A Royal Journey

Arrival at Jorge Chavez Lima airport. Lima, the “City of Kings” famous for its Spanish Colonial architecture and extraordinarymuseums on arrival you will be met and escorted to your hotel.

Afternoon excursion to Pachacamac Ruins, considered by many to be the most important archaeological site near Lima. Four hundred years before the Incas, the Ishmay culture developed a major ceremonial center, featuring streets, dozens of temples fitted with ramps and the Painted Temple, evidence of their sense of religious urbanism. When the Incas overran the valley in the fourteenth century, they built the Temple of the Sun, the Acllahuasi (House of the Virgins of the Sun), the Pilgrims’ Plaza and other palaces whose painstaking reconstruction gives visitors an idea of what the site looked like 500 years ago. (ABB).

Early morning transfer from the hotel to the airport for a short but spectacular flight over the snowcapped Andes to the oldest inhabited city in the hemisphere, Cusco, at an elevation of 11,440 feet. Excursion to Chinchero, Pisac and Ollantaytambo in Urubamba, The Sacred Valley of the Incas – Departure to the unspoiled Andean village of Chinchero for a spectacular weaving demonstration. Continue to the Spanish Colonial village of Pisac where an Indian Market takes place Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Other days you will tour the religious nucleus and archaeological site of Pisac. After lunch the tour continues through the sacred valley of the Incas to visit the town of Ollantaytambo and the imposing Inca Fortress. Return to Cusco. Lunch is at a beautiful country estate on the shores of the Urubamba River. (ABB,L).

Full Day Excursion to Moray, Maras Salt Pools and Authentic Quechua Village – Morning departure to the Inca agricultural experimental center of Moray, famous for its sunken amphitheater, made up of four circular terraces, which appear to disappear into the earth like an artificial crater. Continue to the impressive Maras salt pools formed by water emerging from a lake inside a mountain in the Urubamba Valley. An amazing view of evaporating ponds for the extraction of salt. Learn about ancestral techniques, which are still used, in agricultural, irrigation and salt-recollection tasks, as well as in Andean festivals and rites. After lunch at Casa – Hacienda Huayocari, visit an authentic Quechua Village to feel the way of life of the Inca’s ancestors. The Inca himself was a noble Quechua. They live off the land and are always wearing their colorful ponchos, see Quechua children scamper about while woman are weaving their family’s clothes. A meaningful experience! (ABB, L)

Full Day Excursion to Machu Picchu – Morning train ride aboard the most luxurious railway service in South America to enjoy the unbelievable sights of the “Lost City of the Incas,” Machu Picchu. Perched 8,200 feet above the valley, it was hidden by mountains and semi tropical jungles for 400 years until discovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale University in 1911. Archaeologists believe that the Inca “Virgins of the Sun” took refuge from the Spanish Conquistadors here. Guided tour of the Sanctuary. Overnight in Machu Picchu. (AB, L, D)

Morning at leisure and plenty of free time to study the mysterious ruins Afternoon return to Cusco by Orient Express Train. (ABB, L)

Full day tour of Cusco and nearby Ruins – Morning walking tour of the ancient capital of the Inca Empire. Visitors are caught up in the excitement of this city. The tour includes a visit to the Cathedral and Santo Domingo Church, passing the main streets and Plaza de Armas. You will walk through the most astonishing Cusco streets to reach the San Blas Church. Cusco is a delightful combination of Inca and Colonial architecture. Afternoon tour includes a visit to the ruins of Kenko, Puca-Pucara, Tambomachay and to the Sacsayhuaman fortress. (ABB)

Transfer from hotel to the airport for your departure to Lima. Transfer to your hotel. Tour of Modern and Colonial Lima including the world famous Larco Museum – This half-day tour visits both the colonial and modern sections of Lima. Colonial sites include the lovely Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, San Francisco Church and the exquisite Torre Tagle Palace modern day seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In modern Lima, drive along the exclusive residential areas of Miraflores and San Isidro. Continue to the Larco Museum, founded in 1926, it displays remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview on 3000 years of development of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Evening or following morning transfer to airport for your international flight. Arrive home full of great memories of the rich tradition of Colonial Lima, the mystical Land of the Incas and of your exciting gastronomic journey. (ABB).