Day 1 - Arrive Lima
Depart North America today and arrive in Lima, Peru. You are welcomed and transferred to the hotel.
Day 2 - Lima City Tour / Larco Herrera Museum
After a leisurely morning, embark on your tour of Lima. Your local expert 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 skeleton of Francisco Pizarro is sealed in a wooden coffin. From there, stroll to the venerable San Francisco Monastery, with its splendid 17th-century cloister murals. Next, stop at Lima's famous Herrera Museum. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a La Rosa Nautica Restaurant.
Day 3 - Lima / Cuzco / Sacsayhuaman
Fly to the oldest inhabited city in the Western Hemisphere: Cuzco. Travel to Pisac to see the ruins of an ancient citadel that once controlled a route that connected the Inca Empire with the Paucartambo River. The panoramas from Pisac are magnificent, offering views of the impressive patchwork effect in the countryside below, which was accomplished by patterned fields and rimmed by vast terracing cut out of solid rock. In the upper section lies the main Sun Temple and above the temple are still more unexcavated ruins and hidden burial sites. Later, visit the market for a taste of colorful local life.
Day 4 - Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu
Travel aboard the Vistadome train from Ollantaytambo to the archeological wonder of Machu Picchu, built in the late 14th century. Machu Picchu was obviously a wellplanned and carefully built city, made up of two clearly different sectors, one agricultural and the other urban. With mountains to one side and a river roaring far below, this solemn fortress is a fascinating remnant of a once-bustling city that was mysteriously abandoned after the middle of the 16th century. Secreted amidst dense jungle vegetation and steep hills, Machu Picchu remained undiscovered by the modern world until 1911. Learn about the many legends and strange truths of these ancient ruins from your local guide.
Day 5 - Machu Picchu / Cuzco
As the sun rises over the mountains, watch the morning mist disappear once again to reveal the awe-inspiring city of Machu Picchu, probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire. Return to Cuzco aboard the "Inca Train." Sip a cup of tea and enjoy panoramic views as the beautiful greenery of the Urubamba Valley rolls by.
Day 6 - Cuzco
Today learn more about the Incas and their futile struggle with the invading Spaniards. Visit the imposing Cathedral, the Santo Domingo Monastery, the nearby Inca baths of Tambomachay and the semi-circular Kenko Amphitheater, with its stone altars and labyrinth of passages. See the ancient ite of Puca Pucara before reaching the Temple of Sacsayhuaman, 'House of the Sun,' perched on a hillside overlooking Cuzco. It still remains unfathomable how and when this fortress of gigantic stones-with some blocks weighing more than 350 tons-was built.
Day 7 - Cuzco / Lima
Fly back to Lima this morning. You have free time before driving to an excellent restaurant for a farewell lunch. The remainder of your afternoon and evening is free before you pack for your late-night departure.
