Peru | A Taste of Peru: Cusco and Machu Picchu

Upon arrival in Lima you will be met at the airport and taken to your hotel. No meals included.

After breakfast, visit the National Archaeology Museum (note: closed on Mondays). This is Peru's oldest and largest state museum. It is housed in an old colonial mansion on Plaza Bolivar, in the Pueblo Libre District of Lima. The museum displays a large collection of ceramics, textiles, sculptures, and ancient Peruvian metals dating back to pre-Hispanic times. Some notable pieces in this collection are the Raimondi Stela and Tello Obelisk. Another portion of the exhibit focuses on the country's colonial and republican periods. After lunch at El Señorío de Sulco, receive an orientation to Lima, including a visit to La Catedral. La Catedral is the most important church in any town in Peru. This beautiful colonial building in the Plaza de las Armas presumably houses the remains of Francisco Pizarro; whether the bones are authentic or not is a matter of conjecture.

After an early breakfast, depart for the airport for your flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, enjoy a cup of coca tea and then depart for Yucay. The city lies at an elevation of 8,500 feet in the Urubamba Valley, which is the historical heart of the former Inca Empire. The Incas intensively cultivated the landscape using terraces that increased the land's harvest severalfold and provided food for a large population. The Urubamba Valley is also called the Sacred Valley of the Incas because it was here that, without the benefit of the wheel, the Incas built massive stone cities and ruled an empire that stretched 3,300 miles over some of the harshest terrain on earth. Without the use of mortar, the Incas constructed cities, suspension bridges, and aqueduct systems with an engineering expertise that still exists today. Along your journey through the valley, stop at Pisac Market. The town's main square is filled wall-to-wall on these days with stalls selling the full range of Peruvian artesanía: carved gourds (mates burilados), ceramics, felt hats, alpaca sweaters and mittens, musical instruments, paintings, antiques, weavings, jewelry, and other trinkets.

After breakfast, board the train to Aguas Calientes. Upon arrival, take the bus to the top of the mountain for your guided tour of the ruins at Machu Picchu. The guided tour is about two hours and you have the rest of the day to enjoy this magical place on your own. Machu Picchu, known as "The Lost City of the Incas," is probably the best known yet least understood of all Incan sites. Apart from a few locals, no outsiders knew of Machu Picchu's existence until 1911, when American historian Hiram Bingham stumbled upon the thickly overgrown buildings almost by accident. The quality of the stonework and the abundance of ornamental sites indicate that Machu Picchu must have been an important ceremonial center, but knowledge of the city's history has been lost over time.

This morning you will have time to explore Aguas Calientes on your own or make a second visit to Machu Picchu. (Please note your second entrance fee and bus costs are NOT included and no guide service.) Named for the hot springs located on the edge of town, Aguas Calientes was once a small farming community. In the 1920s, it became a railway workers' camp, and it now serves as the base for visitors to Machu Picchu. This afternoon you will board the train for your scenic journey back to Yucay and on to Cusco.

The early part of today will be spent on your own. This afternoon, enjoy a guided tour exploring Cusco and surrounding areas, starting with a visit to the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. Old Cusco is believed to have been designed in the shape of a puma, with Sacsayhuaman forming the puma's head. It is a wonder of technical achievement and a testament to human will. Its construction remains a mystery, because the stones are not found in the region, and most of the blocks weigh over a ton. The largest rock weighs more than 300 tons. The ruins are constructed of huge polygonal blocks that interlock with one another and are so precisely placed that a knife blade cannot be inserted between them. Next, explore Cusco. The center of Cusco is a history lesson. Modern and colonial buildings are built on top of Inca foundations, and colonial churches dominate the central square. The remainder of the day will be at leisure to shop and explore on your own.

Today you will be transferred to the airport in Cusco for your flight to Lima. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to discover Lima.

This morning you will be transferred to the international airport for your departure flight.