Treasures of the Incas

Expedition

Indulge in Peru with Pachamanca feasts in the Sacred Valley, a VIP tour of artist Victor Delfin’s home in Lima and a menu to rival all others in Cusco at the city’s preeminent MAP restaurant.

EXPERIENCE OVERVIEW

Indulge in Peru with Pachamanca feasts in the Sacred Valley, a VIP tour of artist Victor Delfin’s home in Lima and a menu to rival all others in Cusco at the city’s preeminent MAP restaurant. Step back in time at the ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, exploring this UNESCO world heritage site and the lost city of the Incas before it opens to the crowds of day-trippers. Explore the great Temple of the Sun and the ancient Intihuatana sun clock with your Local Expert before retiring to the luxury accommodations at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel—an enchanting Andean village resort, set amongst 12 acres of unspoiled cloud forests, with winding rivers, and misty waterfalls. From Machu Picchu enjoy a choice of exploring a working tea plantation or see the world’s largest private collection of indigenous orchids.

highlights

Dining Summary

7 Dinner (D)
11 Breakfast (B)
9 Lunch (L)

Choice Highlights

Choose between two carefully selected activities

Lima: Take a guided visit of the Monastery and its catacombs.
Lima: Visit the historic Torre de Tagle Palace and the Central Reserve Bank museum.

Choose between two carefully selected activities

Machu Picchu: Visit a working tea plantation.
Machu Picchu: View the world's largest private collection of indigenous orchids around your hotel surrounded by the Cloud Forest.

Choose between two carefully selected activities

Machu Picchu: Explore Machu Picchu further with a guided hike up to Inti Punku, also known as Sun Gate. These ruins are considered the main entrance for those who journey through the original Inca Trail. It offers a spectacular panoramic view of Machu Picchu from above.
Machu Picchu: Embark on a twilight nature walk where your guide will point out medicinal plants, sacred Pre-Inca pictographs, and an enchanting waterfall in the Cloud Forest.

Choose between two carefully selected activities

Cusco: Visit the ruins of Tambo Machay and enjoy a leisurely 3.7 mile (6 km) downhill walk back to Cusco as you pass the ruins of Puca Pucara and Quenguo.
Cusco: Return to Cusco by vehicle and visit San Blas church and the surroundings of this fascinating artsy neighbourhood of Cusco. After San Blas, continue to San Pedro market for some local shopping and insight into Peruvian produce.

Additional Included Highlights

You will be escorted by one of our fine Travel Concierges, handpicked to serve as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary, available on departures with 15 or more guests.
At every hotel, you'll be treated to seamless baggage handling, with prompt delivery inside your room.
Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
Complimentary airport transfers are included on start and end dates and when additional accommodation has been booked through Luxury Gold. Guests will be transferred with fellow Luxury Gold Travellers that arrive on the same flight. Complimentary, private train station transfers are included when train travel is included within the itinerary. Transfers to train stations or alternate hotels, in the same start or end city of the itinerary, may be requested but are not guaranteed.

Exceptional Dining

Callao Region: You can relax before meeting your Travel Concierge at 18.00 for a Welcome Dinner where local flavours and contemporary culinary techniques highlight the pillars of Peruvian cuisine.
Lima: Enjoy a fantastic seafood restaurant in the trendy neighborhood of Barranco in Lima. This restaurant offers Peruvian classics in a great outdoor ambiance underneath the lush trees.
Sacred Valley: Experience a caja china lunch, a popular way to create a delicious meal in Peru, cooked in a wooden box.
Machu Picchu: Enjoy lunch at Café Inkaterra, located between the Machu Picchu train tracks and surrounded by lush forest.
Cusco: Dine at MAP restaurant, one of the city's most prominent restaurants, situated on the lively, modern patio of the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art.
Lake Titicaca: Sit down with community members for a farm-to-table lunch featuring ingredients grown on the island before exploring the terraced hillsides and viewing the skillfully made crafts the inhabitants are known for.
Lima: Savour a creative array of seasonal dishes created by chef Arlette Eulert at Matria. This Peruvian restaurant boasts organic ingredients that change according to the season.

Founder's Collection

Lima: If you are travelling on a Founder's Collection departure you will meet Dr. Canseco – a local politician who comes from a long lineage of Peruvian politicians and has started his own party in Peru. Visit his beautiful home for lunch and hear about his family's history and his own successful career.

Journey Highlights

Sacred Valley: Learn from locals about the process of salt mining.The cascading salt terraces along this scenic canyon have been harvested using an evaporation technique since the times of the Incas and has been passed down by local families, who still harvest salt from it today to sell to the local market.
Sacred Valley: A local shaman will perform a welcoming ceremony to the Sacred Valley and the mystical Andes Mountains that surround it.
Ollantaytambo: Join a local expert and visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo. See the magnificent views of the ruins on the side of the cliffs above the Urubamba river.
Machu Picchu: Seize the opportunity to return to Machu Picchu a second time on this Personalize Your Day option. After exploring the ancient Inca citadel with your Local Expert earlier in the day, you can personalize your experience and create and savor your own moment at this enigmatic fortress.
Sacred Valley: Travel back to the Sacred Valley by train, offering you great views with panoramic windows and an outdoor observation carriage.
Cusco: Join your Local Expert for a visit to the ruins of Sacsayhuman, on of the most important Incan sites and a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site. You'll also visit Korikancha, also known as the Temple of the Sun, and the beautiful colonial neighborhood of San Blas and the magnificent Cathedral at Plaza de Armas which took 100 years to complete.
Puno: Enjoy a picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Umayo before visiting the archeological site of Sillustani. Explore the stone burial towers 'chullpas' that have dotted the shores since pre-Inca times.
Lake Titicaca: Visit the Uros Floating Islands to learn about the lifestyle and customs of the local people and enjoy lunch with this community that bundles reeds from the lake to build floating platforms, houses and canoes.

Luxury Hotels

Machu Picchu: This enchanting Andean village hotel is located within 12.3 acres of pristine cloud forest. The spectacular grounds are laced with paths that wind past waterfalls and trails, and organic gardens that wander through the misty forest. A place to relax, while exploring nature and encountering the wonders of the Incan civilization, experiencing authentic travel.

Personalize your day

Lima: Take a guided visit of the Monastery and its catacombs.
Lima: Visit the historic Torre de Tagle Palace and the Central Reserve Bank museum.
Machu Picchu: Visit a working tea plantation.
Machu Picchu: View the world's largest private collection of indigenous orchids around your hotel surrounded by the Cloud Forest.
Machu Picchu: Explore Machu Picchu further with a guided hike up to Inti Punku, also known as Sun Gate. These ruins are considered the main entrance for those who journey through the original Inca Trail. It offers a spectacular panoramic view of Machu Picchu from above.
Machu Picchu: Embark on a twilight nature walk where your guide will point out medicinal plants, sacred Pre-Inca pictographs, and an enchanting waterfall in the Cloud Forest.
Cusco: Visit the ruins of Tambo Machay and enjoy a leisurely 3.7 mile (6 km) downhill walk back to Cusco as you pass the ruins of Puca Pucara and Quenguo.
Cusco: Return to Cusco by vehicle and visit San Blas church and the surroundings of this fascinating artsy neighbourhood of Cusco. After San Blas, continue to San Pedro market for some local shopping and insight into Peruvian produce.

VIP Experiences

Lima: Visit the home of local artist Victor Delfin, known for his monumental El Beso sculpture at his workshop in the city's trendy Barranco district.
Cusco: Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you meet Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, a Quechua scholar, director of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, and a recipient of a TreadRight Foundation grant. Learn about her mission to preserve traditional weaving techniques.
Cusco: Savour a Pachamanca feast in the Sacred valley. This traditional way to slow cook local vegetables and meats using hot stones and clay pots underground is a communal rite in the Sacred Valley that dates back to pre-historic times. It is a way to celebrate and show gratitude to Pachamama, "Mother Earth".
Lake Titicaca: Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience a you as you meet a local family on Amantani Island. Home to about 4,000 inhabitants, you'll discover how the traditions and language of the Inca culture are being kept alive on this remote location not commonly visited by tourists.

Well-being

Your Well-Being Director takes a proactive approach to your welfare ensuring all well-being regulations are met. On tours fewer than 15 guests, your Travel Concierge will act as your Well-Being Director.
Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19. All Travel Concierges, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.
Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Highlights

Dining Summary

7 Dinner (D)
11 Breakfast (B)
9 Lunch (L)

Choice Highlights

Choose between two carefully selected activities

Lima: Take a guided visit of the Monastery and its catacombs.
Lima: Visit the historic Torre de Tagle Palace and the Central Reserve Bank museum.

Choose between two carefully selected activities

Machu Picchu: Visit a working tea plantation.
Machu Picchu: View the world's largest private collection of indigenous orchids around your hotel surrounded by the Cloud Forest.

Choose between two carefully selected activities

Machu Picchu: Explore Machu Picchu further with a guided hike up to Inti Punku, also known as Sun Gate. These ruins are considered the main entrance for those who journey through the original Inca Trail. It offers a spectacular panoramic view of Machu Picchu from above.
Machu Picchu: Embark on a twilight nature walk where your guide will point out medicinal plants, sacred Pre-Inca pictographs, and an enchanting waterfall in the Cloud Forest.

Choose between two carefully selected activities

Cusco: Visit the ruins of Tambo Machay and enjoy a leisurely 3.7 mile (6 km) downhill walk back to Cusco as you pass the ruins of Puca Pucara and Quenguo.
Cusco: Return to Cusco by vehicle and visit San Blas church and the surroundings of this fascinating artsy neighbourhood of Cusco. After San Blas, continue to San Pedro market for some local shopping and insight into Peruvian produce.

Additional Included Highlights

You will be escorted by one of our fine Travel Concierges, handpicked to serve as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary, available on departures with 15 or more guests.
At every hotel, you'll be treated to seamless baggage handling, with prompt delivery inside your room.
Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
Complimentary airport transfers are included on start and end dates and when additional accommodation has been booked through Luxury Gold. Guests will be transferred with fellow Luxury Gold Travellers that arrive on the same flight. Complimentary, private train station transfers are included when train travel is included within the itinerary. Transfers to train stations or alternate hotels, in the same start or end city of the itinerary, may be requested but are not guaranteed.

Exceptional Dining

Callao Region: You can relax before meeting your Travel Concierge at 18.00 for a Welcome Dinner where local flavours and contemporary culinary techniques highlight the pillars of Peruvian cuisine.
Lima: Enjoy a fantastic seafood restaurant in the trendy neighborhood of Barranco in Lima. This restaurant offers Peruvian classics in a great outdoor ambiance underneath the lush trees.
Sacred Valley: Experience a caja china lunch, a popular way to create a delicious meal in Peru, cooked in a wooden box.
Machu Picchu: Enjoy lunch at Café Inkaterra, located between the Machu Picchu train tracks and surrounded by lush forest.
Cusco: Dine at MAP restaurant, one of the city's most prominent restaurants, situated on the lively, modern patio of the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art.
Lake Titicaca: Sit down with community members for a farm-to-table lunch featuring ingredients grown on the island before exploring the terraced hillsides and viewing the skillfully made crafts the inhabitants are known for.
Lima: Savour a creative array of seasonal dishes created by chef Arlette Eulert at Matria. This Peruvian restaurant boasts organic ingredients that change according to the season.

Founder's Collection

Lima: If you are travelling on a Founder's Collection departure you will meet Dr. Canseco – a local politician who comes from a long lineage of Peruvian politicians and has started his own party in Peru. Visit his beautiful home for lunch and hear about his family's history and his own successful career.

Journey Highlights

Sacred Valley: Learn from locals about the process of salt mining.The cascading salt terraces along this scenic canyon have been harvested using an evaporation technique since the times of the Incas and has been passed down by local families, who still harvest salt from it today to sell to the local market.
Sacred Valley: A local shaman will perform a welcoming ceremony to the Sacred Valley and the mystical Andes Mountains that surround it.
Ollantaytambo: Join a local expert and visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo. See the magnificent views of the ruins on the side of the cliffs above the Urubamba river.
Machu Picchu: Seize the opportunity to return to Machu Picchu a second time on this Personalize Your Day option. After exploring the ancient Inca citadel with your Local Expert earlier in the day, you can personalize your experience and create and savor your own moment at this enigmatic fortress.
Sacred Valley: Travel back to the Sacred Valley by train, offering you great views with panoramic windows and an outdoor observation carriage.
Cusco: Join your Local Expert for a visit to the ruins of Sacsayhuman, on of the most important Incan sites and a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site. You'll also visit Korikancha, also known as the Temple of the Sun, and the beautiful colonial neighborhood of San Blas and the magnificent Cathedral at Plaza de Armas which took 100 years to complete.
Puno: Enjoy a picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Umayo before visiting the archeological site of Sillustani. Explore the stone burial towers 'chullpas' that have dotted the shores since pre-Inca times.
Lake Titicaca: Visit the Uros Floating Islands to learn about the lifestyle and customs of the local people and enjoy lunch with this community that bundles reeds from the lake to build floating platforms, houses and canoes.

Luxury Hotels

Machu Picchu: This enchanting Andean village hotel is located within 12.3 acres of pristine cloud forest. The spectacular grounds are laced with paths that wind past waterfalls and trails, and organic gardens that wander through the misty forest. A place to relax, while exploring nature and encountering the wonders of the Incan civilization, experiencing authentic travel.

Personalize your day

Lima: Take a guided visit of the Monastery and its catacombs.
Lima: Visit the historic Torre de Tagle Palace and the Central Reserve Bank museum.
Machu Picchu: Visit a working tea plantation.
Machu Picchu: View the world's largest private collection of indigenous orchids around your hotel surrounded by the Cloud Forest.
Machu Picchu: Explore Machu Picchu further with a guided hike up to Inti Punku, also known as Sun Gate. These ruins are considered the main entrance for those who journey through the original Inca Trail. It offers a spectacular panoramic view of Machu Picchu from above.
Machu Picchu: Embark on a twilight nature walk where your guide will point out medicinal plants, sacred Pre-Inca pictographs, and an enchanting waterfall in the Cloud Forest.
Cusco: Visit the ruins of Tambo Machay and enjoy a leisurely 3.7 mile (6 km) downhill walk back to Cusco as you pass the ruins of Puca Pucara and Quenguo.
Cusco: Return to Cusco by vehicle and visit San Blas church and the surroundings of this fascinating artsy neighbourhood of Cusco. After San Blas, continue to San Pedro market for some local shopping and insight into Peruvian produce.

VIP Experiences

Lima: Visit the home of local artist Victor Delfin, known for his monumental El Beso sculpture at his workshop in the city's trendy Barranco district.
Cusco: Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you meet Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, a Quechua scholar, director of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, and a recipient of a TreadRight Foundation grant. Learn about her mission to preserve traditional weaving techniques.
Cusco: Savour a Pachamanca feast in the Sacred valley. This traditional way to slow cook local vegetables and meats using hot stones and clay pots underground is a communal rite in the Sacred Valley that dates back to pre-historic times. It is a way to celebrate and show gratitude to Pachamama, "Mother Earth".
Lake Titicaca: Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience a you as you meet a local family on Amantani Island. Home to about 4,000 inhabitants, you'll discover how the traditions and language of the Inca culture are being kept alive on this remote location not commonly visited by tourists.

Well-being

Your Well-Being Director takes a proactive approach to your welfare ensuring all well-being regulations are met. On tours fewer than 15 guests, your Travel Concierge will act as your Well-Being Director.
Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19. All Travel Concierges, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.
Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Trip details

Trip Type: Group Tour

Comfort: Deluxe

Travel Styles: Family, 55+, Luxury

Starts: Lima, Peru

Finishes: Lima, Peru

Duration: 12 days

ITINERARY

1Day 1: Arrive in Lima, Peru

Journey by private transfer to the JW Marriott Hotel Lima where your ocean view room waits. Tonight, savour the culinary art of chef Jaime Pesaque at SAPIENS to begin your Peru luxury tour.

Accommodation: JW Marriott Hotel, Lima (Ocean View Room).
Meals: Dinner

2Day 2: Lima, City of the Kings

See Lima’s top sites and choose to visit the San Francisco Monastery and its catacombs or the Historic Torre de Tagle Palace and the Central Reserve Bank Museum. A fresh seafood lunch awaits before you’re treated to an exclusive VIP visit to the home and workshop of renowned Peruvian sculptor and painter, Victor Delfin.

Accommodation: JW Marriott Hotel, Lima (Ocean View Room).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

3Day 3: On to the Sacred Valley

Quechua scholar Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez shares the history and culture of traditional Peruvian Cusqueñan textile weavers at the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco in the heart of the Sacred Valley.

Accommodation: Tambo del Inka, Sacred Valley.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

4Day 4: Exploring the Sacred Valley Relaxed Start

A local salt miner shares ancient salt mining techniques, passed down through generations. Uncover more of Peru’s past dining on a caja china lunch before a local shaman welcomes you to the Sacred Valley at a traditional blessing ceremony.

Accommodation: Tambo del Inka, Sacred Valley.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

5Day 5: Journey to Machu Picchu

Board the panoramic Vistadome train for your journey to Machu Picchu, pausing for lunch above the Vilcanota River followed by a guided walk through the lush and enchanting cloud forest. Learn the art of tea making at a working tea plantation or view the world’s largest private collection of indigenous orchids.

Accommodation: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (Superior Deluxe Room).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

6Day 6: Mysterious Machu Picchu

Arriving at the enigmatic Machu Picchu, your Local Expert paints a picture of Incan history on the Temple of the Sun, Sacred Plaza and the Intihuatana. Soak in grand views of Machu Picchu or return to the Pueblo for a twilight nature walk showcasing sacred Pre-Inca pictographs.

Accommodation: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (Superior Deluxe Room).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

7Day 7: Return to Cusco Relaxed Start

A traditional Pachamanca feast of Peruvian cuisine cooked underground will transport you back to pre-historic times. Get up close to the local wildlife and bask in views from San Cristobal before checking in to your five-centuries-old mansion in Cusco.

Accommodation: Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel (Suite with oxygen).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

8Day 8: Historical Cusco Relaxed Start

Step into the past at Cusco’s ruins of Sacsayhuman. Then, curate your day: Return to Cusco and visit San Blas church and the surroundings of this fascinating arty neighbourhood of Cusco. After San Blas, continue to San Pedro market for some local shopping and insight in Peruvian produce. Or, ascend the ancient hilltop to the furthest ruin, Tambo Machay. From here walk around 6km / 3.7miles, passing Puca Pucara and Qenquo ruin sites on a beautiful walk downhill back to Cusco. You will end up in the San Blas district.

Accommodation: Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel (Suite with oxygen).
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

9Day 9: Lake Region of Peru

Take your time in the sacred burial grounds of Sillustani. Reach Puno, for your stay GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca on the private island of Esteves, where you are treated to a lakeside sunset.

Accommodation: GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca, Puno.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

10Day 10: The Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca

A private cruise of Lake Titicaca with your Local Expert showcases the incredible man-made Uros Floating Islands made entirely of reeds. On Amantani Island, join a local family for a farm-to-table lunch and stroll among the ancient ruins and terraced hillsides offering views across the water.

Accommodation: GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca, Puno.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

11Day 11: Puno, Back to Lima

Return to Lima for your stay at the JW Marriott Hotel Lima in the vibrant Miraflores District. Savor a sensational dinner at Matria, where chef Arlette Eulert Checa intrigues and delights with creative seasonal dishes.

Accommodation: JW Marriott Hotel, Lima (Ocean View Room).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

12Day 12: Depart Lima Departure Flight

Your Peruvian adventure draws to a close as you say goodbye before your private transfer to the Lima airport.

Meals: Breakfast

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Partner Details

Luxury Gold

In Business Since 1978

A world of immersive journeys awaits you, each with VIP experiences, exceptional dining, magnificent hotels and a Travelling Concierge who’s there to tailor everything to your desires.