Lima, the ‘City of Kings,’ welcomes you. You will be picked up from the airport and privately escorted to your luxurious hotel for check-in.

Your personalized sightseeing tour of Lima takes you to the city’s modern areas as well as its historic center, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Your guide will give you an overview of the city’s architectural history before taking you to the Santo Domingo Monastery. San Marcos University, the first in South America, was established here in 1551. The Larco Herrera Museum is your next trip, with a collection spanning over 3,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Its masterpieces have been shown in some of the world’s most prestigious museums and are considered global symbols of pre-Inca art.

You will be picked up from your Lima hotel and escorted privately to the Lima airport for your flight to Cusco.

Flight Suggestion: 10:00 Departure from Lima on LA2123 11:20 Arrival in Cusco

When you arrive in Cusco, you will be met at the airport and privately escorted to your luxury hotel in the Sacred Valley, where you will rest and gradually acclimate (duration of the transfer: approx 2 hours).

You will visit the lovely community of Chinchero in the morning. In the courtyard of a local weaving family, you will observe the Andean weaving technique firsthand. You may observe the carding, spinning, and dying of wool and learn about the various processes used to create belts, ponchos, and shawls.

Later, you will proceed to the eons-old terraced salt mines at Maras, which cover the entire hill. Since Inca times, the same process has been utilized to collect salt from these mines; all work is performed by hand. You will next proceed to Moray, which resembles a Greek amphitheater with its circular terraces concealed among the hills. Moray, which is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, was used as an open-air agricultural laboratory to adapt crops to diverse environmental circumstances.

Then, you will enjoy a three-course gourmet lunch at Iskay, located only minutes from the village of Maras, on a hilltop with breathtaking views of the surrounding valley. Tatiana and Jeremy will gladly welcome you to their tastefully decorated family home, which is also the location of our exclusive restaurant. The season and daily harvest from the restaurant’s garden and adjacent fields dictate the hostess’s three-course, exquisite meal, which is created and served from scratch. The lunch menu includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and complementary water and tea.

Early in the morning, you will make your way to the hotel’s railway station to begin on an unforgettable luxury rail excursion. If you select boutique properties, you will have a short vehicle journey to either the Urubamba or Ollantaytambo train station (only with Spanish speaking driver).

The current train schedule enables an uncrowded exploration of Machu Picchu. The breathtaking ‘Sacred Valley Train’ service includes a three-course lunch on board and arrives at Machu Picchu at a time when most tourists take a lunch break. Unlike other connections, the PeruRail ‘Sacred Valley Train’ departs from Urubamba at 10:30 and stops momentarily at the Belmond Rio Sagrado Hotel before continuing to Aguas Calientes. In the Observation Bar carriage, while sipping your welcome drink and nibbling on some appetizers, you may take in the breathtaking scenery. After around three hours, you will reach Aguas Calientes and begin exploring Machu Picchu.

When you arrive in Aguas Calientes, your guide will assist you in boarding the shuttle bus that will transport you directly to the entrance of Machu Picchu. During your guided tour, you will experience its grandeur and beauty, as well as the engineering brilliance that went into its creation. Your amazing journey to one of the seven new wonders of the world will last for 2.5 hours, giving you plenty time to explore and capture the ideal photographs! After exiting the citadel with your guide, you will make your way back to your hotel, where dinner will be provided.

A la carte dinner includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert, coffee and tea/infusion.

Enjoy a morning at your leisure exploring Aguas Calientes and various alternative routes and hikes within Machu Picchu (at an additional cost) or unwind with a spa treatment at your hotel (not included but can be arranged).

In the late afternoon, return by Vistadome or Poroy train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo. You will be picked up at your chosen railway station and transferred to your Cusco luxury hotel.

In the event that you have left luggage at the accommodation in the Sacred Valley, it will be collected en route or separately.

Your half-day sightseeing tour begins with Sacsayhuaman Fortress, an impressive Inca construction. Then you will return to Cusco and visit the Koricancha Sun Temple, the most remarkable example of the blending of Inca and Spanish traditions. The Cathedral, which dominates the north-eastern side of Cusco’s main square, is within walking distance; from there, a cobblestone roadway leads up to the historic artist’s quarter of San Blas. Numerous of the finest artisans maintain workshops and modest galleries in the cobblestoned, confined lanes. This tour is available in the morning or afternoon, depending on your preference.

You will be picked up from your Cusco hotel and driven to the airport for your flight back to Lima.