Peru

Arriving in the vibrant cultural city of Cusco, you’ll be transported from the airport to our hotel located in the beautiful historic center. Our staff will be on hand to check you in and ensure you get situated. Once the entire group has arrived, we’ll gather for a tour orientation in the evening and a delicious welcome dinner in the heart of town.

With so many layers of history packed into Cusco, we’ll begin with a half-day tour of some of the city’s most important landmarks. We’ll visit the colossal Fortress of Sacsayhuaman, built with enormous carved stones fitted together with remarkable precision, before continuing to Qoricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun. Once one of the most sacred sites in the Inca Empire, its inner walls were said to have been covered in gold. We’ll then head to Cusco Cathedral, where our guide will introduce us to its beautiful interiors and impressive collection of 17th and 18th century paintings from the famous Cusco School.

After the tour, we’ll enjoy lunch together at a local restaurant. The rest of the afternoon will then be free to relax or continue exploring Cusco at your own pace, whether you want to browse the markets and shops, stop for a coffee, or simply wander through the historic center.

We’ll begin the day with a hands-on visit to Cusco’s chocolate museum, where we’ll learn how cacao grown in the Peruvian jungle is transformed into chocolate. We’ll follow the process from the cacao tree to the finished product, hear a little about the history of chocolate, and then make our own chocolates to take with us and share later. During the workshop, we’ll also prepare three different cacao drinks: cacao tea, Mayan-style hot chocolate, and European hot chocolate.

In the evening we’ll continue with a colorful introduction to Andean culture at a local center dedicated to preserving the traditions of the Cusco region. We’ll see displays of traditional clothing, handicrafts, musical instruments, and other examples of local heritage before sitting down for a lively folkloric show. The performance brings together music and dances from different parts of Peru, with traditional costumes and rhythms that offer a fun look at the country’s cultural diversity.

Heading into the majestic Andean Mountains, our journey will take us to the heart of the Sacred Valley. Our first destination will be Pisac, a town where Inca architecture and colonial history come together. We’ll stroll through its well-known artisan market, filled with jewelry, ceramics, textiles, and other locally made crafts.

From there, we’ll continue to the Sulca Museum, where we’ll learn more about traditional Andean textiles, weaving techniques, and the cultural importance of these crafts throughout the region.

Later, we’ll travel to Ollantaytambo, a historic town that offers a remarkable look at Inca engineering. We’ll explore its archaeological complex and fortress, where massive stone terraces, walls, and towers once protected an important stop along the Inca road system. At the end of the day, we’ll check into our comfortable hotel surrounded by gardens and mountain scenery.

Today we’ll explore daily life and local traditions in the Sacred Valley, beginning with the main plaza and market in Urubamba. Farmers and ranchers from across the Cusco region come here to sell produce and local ingredients, giving us a look at the variety created by Peru’s different climates and elevations.

From there, we’ll travel to the village of Lamay, away from the busiest tourist routes, where we’ll walk through the local streets and visit the 17th-century Church of Saint James the Apostle.

We’ll then learn more about life in the community, including how guinea pigs are traditionally raised and the role they play in Andean culture. We’ll also visit a traditional chicheria to see how chicha, a fermented corn drink, is made and why it remains important to social and agricultural life in the region. We’ll have the chance to enjoy a small snack with a glass of chicha before continuing to the Inkary Museum, where full-scale recreations introduce us to the civilizations that shaped Peru before the arrival of the Spanish.

Today we’ll spend time with members of a Quechua community and learn about the weaving traditions that remain an important part of life in the Andes. After receiving a warm welcome in an upper mountain village, we’ll make our way to the local cooperative.

Here we’ll follow the weaving process from shearing sheep or alpaca wool and creating natural dyes from local plants to working on the looms where the finished textiles take shape. You’ll then have the chance to join a hands-on workshop and knit your own bracelet.

We’ll sit down for a homemade lunch at a weaver’s home, with time to speak with community members before continuing to the Alqa Museum in Ollantaytambo. This small museum is dedicated to traditional Andean art, with textiles, ceramics, masks, carvings, and other pieces that reflect the beliefs, stories, and daily lives of communities across the region.

We'll start the day at the salt pans of Maras, a patchwork of thousands of shallow pools that have supplied salt since Inca times. Fed by a natural spring, water is guided through narrow channels into each pan, and the sun does the rest. As it evaporates, crystals form and local families harvest them by hand through a community system. We’ll follow marked paths to viewpoints, learn how the pans are managed, and hear about grades of salt such as the pale pink variety sold in nearby markets.

Later we’ll continue to Moray, a set of circular terraces in deep bowl shaped hollows. Each level has a slightly different temperature, which the Inca used to test crops and adapt them to highland conditions. Afterward we’ll head back to the hotel with the afternoon free to relax and enjoy the hotel’s amenities.

Leaving our hotel early, we’ll head to the train station and board the comfortable Vistadome for the journey through the Sacred Valley toward Aguas Calientes. With its large panoramic windows, the ride offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, valleys, and the Urubamba River as we make our way toward one of the most anticipated stops of the trip.

Once we arrive in Aguas Calientes, we’ll take the shared bus up the winding mountain road to Machu Picchu, the extraordinary 15th-century Inca citadel and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Set high among steep, forested peaks, Machu Picchu is as impressive for its dramatic location as it is for its remarkably preserved stonework. With our guide, we’ll explore the ancient citadel and learn more about the Incas who built it, the purpose of its temples, terraces, plazas, and ceremonial spaces, and the incredible engineering that allowed an entire settlement to thrive in such a challenging mountain environment.

After our visit, we’ll return by bus to Aguas Calientes and check into our hotel for the night. The rest of the day will be free to relax, explore this small mountain town, or simply enjoy a quiet evening after an unforgettable day at Machu Picchu.

Today you'll have the morning free to enjoy Aguas Calientes at your own pace. You might browse the artisan market near the train station, wander through the small streets and cafés, take a walk along the river, or visit the town’s thermal baths for a relaxing soak. It’s a compact and easy place to explore on foot, so you can keep the morning as active or relaxed as you’d like before continuing the journey.

In the afternoon we’ll return to the train station and board the Vistadome for the scenic ride back toward Cusco. After arriving at Poroy Station, we’ll be met by our driver and continue by private vehicle to our hotel in Cusco, where we’ll settle in for the evening.

This morning we’ll head to the San Pedro Market, where a local chef will guide us through aisles filled with Andean potatoes, giant-kernel corn, fresh highland cheeses, herbs, breads, flowers, and fruit from the cloud forest. With our ingredients in hand, we’ll continue to the chef’s rooftop kitchen and prepare a small menu using regional staples such as quinoa, ají amarillo, rocoto, and river trout. Along the way, we’ll learn a few simple techniques and then sit down together to enjoy what we’ve made with wide views over Cusco’s red-tiled roofs.

After lunch, the afternoon will be free to enjoy Cusco at your own pace. You can browse the shops and markets, stop for a coffee, revisit a favorite part of the historic center, or simply relax at the hotel. In the evening, we’ll come back together for our farewell dinner and one final night together in Peru.

You'll be picked up at the hotel for your airport transfer according to your flight time.