Tour the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu
Your luxury cruise on the Amazon aboard the M/V Aqua or the M/V Aria can be a delightful stand-alone journey, or can be part of a longer tour of Peru’s culture, geography and natural wonders. Tour the ruins at Machu Picchu, visit the Sacred Valley and explore the charming streets of Cusco or the cosmopolitan highlights of Lima, Peru. Aqua Expeditions has created several Peru tours that you can enjoy after your Aqua Expeditions cruise, showcasing Peru's many highlights and matching the level of luxury and individual attention that you will receive aboard our luxury cruise ships. Let us know if you would like us to customize a private Peru tour for you after your Amazon cruise, and we will be happy to assist you.
PERU TOUR OF LIMA – CUSCO – MACHU PICCHU – SACRED VALLEY (6 DAYS)
DAY 1: IQUITOS / LIMA
Depart by LAN afternoon flight, arriving in Lima at approximately 19:25 hours. Private transfer to your hotel, where you will spend the night.
DAY 2: LIMA / CUSCO / SACRED VALLEY
After enjoying the breakfast buffet at your hotel, you will be transferred to the airport to board LAN morning flight.
When you arrive at Cusco Airport, you will be met by our Cusco representative, who will assist you with your luggage and drive you to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This history-rich valley is much lower in altitude than Cusco, giving you the chance to adjust to the high Andes mountains.
Enjoy lunch at “Hacienda Huayoccari”, a beautiful ranch in the Urubamba Valley. Here, in this exclusive setting, you will be surrounded by a display of paintings from the Cusco school of art, as well other works.
Then it’s off to visit the village of Pisac and its traditional market. On the town’s plaza, you can visit the church and a small, interesting folklore museum.
Dine and overnight in Urubamba Valley.
DAY 3: SACRED VALLEY
After breakfast, take a full-day private guided excursion throughout the Sacred Valley. First, visit Chinchero, a small Andean Indian village located on the windswept plains of Anta, 3,762 meters (12,342 feet) above sea level. Chinchero, which means the birthplace of the rainbow in Quechua, is a typical Andean village, complete with graceful white colonial church and a colorful traditional market. From this lofty perch, you will enjoy views stretching over the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Cordillera Vilcabamba, and the vast, snow-capped peak of Salkantay to the west.
Enjoy a picnic lunch surrounded by the natural beauty of the Valley.
After lunch, your guide will take you to visit Ollantaytambo, the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the Americas. Here you will see the best surviving example of Inca city planning. Its fortress, with its extremely well-built walls, also served as a temple for the Incas. The spectacular steep terraces that guard the Inca complex mark one of the few places where the Conquerors lost a major battle.
The temple area is at the top of steep terracing, which helped to provide excellent defenses. Stones used for these buildings were brought from a quarry high up on the opposite side of the Urubamba River - an incredible feat involving the efforts of thousands of workers. The complex was still under construction by the time of the conquest and was never completed. Located near the gates to the fortress, CATCCO Museum and Cultural Center of Ollantaytambo promotes traditional culture and technology from within the district of Ollantaytambo. Its Museum Shop sells textile and ceramic products from the surrounding communities.
Dine and overnight in Urubamba Valley.
DAY 4: SACRED VALLEY / MACHU PICCHU
Breakfast followed by a private transfer to Ollantaytambo train station, where you will depart by Vistadome train service at 10:30 hours.
Lunch at the hotel.
Enjoy an afternoon at leisure.
Dine at the hotel.
Overnight in Machu Picchu or Aguas Calientes.
DAY 5: MACHU PICCHU / SACRED VALLEY / CUSCO
Enjoy the early breakfast buffet at the hotel’s main restaurant, followed by a private excursion to Machu Picchu Citadel led by the hotel’s official guide. This excursion includes a short walk to the bus station at Aguas Calientes, followed by a 30-minute bus ride to the Machu Picchu Citadel, where you will have three hours to explore this enigmatic city.
Have lunch and depart by Vistadome train service at 16:00 hours.
Upon arrival at Ollantaytambo station (18:00 hours), you will meet our representative who will take you to your hotel in Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco city.
DAY 6: CUSCO / LIMA
Buffet breakfast at your hotel, followed by a private guided tour of Cusco city’s main sites. Your day will include a visit to the Cathedral, home to the city’s greatest repositories of colonial art. Then, stop by the famous Koricancha, formerly the Inca Empire’s richest temple, which later became a catholic church. The Pre-Columbian Art Museum showcases some 450 archaeological pieces. Finally, your guide will take you to the outskirts of the city to visit Sacsayhuamán, the great ruin thought to have both religious and military significance.
Enjoy lunch at Incanto Restaurant, located in an old Inca palace just off the Main Square. The menu features Italian food and grilled meats.
Private transfer to the airport
