Description
This is an excellent holiday which introduces you to the culture and heritage of modern and ancient Peru. It combines our Inca Highlights trip with Lake Titicaca.
In Cusco, high in the Andes, your brush with Incan culture begins. This is the historical capital of the Incan Empire. Even today you can see walls made of huge interlocking granite stones which were carved so precisely that no mortar was needed to keep them together. And many of the city’s buildings are built on the foundations of Inca buildings, such as Korikancha and the cathedral.
But you don’t just come here for the fascinating past, you also come for the vibrant and colourful present. Cusco is a bit of a ‘mecca’ for travellers, and it is an exciting place to be. Enjoy the bars and restaurants, watch the Quechuan people go by in indigenous dress, and even bump into the odd llama. The shopping here is excellent too, so be warned!
About an hour’s drive out of Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas was probably called this because of its great fertility. The Urubamba Valley (as it is officially known) was the bread basket of the area, and actually still is. You can still see people working the terraced hillsides which have been farmed like this for hundreds of years. It is a very scenic area with lots of small traditional villages such as Pisac, which has a not-to-be-missed market three times a week, and Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was one of the Inca’s last strongholds, and today it retains superbly preserved ruins.
But of course the main highlight of Incan heritage is the famous ruins of Machu Picchu. A shared tour of the ancient city will undoubtedly be one of the most unforgettable parts of your holiday. Arriving by train at the small town of Aguas Calientes at the foot of the mountain on which Machu Picchu stands, you then take a zig-zag bus journey up to the ruins. The spectacle of this magical set of ruins in this dramatic mountain landscape is enjoyed by some simply by looking in awe, but you can explore the city with a guide to get all the history and hearsay, then come back and just wander around and enjoy being here.
After a train journey from Machu Picchu to Cusco, you then have a scenic journey by bus over the altiplano (high plains) to Puno and the shores of Lake Titicaca, one of the highest lakes in the world. You’ll visit the famous floating reed islands of Uros and the remote island of Amantani, where another highlight of the holiday for many will be a homestay. Whilst there is rarely a common language (these are Aymari-speaking people), there is no doubting the friendly welcome you will receive from your hosts.
Your last stop is Lima. After the places you’ve just seen, it could seem a little dull. However a private tour of some of the more interesting spots is well worthwhile in the time you will inevitably have here due to flight timings.
We also offer extended versions of this holiday taking in Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, or the Amazon rainforest, or a combination of these locations.