Peru: Lima, the Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu

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1. Day1 Flight to LimaAthens → Lima

   Departure from Athens on a scheduled flight with a connection in a European city, bound for Lima on the Pacific coast. Arrival during the day, transfer to the hotel and a welcome dinner with your Greek tour coordinator. The city sits at sea level, so your body can rest before the climb into the Andes.

   • Flight
   • Dinner
2. Day2 Colonial Lima and cevicheLima

   A walk through the historic centre, with the Plaza Mayor, the cathedral and the carved wooden balconies of the colonial mansions. At lunch you taste ceviche, raw fish marinated in lime, served with sweet potato and corn. In the afternoon, stroll Miraflores on the cliffs above the Pacific, with paragliders circling in the sky.

   • Coach
   • Breakfast · Lunch
3. Day3 Cusco, weavers and PisacLima → Cusco → Sacred Valley

   A domestic flight to Cusco, then straight by coach to the Sacred Valley, lower than the city, so that you adapt to the altitude gradually. A stop at a weavers' cooperative, where llamas and alpacas come close and wool is dyed with natural colours. At Pisac you wander among stalls of textiles and ceramics. Dinner at the hotel.

   • Flight
   • Breakfast · Dinner
4. Day4 Moray, Maras salt pans and OllantaytamboSacred Valley

   A day devoted to Inca farming wisdom. At Moray, circular terraces form a natural amphitheatre where, according to tradition, crops were tested in different microclimates. Next come the Maras salt pans, thousands of white basins on the hillside, and the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo, with its living village at its feet.

   • Coach
   • Breakfast · Lunch
5. Day5 Panoramic train to Aguas CalientesOllantaytambo → Aguas Calientes

   You board the panoramic train that follows the Urubamba river, with big windows onto green slopes: the scenery shifts from highlands to cloud forest in about an hour and a half. Arrival in Aguas Calientes, the village at the foot of Machu Picchu, named after its hot springs. Free afternoon and dinner.

   • Train
   • Breakfast · Dinner
6. Day6 Machu Picchu at dawnMachu Picchu → Cusco

   Wake before sunrise. The bus climbs in zigzags from the village to the Inca citadel, which emerges from the mist as the sun lights Huayna Picchu. Your guide shows you the terraces, the Temple of the Sun and the Intihuatana stone; then there is time to wander on your own. Return by train to Ollantaytambo and transfer to Cusco, at 3,400 metres.

   • Train
   • Breakfast · Lunch
7. Day7 Cusco, Qorikancha and SacsayhuamánCusco

   A visit to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca empire: the Plaza de Armas with its cathedral, the Qorikancha, where Inca walls support a colonial convent, and the stone lanes of the San Blas quarter. In the afternoon you climb to the fortress of Sacsayhuamán, with huge stones fitted together without mortar.

   • Coach
   • Breakfast · Lunch
8. Day8 Free day or Rainbow MountainCusco

   A free day in Cusco, among the central market, the workshops of San Blas and its cafés. Those in good shape can choose the optional excursion to Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca), above 5,000 metres: a very early start, a long drive and a final uphill walk to see the red, yellow and turquoise stripes. The altitude tests even fit walkers, so we decide together.

   • Breakfast
9. Day9 Farewell to Cusco, dinner in LimaCusco → Lima

   A free morning in Cusco for last purchases, such as alpaca scarves and sweaters, then a flight to Lima. In the afternoon, a last walk along the Miraflores seafront path and a farewell dinner of Creole dishes with a pisco sour for the toast. In the evening, transfer to the airport for the flight home.

   • Flight
   • Breakfast · Dinner
10. Day10 Arrival in AthensReturn to Athens

    After the overnight flight and a connection in a European city, landing in Athens during the day. You take home Inca terraces, the mist over Machu Picchu and the scent of lime on fresh ceviche. End of services.

    • Flight