Machu Picchu and Titicaca holiday, tailormade
| country: | Peru |
| location: | Machu Picchu |
| departures: | This trip can also be arranged at any time to suit yourself. |
| price: | From £2640 (14 days) including domestic flights only, as per itinerary, based on 2 travelling. We can arrange flights from the UK. In order to put together a detailed response it would be very helpful if you could provide full details in your enquiry |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This is a trip full of stunning Andean scenery and steeped in Inca history. Watching the condors rise from the dramatic Colca Canyon is breathtaking, but nothing can quite prepare you for your first view of Machu Picchu - however many photos you have seen. The charming towns of Cusco and Arequipa will enchant you, and the warm welcome from your hosts on Lake Titicaca will delight you. A trip not to be missed.
Arequipa lies at 2400m altitude at the foot of the El Misti volcano in the Peruvian Andes. It is an attractive city with many fine colonial buildings, the most famous of which is the Santa Catalina monastery.
This is a large monastery built in Hispanic colonial style, its walls painted vivid colours throughout. It is actually a convent and was opened to the public in 1970.
About 4 hour's drive away is Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. The 'Cruz del Condor' viewpoint overlooks the canyon, and if you come here early enough in the morning there is a very good chance that you will be treated to the sight of huge Andean condors rising up from the canyon on the morning thermals. There are some great lodges in this area where you can enjoy a relaxing stay in comfortable rooms with good food.
Set in high Andean mountains at 3320m, Cusco is an attractive town which draws people from all over the world. Built on the foundations of an Inca city, you can still see intricate Inca masonry and buildings as you walk through the town. The huge cathedral dominates the main square which is also flanked by many shops selling alpaca jumpers, jewellery and many other crafts, textiles and artworks It is the favourite city of most visitors to Peru, as the mixture of ancient history, traditional Andean culture and a relaxed atmosphere makes it a charming place to stay for a few days. A short distance from the main square, Koricancha, the Temple of the Sun, was once one of the most important buildings in the whole region, and its inner walls would have been covered with beaten gold. Today the Inca masonry can still be seen, though the church of Santa Domingo was built on top of the ruined temple.
Sacsayhuaman is a megalithic fortress just outside of the town which was begun by Pachacuti in the 15th century. It is an impressive structure even today, and is the site of the annual Inti Raymi festival which re-enacts the Inca Sun God celebrations each 24th June. Puca Pucara (meaning Red Fort) is a small fort worth a look, and it is close to the impressive Inca water fountains or baths of Tambomachay. Qenko was another a sacred site for the Incas, and includes various designs and geometric patterns carved into the rock. It may have had importance in a fertility rites. The Urubamba Valley, close to Cusco, was known as the Sacred Valley to the Incas due to its beauty and great fertility. Ollantaytambo was a fortress probably built in the 1460s by a great Inca ruler called Pachacuti. Nearby Pisac is a little-understood temple site with megalithic Inca terraces still used by local peasant farmers. Pisac is also known for its weekly markets with local produce such as fruit and vegetables as well as crafts.
Having explored Cusco and Sacred Valley, it is time to visit Machu Picchu, the famous lost city of the Incas, and one of the most magical and mysterious places on earth. Situated on the spine of a jungle-cloaked granite peak towering some 600m above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced through by the powerful equatorial sun. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. Our guide will reveal the story of the rise and fall of the ancient civilizations of the Andes with the tragic end of the Incas and the unresolved mystery that this "lost city" remains.
The day after your return to Cusco, a train journey through the Andes brings you to Lake Titicaca. Here you will head out from Puno and visit the floating reed islands of Uros. One of the 40 or so tortora reed islands is kept as a kind of living museum to this traditional way of life of the Uros Indians. Continuing northeast, you sail to a more remote island of Amantani. Here you will get a good view of island life as you stay as guests of a local family. The next day you visit Taquile, a very traditional island known for its weaving and knitted products, before heading back to Puno, ready for your flight to Lima and home.
Arequipa lies at 2400m altitude at the foot of the El Misti volcano in the Peruvian Andes. It is an attractive city with many fine colonial buildings, the most famous of which is the Santa Catalina monastery.
This is a large monastery built in Hispanic colonial style, its walls painted vivid colours throughout. It is actually a convent and was opened to the public in 1970.
About 4 hour's drive away is Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. The 'Cruz del Condor' viewpoint overlooks the canyon, and if you come here early enough in the morning there is a very good chance that you will be treated to the sight of huge Andean condors rising up from the canyon on the morning thermals. There are some great lodges in this area where you can enjoy a relaxing stay in comfortable rooms with good food.
Set in high Andean mountains at 3320m, Cusco is an attractive town which draws people from all over the world. Built on the foundations of an Inca city, you can still see intricate Inca masonry and buildings as you walk through the town. The huge cathedral dominates the main square which is also flanked by many shops selling alpaca jumpers, jewellery and many other crafts, textiles and artworks It is the favourite city of most visitors to Peru, as the mixture of ancient history, traditional Andean culture and a relaxed atmosphere makes it a charming place to stay for a few days. A short distance from the main square, Koricancha, the Temple of the Sun, was once one of the most important buildings in the whole region, and its inner walls would have been covered with beaten gold. Today the Inca masonry can still be seen, though the church of Santa Domingo was built on top of the ruined temple.
Sacsayhuaman is a megalithic fortress just outside of the town which was begun by Pachacuti in the 15th century. It is an impressive structure even today, and is the site of the annual Inti Raymi festival which re-enacts the Inca Sun God celebrations each 24th June. Puca Pucara (meaning Red Fort) is a small fort worth a look, and it is close to the impressive Inca water fountains or baths of Tambomachay. Qenko was another a sacred site for the Incas, and includes various designs and geometric patterns carved into the rock. It may have had importance in a fertility rites. The Urubamba Valley, close to Cusco, was known as the Sacred Valley to the Incas due to its beauty and great fertility. Ollantaytambo was a fortress probably built in the 1460s by a great Inca ruler called Pachacuti. Nearby Pisac is a little-understood temple site with megalithic Inca terraces still used by local peasant farmers. Pisac is also known for its weekly markets with local produce such as fruit and vegetables as well as crafts.
Having explored Cusco and Sacred Valley, it is time to visit Machu Picchu, the famous lost city of the Incas, and one of the most magical and mysterious places on earth. Situated on the spine of a jungle-cloaked granite peak towering some 600m above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced through by the powerful equatorial sun. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. Our guide will reveal the story of the rise and fall of the ancient civilizations of the Andes with the tragic end of the Incas and the unresolved mystery that this "lost city" remains.
The day after your return to Cusco, a train journey through the Andes brings you to Lake Titicaca. Here you will head out from Puno and visit the floating reed islands of Uros. One of the 40 or so tortora reed islands is kept as a kind of living museum to this traditional way of life of the Uros Indians. Continuing northeast, you sail to a more remote island of Amantani. Here you will get a good view of island life as you stay as guests of a local family. The next day you visit Taquile, a very traditional island known for its weaving and knitted products, before heading back to Puno, ready for your flight to Lima and home.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | (FRI). Fly to Lima. Transfer to hotel. |
| Day 2: | Fly to Arequipa. Afternoon tour of Santa Catalina. (B). |
| Day 3: | Drive to lodge near Colca Canyon. Relaxing afternoon. (B). |
| Day 4: | Early morning trip to see the 'Cruz del Condor' at the canyon. Relaxing afternoon. (FB) |
| Day 5: | Morning at leisure. Drive to Arequipa in afternoon. (B,L) |
| Day 6: | Fly to Puno. Afternoon at leisure. (B) |
| Day 7: | Boat trip on Lake Titicaca visiting Uros and staying on Amantani Island. (FB). |
| Day 8: | Visit Taquile Island, then travel back to Puno by boat. (B,L) |
| Day 9: | Scenic train journey through the Andes to Cusco. (B,L) |
| Day 10: | Day tour of the Sacred Valley. (B,L) |
| Day 11: | Morning tour of Cusco & surrounds. (B) |
| Day 12: | Train to Machu Picchu. Guided tour. Overnight in Aguas Calientes. (B,L) |
| Day 13: | Free morning to explore more of Machu Picchu. Return to Cusco in afternoon. (B) |
| Day 14: | Fly to Lima in the morning. Afternoon tour of the famous Gold museum. Transfer to airport. (B) |
tailor made holidays
This trip can be tailor made to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more luxurious trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments before relaxing in comfort. As this trip can be tailor made it would be helpful if you could you provide the following information: rough budget per person (stating with or without flights), your address and postcode, contact phone number, preferred date of travel, length of trip, number of passengers, preferred countries and areas within those countries, specific interests & type of accommodation.award winner
This tourism business was a winner of our First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards in 2005, and was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards. The Responsible Tourism Awards are the largest of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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All staff are paid fair wages and treated fairly. The guest house scheme on Amantani and Taquile Islands are run by and for the local people. The scheme allows visitors to get a real insight into local life on the island on terms which also help the community. We work in cooperation with local communities as far as possible. We offer fairly-traded revenue and use locally owned and run services such as hotels. Because of this you should find that your hosts are welcoming and open in their invitations to show you their region and cultures. We try to ensure that the local people are happy to receive tourists in their home region, and are informed of the possible impact. We will avoid travelling to any areas where we know tourism is not welcome. To organise our trips we use local conservationists or operators who have a strong environmental background. We vet the operating policy of everyone we work with. This company was voted most responsible tour operator by UK NGO Tourism Concern. On average 75% of the cost of your trip - excluding flights - remains in the destination.
Flights are automatically carbon offset through The Travel Forest, which plants 10 indigenous trees on your behalf (currently in northern Tanzania). Whilst the primary motivation for planting the trees is to offset carbon emissions, the project also works as a poverty alleviation and environmental improvement scheme. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |