21-Day Peru Highlights Tour from Lima with Machu Picchu and Colca

• Once you arrive in Perú, our staff will greet you at Jorge Chavez Airport in Lima.

• Transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Lima.

• Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a free morning.

• In the afternoon, start touring the different attractions of the "City of Kings": the Cathedral, Pizarro's Tomb, the Catacombs of San Francisco, Congress, and the Torre Tagle Palace.

• Pass through the residential areas of Orrantia, San Isidro, and Miraflores.

• Visit the Larco Herrera Museum, considered one of the best museums in Latin America. This museum features one of the best and most complete pre-Hispanic gold and silver collections in the world. It is well known for its erotic ceramics exhibits as well as its vast storage galleries.

• Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Lima.

• After breakfast, you will be transferred from your hotel to the airport to fly from Lima to Huaraz.

• Transfer to the hotel, and then start the tour at 10:00 a.m.

• Visit the archaeological site of Chavín, one of the oldest civilizations in America, with approximately 3,000 years of antiquity.

• Visit Querococha Lake and cross the mountains to the tunnel that passes through Cahuish, joining the Cordillera Blanca in the Callejón de Huaylas with the Conchucos area.

• Descend to the river valley to reach Chavín de Mosna.

• Appreciate the famous archaeological Lanzón, as well as the heads and galleries, an impressive network of internal galleries or labyrinths, columns, porches, and a large ceremonial concentric square.

• Return to Huaraz to spend the night.

• After breakfast, depart for your tour in the Callejón de Huaylas to appreciate its wealth of varied folk customs, traditional dress, cuisine, and crafts in the towns of Carhuaz and Yungay.

• Visit the famous Llanganuco at 3,850 m (Chinacocha and Orcocha).

• Take a boat ride and enjoy the impressive flora, accompanied by a walk overlooking the majesty of the mountains Huascaran, Yanapaccha, Paracas, and Huandoy.

• Continuing the tour, visit the city of Caraz for lunch. You can see small factories producing dairy products and other regional specialties such as blancmange, frozen fruit, liquor, honey, jelly, and cheese.

• In the afternoon, return to your hotel in Huaraz.

• On this day, travel by car for 3 hours on an exciting excursion to the south of Huaraz.

• Visit attractive places such as Recuay, the grotto of St. Patrick, Ticapampa, a mining town, and Cátac to see Pueblo Livestock. A 7 km drive to the south will bring you to the valley where you take the Pachacoto diversion on the east side, continuing to reach Patococha Lagoon. Here you will see Huascaran National Park, the mineral water source of Pumapampa, safe for drinking, Ojo de Agua Laguna, Pumapashimin whose seven colors change depending on the position of the sun, and Puya Raimondi, one of the most beautiful plants of the high Andean flora.

• Continue to visit the cave paintings of Pachacutec.

• Go on foot to the base of the mountain and practice different sports such as sliding, skiing, and more. After spending some time in the snow, return by the same route.

• Have lunch in the small town of Cátac to enjoy typical dishes of the region, and return to Huaraz where you will spend the night at the hotel.

• Arrive in Trujillo around midday.

• Visit the Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon, located 8 kilometres from Trujillo. According to legend, the pyramid is about 20 meters high and was built in just 3 days using 250,000 men and 70 million bricks. It is believed to have served funerary, ceremonial, and possibly administrative purposes. The Pyramid of the Moon is made up of superimposed temples built during different stages of the Moche culture. Archaeologists have discovered a tomb with over 40 sacrificed warriors here. Return to Trujillo.

Overnight at a hotel in Trujillo.

• Visit the Huaca Arco Iris, also known as the Dragon Temple, of the Chimú culture (11th to 15th century AD), whose quadrilateral structure is surrounded by a trapezoidal wall six feet high.

• Visit the impressive archaeological complex of Chan Chan, including the Tschudi Palace. Its walls are decorated with stylized friezes in high relief featuring zoomorphic and geometric motifs.

• Visit Trujillo to see traditional fishing methods and the ancient Mochica fishing boats called totora horses, which maintain the old tradition of artisanal fishing.

• Visit the pier to see a craft fair and have lunch by the creek. The sea waves here also lend themselves to the sport of surfing.

• According to the schedule (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday), we will visit the Paso Horse Exhibition in the afternoon. Peru is known worldwide for this horse and its unique gait, producing the very original sound "PACA PACA-PACA." The Paso horse is recognized as a "national treasure and silent ambassador" and as the best saddle horse in the world.

• Breakfast at the hotel. Pick up from your hotel to go to Chiclayo.

• Travel north through the Chicama Valley, passing green sugar cane fields, to reach the pyramids area of El Brujo, one of the most important religious and political centres of the Moche culture. The El Brujo Archaeological Complex is formed mainly by the pyramids of Cao Viejo, Huaca Cortada, and El Brujo.

• Go to the Cao funerary site. Here you will discover the mummy of a Moche ruler who inhabited these pyramids 1,700 years ago. She is called La Señora de Cao.

• Visit the archaeological center of Huaca del Dragon.

Overnight at the selected hotel in Chiclayo.

• After breakfast, transfer to the Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum, which preserves the material collected by Dr. Walter Alva during the archaeological excavations of the Sipán complex. The exhibition shows the Lord of Sipán with all his jewels, some tombs of Moche warriors, and important gold pieces. The museum's architecture is inspired by the ancient Mochica sanctuaries that combine platforms. It is currently considered one of the best museums in South America.

• Lunch will be on your own in the afternoon.

• Take the tour to the Pyramids of Túcume, characterized by its 26 pyramids, among which are Huaca del Pueblo, La Raya, El Sol, and Las Estacas.

Finally, overnight at the hotel.

• After breakfast, pick up from the hotel for the tour of the Sipán Archaeological Complex - Huaca Rajada (Lord of Sipán), located 35 kilometres from Chiclayo. This is the place where the intact remains of a dignitary of the Moche hierarchy, a warrior priest, were found. The construction consists of a common platform and two adobe pyramids. In addition, numerous gold and silver jewels are present in the complex.

• Transfer to Chiclayo Airport and take your flight to Lima, then continue travelling to Paracas.

Spend the night in a hotel.

• After breakfast, transfer to Paracas Port and start the tour to the Ballestas Islands, passing by "The Chandelier," a giant figure on the side of a hill.

• Upon arriving at the Ballestas Islands, visit the different islands for two hours, watching sea lions, seals, penguins, and seabirds.

• After returning to the port, take the tour to the Paracas Reserve. In the afternoon, head to the city of "Nazca." The journey usually lasts 3 hours, and in Nazca, our staff will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.

• In the morning after breakfast, transfer to Nazca Airport for a 40-minute flight over the Nazca Plains, where the ancient pre-Inca people drew huge figures of animals and plants for a purpose not yet discovered. Many believe that these figures were made by aliens. Among them are the monkey, the spider, the hummingbird, and others.

• Continue our trip to "Arequipa" and spend the night there.

• After breakfast at the hotel, have the morning free to rest.

• In the afternoon, take a tour of the "White City," including the Convent of Santa Catalina, undoubtedly the gem of Arequipa. It was finally opened to the public in 1970 after having been closed for 400 years, and it houses countless pieces of colonial art.

• Visit the Plaza de Armas, the cloisters of the Society of Jesus, and the districts of Cayma and Yanahuara, with a magnificent view of the El Misti volcano. Also visit a traditional colonial house called the Mansion of the Founder.

• In the evening, relax at the hotel.

• Early morning departure by shared tourist transportation to Colca Canyon, passing the Chachani volcano. During the trip, we will cross the plains of Arrieros Cañahuas, where the Vicuña National Reserve is located, as well as Vizcachani, La Pulpera, Callalli, and the villages of Tuti and Sibayo.

• Arrive at an altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level. Here you can appreciate the flora and fauna of the beautiful natural lagoons and bofedales, with giant rocks in the form of castles.

• Lunch in Chivay in the Colca Valley.

• Optional visit to the hot springs of La Calera, where we find medicinal waters that surpass 40 degrees, suitable for physical ailments.

Overnight in the Colca Valley.

• After a brief stop at Cruz del Condor in the morning, we will continue our trip through the Colca Canyon, admiring the small towns of Pinchocclo, Madrigal, Lari, Maca, Achoza, Yanque, and others.

Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Puno.

• After breakfast at your hotel, we will pick you up to start the tour and go to Suasi.

• Stop at the Uros floating islands. Stepping on them feels very much like a water bed, although it is relatively safe. We see the houses and meet their friendly inhabitants. The Uros people are descendants of one of the oldest South American groups. Ride on traditional reed boats.

• After a simple navigation of approximately 2 1/2 hours, reach Taquile Island. The textile arts on the island have been declared World Heritage by UNESCO. Hike for approximately 45 minutes to visit the communal cooperative.

• Continue our trip to Suasi Island, where we will have an overnight stay.

• After breakfast, continue exploring Suasi Island and observe the locals' daily life.

• The Hotel Suasi Island is the largest on the island, with 23 rooms offering incredible lake views. It also has a private cabin on the lake with all amenities.

• At midday, our motorboat starts the journey back to Puno. We arrive at about 15:00 hrs.

Stay at Hotel Hacienda Plaza de Armas Puno.

• After a good breakfast, we will pick you up from the hotel and go to the company's bus station for a journey that lasts 7 hours. Our bus is a direct tourist bus from Puno to Cusco.

• In the afternoon, visit Sacsayhuaman, Plaza de Armas, and the San Blas neighborhood. Sacsayhuaman, located 3 km from the city of Cusco, has an impressive monumental stone fortress and magnificent architecture, famous for its enormous carved stones, some of which are 9 m / 30 feet tall and weigh 350 tons.

• Go to Pisac and visit the archaeological site of Pisac. It is also famous for its fairs where you can buy beautiful handicrafts.

• Head to Urubamba for a buffet lunch.

• Go to the fortress of Ollantaytambo, where descendants of the Incas still live in Inca homes.

• Take the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, the town of Machupicchu. Overnight there.

• Early in the morning, go to the bus station to climb 400 meters by a zigzag road for 30 minutes to reach the incredible wonder of the world, "The Sanctuary of Machupicchu," known as "The Lost City of the Incas."

• Visit the citadel of Machupicchu and see its Main Plaza, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the royal quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, and various cemeteries around it for more than two hours.

• Stroll around the citadel.

• In the afternoon, take the bus back to Aguas Calientes and have lunch on your own.

• Head to the hotel to collect your bags, then go to the train station to return to Cusco, where you will be transferred to your hotel.

Overnight in Cusco.

• After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit some important places in Cusco City, beginning with Santo Domingo Monastery, Koricancha Temple, and the Inca Museum.

• Visit the Museo de Arte Precolombino.

• Transfer to the airport to take the flight to Lima.