JUNE 16-23, 2019 ITINERARY
Lima · The Sacred Valley · Machu picchu · Cusco
From $5999
Day 1, Sunday: CITY OF LIMA
Arrival and transfer to the Belmond Miraflores Park Plaza Hotel. Day at Leisure.
Evening: Tonight, a very special welcome dinner will be held at Lima's oldest manor that has been inhabited since 1535. Seventeen generations from the original owner still live in the house. The original owner was among the first Spanish conquerors to arrive in Peru. Evening free to enjoy Lima's nightlife.
Accommodations: Belmond Miraflores Park Plaza Hotel
Meals Included: Welcome Dinner and cocktails
Day 2, Monday: CITY OF LIMA
Buffet Breakfast at leisure in hotel
Morning: We depart promptly for a tour of the Historic Center of Lima, the City of Kings, including a visit to the main city square, the Cathedral, Plaza de Armas, the ancient catacombs and Santo Domingo Convent. Lima’s magnificent colonial architecture led UNESCO to declare the Historic Center of Lima a World Heritage Site. Baroque and Neoclassical churches and convents, balconies dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries, colonial town houses and beautiful public spaces speak of a past in which Lima was Spain's richest vice regal capital in the Americas.
Lima once ranked as the richest and most important city in the Americas and was considered to be the most beautiful colonial settlement in the region. Founded in 1535 by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish Crown's "City of Kings" quickly became the center of power and trade for the entire American viceregency that stretched from Quito to Santiago. Lima was home to some of the Americas' finest Baroque and Renaissance churches, palaces, and mansions, as well as the continent's first university, founded in 1551. For two centuries, the capital also served as the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition.
Lunch: Gourmet lunch will be served at a sensational restaurant in Lima, that offers many choices of the most famous Peruvian dishes.
Accommodations: Belmond Miraflores Park Plaza Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 3, Tuesday: CUSCO / THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS
Buffet Breakfast at leisure in hotel
Morning: Morning flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, transfer to The Sacred Valley of the Incas.
En route: we will visit a beautiful alpaca farm, where we will have the chance to feed many different speciest of alpaca, grazing at the farm.
Afternoon: We proceed to the famous outdoor market of Pisac (featured on the Amazing Race) and Pisac ruins, a huge fortress on the the Inca Trail.
Afternoon: Registration at Aranwa Hotel and Spa with time to enjoy the hotel's incredible spa.
Accommodations: Aranwa Hotel and Spa
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day 4, Wednesday: THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS
Buffet Breakfast at leisure in hotel
Morning: After breakfast, we will visit Maras, which is the name of a place and of an indigenous community. The soil of Maras is rich in salt, and its people have always made a living by extracting this resource using terraced salt pools. The salt pans are a magical sight, gleaming white in the sun. Today we will see the salt being extracted in the traditional way. Then we will go to Moray, another Inca site, where different crops were planted on circular terraces built to create microclimates and for researching different species.
Lunch: Today's lunch will be unforgettable. At noon we will arrive at an hacienda, located on high ground in the valley which provides a unique view of this green and fertile land. The house was built as a place to keep and exhibit their valuable collection of art from the pre-Columbian and vice regal periods. The family of the estate waits with a buffet lunch based on the valley's culinary traditions.
Late Afternoon: Optional horseback riding
Accommodations: Aranwa Hotel and Spa
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 5, Thursday: THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS / MACHU PICCHU
Buffet Breakfast at leisure in hotel
Morning: Enjoy a morning excursion to Ollantaytambo, and visit the archaelogical remains and its typical market. Ollantaytambo contains a fortress built to defend it against the invading Chankas. Ollantaytambo is also an Inca village whose stone houses are still inhabited by the descendants of those ancient Peruvians. The people of this area are characterized by their woolen costumes dyed in red and black.
We'll transfer you to the station to board the Hiram Bingham Belmond train that will take us to the Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu.
Afternoon: You will arrive early enough to be able to enjoy the stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site before the masses arrive. Our expert guide will explain all the pertinent aspects of this magical citadel, an awe-inspiring experience. Following the visit, we retire for afternoon tea at the Orient-Express Sanctuary Lodge overlooking Machu Picchu. Thereafter, we descend to Aguas Calientes to register at the beautiful boutique Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, rated the 8th best hotel in South America by the Reader’s of Conde Nast (2nd in Peru, after the Hotel Monasterio)! The Readers of Travel and Leisure rated it the 4th best resort in Central and South America, and the best in Peru.
Evening: Relax in one of the world's most appealing boutique hotels; a fusion of calmness, comfort, Andean style and architecture, and natural beauty which spreads over 12 acres of low-rise cottages, streams, waterfalls, plantations and wild forest interspersed by stone pathways. The hotel boasts rooms beautifully furnished with regional timber and styled with local handcrafted Andean architecture nestled in one or two-story whitewash cottages.
Accommodations: Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6, Friday: MACHU PICCHU / CUSCO
Buffet Breakfast at leisure in hotel
Morning: Today, wake up late and enjoy a big breakfast. There will be time to enjoy the spa, do a little shopping, visit Machu Picchu again, and more in our charming hotel.
Afternoon: We take an orchid tour on the private grounds of the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.
Late Afternoon: Departure for Cusco on the Hiram Bingham Belmond train where cocktails and a gourmet dinner will be served. On board, you will receive the royal treatment. Relax and enjoy a cocktail accompanied by the sounds of a guitar trio, before retreating to the dining car for a specially prepared gourmet dinner as you glide along the Andes Mountains and Urubamba Valley. Upon arrival just outside Cusco, in Poroy, private transfer to the stunning Belmond Hotel Monasterio, a 16th century monastery named by Conde Nast Traveler Gold List as the best hotel in South America. Furthermore, the Readers of Travel and Leisure rated it the 4th best city hotel in Central and South America, and the best in Peru.
Accommodations: Belmond Hotel Monasterio
Meals Included: Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner on the Hiram Bingham Orient-Express train
Day 7, Saturday: CITY OF CUSCO
Buffet Breakfast at leisure in hotel
Morning: Roam the older quarters of the city, which date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. We will Pass by the Hatunrumiyoc Street with its famous twelve angle stone and visit the impressive Cathedral at the Plaza de Armas. We also visit Koricancha, the most important Inca temple, dedicated to the worship of the sun. The Spanish built a church and Dominican monastery on top of this temple, which reveals the two cultures existing together.
Afternoon: Cusco is a shopper's paradise! This afternoon, we suggest you have an incredible lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in the city, just steps from our hotel. Your Zoom concierge will be on-hand to help you with whatever you may need.
Dinner at leisure
Accommodations: Belmond Hotel Monasterio
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day 8, Sunday: LIMA/ USA
Buffet Breakfast at leisure in hotel
Celebrate the Inti Raymi Festival
The second largest festival in South America brings hundreds of thousands of people to Cusco for this celebration marking the beginning of a new year, the Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun. You can expect to come across daytime expositions, street fairs, and people meandering and dancing in the streets throughout the weeklong celebrations. Head to the Plaza de Armas for the sunset and free live performances from the best Peruvian musical acts. While each day is special, the centerpiece of Inti Raymi is the full day celebration on June 24, where the people of Cusco reenact the ancient festival.
The day begins with a prayer by the “Sapa Inca” in the Qorikancha (meaning “Golden courtyard” in Quechua) Square in front of the Santo Domingo church. Qorikancha was once the most revered temple in the Inca empire and was, in Inca times, covered in gold! In his oration, the Sapa Inca calls on the blessings of the sun. He is then carried on a golden throne in a procession into the hills above Cusco, to the ancient fortress of Sacsayhuamán. On the tailwind of the Sapa Inca are his high priests, nobles and high court officials, fully bedazzled in silver and gold ornaments according to rank. As he is carried into the hills, women sweep the streets, clearing them of evil, and lace the streets with beautiful flowers. Awaiting his arrival at Sacsayhuamán, huge crowds form to witness the Sapa Inca climb the sacred altar. Among the most anticipated events is the llama sacrifice (don’t worry, they now use a stage prop), in which the high priest grabs ahold of the llama heart, holds it above the crowd as an offering to Pachamama, and reads the bloodlines ensuring the fertility of the Empire’s land. Come join us as we celebrate the Incan New Year and winter solstice!
Late evening flight to Lima.
Optional late dinner and spa treatments are available at the Ramada Hotel, just steps from the airport.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Air: International and domestic airfare not included.
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Note: Passport pages titled "Endorsement Pages" are not visa pages.
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*Land only Introductory rate, based on double occupancy. Prices are subject to change. Need a roommate? Zoom Vacations® is happy to match you with someone, at no additional charge. Or, you may pay a single supplement and go as a single.
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