Magic of Peru

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Welcome to Lima

  

  Our driver welcomes you at Jorge Chávez International Airport and takes you to your accommodation in the Miraflores district, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Accommodation: 3*, 4* or 5*, near the cliffs overlooking the ocean, in the Miraflores district.

• day 2

  Arequipa

  

  The "white city" is a magnificent city, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visiting the Santa Catalina convent, the large San Camilo market, entering the baroque courtyards of the old town, and strolling among its "casonas" made of characteristic white volcanic stones can only leave a lasting impression on the traveler's memory. Accommodation: 3*, 4* or 5* in the historic center of the city, in hotels chosen for their ideal location, their character, and their charm.

• day 3

  Colca Canyon

  

  It takes 4 hours to reach Colca from Arequipa, and leaving early guarantees you can enjoy the possible visits. We suggest you go for a hike on foot in a Colca gorge, go horseback riding around the village of Yanque, or visit the archaeological site of the ancient villa of Uyo Uyo. Accommodation: with locals, in a 3* lodge in Yanque, a 4* lodge by the river (which has its own natural stone hot pools), or in one of the small houses of the only 5* lodge in the canyon.

• day 4

  The Cross of the Condors

  

  The condor is the emblematic bird of the Andes. This scavenger has the largest wingspan of all bird species in the world, and watching its flight is a magical moment. Condors live their entire lives as a couple, and it is said that when one of them dies, the other commits suicide by plunging from the sky to the earth, wings folded over its body, to accompany its companion to the other world. The Cruz del Condor offers an ideal spot for observing condors. After seeing the condors, we head to Lake Titicaca. The journey can be made by tourist bus or private transport, as you prefer. Arrival in Puno in the evening. Accommodation: simple hotel in the center or a more comfortable hotel on the lakeshore, with its own pier. It is also possible to stay at a magnificent 5* lodge located on a peninsula outside the city.

• day 5

  Off the beaten track Lake Titicaca

  

  We set off by private boat to reach secret corners of the highest navigable lake in the world and cross the most beautiful landscapes of this magnificent area. For over two decades, we have carried out numerous explorations all around the lake, on its islands and peninsulas, which allows you to completely escape the logic of mass tourism. We first take you to Amantani Island, but by hiking routes that offer incredible panoramic views of the lake. Accommodation: comfortable homestay or in a small private 4* lodge (only for 2 people or a family of 4 people).

• day 6

  Off-road Lake Titicaca

  

  An exceptional day that we have a knack for. We leave with our boat for a small cove where a friend is waiting for us and transfers our luggage directly to the next stop, thus allowing us to walk freely and peacefully along ancient Inca paths that run along the lake like a balcony, about 100/150 m above the lake level. We set off for a 3 to 4 hour hike, depending on our fitness. From the ancient trails we take, we will have breathtaking views of the vastness of Titicaca, which only those who venture into these places can admire. At the end of the afternoon, we arrive at our stop, in a community whose name we cannot reveal, where we will stay with a local family. Simple but clean and welcoming homestay accommodation, in a place of great beauty.

• day 7

  Going to Cusco

  

  The highlands that separate Lake Titicaca from the city of Cusco are full of sites, each more incredible than the last. We invite you to visit the most iconic ones during a 4-day journey, which takes us from one surprise to another. On this first day, we leave the community to head to the only small colonial town in the Peruvian altiplano that has been preserved to this day. There, we can visit the catacombs of a strange mausoleum and see the replica of Michelangelo's Pietà, which is at the origin of a unique story. We will then cross a pass that allows us to descend onto a unique mountain slope in the Andes, as it is populated by thousands of Puyas Raimondi in all their states, a plant whose flower can reach up to 15 m and which is rarely seen in groups of more than 3 or 4. We continue our adventure of the day with a short hike in the Tinajani canyon, among dizzying and precariously balanced rock formations. After lunch, once again in a place whose location is our secret, we will end this day with a visit to the Raqchi site at a time when there is no one else, before arriving at our stopover, in an old hacienda run by a family friend.

• day 8

  The last Inca bridge

  

  We leave, after a delicious breakfast, to climb back into the highlands of the Andes up to the Apurimac canyon, the most distant source of the Amazon River. At the mouth of the canyon, you can observe the last Inca suspension bridge, made of vines and braided straw, which the inhabitants of neighboring communities rebuild every year since pre-Columbian times. We will be able to cross the bridge and discover the very particular technology of one of the most emblematic works of Inca engineering. On the way back, we will stop in a village where no tourist ever stops, to taste some fruit, before reaching beautiful lawns by a high-altitude lake to have our picnic. On the way back, we can rest or stroll in the old colonial village where our friends' hacienda is located, before dinner.

• day 9

  Inca fortress?

  

  We set off again on the trails of the high Andean lands to find the Apurimac canyon, but this time from above. We will have to hike for 6 hours in total to go see the Inca site of Waqrapukara and return. The site is truly exceptional, located at altitude above the canyon, more than 1000 m above. It is not known whether the site served as an observation post, a fortress, and whether it had a military or religious function, or even both. Waqrapukara is one of the most recently highlighted sites, and there are still few visitors who go to see it. In the evening, we return to our hacienda.

• day 10

  The mountain of 7 colors

  

  We are ideally located on the road between Titicaca and Cusco and we go directly up the red valley towards another mountain with 7 colors, which is more easily accessible and much more impressive. If time and weather permit, we will then go down to the Ananiso canyon, which is quite narrow, with vertical walls, and some parts of which feature petroglyphs. Our driver will pick us up and take us for a picnic in a nice spot before we continue our journey to the village of Andahuaylillas, where we can visit the "Sistine Chapel of the Andes," the temple of Andahuaylillas, the most beautiful baroque church in the Cusco region, recently restored thanks to a huge effort funded by international cooperation, in which France participated with the countervalue fund of the French Embassy in Lima. The village has also been restored and enhanced. We arrive in Cusco in the evening. Accommodation: from simple and comfortable hostels to the best 5* hotels. Please contact us.

• day 11

  "Le Cusco", multiple city

  

  A whole day to stroll around the city of Cusco. Capital of the Inca empire turned colonial, then republican, the historic city center is the symbol of the region's culture. While the foundations and ground floor walls are often Inca, the buildings above them mostly date from the colonial era. The city has many churches with very impressive baroque heritage. The Cusco painting school is the only one of its kind on the subcontinent, and works by its indigenous and mestizo masters can be found in all the old colonial cities of South America and beyond. Strolling through its streets, markets, and squares is truly addictive. Accommodation: from simple and comfortable hotels to the best 5* hotels. Contact us for more information.

• day 12

  Great Inca sites

  

  We have established our Cusco region tour program by analyzing the flows of all other agencies, in order to avoid mass tourism as much as possible. This allows us to offer you a visit to the Inca Area over three exceptional days, going against the usual and common programs. On this first day, you will discover the sites of Chinchero, Moray, the Maras Salt Mines, and Ollantaytambo in a surprising and original way. Lunch will also be a highlight of the day. At the end of the day, you will take the train to the village of Machupicchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes), where you will spend the night. Accommodation: from 3* hotels to the best 4* and 5* hotels. Please consult us.

• day 13

  Machu Picchu

  

  You take the bus to the sacred city of the Incas, where you meet your private French-speaking guide at the time agreed upon the day before, for a private guided tour lasting 2 and a half to 3 hours. Your guide, a specialist of the site, attends the courses of the archaeologists who work in the sacred city every six months. He is fascinating. You can then have lunch on site before taking the return train to Ollantaytambo to spend the night there. Accommodation: simple hotels, hotels with particular charm, or more comfortable and charming hotels. Please consult us.

• day 14

  Going up the Vilcanota

  

  The Sacred Valley was, for the Incas, the representation of the Milky Way on earth, and there was necessarily a very strong relationship between the sky (the "Hanan Pacha") and the earth ("Kay Pacha"). We go up the Valley, but once again in our own way. We will take a short hike that will allow us to explore a very impressive Inca site, but one that is rarely visited by hordes of tourists. We will also be able to visit one of the most beautiful museums in Peru, which traces the history of 5,000 years of Andean civilizations, from Caral to the Incas, with reconstructions that would make the designers of the Musée Grévin envious. After lunch, taken in the rooms of a historic old hacienda whose gardens overlook the Sacred Valley, or, more simply, in the gardens of a local country restaurant frequented by Cusco families (your choice), we will end this beautiful day with a visit to the great site of Pisac, at a time when the crowds are at their lowest. We then return to Cusco to find our hotel and for a final evening.

• day 15

  The return!

  

  We will take you to the airport so that you can catch your return flight to Lima and make the connection with your international flight. End of our services at Cusco airport.