- Details
- Itinerary
- Photos
PERUVIAN WONDERS: FROM LIMA TO MACHU PICCHU
From the urban bustle of Lima to the mountain majesty of Cuzco, a trip to Peru is a captivating immersion in cultural and natural diversity. Lima, the bustling metropolis, seduces with its blend of modernity and colonial history, while Arequipa enchants with its volcanic architecture. The Colca Canyon offers a breathtaking panorama of deep valleys and towering peaks. The Uros Islands, floating on Lake Titicaca, tell a unique story of communities building their lives on artificial islands. Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital, dazzles with its cobbled streets and historic remains. Maras and Moray reveal the mysteries of Inca farming, while Machu Picchu, the perched citadel, marvels at its grandeur and enigma. Each site reveals a different chapter of Peru’s rich history, offering an unforgettable adventure.
- Lima
- Arequipa
- Colca Canyon
- Uros Island
- Cuzco
- Maras
- Moray
- Machu Picchu
Includes:
- Round trip flight from Montreal to Lima with Air Transat
- Interior flight from Lima to Arequipa
- Interior flight from Cusco to Lima
- 12 nights’ accommodation
- 32 meals: 11 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 10 dinners
- Visits as mentioned in the itinerary
- All transfers
- Round trip train ticket to Machu Picchu
- Services of a guide
- Services of a Gendrontours group leader
- Client’s contribution to the Compensation fund of $3,50 per $1,000
- Taxes
Not included:
- Drinks
- Gratuities
- Meals other than those mentioned
- Luggage fees with the airline if applicable
Entry and exit requirements – COVID-19
Most governments have implemented special entry and exit restrictions and requirements for their territory due to COVID-19. Before travelling, it is your responsibility to verify if the local authorities of both your current location and destinations have implemented any restrictions or requirements related to this situation. Vaccination or health passports may be required in some cases. It is your responsibility to be aware of the specific entry, exit and transit restrictions and requirements for the country or territory you are visiting before you travel and before you book your trip. Voyages Gendron is not responsible if you do not meet your destination’s entry or exit requirements. For full details on health measures and entry and exit requirements for a destination, visit the official government website.
Itinerary:
Flight.
Arrival at Lima airport and private transfer to your hotel: assistance in French during the transfer and check-in at the hotel.
Breakfasts at the hotel.
Free morning.
Visit to the Larco Herrera Museum with a private French speaking guide
Departure to the neighborhood of Pueblo Libre to visit the Larco Herrera Museum.
Surrounded by elegant gardens, the museum is housed in an old colonial style mansion. This beautiful museum exhibits the finest collection of pre-Columbian gold and silver pieces from ancient Peru, as well as a famous collection of Mochica erotic ceramics (pre-Columbian civilization from the northern coast of Peru).
Lunch menu at El Bolivariano restaurant.
Located in the district of Pueblo Libre, El Bolivariano is a mythical restaurant of the Peruvian capital. This traditional restaurant dating from the XVIII century was known at that time as “La Huerta del Convento” (the convent’s vegetable garden). It’s a trip back in time and a hymn to the typical Creole cuisine of Lima.
You will spend the night at the Dazzler Hotel – classic room or similar.
Dinner menu on site.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Transfer to Lima airport for the flight.
Private transfer from Arequipa airport to your hotel.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Half-day tour of the city of Arequipa with a private English speaking guide, including the Monastery of Santa Catalina and the Chapel of San Ignacio.
The tour first passes through the most traditional district of Arequipa, the San Lazaro district, characterized by its very picturesque cobbled streets and then passes in front of the Fundo del Fierro, an old patrician house where you can discover the local handicrafts. The tour continues on to the Church and Monastery of San Francisco, one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, and then on to the beautiful Plaza de Armas, where splendid arcades compete in elegance with the Cathedral and the Church of the Society of Jesus. The visit ends at the convent of Santa Catalina, a small town in the heart of the city, with its narrow streets lined with small houses coloured in ochre, blue and white, its squares and fountains, a setting reminiscent of distant Andalusia.
You will spend the night at the Fundador Hotel.
Dinner at a local restaurant.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Half day tour with a private French speaking guide around Arequipa.
Visit of the surroundings of the city of Arequipa appreciating its picturesque villages like Tingo, Paucarpata and its church, the mirador of Sachaca with a beautiful view of the countryside. You will also be able to appreciate a very beautiful series of terraces of the pre-Inca and Inca periods. Finally, you will discover the Mill of Sabandía and the Founder’s House.
An English speaking guide will accompany you during your visit.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Free afternoon in Arequipa.
Dinner menu at a local restaurant.
Overnight stay at the Fundador Hotel – Executive Room or similar.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Two-day excursion with a private French-speaking guide in the Colca canyon.
In the heart of the Peruvian Andes, the road leading to the Colca Canyon is dotted with peaks and volcanoes including the Misti, Chachani and Picchu Picchu volcanoes. The road opens onto a flat, dry and rocky high plain: the Pampa Cañahua, the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve. This reserve is home to the smallest but most elegant of the camelids, the wild Vicuña. After passing a pass at 4900 m, we descend to Chivay, the entry point to the Colca canyon.
Buffet lunch included in a local restaurant.
Lodging at the hotel Casa Andina Standard Colca in a traditional room or similar.
Dinner menu on the spot.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Early morning departure on the panoramic road along the Colca River to arrive at La Croix du Condor.
The road that leads to the viewpoint of La Croix du Condor overlooks one of the deepest canyons in the world: the Colca Canyon. It passes through the most picturesque village of Colca, the village of Pinchollo, and the traditional villages of Maca, Achoma and Yanque. The viewpoint of La Croix du Condor is the ideal place to take the right measure of the depth of the Colca Canyon. From the viewpoint it is also possible to observe the flight of the condors that pass by here daily.
Return by the same road.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Departure to Puno.
The altiplano is located at 3819 m above sea level in the south-east of Peru. In the middle of this immense plateau, called the “Transparent Region of the New World” because of its luminous atmosphere, lies Lake Titicaca. Puno was an important mining region, hence the expression “this is not Peru” to designate a not very profitable business.
Accommodation at the Casa Andina Standard Puno Hotel.
Dinner menu on site.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer from your hotel to the port.
2-day excursion on Lake Titicaca, visit of the floating islands of Uros, the community of Llachon and the island of Taquile by private boat with French speaking guide.
An excursion on the Titicaca Lake is a unique experience, between sky and water, blue and green, sun and earth. It allows to discover its natural and artificial islands, the daily life of its inhabitants and to feel the symbolic importance of the lake.
First stop on the floating islands of Uros.
The Uros community, lives on more than 63 artificial islands made of superimposed layers of rushes. The Uros call themselves kotsuña, “the village-lake”. They preserved certain traditions like the artisanal fishing, the hunting of wild birds, the construction of rafts of reeds and certain techniques of weaving. Continuation of the crossing in direction of the peninsula of Capachica in the community of Llachón, one of the communities of the peninsula. You will have the opportunity to participate in one of the experiences of participatory tourism developed on the shores of Lake Titicaca, to know their social life, the reality of their difficulties and their hopes for the future. The habitat is rustic and the living conditions are certainly precarious… but all of this in a marvelous scenery of terraced cultures and reflections of the sky in the lake in a world that can give the impression of having stopped forever a long time ago… That evolves in its own way, according to its parameters and especially, at its own pace.
At your arrival at the end of the morning, you will go for a sailboat ride (30 to 45 minutes) around the peninsula (3 people per boat – this activity depends on the weather conditions of the day: wind and quietness of the lake).
Rustic lunch at the inhabitant’s house.
In the afternoon, walk around the community with your guide.
Dinner and overnight stay with the local people.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Breakfast at the inhabitant’s house.
Departure to Taquile Island.
Taquile, is a natural island which allows you to understand the daily life and customs of the inhabitants of the lake. Its 1,500 residents preserve their ancient traditions to which they have integrated tourism. It is worth highlighting their legendary hospitality and the quality of their weavings with symmetrical decorations and bright colors representing Andean habits and beliefs.
Lunch in a rustic inn run by the inhabitants of Taquile. Tasting of trout caught in the lake.
Return to Puno in mid-afternoon.
Transfer from the port to the hotel.
Departure to Cusco by private vehicle for a trip of about 6 hours.
A French speaking guide will accompany you.
Take-out dinner with basket.
You will spend the night at the San Agustin Internacional Hotel.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Full day excursion with private French-speaking guide to Chinchero, Urpi community, to the saltworks of Maras and then to Moray.
Departure by private vehicle to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Visit of Chinchero, a small quiet town whose upper part is a real open-air museum. The cobbled streets where the craftsmen seem frozen in time. They gently lead the passer-by to the square in front of a church whose whiteness contrasts with the magnificent surrounding mountains.
Discover the weaving workshops of the community of Urpi, where you can appreciate the traditional techniques of weaving, from spinning, dyeing and weaving. The picturesque community is one of the few that preserves its authentic cultural patterns and where the inhabitants, still bilingual, make greater use of Quechua as a witness to a culture that reached one of the highest levels of development on the American continent, before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers.
Discovery of the Maras Saltworks and then the Moray site. Hundreds of small salt settling ponds are superimposed on top of each other at a height of several hundred meters. The colours and luminosity are spectacular. The salt is extracted using techniques from the time of the Incas. The site of Moray is a set of Inca agricultural terraces forming concentric circles dug into the ground.
A French speaking guide will accompany you during your excursion.
Lunch menu at the Tunupa Valle restaurant.
You will spend the night at the Agustos Urubamba Hotel – Standard Room.
Dinner menu on site.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Day trip to the citadel of Machu Picchu.
Private transfer from your hotel in Urubamba to Ollantaytambo train station.
Departure by train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu in Voyager class. Live the mystical experience of an unforgettable journey. You’ll enjoy an incredible landscape along the road to Machu Picchu between snowy peaks, towering mountains and the winding river until you enter a magical rainforest that is home to the famous Inca citadel.
Ascent to the citadel of Machu Picchu by shuttle bus.
A dream of every traveler, a legend that has yet to reveal all its mysteries, the citadel of Machu Picchu continues to bewitch and seduce visitors in search of magic. This stone citadel is the emblematic monument of Peru and, beyond, of all South America. Indeed, it is one of the most imposing and impressive monumental complexes on the planet, with justice recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage of humanity.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
This traditional Peruvian restaurant welcomes you in the village of Machu Picchu, before or after your discovery of the Inca citadel.
Return by train to Ollantaytambo, in Voyager class.
Live the mystical experience of an unforgettable journey.
Private transfer from Cuzco train station.
Accommodation at the hotel San Agustin Internacional.
Dinner menu in site.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Half day city tour and San Pedro market with French speaking guide.
You will leave your hotel on foot accompanied by your guide to the Plaza de Armas and visit the sublime Cathedral of Cuzco which was built on the remains of Inca temples destroyed by the Spaniards to fight what the Holy Inquisition called “idolatry”. Among other wonders, it shelters a choir, masterpiece of colonial cabinet making, carved in oak wood.
You will also discover the market of San Pedro, always in effervescence. This is the most important market in the city, where you can find fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers, etc. It’s the perfect opportunity to soak up the local atmosphere!
Lunch menu at a local restaurant.
Half-day excursion in private French-speaking service to discover the 4 surrounding ruins on horseback
Direction Q’enqo where you will visit the site for about 30 minutes.
Then, arrival at the ranch where your horses will be waiting for you and you will ride around for about 40 minutes until you reach the lagoon of Qoricocha where you will leave your horses for the moment.
You will then take a vehicle to go to the sites of Tambomachay and PukaPukara (thirty minutes of visit on each site). Administrative and military center, ancient checkpoint on the Inca trail, PukaPukara (“red turret” in Quechua) is a strategic place formed by platforms, stairs, corridors and turrets. Tambomachay is known as “the bath of the Inca” and considered as a place of worship to the water where the high degree of Inca mastery of the hydraulic engineering is expressed again.
Thereafter, you will return to the place where you left your horses and you will walk for about forty minutes in the heights of Cuzco until Sacsayhauman. You will join the site by vehicle for a visit of one hour. Sacsayhuamán (“the place where the puma rests” in Quechua) was a religious center. This monumental complex offers a beautiful panoramic view of the city. Every year on June 24 the Inti Raymi (sun festival) is celebrated there. Return to Cuzco.
Return to Cuzco.
An French-speaking guide will accompany you during your excursion.
Dinner menu at the Tunupa restaurant.
You will spend the night at the San Agustin Internacional Hotel.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Private transfer from your hotel to the airport in Cusco and help with the check-in process.
Reception at the airport in Lima and private transfer to the city center.
Assistance during the transfer.
Half-day colonial and modern tour of Lima
The metropolis of Lima is a mixture of Peruvian modernity and colonial heritage. Departure from the historical center and San Martin square to discover the Hotel Bolivar, then transfer to the Plaza Mayor where the most representative Colonial Casonas of the Peruvian capital are located. Visit of one of the most beautiful examples of the colonial baroque of the continent, the Cathedral of Lima.The visit continues to the architectural complex of San Francisco, jewel of colonial architecture.Continuation to Miraflores, tourist and modern district dominating the Pacific Ocean. You will discover the malecón overlooking the ocean and enjoy a superb panorama.
Buffet lunch at the Mangos Larcomar restaurant.
Free afternoon in Lima.
Free time for dinner in Lima ($).
You will spend the night at the Dazzle hotel.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Transfer to the airport for the flight back.
March 28 to April 9, 2025
13 days | 12 nights | Flight | 32 meals
Book before May 30, 2024 and save 300 $ / pers.
Conditions
Deposit required of 10% at the moment of booking.
Final payment due before January 17, 2025.
First 10 seats at this price.