A Tour of Peru's Must-See Destinations

Lost World Adventures itineraries can be tailor-made according to your plans and preferences: budget, hotel selections, travel dates, optional excursions, length of trip, etc.

Day 1: Lima

Upon arrival in Lima, you’ll spend the night in the Wyndham Costa del Sol Airport Hotel, located just outside the terminal.

Day 2: Lima – Cusco – Sacred Valley – Pisac – Ollantaytambo

After a short flight to the legendary city of Cusco, you’ll spend a full day at two royal ruins in the Sacred Valley of the Incas—both built by the emperor Pachacutec.

The first, Pisac, is a vast residential and military complex, built amid sweeping agricultural terraces and overlooking a quaint market town selling alpaca sweaters and handicrafts.

The second, the fortress of Ollantaytambo, terrified the Spanish with its gargantuan parapets, and is set in the only surviving Inca village in the Andes.

Afterward, you’ll rest at your hotel, the one-time colonial monastery Sonesta Posadas del Inca, in the Urubamba Valley.

Day 3: Urubamba – Machu Picchu

However many selfies you’ve seen of that iconic sugarloaf backdrop, nothing can prepare you for the moment when you get to the top of the ridge and actually see Machu Picchu for yourself. With its sun temple, royal quarters, and purling fountains, this New World Wonder dazzles with its imperial stonework.

On this day, you’ll take a luxury train from Ollantaytambo, after which you can climb to the Sun Gate and cross the Inca bridge (Puente Inca). You’ll overnight at El Mapi Hotel in Aguas Calientes, huddled beneath Machu Picchu Mountain. (Those so wishing can upgrade to the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge.)

Day 4: Machu Picchu – Cusco

Most visitors feel one day at Machu Picchu is too short. So the next morning, you can hike up to the Sun Gate or climb Huayna Picchu, the sacred mountain containing hidden Inca shrines. From there, it’s back by train to Cuzco, where you’ll rest in Maytaq Wasin Boutique Hotel, just steps from the main square.

Day 5: Cusco and nearby ruins

Inca walls on every corner; three-tiered fortresses; Quechua women in colorful traditional garb: this is Cusco, which the Incas considered the spiritual center of the universe.

Even today, the city’s energy is unmistakable, as you wander through echoing churches and the most sacred Inca temple of them all, the Qorikancha.

You’ll also visit several Inca ruins just outside the city, including Sacsayhuaman, the citadel where the Incas nearly defeated the Spanish in battle—and which is carved from some of the most massive stones on the planet.

Day 6: Cusco – Maras – Moray

The Incas were master engineers, and their skill is dazzlingly on display at these two sites in the Sacred Valley. At Maras, a checkerboard of small pools is filled with salt water from underground springs, leaving salt deposits that have nourished the nearby towns for 600 years.

These deposits are one of the region’s key exports, with markets as far away as Japan. Meanwhile, in Moray you’ll find a series of concentric agricultural terraces in the form of a vast circular amphitheater.

The Incas used these terraces for agricultural experiments, taking advantage of their varying microclimates to domesticate native crops.

After your day-long outing, you’ll head back to your Cuzco hotel to rest.

Day 7: Cusco – Puno

After breakfast, you’ll depart via tour bus (or Andean Express train service) for Puno, on the shores of dazzling Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable waterway.

On route, you’ll stop at Andahuayillas (whose spectacular baroque church has been dubbed the “Peruvian Sistine Chapel”), Raqchi, with its temple to the Inca god Viracocha, and the Pucara ruins.

In Puno, you’ll stay at the Sonesta Posadas del Inca Hotel, with its stunning lakeside views.

Day 8: Lake Titicaca – Uros Islands – Taquile Islands

The Uros people are one of the oldest cultures in the Andes, inhabiting floating islands they weave by hand out of totora reeds. On this full-day voyage out into Lake Titicaca, you’ll have a chance to listen to their stories and travel in their amazing “Mercedes Benz” barges.

From there, it’s off to Taquile, a lovely green island gem amidst the lake’s blue, where you’ll hear from the locals about their highly prized textiles and ancient communal way of life. A high-speed launch takes you back to your hotel in the afternoon.

Day 9: Puno – Juliaca – Lima – Home

You will be picked up and transferred to Juliaca where you will fly to Lima. Connect with your international flight.