Peru Inca Hopper FAM (for Travel Professionals, Travel Writers, Bloggers & Guest)

Arrival in Lima, the “City of Kings” famous for its Spanish Colonial architecture, extraordinary museums and cuisine. Lima is internationally recognized as the “Gastronomic Capital of the Americas”, and its cuisine is considered among the most diverse and exquisite in the world on par with French cuisine. Upon arrival a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and in registering.

Tour of Modern and Colonial Lima – 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.

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. Immediate transfer to the Sacred Valley at 8,200 feet of altitude. Upon arrival a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and in registering.

Full Day Excursion to the Pisac Indian Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress – After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll head to the famous Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our first stop is Pisac, founded during Colonial times; you will be able to appreciate the mixture of tradition. Here you will have the opportunity to test your bartering skills, interact with the local craftsmen and purchase hand-made souvenirs. After explore the indigenous community and all it has to offer on this tour of the Potato Park! Meet the local community, learn about the unique process of potato cultivation, and see the beautiful flora and fauna of Peru! Travel to the Chawaytire community and have a tasty lunch made from local products and the native potatoes you have learned so much about with the Qachum Waqchi. Return to the Pisac community.

Afterward, it’s time to visit Ollantaytambo. The narrow streets along with their canals have not changed much from the time of the Inca Empire. At the end of the tour, We return to the hotel in Urubamba.

Moray, Maras Salt Pools – Pass through unspoiled and picturesque Andean communities on your way to the Incan agricultural experimental center of Moray, famous for its sunken amphitheater, made up of four circular terraces, which appear to fade away into the earth like an artificial crater. The site was apparently an Inca agricultural research station filled with fertile earth and watered by complex irrigation systems, designed for experimenting with crops at various altitudes (some of which run down to depths of 100 meters).

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.
Inca Rail train ride to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town)

Today, visit 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 ruins upon arrival.
Overnight stay in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town)

Free morning to enjoy one of the most incredible sights on earth, the sanctuary of Machu Picchu. Take as much time as you need to study these magnificent ruins or hike the steep stone-paved trail of Huayna Picchu, the pyramid-shape mountain above Machu Picchu for a breathtaking “condor view” of the citadel (reservation and extra fee are needed). Or stroll to the Inca Bridge a secret entrance used by the Inca’s army or walk toward the Inca Trail to find the historic Intipunku or “Sun Gate” or visit Manuel Chavez Museum or hike in Mandor Valley or just enjoy the thermal springs of the town. Afternoon return train ride.

Tour of Cusco and Nearby Ruins – Visitors are caught up in the excitement of touring the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, a delightful combination of Inca and colonial architecture. The tour visits important landmarks such us Cusco’s Cathedral, Plaza de Armas and Koricancha “The Temple of the Sun”. This tour of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the western hemisphere also includes the nearby ruins of Kenko, Puca-Pucara, Tambomachay as well as the Sacsayhuaman fortress, an imposing example of Inca military architecture.
Cusco Dinner and Show
Cusco has enough entertainment to keep you busy for a week. Tonight you flavor a Novo Andean and International buffet, which utilizes regional ingredients to rescue the gastronomic roots of the Andes.
Dinner is followed by a folkloric show with whirling Peruvian dancers performing a variety of regional entertaining dances.

Transfer to the airport for your departure at 07:30AM arriving in Lima at 09:00AM and your connecting international flight.
Arrive home full of great memories of the rich tradition of Colonial Lima, the snowcapped roaring Andean mountains and lush valleys, and the zig-zag road to the overwhelming sight of Machu Picchu, the amazing legacy the Incas.