Peru Splendors

Overview

From its amazing archaeological treasures to its gastronomic delights and from its rich history to its melting pot of cultures, Peru offers visitors a wide array of attractions — and on this tour, you’ll experience its highlights. Lima is a cosmopolitan city steeped in history with pre-Columbian ruins, Spanish colonial buildings, and remnants of colonial mansions with lavish, Moorish-style balconies. On your sightseeing tour, you’ll see many of its famous sights, including the San Francisco Monastery. High in the Andes Mountains, Cusco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America and is sure to please history buffs. Learn about the Incas’ struggles with the invading Spaniards on your tour of Cusco and visit the Temple of Sacsayhuaman, built in the early 12th century with some stones weighing more than 350 tons. Try to figure out how it was built so precisely without the help of modern machinery and technology! Of course, no holiday to Peru is complete without visiting Machu Picchu. Built around 1450 at the height of the Inca Empire, Machu Picchu is located in a gorgeous mountain setting above the Urubamba Valley. Stand in awe as you witness it. It is one of the most majestic images in South America, if not the world!

Not only will you visit the must-see sights, you’ll also have an opportunity to learn about Peruvian life. Experience a Mother Earth ceremony performed by a local shaman. These ceremonies thanking Mother Earth and asking for good health and safe travels have been practiced in Peru since before the arrival of the Incas. You’ll also stop at a local Peruvian food market and visit a home to meet some of the locals and experience their way of life. Peru tours from Globus offer travellers the best of both worlds: popular attractions and local cultures. Book your trip to Peru now!

UK - Lima, Peru

Fly to Lima where on arrival you will transfer to your hotel.

Arrive in Lima, where you will be met by your Tour Director.

Lima

This afternoon, 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 the cathedral. From here, stroll to the venerable SAN FRANCISCO MONASTERY with its splendid 17th-century cloister murals. For a special treat, stop at a LOCAL PERUVIAN FOOD MARKET to get a real taste of life for the local people. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at one of Lima’s Peruvian restaurants with your fellow travelling companions.

Lima - Cusco - Sacred Valley

Fly to Cusco, the impressive Andean city that was once the capital of the Inca Empire. Head into the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where you will have lunch and experience an El Pago a la Tierra, or MOTHER EARTH CEREMONY, performed by a local shaman. These ceremonies, thanking Mother Earth and asking for good health and safe travels, have been practiced in Peru since before the arrival of the Incas. Next, stop at AWANAKANCHA to meet local families who preserve the ancient technique of Pre-Columbian weaving using South American camelid fibres. Here is your chance to get up close to the various camelids, including alpaca, llama, guanaco, and vicuña, indigenous to the region. Continue to PISAC, an old mountain village, where you will have free time to shop its famous market for local wares such as alpaca sweaters and blankets, jewellery, or hand-painted ornamental dishes and vases. Stay in the Sacred Valley tonight, and enjoy a special dinner at the hotel.

Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu

This morning, visit the Inca Fortress of OLLANTAYTAMBO, followed by the opportunity to visit a HOME, meet some of the locals, and experience their way of life. Next, board the Vistadome TRAIN for a short journey through the lush Urubamba Valley. Then, transfer to a coach 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.

Machu Picchu - Cusco

Your entrance to MACHU PICCHU is included for a second day. 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 Cusco.

Cusco

This morning, learn more about the Incas and their struggle against invading Spaniards on your Cusco city TOUR, with visits to the imposing CATHEDRAL and the SANTO DOMINGO MONASTERY. A special treat is in store for you when you are greeted by a group of Andean musicians dressed in colourful Inca textiles. They will escort you on a PASACALLE through Cusco while playing traditional music and performing ancient dances—an experience you won’t soon forget! Also visit the semi-circular KENKO amphitheatre with its stone altars and labyrinth of passages, and the TEMPLE OF SACSAYHUAMAN, perched on a hillside overlooking Cusco. It remains unfathomable how and when this fortress of gigantic stones—with some blocks weighing more than 350 tons—was built. The remainder of your day is free to explore at your leisure. Tonight, enjoy a special farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Cusco - Lima

Board a flight to Lima, where the remainder of your afternoon is at leisure to explore the city.

For guests extending their holiday with a Galapagos cruise, transfer to the airport for a flight to Quito.

Lima - UK

Your tour ends with breakfast this morning.

Transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK.

Home landing in the UK