 Day 1 – Sept. 9th – Tuesday
USA / Lima, Peru
Depart from the U.S.A. on regularly scheduled flight. Upon arrival in Lima, assistance at the airport and transfer to the hotel.
Hotel Holiday Inn
Day 2 - Sept. 10th – Wednesday (B, L)
Lima
Tour of the "City of the Kings". You will start in the "Huaca Pucllana" archeological center that operated between the 5th and 8th Centuries. Proceed to the Historical Center to see the Plaza Mayor surrounded by the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace. Visit the Casa Aliaga, America's best preserved colonial mansion, occupied by the same family since 1535. Proceed to the San Francisco Monastery, a masterpiece of Colonial architecture. Drive through the residential districts of Miraflores and San Isidro where you will enjoy a magnificent view of the Ocean Pacific. Lunch in 'La Carreta' restaurant. This beautiful restaurant was built evoking the style of old countryside houses. Here you will enjoy fine cuisine that specializes in grilled meats. After a delicious lunch in of Lima's nicest restaurants you will enjoy an overview of Peru's pre-Columbian history while visiting the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. The collection presents a panorama of cultural development in ancient Peru, from the first primitive hunters to the sophisticated and organized Incas.
Hotel Holiday Inn
Day 3 - Sept. 11th – Thursday (B)
Lima / Ica
Morning departure from Lima in private transportation. Four hours south on the PanAmerican Highway to Ica, the wine capital of Peru. Take a 45-minute flight by high-wing light aircraft over the desert and the mysterious Nasca Lines (also known as the Nasca markings), which can only be appreciated from the air. Made centuries ago, the reason they were made still remains a mystery. Then visit the regional museum in Ica, where you will be able to see its great collection of archaeological remains, including ceramics, mummies and textiles. These materials have been gathered from the Paracas, Nasca , Wari, Ica-Chincha and Inca civilizations.
Hotel Las Dunas
Day 4 - Sept. 12th – Friday (B)
Ica (Nazca Lines) / Ballestas Islands
Morning departure northward to the Paracas Peninsula, embarkation point for the yacht cruise to the Ballestas Islands, inhabited by boobies, pelicans, sea lions and Humboldt penguins. The still unexplained Candelabro Marking Lines can be seen on the way. Return along the Pacific Coast to Lima.
Hotel Holiday Inn
"I liked the balance between archeology, culture and nature: the experience
of being in a developing country. The guides were all superb! It was like
living inside a National Geographic for two weeks. I have always wanted to
visit Machu Picchu. Ancient civilizations fascinate me. A trip of a
lifetime!"
Peru - C. Larsen, CT
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Day 5 - Sept. 13th – Saturday (B, L, D)
Lima / Ollantaytambo
Transfer from hotel to the airport. Upon arrival you will be transferred to the Sacred Valley. Drive to the "Sacred Valley of the Incas" to visit Ollantaytambo, the Inca fortress, and walk through the quaint streets of the nearby town. Then, take a drive through the valley and bargain with vendors at a typical market in Pisac.
Casa Andina Private Collection Valle Sagrado
Day 6 - Sept. 14th – Sunday (B, L, D)
Chinchero / Maras / Moray
Visit the picturesque Andean village of Chinchero. Wander around its colorful Indian market and bargain with vendors for a variety of handicrafts. The main square of the town is bordered by a wall constructed by the Incas, and its church is decorated with unique frescoes on the portico. You'll get a magnificent view of the Urubamba Valley en route, and then continue with a tour of Moray, where the Incas used greenhouse terraces to study and improve their refined farming techniques. Then, on to Maras, a salt production center, that dates back to Colonial times. To this day, the people of Maras produce salt using handmade pans.
Casa Andina Private Collection Valle Sagrado
Day 7 - Sept. 15th – Monday (B, L, D)
Machu Picchu
Morning transfer to Ollanta Station. Board the railcoach for a one-and-a-half hour train ride to Machu Picchu. Then take a 25-minute motor coach ascent to "The Lost City of the Incas" with a guided tour of the marvelous Citadel, an awe-inspiring experience. Stroll by the archaeological site before enjoying buffet lunch at Machu Picchu Santuary Lodge.
Machu Picchu Santuary Lodge
Day 8 - Sept. 16th – Tuesday (B, L, D)
Machu Picchu / Cuzco
Wake up early to admire Machu Picchu, stroll by these extraordinary Inca remains or hike up the Huayna Picchu. Afternoon motorcoach/railcoach transportation to Cuzco. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.
Casa Andina Cuzco Hotel
Day 9 - Sept. 17th – Wednesday (B)
Cuzco
Morning city tour including the Santo Domingo Convent Monastery - the legendary Koricancha 'Site of Gold', the most important temple devoted to worship of the sun and whose walls were plated with sheets of gold; the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral. After seeing the most interesting sites of the city, you will drive out into the countryside outside Cuzco to visit some of the remarkable Inca ruins in the area: the cult center of Sacsayhuaman, the temple and amphitheatre of Kenko, the Inca Baths of Tambomachay and the Red Fortress of Puca Pucara. Casa Andina Cuzco Hotel
Day 10 - Sept. 18th – Thursday (B)
Cuzco / Lima
Transfer from the hotel to the airport. Assistance on departure flight. Upon arrival in Lima, assistance at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Visit to the Amano Museum, which houses a unique private collection of pre-Columbian ceramics and textiles, primarily from the Chancay culture. Proceed to the art gallery of “Las Pallas” where you will find colonial and pre-Columbian artifacts.
Hotel Holiday Inn
 Day 11 - Sept. 19th – Friday (B)
Lima / Ayacucho
Transfer from your hotel to the airport for your departure flight. Upon arrival in Ayacucho, assistance at the airport and transfer to Plaza Ayacucho Hotel. Your tour of Ayacucho, famous for its 33 colonial churches, will orient you to this historic city. In addition to the churches on nearly every corner, Ayacucho is rich in workshops that produce fine hand loomed textiles with pre-Columbian motifs. Other workshops create retablos, the colorful wooden boxes with 3-dimensional religious or traditional Andean scenes. These evolved from the portable altars the colonial - era Spanish priests used in converting the natives to Christianity, and are sought by collectors. In the afternoon we will visit Barrio Santa Ana,the nearby neighborhood where the noted weavers of Ayacucho are located. Alejandro Gallardo, one of the most prominent artisans, will welcome us to his home/workshop/gallery where we will see demonstrations of every aspect of the weaving process. Visits to other workshops/galleries nearby will introduce you to the creations of Alphonso Sulca and his nephew Edwin Sulca, members of the most famous family of Peruvian weavers.
Plaza Ayacucho Hotel
Day 12 - Sept. 20th – Saturday (B)
Ayacucho
Today we will visit the important archeological site of Wari, capital of a great pre-Inca empire, which flourished from about 500-800 AD. Located about 20 miles from Ayacucho, our tour will give us excellent views of the rural life of the Andean countryside. Before returning, we will stop in the village of La Quinua where you can shop for distinctive terra cotta ceramics directly from the artisans in their workshops.
Plaza Ayacucho Hotel
Day 13 - Sept. 21st – Sunday (B)
Ayacucho / Lima
Transfer from the hotel to the airport. Assistance on departure flight. Upon arrival in Lima, assistance at the airport and transfer to your hotel.
Hotel Holiday Inn
Day 14 - Sept. 22nd – Monday (B)
Lima / USA
After breakfast you will be transferred with assistance to the airport for your departure to the U.S.A.
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