DAY 2 – THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD – CUSCO

In the early morning you will be transferred to the airport to board a local flight to Cusco. After checking in at our hotel we will discover the historic center of Inca culture in the Andean highlands, and now a bustling city that has retained its authentic character. we’ll stroll around the main square and tour its grand cathedral. We’ll also visit what remains of Qorikancha, the original Inca Sun Temple. Then we will tour Sacsayhuamán, the remains of an imposing Inca citadel situated on the heights above the city. The splendid Inca stone masonry there constructed with massive hand-carved blocks of rock is simply astounding.

DAY 3 – SACRED VALLEY, PISAC, MARAS & AGUAS CALIENTES

We begin our journey through the Sacred Valley of the Inca which flanks the Urubamba River. We will travel through some beautiful Andes scenery from Cusco in route to Pisac where we will tour majestic Inca agricultural terraces that once were a part of the royal estate of the Inca emperor, Pachacuti. The curvilinear terraces are situated on the steep slopes in the highlands above town. They truly are engineering masterpieces and architectural works of art. Then we ascend to the Cusco highlands where we will find more of three thousand basins of salt, the impressive salt mine of Incas.

In the afternoon, we walk through the town of Ollantaytambo considered as living Inca Town. Finally, we will board the Vistadome train for a relaxing journey down the scenic Urubamba River Valley to Aguas Calientes situated in the cloud forest at 8000 feet beneath Machu Picchu, the fabled “lost city of the Inca,” and our quest for tomorrow! We’ll lodge in a riverside hotel, have a delicious dinner and shop at the huge crafts market.

DAY 4 – SACRED VALLEY: MACHU PICCHU

We will experience the legendary “lost city” and wander among its regal residences, temples, and plazas while we wonder about the industrious and imaginative Inca people Actually, Machu Picchu was another of the grand spiritual retreats of the Inca emperor Pachacuti. The stone masonry here is meticulous and artful, and is virtually still intact, as the Spanish never found Machu Picchu during their 1500s Conquest. We will marvel at the engineering and architectural prowess of the Inca people, and gaze at the enigmatic Intihuatana stone, the Royal Tomb, the Sacred Rock, and the Temples of the Sun, the Condor, and the Three Windows, and speculate about life in Machu Picchu during its zenith.

In the afternoon, we’ll take a relaxing train ride back to Ollantaytambo where we will lodge for the night.

DAY 5 – SACRED VALLEY & PUNO

We depart Ollantaytambo and we Will enjoy the southern sacred valley. we stop at Oropesa to enjoy some delicious local bread and visit the Sistine chapel of the Andes at Andahuaylillas. We head to Raqchi and visit the temple of Wiraccocha, then ascend to 4335 meters above sea level the Majestic pass of La Raya and eventually we arrive to Puno.

DAY 6 – LAKE TITICACA

After breakfast we will take ecological taxis to the Puno harbor and board our boat to head out on to Lake Titicaca to the famous “floating reed” Uros Islands. There we will engage in a fun and informative program with a local island community.

Then we’ll cruise further out on the lake to Amantani Island, We will homestay here with local families and hands on in their local activities.

In the late afternoon we hike to nearby Summit Pachamama to appreciate the majesty of the lake and one of the most beautiful sunsents in the world.

DAY 7 – AMANTANI & TAQUILE

After breakfast we Will cruise to Taquile island, thought by many to be one of the most scenic and culturally significant islands in the world. We’ll disembark and walk a cobblestone path to an island community where we will enjoy a cultural program and experience a simpler and unique way of life. There are no roads and cars here, and limited technology.

Then afterwards…a pleasant and relaxing afternoon cruise back to Puno.

DAY 8 – PUNO, SILLUSTANI & BACK TO LIMA

We depart Puno and head to a sacred site known as Sillustani. There we will walk amongst meticulously built stone funerary towers called chullpas which were used by the Inca and earlier Colla people to entomb their noble families. The stone masonry here is simply magnificent. The site is situated on a high bluff overlooking the sublime and picturesque Lago Umayo. The essend and experience here is very etheral.

We head north through the busy city of Juliaca and board a local flight to Lima