Holiday in Peru, tailormade
| country: | Peru |
| trip type: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements. |
| price: | From £2871 (19 days) per couple including domestic flights only, includes transport, driver (Spanish) and all meals except at hotels. Cost of English speaking guide throughout, from £30 per day. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
If you want to see Peru, away from the millions of tourists who descend on the country each year, then our tour is perfect.
We offer train and boat rides, bathing in hot springs, walking, trekking, horse-riding, museums, churches, some luxurious hotels, and lots of time in farming villages as guests in local homestays. We visit the Colca Valley twice as deep as the Grand Canyon with breathtaking views, pre-Inca terracing, snow-capped peaks and huge herds of Ilamas.
Family holidays: This tour is suitable for small families with children of any age who are relaxed about staying in non-western environments (e.g. most food is Peruvian).
We offer train and boat rides, bathing in hot springs, walking, trekking, horse-riding, museums, churches, some luxurious hotels, and lots of time in farming villages as guests in local homestays. We visit the Colca Valley twice as deep as the Grand Canyon with breathtaking views, pre-Inca terracing, snow-capped peaks and huge herds of Ilamas.
Family holidays: This tour is suitable for small families with children of any age who are relaxed about staying in non-western environments (e.g. most food is Peruvian).
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Lima. Sightseeing - the old colonial centre, the Barranco neighbourhood (the capital's seaside resort in the 19th century) etc. Overnight (2 nights): Hotel Antigua, Miraflores - an area of parks, cafes, restaurants, theatres, art galleries and busy beaches. The hotel is an elegant former mansion in a quiet neighbourhood, with public spaces, gardens and balconies. |
| Day 3-4: | Arequipa. We'll take the night bus to Arequipa, a small energetic city overlooked by snow-capped mountains. Over the next couple of days we can explore the city with its narrow cobbled streets, colonial houses, fountains, churches and plazas.We can also take a 3-hour trip to Sabindia, in the countryside. Here, you can explore the village on horseback and take lunch with a local family who breed horses. Overnight (2 nights): Hotel Rumipunku. |
| Day 5-8: | Yanque, Colca Valley. We'll take the 4 hour mountainous drive (high point of 4,350m!) through the Colca Valley (via Chivay) to Yanque - a traditional Indian village with a "fine white church", a small archeology museum, thermal baths down by the river, horses and some well preserved pre-Inca ruins. Overnight (4 nights): Hilda's homestay, owned by Hilda, her husband and children (Florcita and Renzo).There are four beautiful rooms, with shared bathorooms. |
| Day 9-12: | Cabanaconde. We'll make our way to by car to Cabanaconde via Mirador Cruz del Condor - the popular point for looking into thee canyon where we will see the sacred Condors and Cabanaconde River in the valley. We'll spend the next four days in the small, Quecha speaking town of Cabanaconde, strolling around the town or (for the more energetic) trekking in the mountains. We can also take a bus trip to Sibayo, a village community dependent on weaving, herding lamas, sheep and alpacas. Overnight (4 nights): Hotel Kuntur Wassi, managed by local Peruvians Maria and Walter. The hotel has excellent views of the borders of the Colca Canyon and Huaro waterfall. There is solar water heating, a small restaurant and bar. |
| Day 13-14: | Chuchuito. We'll take the 4-5 hour drive to Chucuito - (which lies 15 minutes south from the better known town, Puno). Chucuito is a small colonial town overlooked by the intensive hillside terracing and boulders. The area has attracted a following based on the mythology of its 'fertility temple', with phallic looking sculptures. We can explore the town and take walks in the countryside and visit some of the communities. Overnight (2 nights): La Glorieta, a homestay/lodge in Chucuito. |
| Day 15-18: | Anapia Island. After breakfast we'll make our way to Anapia island - first by car (2 hours) and then by boat (2 hours). Anapia is an island in Lake Titicaca, close to the border with Bolivia. The island is remote and traditional, with affairs run by the community itself - including community-based tourism. Over the next few days we can go sailing or rowing around the island, visit the neighbouring island of Yupisque inhabited by wild Vicuña, go swimming and have lunch on the lake (the women will prepare 'Huatia' - potatoes cooked in a natural oven made of clay and buried in hot soil, served with fresh lake fish) and take part in the daily activities of the community such as fishing, agriculture and looking after the livestock. Overnight (4 nights): There are around 15 homestays as part of the community-based tourism project. The set up is unsophisticated (no hot water or showers are available) but clean and comfortable. |
| Day 19: | Lima. We'll take the boat, car and internal flight to Lima. On day 19 we’ll take you to the airport for your return flight back home. Overnight (1 night): Hotel Antigua, Miraflores, Lima. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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When you take a tour with us, around 60% of your money stays in Peru – supporting the community-projects, homestays, hotels and local guides you visit en-route, as well as the work of our Peruvian tour partner, Kathy, who helps set up these projects.
Our tours are not typical sightseeing excursions, instead we bring together travelers and country in a way that is beneficial to both. With our insider connections, you'll have the unusual opportunity to share meals with local people, visit their homes, and immerse yourself in their life and cultures. For example, in Yanque your guide will be Pedro, who comes from the nearby village of Sibayo. Pedro will be your host, collecting you from Hilda’s homestay and taking you to try out the local hot springs, go horse-riding or hire mountain bikes. You will be spending 4 nights on Anapia, an island in Lake Titicaca, close to the border with Bolivia. The 280 native families are ethnic Aymaras, descendants of the traditional inhabitants of the Altiplano. The island is remote and traditional, with affairs run by the community itself - including community-based tourism. Families take it in turns to host guests and your guide will be Jose, the Island's community leader. Hotels and homestays are owned by local people such as Maria and Walter, local Peruvians in Cabanaconde who use solar water heating in their hotel. We minimize car travel by encouraging you to take several days in each place and by traveling by public transport (in this case, the trip includes a bus ride). Our tours are listed in the Ethical Travel Guide, published by Tourism Concern. We charge carbon tax to our guests for their flights according to the rates given by Climate Care and pay Climate Care yearly. |
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. |