ITINERARY

Day 1: London – lima

Day 2: lima (L/D)

Upon arrival to the airport Jorge Chavez. Welcome, reception and accommodation at the hotel. Lima is the capital and the most populous city of Peru. With an approximate population of 10 millions of inhabitants, Lima is the fifth largest city in Latin America. Known as the city of the kings, Lima was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro. Lima is one of the very few South American cities that preserve the colonial past and in 1991 its colonial centre was declared a world heritage site by the UNESCO. Tour of the Historic Centre of Lima: the Main Square, with the Presidential Palace and the City Hall.
Visit of the Cathedral of Lima. Built in 1625 y rebuilt in 1940 after an earthquake hit the city. Behind a relatively bare facade, we will find beautiful chapels and splendid wood carvings, like the stage where the choir sings.
We continue our visit to the Convent of San Francisco, a nice colonial, architectural combination which presents cloisters, embellished with frescos representing the life of San Francisco and wonderful sevillian tiles. The fabulous library and her catacombs, used as a cemetery during the colonial time, are the mayor sights of the convent.
Then visit the modern district of Miraflores, banking and business centre of the city.

Day 3: lima – arequipa (B/L/D)

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport and flight to Arequipa Arrival and transfer. The City tour of Arequipa begins with a tour to the El Carmen viewpoint, to admire the agricultural countryside and terraces, then, continue to the traditional Yanahuara neighbourhood, located 2 Km away from the down-town; it has a charming place and one of the most significant churches of the regional art, as we can see on its carved stone frontage. From the viewpoint we can admire a splendid view of the city and the surrounding volcanoes. The visit continues with the main square, considered as one of the most beautiful in the country. This square space surrounded by edifications made on volcanic stone with its beautiful arches. In the middle of the main square there is a fountain out of bronze with 3 basins crowned by a figure (angel or soldier) with a trumpet called “Tuturutu”. The Cathedral (panoramic visit), built in the last century was rebuilt after a fire in 1844. On a corner of the main square, we can find La Compañia church and its cloisters, which construction had begun in 1595.
Visit of the convent of Santa Catalina. Maria de Guzman had bought a neighbourhood in the downtown Arequipa, she surrounded it with high walls and founded here the Convent of the Domincans in devotion to Holy Catherine de Sienne. This convent was strictly a cloister, closed for more than 400 years. Its construction goes back to the 1580 with more than 20.000 square meters, it’s a real city inside the city, with its narrow streets named with castillian names, its fountains out of volcanic stone, its gardens and its imposing temple. The little houses on these narrow streets were built by the families of the first inhabitants of the cloister that tried to give their daughter all comfort that a girl of the high society deserves
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Visit to the Andean Sanctuaries Museum, where the famous girl Juanita, a young Inca girl sacrificed to the gods more than 500 years ago in the Ampato volcano (6380 m) is exhibited. In the museum there are other mummies of children or adolescents ritually sacrificed to the mountain, the volcano, the river, or the sea.
NOTE: The Juanita mummy is kept in darkness for its conservation from January 1 to April 30.

Day 4: arequipa – cusco (B/L/D)

Box Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport and flight to Cusco (LA 2324 AQP CUZ 07h25/08h30 - Subject to modification)
Arrive to Cusco whose name Quechua means "the navel of the world". Transfer and accommodation. Check in: 15h00
Lunch at a local restaurant
Visit of the city: The main square, where according to the legend, Manco Capac's gold stick dig into the earth by itself, showing him where to set up the city. Following the visit, the street of Hatun Rumilloc where the famous stone of 12 angles perfectly embedded in the wall. The street changes its name to the street San Blas. This is a craft area, one of the most picturesque parts of the city.
Visit of the Cathedral, built on the XVI century over the inca palace of Wiracocha. Visit of the Koricancha, a famous temple dedicated to the Sun God.
Departure to visit the surrounding ruins of Cusco: Kenko, a religious center of complex form, with a semicircular amphitheatre, which has about twenty stone seats and an idol at the center; Puca Pucara: an Inca military construction, that consists of terraces and stairs; Tambomachay, also called ·The Inca's Bath, owing to the canalization of water, and Sacsayhuaman: a cyclopean fortress built in order to defend Cusco against the enemies.
Dinner at a local restaurant with show.

Day 5: CUSCO / CHINCHERO / MARAS / MORAY / OLLANTAYTAMBO / SACRED VALLEY (B/L/D)

Breakfast at hotel Transfer to the Sacred Valley and visit of Chinchero's Andean market. Every Sunday, local people exchange their products (barter). The traditions of the area are still preserved in the caps and clothing, which gives to this market a very colored aspect. Except on Sundays, you will have the opportunity to see a short exhibit of traditional textiles, a distinctive feature of this town dedicated to following ancestral dyeing techniques to create high quality works of art.
The, visit the salt works of Maras, to which some people call "salt mines" are constituted by about 3000 small pools with an average area of 5 m² (53.8 ft²), constructed in a slope of the "Qaqawiñay" mountain. People fill up or "irrigate" the pools during the dry season every 3 days, with salty water emanating from a natural spring located on the top of the complex, so that when water evaporates the salt contained in it will slowly solidify.
During the rainy season (end of November to end of April) we will replace the visit of the salt Works of Maras for the visit to the village and the archaeological site of Moray consisting into enormous terraces superimposed in concentric form allowing old Inca farmers to create diverse microclimates and obtain a variety of plants.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Continue to Ollantaytambo; one of the last sites built by the Incas before the Conquerors arrival. One big part of the work remains unfinished; the abandoned stones were the dumb witnesses of the battle between Manco II against the invaders. Badgered by the conquerors the Inca sought refuge in the forest of Vilcabamba. Visit of the village of which layout of the streets, places and the foundation of the houses belong to the Inca period.
Dinner in hotel

Day 6: SACRED VALLEY / MACHU PICCHU / OLLANTAYTAMBO / CUSCO (BL/D)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Ollantaytambo train station to take the train Vistadome to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu).
Ascension by minibus from Aguas Calientes by a vertiginous climb that will lead us to the site.
Guided visit to the site Machu Picchu , The lost city of the Incas at 110 km of Cusco, discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. After an important work of undergrowth clearing the surprising beauty of the site and its harmonious construction. This route allows you to appreciate and tour the main sectors of the urban area of the city. It starts in the agricultural sector from where Machupicchu can be fully appreciated. It continues to the sector of Llaqta Punku or main entrance, the Mirador of the Temple of the Sun, the main square, the Sacred Rock, and the water mirrors. The round trip is approximately 2.5 km long. It requires medium to high physical effort. Ideal for taking the classic photo of MachuPicchu.
Lunch at the restaurant of Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.
In the afternoon, we will take our train back to Ollantaytambo.
Upon arrival, you will be transferred to Cusco.

Day 7: Cusco – lima (B/L/D)

Breakfast in the hotel. Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning at leisure
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Transfer to the airport and flight to Lima
Upon arrival, we will be transferred to your hotel

Day 8: lima - Santiago (B/L/D)

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport to catch our flight to your next destination. Transfer from hotel to airport for flight to Santiago
Arrival at the airport and welcome by our guide. (Check in 1500 hrs )
Transfer and check-in at our hotel or transportation for the next travel visits in the country. Departure for tour of the historic centre of Santiago, surrounded by very modern districts. In the colonial district, visiting the Casa de La Moneda, the seat of government and on to the Plaza de Armas to discover colonial architecture and republican monuments such as the Cathedral (nineteenth century).
Climb to the summit of Cerro Santa Lucía to admire the panoramic view of the city surrounded by the high mountains of the Andes

Day 9: Santiago – CALAMA/SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA (B/L/D)

At Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport to catch your flight to your next destination. Arrival, welcome, and transfer to hotel. We will pass by the ancient Pukara fortress of Lasana and the small Andean village of Chiu Chiu.
The Valley of the Moon is an essential landmark in the Salt Mountain range. On our tour, we explore the great dune, the amphitheater, the formations known as the Three Marys, and reach the Coyote Stone (Kari) viewpoint. To crown this unique experience, we wait for the sun to set, facing the majestic Andes Mountains. We end the experience in Death Valley, enjoying an exclusive cocktail in a spectacular setting. Included: Entrance fees for the Moon and Death Valley and cocktail. Difficulty: Low Altitude: 2,600 masl Duration: 4 hours approx. Recommendation: Jockey, warm clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen, and water.

Day 10: san pedro de atacama (B/L/D)

Before dawn breaks we will depart from San Pedro and head north to the famous El Tatio Geysers; a geothermal field flanked by soaring peaks. Box Breakfast at El Tatio. El Tatio is situated at 4,300 m / 14,108 ft. above sea level on the Altiplano. It is the highest geothermal field in the world and boasts spectacular scenery. We will need to make sure to bring warm clothes as temperatures at this altitude are considerably low this early in the morning. At dawn, we will observe powerful spurts of steam that shoot out from various geyser blowholes and steaming ponds that are encrusted with brilliant salt crystals reflecting the metal-blue sky. After this nice visit to El Tatio, we will be transported to the village of Machuca known as the resting place for llama caravans that traveled the Inca Highway.
*Due to high altitude and early departure the recommendation is to have a light dinner the night before and no alcohol. The lowest temperature could go down to -15ºC/5ºF bring warm clothing, sun cream, and sunglasses, swimsuit and towel.
Lunch in local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we will visit the picturesque Toconao, a small town nestled 30 km from San Pedro de Atacama where you will be able to appreciate the amazing architecture of the town church and its bell tower. Besides, in this very same place, we can find beautiful typical handmade crafts. We will also have the chance to hike around the beautiful fruit gardens boasted in this little town. After this, we will visit the largest salt flat in Chile: Salar de Atacama, where we will find Los Flamencos National Reserve. Afterwards, we will continue to Chaxa Lagoon and we will be able to observe the 3-different species of flamingos and other animals inhabiting the salt deposit lagoons. Finally, we will enjoy the sunset at the salt flat with a delicious cocktail while being amazed by the impressive ever-changing colors of the landscape that surround us. Dinner at hotel and overnight.

Day 11: SAN PEDRO ATACAMA/CALAMA/SANTIAGO (B/L/D)

Breakfast in the hotel. Breakfast.
Morning at Leisure.
Transfer to the Calama airport (the trip takes 1:30 h) to board our flight to Santiago including a box lunch en route. Upon arrival, we will be transferred to the hotel.
Dinner will be at a local restaurant, and we can also enjoy a folkloric show.
Return to hotel. Overnight at hotel

Day 12: Santiago – Punta Arenas – Puerto Natales (B/L/D)

We will be transferred to the airport to take the early flight to Punta Arenas. Arrival to Punta Arenas, and we will be transferred to Puerto Natales located 254km far (3:15 h). Arrival to Puerto Natales. Lunch menu in the hotel and check in at our hotel.
Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight at the hotel.
Optional: On the way, visit the colony of penguins in the Otway Sound, located.
65km far to the northeast of Punta Arenas. During October and March, each year, they get almost 7000 couples of Magellan penguins gather here to procreate. A box lunch will be included en route instead of lunch at the hotel.
Note: Visit the Penguins at Otway Sound is only possible in the second half of October and the end of March. Between April and first half of October, there are no penguins.

Day 13: PUERTO NATALES / TORRES DEL PAINE / PUERTO NATALES (B/L/D)

Breakfast in the hotel.
Today we will be picked up from the hotel in Puerto Natales and start our tour visiting the Mylodón Cave, located about 30 minutes away from the town. This cave was discovered by a German explorer in 1895. He found a skin piece of a prehistoric animal called “Mylodón” of 10.000 years old. After visiting this natural monument, we will continue toward the Village of Cerro Castillo, the heart of the sheep farming business in the area. As we continue on the road we will spot the mountains of the Paine Massif (if the weather is favorable) including the famous Torres del Paine and the spectacular Cuernos del Paine. Before reaching the entrance of the park we will be able to see the Sarmiento Lake and the Amarga Lagoon. This is also the best place to observe the wildlife of the park in big numbers and close to the road. Later, we will move on to the central area of the park to enjoy views of the Nördenskjold and Pehoe lakes. In this area, we will also be able to enjoy magnificent views of the Salto Grande waterfall. Afterwards, we will take a break and have lunch before hiking for about an hour to reach the Grey Lake. Here we will witness many icebergs that come from the Grey Glacier, evidence of the last ice age here in Patagonia. Lunch in a local restaurant. After visiting this area, we will drive back to the town and return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 14: PTO. NATALES/PUNTA ARENAS/SANTIAGO (B/L/D)

Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning, we will be transferred to Punta Arenas by crossing the Magellan Pampa. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit of Punta Arenas... departure to visit the Mirador (which has a splendid view over the city and the Straits of Magellan) and the main neighbourhoods and avenues. The City Tour Punta Arenas + Nao Victoria Museum (Half Day), a half-day excursion that includes visits to Cerro Mirador, the historic center, the Municipal Cemetery and the Nao Victoria Museum, with transportation, entrance fees and bilingual guide included. Ideal for getting to know the essentials of the city in a short time.
This museum is noted for its full-scale replicas of historic ships, such as the Nao Victoria and the Schooner Ancud. These replicas allow visitors to experience the history of navigation in the Strait of Magellan. (museum closed on Monday).
Transfer to the airport of Punta arenas to board your flight to Santiago. (Flight not included) Arrival to Santiago and transfer to your hotel.

Day 15: SANTIAGO OUT I – INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURE (B//)

Breakfast in the hotel. Late check out. Rest of day at leisure. A transportation service will pick us up from the hotel and will transfer us to Lima Airport to take our flight back to London.

*End of the services*

Costs

Prices From per person based on 2-4-6-8 Persons traveling together Extra Seasonal supplements may apply during National Holiday periods and will be advised at time of inquiry.

Price Details
TOUR PRICE (FROM) PER PERSON IN £ STERLING

QUOTE INCLUDES:

- Escorting Tour manager from the UK
- Transfers and excursions are in private service with local English speaking guide assistance
- All entrance fees on tours
- Lodging in standard rooms or as indicated in the quotation, with breakfast included.
- Meals duly specified in the quotation as follows:
B= Breakfast L= Lunch or Lunchbox D= Dinner
- Tips to porters at airports and hotels, except on days 8 and 9 (transfer are not required)
- Early check-in & late check out in Perú.

QUOTE DOES NOT INCLUDE:

- Early check-in/Late check out in Chile
- Drinks, except when specifically mentioned
- Extra meals, transfers, and excursions not mentioned in the program