Exploring Southern Peru

We know how exhausting international flights can be, so we will save you from the stress of navigating alone at the moment of your arrival in the Peruvian capital. At Lima Airport, our Machu Travel Peru host will be looking for you at the arrival gate to accompany you to the hotel of your preference.

Once you have settled in your room, you can take a comforting shower, leaving behind the fatigue of such a long flight and rest or you can take advantage of the time to enjoy the best Peruvian gastronomy with a tasty lunch (on your own) in your hotel or surrounding areas.

Later, we will begin a fantastic city tour of Lima's colonial and modern zones.

You can lose yourself among French style, republican squares like the Plaza San Martin or the City's main square (Plaza de Armas) while wandering by a charming colonial alley called Jirón de la Unión. Following this, our guide will lead you to the colonial Monastery of San Francisco, where you can appreciate its beautiful Spanish baroque architecture and some religious sculptures from colonial times. But, the best of all will be exploring the hidden underneath its enigmatic catacombs! Here, you’ll know why this monastery was considered the first cemetery for the first Lima inhabitants.

After you return to your hotel, why not enjoy a beautiful afternoon at your own pace by exploring zones of Miraflores, a Lima tourist district, walk in the beautiful Kennedy Park or go shopping in the famous Larcomar Mall center.

In the evening, for dining, we recommend you consider the restaurants Central or Maido, which are considered the best in the country and currently holding 1st and 6th, respectively, in the world’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2023. Please remember that, due to their popularity, it is necessary to secure reservations in advance!

After a delicious breakfast in your hotel, our host will pick you up and escort you to Lima International Airport, where you'll depart on a fifty-minute flight to Puerto Maldonado. The magical contrast between giant dunes and imposing snow-capped peaks of the Sierra will gradually give way to hills and plains full of exuberant vegetation, gigantic trees, and a great river that crosses them like a stealthy snake waiting for its prey; we refer to the Peruvian jungle. Best of all, all this can be seen from your plane window.

Upon arrival at Puerto Maldonado airport, your lodge’s staff will welcome and brief you on important navigation and security tips to apply during your jungle lodge stay. Next, he’ll transfer you from the airport to a local port to take a boat and begin to navigate the shallows of the Madre de Dios river.

The boat trip will last approximately 25 minutes up to the exclusive Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción Lodge. Once there, make yourself comfortable in one of its enchanting wooden huts, raised off the ground on stilts. Or in one of its comfortable rooms.

Hungry? Well, head to the Casa Grande dining room, where you can enjoy a delicious buffet lunch made from local and fresh ingredients. After, as a way of digestion, start a gentle walk along the trail system of Inkaterra Concepción with our expert guide to becoming aware of the ecosystems of the Amazon basin. The Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción is home to a primary and secondary forest inhabited by exotic fauna and tropical plants.

Following, enjoy a boat ride in the Rio de Noche (night river) to see how the diurnal fauna gives way to the nocturnal species. With a beautiful sunset and a young night in the background, you will see alligators and other fantastic animals hiding on the banks of the river, as well as southern hemisphere constellations in the starry night sky. All this is in the company of our expert guide.

Once in your lodge, enjoy a tasty a-la-carte dinner made of jungle ingredients. After returning to your hut to take a deserved rest, swing in your hammock, and enjoy the starry nights offered by the jungle, and songs and whistles of the Peruvian Amazon.

OPTIONAL: You can choose different options of bungalows in Puerto Maldonado lodges, besides activities and experiences in them. Please, make contact with our Travel agents.

NOTE: The strict order of each-day activities can vary due to weather conditions and other considerations. Therefore, your local guide will inform you about the experiences and details to enjoy each day.

Wake up to the songs of wild birds, and parrots, and the cool climate of the Peruvian jungle! After a delicious breakfast in the dining room around 05:30 am, we will begin our fantastic adventure through Sandoval Lake, accompanied by our local expert guide. We will calmly navigate the water channels that feed the lake.

Following, let ourselves be carried away by the calm waters of Sandoval Lake, appreciating the beautiful palm trees that surround it. Besides different types of birds, the endangered river otter, macaws, howler monkeys, anacondas, turtles, and even black caimans!

After a well-deserved lunch in the lodge, we will go up to Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, a safe and sophisticated system of suspension bridges built over 344 m high and connected by 8 platforms and 2 panoramic observation towers. There, you can take two options. The first is to enjoy some cocktails at the top of the observatory tower under a beautiful sunset. The second one is to hire an enchanting tree house and spend a wonderful night there. The decision is yours!

From one of the observation towers, we will enjoy a panoramic view of the Amazon world, understanding its dimensions. From this viewpoint, we will be fascinated by watching the stealthy 3-toed sloth, monkeys, woodpeckers, toucans, and trogons.

Later, we will return to the Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción. There, you can be encouraged to take the excursion of Selva Oculta (hidden jungle) under the moonlight. Provided with a flashlight and together with our guide explorer, walk through foliage and vegetation in search of unique species that only appear at night.

In case you want to relax, you can book a therapy session at the Nua Spa, immersed in the rainforest. From 19:00, you will have the chance to taste a delicious a-la-carte dinner, before going to sleep.

OPTIONAL: You can choose different options of bungalows in Puerto Maldonado lodges, besides activities and experiences in them. Please, make contact with our Travel agents.

NOTE: The strict order of each-day activities can vary due to weather conditions and other considerations. Therefore, your local guide will inform you about the experiences and details to enjoy each day.

We’ll wake up early to take advantage of our last day in the Peruvian jungle! And a delicious, tropical breakfast from our lodge will be perfect for this purpose. Following, we'll go to Inkaterra Bio Organic Garden, where we'll learn about the tropical plants of the forest and their medicinal uses, according to the ancient knowledge of Amazon's local communities. Next, we'll visit the Palmetum. This is a local collection of several Amazon palm species for their conservation and refurbishment.

After a tasty lunch in the Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción, we'll enjoy paddling a wooden canoe on the Cocha Concepción (oxbow lake). This oxbow lake has a horseshoe shape and is formed by the branches of the old meander of the Madre de Dios River. There. you will appreciate Shanshos, flycatchers, and gray-necked cataras while listening in the distance to the songs of howler monkeys.

In this same zone, you will be able to see the remains of the Fitzcarrald steamship. Learn about its history and how it inspired Inkaterra to create the movie “Fitzcarraldo” filmed by Werner Herzog (Best Director Award at Cannes, 1982).

On the return to the lodge, before the dinner, visit one of the collpas ('salty place' in Quechua) on the Collpas Tierra Adentro tour. Although seeing wildlife is a matter of luck, learn how these clay walls attract the fascinating behavior of the mammals that hide near the lodge.

Afterwards, return to the lodge for a well-deserved rest and a delicious dinner.

OPTIONAL: You can choose different options of bungalows in Puerto Maldonado lodges, besides activities and experiences in them. Please, make contact with our Travel agents.

NOTE: The strict order of each-day activities can vary due to weather conditions and other considerations. Therefore, your local guide will inform you about the experiences and details to enjoy each day.

Our adventure in Andean lands is about to begin! After a satisfying breakfast provided by your lodge in Puerto Maldonado, your lodge personnel will accompany you by navigating to Puerto Maldonado city port. Once there, he will transport you to the airport, where he’ll say goodbye and dispatch you on a direct flight to Cusco. You can watch the thick green mantle of the Peruvian jungle merge with the bluish sky through your plane window to give way to gigantic Andean mountains, which were conquered many centuries ago by the impressive Inca civilization. It’s just a 55-minute flight before you arrive in Cusco located in the highest zone of Peru, 11,200ft above sea level, and continue daydreaming.

On your arrival to Cusco, our local host will be waiting for you at the zone of arrival national flights at Cusco airport with a sign with your name. “It is not altitude sickness… it is the feeling of being close to heaven” is a phrase he’ll often say about the altitude. Thus, to avoid altitude sickness, we’ll move directly from Cusco airport to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, located 600 meters below Cusco. But please don't worry, you will get to enjoy all the wonderful sights of Cusco at the end of our journey once your body is perfectly acclimatized to the altitude.

Upon entering the Sacred Valley of the Incas, we will visit an exceptional project called Awanacancha, where you’ll be able to appreciate the 4 types of South American camelids bred in captivity: the llama, the alpaca, the guanaco, and the vicuña. Also, you can feed them and learn to distinguish them. As if this were not enough, the Sacred Valley locals who work there will show you how they use their Inca ancestors’ techniques to transform the delicate fur of these animals, especially the alpaca and vicuña, into beautiful and colored clothes through traditional weaving, like multi-colored belts and exquisitely embroidered blankets, among others.

Then, we’ll continue descending through the valley slope until we reach a spectacular Inca archaeological site over a hill called Pisac, with magnificent terraced fields on its hill slopes, among Inca enclosures, squares, temples, and even an Inca cemetery! Our first contact with a rich Andean past! Descending into the modern town, we will lose ourselves among the colored stands of the famous Pisac traditional market, where we will be fascinated by its beautiful handicrafts made by local people, like fabric crafts, sculptures, jewelry, and paintings with Andean thematic.

Next, we will go to a charming restaurant in the middle of the beautiful landscapes of the Sacred Valley to enjoy a delicious lunch made from local ingredients, fully included in our program. You can choose the restaurant, in advance, with the advice of our travel consultants.

Finally, we’ll go to our hotel in the middle of the spectacular scenery of the Sacred Valley and you can enjoy a delicious dinner here, on your own. A well-deserved sleep is guaranteed tonight!

The Sacred Valley still has treasures to discover, and you will not miss a thing! This day assures an unforgettable trip in a perfect climate. The Sacred Valley is known for its charming climate 365 days a year. First, you'll enjoy a delicious breakfast at your luxury hotel. Then, with our guide, we will begin our adventure through the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Discover Ollantaytambo, a fortress that was the last Inca refuge in Andean lands during the Spanish invasion. Wander among its narrow alleys, temples, enclosures and squares of well-carved, perfectly fitted, stone architecture. This incredible experience will be accompanied by stories and myths that your guide will tell you about the place. One notable mention, the fantastic ancient love story legend about an Inca military General and a beautiful Princess, the daughter of the Inca emperor Pachacutec.

Next, you will go to a beautiful restaurant in the middle of the amazing Andean landscapes of the Sacred Valley, to enjoy a delicious and exclusive lunch made from local ingredients. As if this were not enough, the variety of flavors and colors in its menu, dishes, and drinks will surprise you.

Then, our next stop will be the white slopes of Maras. There, you will enjoy the brightness of 2,000 small Inca salt wells that are still used by local people today to provide themselves with salt. By the way, the Maras salt is recognized worldwide as being perfect for grills and barbecues.

Moving on, our guide will transfer up to Moray, where you'll be fascinated by a series of circular terraces, in the form of rings, that go into the earth's deeps. These circle terraces were used as an Incan laboratory to acclimatize crops. They sowed a specific type of seed in each circular terrace, from the smallest and deepest ring to the largest, to see the quality of the harvest they obtained.

Finally, we’ll return to the hotel to for a deserved rest, you can take a relaxing shower or, maybe, enjoy a fantastic dinner on our own.

The day to conquer Machu Picchu has arrived! After a delicious breakfast in your hotel, our host will take you to Ollantaytambo train station to dispatch you on a charming and comfortable train heading to Aguas Calientes, the modern town of Machu Picchu. The magical train trip will last one and a half hours, crossing the spectacular Peruvian jungle, always accompanied by the singing of exotic birds, leafy undergrowth, and the Vilcanota river that will follow the train's movement, like a snake on the lookout for its prey!

Once you arrive at Aguas Calientes train station, our local guide will await you at the arrivals gate. With your guide, you’ll go to the bus station to take a “CONSETTUR” bus heading to the top of a mountain where Machu Picchu citadel is located. After 35 minutes of the bus trip, the bus will drop you at the same entrance gate to Machu Picchu.

Then, you will enter the famous Inca citadel to start living the magic there! You can get lost between enclosures, squares, temples, and stone alleys perfectly carved and fitted. Exploring for two hours the mysteries and magic of an Inca citadel that continues to amaze the world with its beauty. Of course, as a soundtrack, you will listen to the stories of its construction, inhabitants, and function from your private guide.

Once the tour is over, but not before taking your dream photo of Machu Picchu, our tour guide will dispatch you in a CONSETTUR bus returning to Aguas Calientes town. There you’ll enjoy a fantastic lunch included in our program in one of the best restaurants in the zone.

Next, you’ll have to go to the Aguas Calientes train station to take your train to return to Cusco. There, you will take a comfortable train back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy train stations. Whatever station you arrive at, another member of our staff will wait for you to transfer to the Cusco Hotel, where you can enjoy a delicious dinner on your own, before taking a relaxing shower and enjoying a well-deserved rest.

Don't worry; as you can see, you will always be assisted at any departure or arrival point!

OPTIONAL: If you want to continue enjoying Machu Picchu, this package, like all the others, can be fully customized by adding a night in Aguas Calientes. So, on the following day, you'll be able to enjoy a second visit to the enigmatic Inca citadel or hike to nearby mountains like Huayna Picchu and get fabulous photos of Huayna Picchu. Just tell us your requirements, it’s as easy as that!

Are you ready to visit the beautiful, old, Capital of the Inca empire? The “Rome of America.”  Of course, we refer to Cusco!  After your hotel provides a comforting and delicious breakfast, your guide will be ready to transport you into the past.

First, you’ll explore the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, with its giant rocks perfectly fitted into its structure. The tour will continue by visiting the Qenqo Inca ceremonial center with its ancient sacrifice vestiges. Then, the Inca, military barrack, Puca Pucara will fascinate you with its beautiful views of Cusco. Following, our guide will show you the retreat place of the Inca sovereign called Tambomachay, with its beautiful water fonts, where the sovereign spent long periods resting and hunting.

Then, we will return to Cusco Center to lose ourselves in its charming stone alleys by appreciating the renaissance architecture of the Cathedral of Cusco and its famous painting collection of unique art style called "Escuela Cusqueña".

Later, your guide will lead you to Qoricancha temple, located a short distance from the Cathedral, where you will be fascinated with the mix of Inca and Spanish architectural styles, besides some original remains of the Inca temples inside it.

Finally, our tour will end in the main square. You might enjoy a nice lunch or dinner on your own in one of the nearby restaurants, or we can arrange transport to drop you off at your hotel. Whatever your decision, tell your guide what you would like to do!

Today, our Andean experience will start with a delicious breakfast offered by your hotel. Then, your Machu Travel Peru tour guide and private transportation will pick you up, and you will head to magical Puno.

Our dream journey will begin by entering the South Valley, where the first Incas came from the Peruvian Altiplano to Cusco. On the way, we'll be fascinated with a colonial catholic chapel decorated with giant religious paintings from the end of the 16th century, called Andahuaylillas or the Sistine Chapel of America. Each painting tells a fascinating story of syncretism between the Andean (Inca) and Catholic (Spanish) religions.

Following our private journey, we'll discover an extraordinary Inca palace much older than those in Cusco called Raqchi or the Palace of Wiracocha, where we will be lost between history and amazing legends.
The next stop will be in a charming zone of the Andean plateau, specially chosen by our guide, where you can taste a delicious lunch that is totally included in our program!

Later, in the middle of sunset, our private transportation will stop at La Raya (The line) to feel for a few minutes the temperature and the different sensations that give us the highest point between the Cusco and Puno regions (more than 4,319 m.a.s.l. / 14,170 ft.).

This unforgettable private journey has just one more treat prepared for us! Some kilometers before arriving in Puno, we'll visit the Pucara Museum, where you can buy a traditional Pucara-bull ceramic, which is very famous not only in Peru but also in South America.

Upon arrival in Highland City, our private transportation will move you directly to your selected Puno hotel. At your chosen Hotel, you only have to rest or maybe enjoy a fantastic dinner on your own. Before leaving, your private guide will briefly brief you on your Titicaca Lake tour of the next day.

OPTIONAL: This fantastic journey from Cusco to Puno can also be done in other luxury options, like trains: Titicaca and the Andean Explorer. Moreover, you can enjoy this journey onboard an exclusive tourist bus with other people. Contact our travel agents!

Welcome to the highest navigable freshwater lake in the world!  Lake Titicaca is located right beside Puno therefore, to get the most from this day, you should start with a delicious breakfast provided by your hotel early in the morning. Later, your host will pick you up from your hotel to the local port, meet up with our tour guide and begin our magic journey through Lake Titicaca!

We will navigate by cool waters while the sky's deep blue blends with the water's color on the horizon, and an imposing sun shines on us while our tour guide tells us about the legend of the Inca origins. Some minutes later, we'll run aground on some drifting, floating islands, handmade from reeds, called Uros. Its friendly locals will show us their lifestyle and customs and tell us about its extensive history of over 2,000 years!

After cordial farewells, we will continue our journey until we reach the island of Taquile. A place where time has stood still and whose residents still live by their ancestral customs and traditions, even dressing according to your marital status! In Taquile, we will enjoy a delightful traditional lunch included in our program while relaxing.

After, we will have an excellent opportunity to explore the island, see its inhabitants' charming fabrics and handicrafts, and even enjoy the best views of the entire Titicaca Lake.

Finally, our boat will return to the Puno local port, where our host will bring you back to your hotel that afternoon to rest, have dinner on your own, and begin to make beautiful memories of that day.

NOTE: Please consider that Taquile has a strenuous climb up 500 steps to the central part of the island. The elevation average goes from 12,000 feet on the lakeshore to 13,000 feet at the high point. Please take care of this high altitude.

The worst part of a trip is when those good adventures you will remember forever, end. That is why Machu Travel Peru wants to save you the penalty. You will only have to enjoy a comforting breakfast fully included in your hotel reservation and let yourself go.

At a determined hour, MACHU TRAVEL PERU staff will transfer you to the Juliaca airport, 50 minutes outside Puno, and send you on your flight to Lima.

Like the sound of our "Delight To Peru" tour? Do you have extra requests or questions? Please don’t hesitate to write to us. We will always be attentive to personalize your dreams in Peru at your desire!

NOTE: This program will allow you to visit Lima, Cusco, Tambopata, Puerto Maldonado, the Sacred Valley, Pisac, Moray, Salineras, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca. Additionally, you can add more exciting day tours in Cusco or another destination in Peru. Please take a look at our package list for more options.