Peru highlights holiday, 10 days






Description of Peru highlights holiday, 10 days
From seeing alpacas to reaching Machu Picchu, Peru is on a lot of bucket lists. You can visit all the country’s ultimate highlights on this 10-day tour in a small group. Flying from Lima you’ll see traces of the Incas in Cusco, and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, in preparation for visiting a world-famous Inca highlight: Machu Picchu, the breath-taking ruined city on an Andean peak.
You wouldn’t think much could top touring this amazing archaeological site. Think again. From Cusco you’ll drive high up into the Andes, to reach the shores of the sacred high-altitude Lake Titicaca. You’ll travel by boat across to the unique Uros Islands, floating islands made from reeds, where the Uros people live, then tour the tombs at Sillustani on the shore of Lake Umayo. You’ll fly back to Lima to end your trip.
This holiday has a bit of in-built flexibility so you can do Peru your way. You’ll have two days at Machu Picchu, with the option to spend a portion of your time on a mini Inca Trail, and to hike around the site itself. You’ll have free time to explore Cusco – adjusting to the altitude and wandering the old streets. There’s also time at the end of the trip to explore Lima, which you passed through briefly at the start of your journey. Take an optional tour of the city, visit its museums, or relax with a pisco sour.
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Planet
On our excursions to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu our qualified local guides will be able to describe how bygone civilisations adapted to use the natural resources to sustain a sophisticated agricultural system.Our hotel in Machu Picchu, El Mapi, belongs to the Peruvian owned chain Inkaterra which is a pioneer in sustainable tourism and promotes scientific research for the conservation of ecosystems and Natural Resources funded by Ecotourism, as a replicable model for local communities; offering authentic experiences, capturing, disseminating and educating about the culture and nature of Peru. They aim to define and respect authentic cultural, social and environmental values, including: using environmentally friendly products and maintaining good communication with suppliers, using energy and water efficiently, and providing adequate waste treatment, developing continuous improvement in their management and process controls by minimizing negative impacts and providing experience in the formulation of standards and creation of protected areas.
During the included visit to Machu Picchu we follow and draw passengers attention to all the rules of the site to avoid the erosion or damage. These include ensuring that you do not take food onto the site but rather eat outside the grounds, do not approach the llamas and alpacas, do not climb on certain structures on the site or take walking poles with metal pointed ends, among other restrictions. We encourage you to take a moment of respite at the site to take in the views in all its beauty and splendour which in turn helps people to understand the important of the restrictions in place.
People
One of our hotels, Pakaritampu in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, supports a local community project providing food for local people of limited income. Our aim is also to familiarise you intimately with the rich contemporary indigenous culture, introducing you to local bursting with produce and crafts. The Uros islanders, for example, depend largely on sales of their crafts to survive and we encourage you to make small purchases on your excursion on Lake Titicaca.Our aim is to familiarise you intimately with a rich indigenous culture, introducing you to local markets bursting with produce and crafts, such as that at Pisac in the Sacred Valley and the indigenous market in La Paz. Our excursions to pre-Columbian and Spanish archaeological sites are designed to help you appreciate the value of this heritage and the need to conserve it; our local guides are recruited for their comprehensive knowledge.
One of our hotels, Pakaritampu in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, supports a local community project providing food for local people of limited income. Our aim is also to familiarise you intimately with the rich contemporary indigenous culture, introducing you to local bursting with produce and crafts. The Uros islanders, for example, depend largely on sales of their crafts to survive and we encourage you to make small purchases on your excursion on Lake Titicaca.
The El Mapi hotel used in Machu Picchu is part of the Inkaterra chain who respect authentic cultural values and invest in the local community by:
•Creating professional development opportunities and encourage the recruitment and training of local staff.
•Developing an ideal work environment providing better living conditions than those covered by labor law.
•Developing activities in accordance with current legislation, such as corporate, tax, labour, and the concepts of sustainable development.
•Developing contingency plans for natural, social or financial disasters.
•Encouraging the development of local communities, taking into consideration their environment and culture.
•Being a replicable business model of low initial cost and high positive impact on local populations
All our excursions to pre-Columbian and Spanish archaeological sites are designed to help you appreciate the value of this heritage and the need to conserve it.
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