Peru – Machu Picchu, Cuzco & Lake Titicaca
On the Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Arequipa, Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca Tour is an exciting 12 day, action-filled walking adventure!
Imagine yourself trekking to isolated Inca ruins along the spectacular Royal Inca Highway leading to Machu Picchu. Explore ridge-top Inca temple sites high above the beautiful scenery of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca. This program offers all these thrills, the remarkable Inca sites of Cuzco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, plus a one day trek on the Inca Trail entering Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate. You stay in comfortable hotels and lodges throughout the program – there is no camping.
Tour Highlights
- Breathtaking Views of the Andes
- Imagine trekking for one day on the ancient Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, passing isolated Inca ruins along the spectacular Royal Inca Highway until you reach the Gate of the Sun, where Machu Picchu suddenly appears!
- Explore the Colca Canyon, the world’s second deepest canyon that is home to the impressive soaring condors.
- Step backin time as you spend a night on Taquile Island in the middle of Lake Titicaca.
- Visit ridge-top Inca temple sites high above the beautiful scenery of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, such as Saqsayhuaman, Ollantaytambo, and Pisaq, with their perfect stone architecture.
- Enjoy the local Quechuan culture at Chinchero market.
Additional Charges
- Inca Trail Trek Permit Fee:$75 US per person
- Tambopata Candamo Reserve Entry Fee:$25 US per person
- Internal air:$527 (Air rate is subject to change)
- Machu Picchu Park fee:$120
- Optional Machu Picchu or Huaynu Picchu Mountain Day Hike$75
- Tipping: We suggest$200-250 for the total tip to be divided among staff
- Airport Departure Taxes:$5 domestic,$30 international.
** Please understand that these prices may change without notice and are payable in cash in Peru.
A non-refundable $600 USD per person deposit is required to book this trip.
Call for prices. They will vary depending upon the group size and length of tour.
** The is no camping on this tour.
Price Includes:
- 10 nights Comfortable lodgings with private bathrooms and 1 night on Tacquille Island in a simple B & B
- daily breakfasts
- 9 Lunches, 4 Dinners
- All land transportation and one domestic flight from Juliaca to Cuzco
- tips for baggage handling
- One day Inka trail permit from km 104 to Machupichu
- All entrance fees in Cusco; Cathedral, Koricancha, general Admission ticket for sacred valley sites
- Local guide for Cusco, sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa
Price Does Not Include:
International and domestic airfare, airport departure taxes; lunches & dinners not included on itinerary budget $60-70); Tambopata Candamo Reserved Zone fee (currently $25.00, subject to change); gratuities for tour staff, alcoholic beverages, immunizations, insurance, laundry, telephone, other personal items.
“The trip was absolutely fantastic .. More than I could have hoped for .. Great group of people and loved getting to know Chuck and Judy .. Having them there was like frosting on the cake. Food was out of this world delicious .. So many fresh vegetables .. Loved the roads and the people, sheep , goats , horses along the way .. Loved learning about the history of a country I knew nothing about .. It was great all around.”
Sample Itinerary
Day 1 – Travel to Arequipa
We meet your flight and transfer you to a comfortable hotel for overnight. Most flights arrive in Lima in the early morning. If you arrive at night, there is a hotel by the Lima airport. Transfer from Arequipa airport to hotel in Arequipa. In the afternoon, you’ll have a walking tour of Arequipa and the monastery of Santa Catalina with a local guide. Arequipa is at around 7,600 feet. (L) Daily breakfasts are included; other meals included are designated L (Lunch), D (Dinner).
Day 2 – Colca Canyon
In the morning your local guide will pick you up at your hotel for a private transfer to the Colca Canyon. The drive is quite spectacular and will take around 4 hours. You’ll cross a pass (16,000 feet) before arriving in Chivay where you will spend the night.) Depending on how you are feeling, your guide will arrange walks during the day. (L/D)
Day 3 – Puno
After breakfast you will begin your private transfer to Puno which will take most of the day. In the morning you’ll visit the Cruz del Condor and take a hike along the canyon – hopefully spotting the magnificent Condors! You’ll arrive at your hotel in Puno in the late afternoon. Once in Puno you will meet your local Puno guide who will be with you at Lake Titicaca. (L/D)
Day 4 – Lake Titicaca
After breakfast, you’ll leave the mainland and take a chartered motor launch on Lake Titicaca to the fascinating floating reed island community of the Uros Indians. You will continue your boat trip to Taquile Island where you’ll spend the night. It is peaceful there and walking is the only method of transportation – there are no roads or motor vehicles on the island. You’ll arrive by lunch and after lunch, you can take a beautiful hike to the top of the island. Tonight’s lodging is a rustic inn overlooking Lake Titicaca that is run by a hospitable native family. Rustic inn on Taquile Island. (L/D)
Day 5 – Puno
In the morning, you’ll explore the southern portion of the island before taking a boat back to Puno for the night. (L/D)
Day 6 – Cuzco
Morning transfer to the airport in Juliaca for your flight to Cuzco. Transfer from Cuzco airport to hotel in Cuzco. This afternoon you will meet your local guide who will remain with you for the rest of the tour. You will have an afternoon city tour of Cuzco.
Day 7 – Cuzco
After breakfast your local guide will meet you to take you on some great walks above the city to visit the ruins Sacsayhuaman and Quencco. There will also be plenty of time for you to wander around Cuzco checking out the winding streets and interesting shops.
Day 8 – Pisaq
After breakfast, your guide will meet you and you will be transferred to the Sacred Valley for a visit to Pisaq ruins. The hiking in this ruin is quite spectacular and you’ll also be able to visit the local market in Pisaq. In the late afternoon, transfer to your hotel in the Sacred Valley. (L)
Day 9 – Chinchero and Ollantaytambo
In the morning, you transfer by van to Chinchero for a very interesting visit to the weaver’s co-op and tour of the village. Following a picnic lunch, you will transfer to Ollantaytambo, another spectacular ruin in the Sacred Valley. You’ll tour this massive Inca fortress where the Incas turned the Spaniards back. Your lodging tonight is in Ollantaytambo (L)
Day 10 – Machu Picchu
You board the train for a dramatic ride down the rugged Urubamba River gorge. Before reaching Machu Picchu, we leave the train for our hike to Machu Picchu. After crossing the river on a footbridge, you follow a moderately difficult trail to Winya Wayna. This dramatic Inca site overlooking the river has cascading ceremonial baths. After a picnic lunch, you traverse through the cloud forest and emerge at the Sun Gate for our first view of Machu Picchu (7,970 ft.) high above the city. You will then stroll down the Royal Inca Road for a suitably regal entrance to the Lost City of the Incas. Lodging is nearby in Aguas Calientes (6,500 ft.). Hike: 10 mi. & 2,500 ft. ascent. Hotel in Aguas Calientes (L)
Day 11 – Machu Picchu – Cuzco
You return to Machu Picchu for sunrise & a complete tour of this remarkable archaeological treasure with your guide. In the late afternoon, you will return to Ollantaytambo by train and then van to Cuzco for our final night.
Day 12 – Cuzco
Transfer to Cuzco Airport, return flights home.