This comprehensive 10 days tour gives you an unforgettable introduction with City Tour in Lima, Sacred Valley, Cusco, and the World Heritage site of Machu Picchu. Colonial and Inca empires are combined with the natural Lodge in the Amazon Jungle. In each place there is a unique culture and people. You can take this as a regular tour departing daily, but for the best experience we highly recommend the private Sun God Tours departing on fixed dates, with no more than 16 clients (and probably less) in a group. Note that you select your preferred hotel category, and you meet your group mainly during day trips so this is really a semi-private tour.
Day 1: Lima:
Upon your arrival in Lima, our staff will transfer you to Jose Antonio hotel.
Day 2 Lima:
In the morning, guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima, the "City of Kings". The tour includes Lima's Historical Centre, passing by Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall. We will visit the Convent and Church of San Francisco, the greatest monumental complex of Colonial Art in America and Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The tour includes a visit to the Basilica of 21 altars, Convent of Cloisters, Capitulary and Clementine Rooms, Chorus and Library of the monks, a Museum showing 11 paintings of the Rubens School, the Sacristy with paintings of Surbaran and Ribera, its great patio decorated with Seville tiles of the XVIth Century, Moorish arches and underground Catacombs. We visit, the Larco Herrera Museum, founded in 1926, showcases remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview of 3,000 years of development of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Located in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid, the museum is surrounded by beautiful gardens. The museum features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru. It also houses the famous erotic archaeological collection, one of the most visited Peruvian tourist attractions. For an unforgettable experience, Larco is one of the few museums in the world where visitors can also choose to enter the storage area with its 45,000 classified archaeological objects. Its masterpieces are considered worldwide icons of pre-Columbian art, after being exhibited in the world's leading museums. Return to the hotel (Breakfast)
Day 3 Cusco:
Early in the morning transfer to the airport for the flight to Cusco. Upon your Arrival in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas, we greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel brief orientation and a cup of traditional coca tea to assist in the acclimation to the 11300 ft. in the Inca Capital of Cusco. In the afternoon City tour of Cusco, and include: The Cathedral, Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun ), the most important of Inca ceremonial sites. Later you will continue to the most important site of Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay, Qenqo and Puca Pucara. We return to the hotel (Breakfast)
Day 4 Sacred Valley:
After breakfast we travel by bus through the Sacred Valley of the Inca. where life has remained almost unchanged for 500 years. Upon decent into the Sacred Valley we will know that we ’ve arrived in the area the Inca revered for its lush fertile soils. Later on, We will have the opportunity of visiting the lively local Ancient Pisac market where many of the local Indians sell their hand made textiles. It is here that many fine Andean garments are for sale and you can test your haggling powers as you bargain for trinkets and souvenirs. For lunch we will have the chance to eat a buffet lunch at the local hacienda restaurant with traditional Andean foods and music. We continue to Ollantaytambo the major Inca fortress. Probably built by the great Inca ruler, Pachacuti in the 1460s, it was the site of Hernando Pizzaro’s defeat by Manco Inca in 1536. Constructed of finely cut polygonal stones and rhyolite blocks, the fortress and nearby town represent the best of Inca architecture and construction. Large worked blocks, some weighting as much as 100 tons were quarried from a site more than a thousand vertical feet above the valley floor using a technique of pecking with hammer stones, then skidded down and across the Urubamba river several kilometers to the temple site. Inclined ramps were built to raise the blocks several hundred feet up hill to the construction area. Return to the hotel, on the way we stop at the small Quechua village Chincheros and to the Hotel (Breakfast and Lunch)
Day 5 Machu Picchu:
Early in the morning after breakfast we pick you up at your hotel and take you to the railway station for the tourist class train to Machu Pichu. The 3 hour train for one of the world’s great railway journeys. This climbs out of Cusco on an amazing switchback track, then passes through traditional villages on the high plain, passes through picturesque Andean scenery, Inca ruins and rushing rivers. We'll descend 1300 meters through the Sacred Valley of the Incas and follow the Urubamba river until the final stop at Aguas Calientes. Afterward we'll take the 20 minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu, perched 600 meters above the river. Our guide will explain you the history and the myths that surround this archeological wonder MACHU PICCHU! The famous lost city of the Inca is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth! Stand 2,430m above sea-level in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. In an extraordinarily beautiful setting, it was probably most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height, its giant walls, terraces and ramps seen as, if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced by the powerful equatorial Sun. Afterwards we take the bus for your return to the Aguas Calientes for lunch. Return to Cusco (Breakfast and Lunch)
Day 6 Cusco:
Leisurely day with plenty of opportunity for shopping (Breakfast and Dinner)
Day 7 Lima:
Transfer form your Hotel to the Airport for your flight to Lima. Reception and transfer to the Hotel. (Breakfast)
Day 8 Iquitos & Ceiba Tops:
Transfer to the Airport and flight to Iquitos. Reception at the airport, brief city orientation and transfer to the Explorama dock. Twenty-five mile journey down the Amazon River to Ceiba Tops, where rooms with air conditioning and private bathrooms provide the comforts of home in the rainforest. Afternoon hike in the beautiful primary rainforest reserve surrounding the lodge which includes many huge trees festooned with epiphytes. After dinner there may be local flute or guitar music at the El Toucan Bar or the guides are always ready to relate some of the many legends of the Amazon forest. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
Day 9 Ceiba Tops:
Morning boat ride, spotting for dolphins, to visit a small village of Yagua Indians where your guide will explain the local Yagua Indian culture and how it was affected by the arrival of Europeans and the passing of time. There will also be an opportunity to see some of the local crafts and for a demonstration of the blowgun which some of the Yagua elders still use for hunting. Afternoon walking excursion to the neighboring town of Indiana. Originally a Franciscan mission, Indiana has grown into a large river community with its own market, high school and small hospital. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
Day 10 Lima:
Your choice of morning walking or boating excursion to further enjoy the rainforest and Amazon River. Afternoon transfer to Iquitos and to the airport (Breakfast and Lunch)
$2,132.00 per person in double occupancy
This includes: all meals from Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, accommodations as stated in the itinerary, domestic airfare, Vistadome Train, ground transportation during the tour, Ceiba Tops Luxury Lodge and guide services provided by our guide.
It does not include: airfare from your home to Lima and return, airport departure taxes, alcoholic beverages, special gratuities, phone calls, laundry, or items of a personal nature. The single supplement for this tour is $450. You will be charged a single supplement if you desire single accommodations.
TOUR REGISTRATION: To register for this tour, complete the Tour registration form and return it with a deposit of 50% per person. If registering by phone, the deposit must be received within 10 days or the space will be released. Full payment of the tour fee is due 60 days prior to the tour departure date.
AIR INFORMATION: Sun God Expeditions Tours E.I.R.L is a full-service travel agency and we will be happy to make any domestic or international air travel arrangements from your home and return. Please feel free to contact us to confirm your air arrangements.
CURRENCY: Nuevo Sol; as of February, 2006, $1 USD = 3.42 Nuevo Sol. Local currency and USD are available from ATM’s at Lima airport and major cities
DOCUMENTS: For U.S. citizens, a passport valid for at least six months beyond your planned departure is required. Non-United States citizens should check with their local Peruvian consulate or embassy. A visa is not required; a tourist card will be issued by the airline
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
• Departure tax: Lima/USA $28.25 as of August 2005. This may be paid in Peruvian Soles or U.S. dollars.
• Electric Current: 220 Volts (flat pin plug).
• Time: Eastern Standard Time
Note: Upgrades and Hiram Bingham train and private tours, please contact us for details
Before booking, it is important to have read and understood the Terms and Conditions. Please bear in mind that significant price reductions are available for groups.
