PERU: ITINERARY

THE MAGIC OF MACHU PICCHU AND THE INCA EMPIRE

January 23 – 29, 2010

Peru is an epic fantasy-land, with forgotten temples and imperial tombs entangled in jungle vines, and ancient bejeweled treasures beyond reckoning. For one week next January we will explorethis heroic land, concentrating on the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. We’ll stay in the most interesting boutique-style hotels with fine meals and the best locations. Our local guides will personally interpret the legends for us. We’ll travel in style, using the Vista-Dome train to access the ruins. For a week we will be immersed in this long-lost culture, emerging with a greater understanding of it, and of ourselves.

Day 1 January 23
-- Leave the US and arrive in Lima, Peru. We’ll be met outside of Customs and driven to our hotel. Overnight at the Costa del Sol Hotel - Ramada Lima.
www.costadelsolperu.com

Day 2 January 24
-- Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for our morning flight to Cusco. Arrival in Cusco, where we’re met by our guide. We’ll drive through a scenic landscape to the Urubamba River Valley, the "Sacred Valley of the Incas". Arriving at the town of Pisac, an hours’ drive from Cusco, we will visit the Inca ruins that lie above the town. The Andean terraces in this area are remarkably well preserved. The tour continues to the colorful Pisac Market, where the local Indians meet to sell their merchandise as they have done for centuries. There is also a handicraft market. The tour continues to the town of Ollantaytambo from where we will climb up to its imposing Inca fortress at the top of the mountain. Lunch at local restaurant. We’ll overnight at the Sol y Luna Hotel in Ollantaytambo.
www.hotelsolyluna.com

Day 3 January 25
-- Buffet breakfast at the hotel in Ollantaytambo.Transfer to train station for a special Vista-Dome train to Machu Picchu. Our local guide will accompany us. We’ll arrive at the Aguas Calientes Station where we’ll take a bus to the top of the mountain, to the citadel of Machu-Picchu, surrounded by lush cloud forest. Lost in history, it was not discovered until 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham. After a guided visit of the ruins, we’ll have a self-service lunch at local restaurant. Overnight at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel adjacent to the ruins of Machu Picchu.
www.sanctuarylodge.net

Day 4 January 26
-- Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Day free to enjoy a second visit to the ruins on our own. During this day we’ll explore the area around and above the ruins, including hiking parts of the Inca Trail. Dinner at hotel. Overnight at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.

Day 5 January 27
-- Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Those who wish may take an early morning visit to the ruins before anyone else arrives. This is the best chance to experience the magic and mystery of this lost civilization. Later transfer to the train station at Aguas Calientes. We’ll take the Vista-Dome train back to Cusco, and check into La Casona Inkaterra Hotel. Cusco was the capital o the Inca Empire and still possesses many of the original intricate rock walls and temples. It later became an important city in the Spanish Empire. Day free to explore Cusco on our own. www.inkaterra.com/en/cusco

Day 6 January 28
-- Following breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a half-day tour of Cusco and the surrounding Inca ruins with our local guide. We’ll visit Koricancha, the Temple of the Sun, where you can appreciate the incredible masonry of the Incas, the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral with its carved woodworks, altars and paintings. Then we’ll be driven to the Inca fortress of Sacsahuamán, perhaps the most impressive of all the ruins. Then to the underground cave and temple of Kenko, and to Tambomachay, known as the Baths of the Inca. Overnight at La Casona Inkaterra.

Day 7 January 29
-- Breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to the airport for our flight to Lima. On arrival in Lima we’ll embark on a tour of this fascinating colonial city. We will drive to the Plaza Mayor to visit the Government Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace and the City Hall. Then, we’ll visit the XVII century church and cloister of San Francisco, a world cultural heritage. We’ll visit the famous Gold Museum, then continue to the modern residential suburb of San Isidro for a visit to the pre-inca pyramid of Huaca Huallamarca. Finally continue to downtown Miraflores, with it's Park of Love to enjoy a splendid view of the Pacific Ocean. We’ll have day-use of rooms at the Costa del Sol Hotel during the day. Evening transfer to the airport for our flights back to the US.

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