Peru Immersion

... Lima encapsulates many of them. Called the “City of the Kings’ by the 16th C Spanish conquistadors, today’s Lima combines traces of pre-Inca and Inca civilizations with colonial architecture and modern commercial and residential neighborhoods. Lima is home to some of the best museums of South America and beautiful churches and convents that are reminders of Peru’s rich religious and colonial past. Underrated as a tourist destination, Lima has excellent restaurants, good music, great neighborhoods for walking, and is also home to the famous Peruvian Paso horses.

Lima City Tour – Half Day

9:00am pick up.
Enjoy a half day city tour of Lima. Lima’s historical heart is filled with beautiful colonial buildings and churches. Visit the Plaza Mayor, dominated by the rich ochre hues of the Cathedral and the Government Palace. San Francisco Monastery is beautiful in its own right with an interior with Moorish features and with interesting underground catacombs. San Martín Plaza is quite photogenic with its terra cotta-colored buildings. Outside the historical center you’ll see the upscale residential areas of Miraflores and San Isidro, including a stop overlooking the coastline.

... and weaving communities have retained unchanged their ancestral customs and traditions. The Sacred Valley’s beautiful scenery will take your breath away, but if your passion is culture, traveling through the valley will take you to incredible Inca archaeological sites, filled with history.

Pisac Market & Ollantaytambo – Full Day Tour

After collecting your luggage at Cusco Airport you are met by a representative of Maxim Tours and taken directly to the Sacred Valley. There will be a stop at Awanacancha, a camel farm and weaving center and then you drive through the fertile countryside of the Urubamba Valley to the colonial village of Pisac where a unique Indian Market takes place daily. The variety of products offered is overwhelming, from pottery with reproductions of archaeological pieces, to all kinds of textiles, jewelry and Peruvian handicrafts. During your visit to this bustling marketplace you will have the opportunity to bargain with the artisans and indigenous traders. Grab the items you like, you will hardly see the same one again.

Stop for lunch in one of the country hotels then continue to the Ollantaytambo archaeological complex, the Incas built it as a fort that included a temple, agricultural terraces, and an urban area. There are two distinct sectors: The religious and worship zone, and the residential area. Ollantaytambo was an important administrative center with probable military functions if one considers the walls and towers. There are also traces of ancient roads and aqueducts. The town of Ollantaytambo is called a “Living Inca Town” since the inhabitants maintain very old practices and customs. Lunch is included. After the tour you are dropped at your hotel in the Sacred Valley.

... the terraces, built over containing walls filled with fertile earth and watered by complex irrigation systems, enabled the Incas to grow more than 250 plant species.

Continue to the impressive Maras salt pools formed by water emerging from a lake inside a mountain in the Urubamba Valley. An amazing view of evaporating ponds for the extraction of salt. Learn about ancestral techniques, which are still used, in agricultural, irrigation and salt-recollection tasks, as well as in Andean festivals and rites. (The sequence of this tour may be reversed)

...

Machu Picchu is reached by a 90 minute train ride from Ollanta Station in the Sacred Valley through the spectacular scenery of the Urubamba Valley. High on jungle-covered hilltops in the midst of the cloud forest, Machu Picchu was not known to the Spanish Conquerors, so much of the ancient city remains – temples, palaces, and astronomical observatories of intricate stonework. Surrounded by verdant landscapes and misty mountain peaks you’ll surely speculate about the true origins of this unique site.

Luggage on the train to Machu Picchu is limited to 11lbs per person. Please pack a separate 2-day bag for the Machu Picchu portion of your itinerary. If you are leaving from the Sacred Valley, your local guide will transfer your excess luggage to your hotel in Cusco where it will be waiting when you return from Machu Picchu. Additionally, you may bring a smaller backpack for your essentials during the Inca Trail Hike. Your other bag can stay on the train and will be collected by the hotel bellboys and delivered to your hotel and will be waiting for your when you arrive later this evening.

Disembark at Km.104 on the Cusco – Machu Picchu railroad (starting point of the hike), where you arrive at approximately 10:00 am (subject to change based on train schedules). Start with a visit to the Chachabamba archaeological complex (7,052 ft), located very close to the control point. After checking in, embark upon a 5 mile ascending trail, which after four hours, brings you to the archaeological complex of Wiñaywayna (8,692ft). This is an impressive complex made up of an agricultural center with numerous terraces, a religious sector and an urban sector. On the way, enjoy magnificent views of the Urubamba River valley, the Choquesuysuy archaeological complex located on the other side of the river, and a beautiful waterfall located just a few minutes away from Wiñaywayna. Continue on, climbing to Intipunku, or The Sun Gate. This will take an hour of hiking along a trail of flat stones on the edges of cliffs in highland jungle. From this fabulous spot, gaze upon the sacred citadel of Machu Picchu. From the Sun Gate, descend to Machu Picchu. High on jungle-covered hilltops in the midst of the cloud forest, Machu Picchu was not known to the Spanish Conquerors, so much of the ancient city remains – temples, palaces, and astronomical observatories of intricate stonework. Surrounded by verdant landscapes and misty mountain peaks you’ll surely speculate about the true origins of this unique site.

Includes: Guided Baby Inka hike (private guide), packed lunch during hike, guided tour of ruins, entrance fee & roundtrip Vistadome train ticket
Total distance: 13 km (8,08 miles)
Estimated walking time: 6-7 hours
Maximum altitude point: 2,650 m (8,692 ft)
Difficulty degree of this hike: Moderate
Departure and arrival times are approximate

You are escorted to the bus by your guide. You’ll then take the 25-minute scenic ride down the mountain to your hotel in the town of Machu Picchu. The driver will stop the bus at the entrance to your hotel or nearby, depending upon your hotel location. Just mention the name of the hotel to the driver when you board the bus. You will walk to your hotel.

... a morning tour including a hike up Huayna Picchu. You will explore areas not covered the day before, such as living quarters and recently excavated areas. After the tour you may have some time to explore the bustling town of Machu Picchu with its many cafes, shopping stalls and art galleries. Bus fare, guide and second day entrance fee is included.

Late in the afternoon, you take the bus, exclusively for Hiram Bingham passengers, to the train station in Machu Picchu. Pick up your bag from the fenced-in area before boarding your train. Board your train for the three hour return journey to Cusco (departure time to be advised locally – your guide will have given you boarding time instructions). A cocktail and gastronomic dinner is served enroute.

You will be met at the Cusco Poroy train station and transferred to your hotel by shuttle vehicle where your luggage will also be waiting.

... city. Once the center of the Inca civilization, modern Cusco is a delightful combination of Inca and colonial architecture. (2 ½ h). The rest of the day is free to explore Cusco on your own.

... and the Madre de Dios rivers.

Because of the Reserve’s protected status and secluded location, it’s incredibly biodiverse. The Reserve plays host to over 1,000 species of butterflies, 100 species of mammals, around 600 species of birds, and hundreds of species of trees and plants. In fact, this reserve and surrounding region is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet!

... one of the most biodiverse places on the planet!