| Sun |
- June 3 - Lima
- Upon arrival in Lima, you will be met outside of baggage claim and transferred to the Casa Andina Private Collection Hotel -Miraflores. Check-in is after 3pm. Dinner is on your own. With its stylish contemporary design, cutting-edge technology and ideal location, the flagship Casa Andina Private Collection - Miraflores hotel is the top of its class in every aspect. Its quintessential Limeño flavor reverberates in the exquisite art collection of contemporary local artists and prized colonial-era antiques found in both its public spaces and accommodations.
The 17-story hotel, with views over Miraflores and the Pacific coast, offers 148 sophisticated, contemporary luxury rooms, with soundproofing and LCD flatscreen TVs in every room. First-class amenities include a heated, covered pool and breezy terrace, gymnasium with the latest exercise equipment, the prestigious Joop salon & massage room and a business center.
*Meals: -/-/-
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| Mon |
- June 4
- After breakfast, you will transfer to the Lima airport for your flight to Cusco and transfer to the Libertador Palacio del Inka Hotel. We will rest in the morning to adjust to the altitude, and then in the afternoon, you will explore archaeological treasures around the city. Sacsayhuaman (pronounced sexsay-wooman), an Inca construction strategically placed on a hill, is believed to have been a fortress. Here, you will be able to appreciate the enormous and impressively carved stones that fit together with amazing precision. Qengo invites us to cross its huge subterranean galleries, and in Tambomachay we can admire a collection of terraces and water canals still in use today. We finally arrive at Puca Pucara or Red Fortress, which is named this due to the color of the rock at sunset. It was used as a strategic point to control passage on the Inca Trail in the direction of Cusco.
*Meals: B/-/-
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| Tues |
- June 5
- Today you’ll transfer to Poroy’s station to board the Orient Express luxury train “Hiram Bingham.” Enjoy the spectacular scenery as we travel from the Andean highlands to the beginnings of the jungle. A delicious brunch will be served onboard the train on the way to Aguas Calientes.
You will arrive at the Lost Citadel of the Incas and the local bus will take us to the citadel of Machu Picchu, or lost city of the Incas. You will have a guided tour of the citadel and walk through the different areas of the city; the agriculture and urban zone, featuring temples and dwellings; and the Intihuatana, or sun dial, finely carved out of stone. After exploring, we enjoy an afternoon tea at the Sanctuary Hotel before returning to town. Check into your hotel room at the Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel, and enjoy a delicious dinner before retiring for the evening.
*Meals: B/-/D (Brunch Included)
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| Wed |
- June 6
- This morning is an excellent opportunity to wake up early and enjoy the beautiful sunrise at Machu Picchu. Before the crowds arrive, enjoy some quiet, reflective, meditative time at Machu Picchu. Climb up the Huayna Picchu, or hike up to the Sun Gate, where the Inca trail is. You can choose to remain at the site until the final buses come back, return for lunch and go back at sunset if you like. Or you may decide to rest at the hotel or shop in town.
*Meals: B/L/D
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| Thurs |
- June 7
- Enjoy breakfast and lunch at the hotel and dinner on the train. In the morning, the day is free to explore Machu Picchu on your own, or stroll around the town of Aguas Caliente and shop, or visit its Hot Springs Thermal waters or enjoy a hot stone massage. Might we suggest a morning meditation on the hillside or a morning hike to Huayna Picchu or Sun gate if you missed it yesterday? As the sun goes down, we will return to the train for departure. We will have a short time for shopping with local vendors before boarding the train.
Onboard, we will be served a cocktail and entertained by local musicians. We will then join the main dining car, where we will enjoy a four-course gourmet dinner.
*Meals: B/L/D
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| Fri |
- June 8
- This morning, on the way to Urubamba Valley, we will have a chance to visit Awanakancha, where South American Camelidae are bred. Learn about the superb fiber of llamas, alpacas and vicunas as well as ancient weaving techniques. This is a great shopping opportunity for rugs and weavings that directly benefit the locals. Next we visit the colorful Pisac Market where we can interact with the locals and barter with the merchants.
Next, you’ll view a Peruvian horse show. In the Paso Horse exhibition, the horse marks the rhythm accompanied by a dancer doing the marinera, Peru’s emblematic dance. Following the horse demonstration is a succulent lunch enjoyed in the Wayra gardens among the native plants.
After lunch we end the day with a visit to the fortress and Citadel of Ollantaytambo. This fortress was built to protect the entrance of this part of the valley and prevent the possible invasions of tribes from the jungle lowlands. Ollantaytambo was later the scene of Incan resistance in 1537, when Manco Inca’s forces raided Hernando Pizarro’s troops.
*Meals: B/L/-
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| Sat |
- June 9 - Lima
- After breakfast, we will be transferred to the Cusco Airport for our flight to Lima. Those with evening flights will enjoy a complimentary day-room at the Lima Ramada by the airport, where you can rest or enjoy the spa.
*Meals: B/-/-
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