(Sat.) Your flight to South America arrives early this morning and will be met by your Tour Director. Transfer to your hotel for time to relax and refresh before your afternoon city tour. Your Local Guide focuses on the city’s colonial heritage during a walking tour. Start at the Plaza de Armas to see the Government Palace and visit the CATHEDRAL, where the remains of Francisco Pizarro are sealed in a wooden coffin. From here, stroll to the venerable SAN FRANCISCO MONASTERY with its splendid 17th-century cloister murals. This evening, meet your Tour Director and enjoy a WELCOME DINNER with your fellow traveling companions. (D)
(Sun.) Enjoy a scenic drive south along the Pan-American Highway to the town of Ica, the wine capital of Peru. Have your camera handy today as you board your aircraft for a FLIGHT over the Nazca plains, which can only be appreciated by air. Your pilot will point out the mysterious markings known as the NAZCA LINES, a series of drawings of animals and geometric figures etched into the parched soil—some up to 1,000 feet long! Theories vary, but the most accepted belongs to German mathematician Maria Reiche, who dubbed the land the “astronomical calendar” of the ancient Peruvians. Enjoy dinner this evening at your hotel. (B,D)
(Mon.) Head north to the Bay of Paracas. CRUISE out to the Ballestas Islands, which are inhabited by a wide variety of sea mammals and exotic birds, including boobies, sea lions, and Humbolt penguins. The huge Candelabro, a candelabra-shaped etching on the Paracas cliffside, can also be seen as you cruise back to shore. Board your motorcoach and arrive in Lima by late afternoon. (B)
(Tue.) Fly to Cuzco, the impressive Andean city that was once the capital of the Inca Empire. Spend the day in the Sacred Valley of the Incas with a visit to the Inca baths of TAMBOMACHAY and the semi-circular Kenko Amphitheater with its stone altars and labyrinth of passages. See the ancient site of Puca Pucara before reaching the TEMPLE OF SACSAYHUAMAN, perched on a hillside overlooking Cuzco. It remains unfathomable how and when this fortress of gigantic stones—with some blocks weighing more than 350 tons—was built. Next, visit Pisa can old mountain village where you will have the opportunity to visit a home, meet some of the locals, and experience their way of life. Enjoy free time here to shop for local wares such as alpaca sweaters and blankets, jewelry, or hand-painted ornamental dishes and vases. Stay in the Sacred Valley tonight, with dinner at the hotel. (B,L,D)
(Wed.) Visit the Inca Fortress of OLLANTAYTAMBO this morning before boarding a TRAIN for a short journey through the lush Urubamba Valley. Then transfer to a motorcoach for the ascent to legendary MACHU PICCHU, “The Lost City of the Incas,” high above the steep valley overlaid with dense tropical jungle. Your Local Guide will bring you closer to the lives and mysteries still hidden in these amazing structures, built by the pre-Columbian masters of this sacred land. Tonight, stay at a nearby hotel. (B,L,D)
(Thu.) Enjoy the tranquility of the morning with free time to wander the ruins at your own pace and experience the magic that is Machu Picchu. After lunch, return to the Sacred Valley by TRAIN and continue on to Cuzco. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant accompanied by ANDEAN FOLKLORIC MUSIC. (B,L,D)
(Fri.) This morning, learn more about the Incas and their struggle against invading Spaniards on your Cuzco city tour with visits to the imposing CATHEDRAL and the SANTO DOMINGO MONASTERY. Board an afternoon flight to Juliaca, where you will continue to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. (B,D)
(Sat.) This morning, embark your sleek HYDROFOIL for a day exploring LAKE TITICACA. Stop first at MOON ISLAND to see the Virgins of the Sun Temple and the Palace, which was reconstructed in the 1960s and proves that this island was used by pre-Inca cultures. Also see SUN ISLAND, considered to be the birthplace of the Incan Empire. Visit the Inca Stairway and the Sacred Fountain, believed to give eternal youth and happiness. Enjoy lunch while taking in the breathtaking views of Sacred Lake Titicaca and the Royal Range of the Andes. Your final stop today takes you to the Bolivian town of Copacabana to visit the CATHEDRAL and explore the local markets. (B,L)
(Sun.) Visit the UROS FLOATING ISLANDS, home to the Uros Indians who were forced to live on Lake Titicaca as the Incan Indians pushed further into their territory. The islands are made of reeds which are continually added as they disintegrate to the bottom of the lake. Tonight back in Lima, join your Tour Director for a memorable FAREWELL DINNER. (B,D)
(Mon.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)