uphill from the Plaza de Armas. After exploring the city, to get back to your hotel, save yourself the steep walk uphill and just take a taxi. Remember, Cuzco is at 3300m altitude!

Day 13: Cuzco

The sights of Cuzco around the Plaza de Armas are about 10 minutes’ walk downhill from your hotel. The little streets around the square are full of interesting shops and restaurants with the quintessentially Latino pan pipe players (now say that quickly). The cathedral and the Compañia church are exceptionally beautiful, and real highlights of your Peru holiday. 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.

Day 14: Cuzco - Short Inca Trail - Machu Picchu

In the morning, leave whatever you won't be needing for the next four days at hotel reception for storage. You'll be dropped off at Cuzco station where your train leaves at 7.30am, and you'll head off for the trekking part of your Peru holiday. The train runs on a rack railway to get itself up the steep gradient. As soon as it leaves Cuzco the train starts to wind 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. You have about 1 minute to get off the train and you literally jump off the train onto the tracks. Your guide will be waiting for you by the bridge across the river. After a quick briefing by your guide, your trek to Machu Picchu will begin! Setting off at 2300m altitude you'll cross a footbridge over the Urubamba river. Today's trek will take about 4 hours. It's a challenging climb, but should be fine for anyone in good physical condition.

You'll begin climbing 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 and, eating your packed lunch as you look out across the Andes, you'll 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.

After lunch, your guide will show you around the ruins of Winay Wayna before continuing on for the last couple of miles to the ‘Sun Gate’ Inti Punco, where you suddenly catch your first glimpse of Machu Picchu. Nothing can prepare you for the magical sight and, 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. However, the sun is already low in the sky and now’s not the best time to do the whole background talk on the ruins. We'll save that for tomorrow. At the entrance gates the bus is waiting to take you to Aguas Calientes. After an intense day of your Peru holiday, crawl into the soft comfy bed in your small posada in the centre of town.

Day 15: Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo

You’ll need to be up early today in order to 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.

Wandering 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. It's a true highlight of your Peru holiday. The history, the purpose and eventual decline of Machu Picchu still remains a mystery. Scientists and archaeologists maintain different theories on its role in the Inca Empire, none of which have ever been proven. Fact remains that the Spaniards never found the city and it wasn't until 1911, when archaeologist Hiram Bingham stumbled upon the ruins completely by accident, that Machu Picchu was finally revealed to the outside world.

After your guided tour, you'll have time to wander around the ruins alone before picking up your rucksack at the entrance and taking the bus back to Aguas Calientes. Back in the village, take a final look around the souvenir market and have some lunch before boarding the train around 3.30pm.

The train pulls into Ollanta(ytambo) around 5.30pm, for the next stop on your Peru holiday. 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. 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.

Day 16: Ollanta(ytambo) - Urubamba

Early in the morning, head up to the Inca fort for a wonderful view across mountains, terraces and the village as it slowly awakens. 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 side.

The countryside around Ollanta is particularly scenic. The valley lies in a bowl in between the high mountains, which means it has a mild climate with lots of sunshine and the area is very green and fertile. 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, sports day parades. We came across it all. You can book a two-hour horse ride for around US$7 at the hotel reception. Just let them know at reception when you arrive whether you'd like to add this riding itinerary to your Peru holiday schedule.

Later in the afternoon, (or earlier if you feel like it), make your way to Urubamba, for the next stop on your Peru holiday. In the central square of Ollanta you’ll find several ‘collectivos’, minibuses that leave once they have enough passengers. It’s a fun way to travel with the locals. 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; a converted 16th Century Franciscan monastery with a small chapel, several peaceful courtyards and a good restaurant.

Day 17: Urubamba - Cuzco

Urubamba is a good base for several outdoor activities in the Sacred Valley but, if that all sounds too exhausting, you could always hang around the monastery and take it easy. You’ve got the whole of day 17 on your Peru holiday to yourself. You could plan a cultural day and take the collectivo or local bus to Pisac. 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 it is a lot smaller.

The ruins at Pisac rival Machu Picchu and are open daily, though on non-market days they’re surprisingly quiet. From Pisac main square collectivos and local buses leave for Cuzco until 6pm so they’re easy to arrange yourself.

From Urubamba, collectivos leave for Cuzco via Chincheros until around 6pm. The trip takes about 1 ½ hours so you’ll be back in Cuzco after dark. In Cuzco take a taxi back to your posada in San Blas where you can collect the rest of your bags.

Day 18: Cuzco

Your Peru holiday is drawing to a close, but luckily you've still got the whole day in Cuzco to enjoy a last day of that Latino vibe.

If you'd rather enjoy some peace and quiet, take a walk through the little streets of San Blas or chill out in your hammock at the posada.

Day 19: Cuzco - Lima - End of itinerary

On the last day of your Peru holiday, depending on your flight departure time, 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 Peru tour for you. Please get in touch with us for more details on adding this to your Peru holiday.

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, hand-woven blankets, lama slippers 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. You can enjoy your last Peruvian sunset before it's time to say adios Peru and board the plane home.

Peru holiday accommodation (Click to enlarge)

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