Private Driver Peru Legends

Arrival at the Lima airport and we will meet you and transfer to you to the hotel for check-in. Settle in and relax. Overnight.

This morning you are met by a private guide for a walking tour of the city. From the Plaza San Martin to Plaza Mayor of Lima, enjoy a walk through Lima’s most popular street, admiring the beautiful and regal architecture. Free afternoon at your leisure. Overnight.

Early breakfas and drive to Pisco for around 3 hours. We arrive into Pisco airport for our flight over the Nazca Lines. Flight tour over the enigmatic Nazca Lines; The Nazca lines are geoglyphs and geometric line clearings in the Peruvian desert. They were made by the Nazca people, who flourished between 200 BCE and 600 CE along rivers and streams that flow from the Andes. The desert itself runs for over 1,400 miles along the Pacific Ocean. The area of the Nazca art is called the Pampa Colorada (Red Plain). It is 15 miles wide and runs some 37 miles parallel to the Andes and the sea. Dark red surface stones and soil have been cleared away, exposing the lighter-colored subsoil, creating the “lines”. There is no sand in this desert. From the air, the “lines” include not only lines and geometric shapes, but also depictions of animals and plants in stylized forms. Some of the forms, including images of humans, grace the steep hillsides at the edge of the desert. Lunch at local Restaurant then 30 minutes to Paracas. Overnight

After breakfast, transfer to the port for the boat to the Ballestas islands. These spectacular islands, eroded into many caves and arches, provide shelter for thousands of seabirds and hundreds of sea-lions. Although the islands fall just outside the Paracas National Reserve they are protected by separate legislation. The islands are home to over 150 species of marine bird including the Humboldt penguin, cormorants, boobies and pelicans. Even condors have been known to visit. On the shores can be seen large numbers of sea-lions and in the sea it is possible to encounter dolphins and even whales. After the boat tour, return to the mainland for our drive back to Lima. Return to the hotel. Overnight.

Breakfast and transfer to Lima airport for our departure flight to Cusco. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Morning free. In the afternoon City tour of Cusco. This tour 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. Overnight

After breakfast we travel by van through the Sacred Valley of the Inca. Where life has remained almost unchanged for 500 years. Upon decent into the Sacred Valley you will know that you’ve arrived in the area the Inca revered for its lush fertile soils. Later on, you 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 you 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. Back To Cusco. Ovenright.

Early in the morning after breakfast we aboard the tourist class train to Machu Picchu. The 1/2 hour train for one of the world’s great railway journeys, passes through picturesque Andean scenery, traditional villages, 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. We’ll take the 20 minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu, perched 600 meters above the river. Our guide will explain 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. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. Afterwards we take the bus for our return to Aguas Calientes for lunch. We take the train back to Cusco. Reception and transfer to our Hotel. Overnight

A free day for sightseeing.  Visit local market or visit Local museum, Inca streets. Overnight.

Perhaps time for some last minute shopping before you are transferred to the airport.