Arrive to Lima on the flight of your choice today. After picking up your luggage and clearing customs, walk across the street to the comfortable and conveniently located Wyndham Costa Del Sol Airport Hotel . Settle into your room and rest up for your Peru travel ahead, including ancient ruins, local markets and the beautiful Andes Mountains!
 

We suggest taking an early morning flight from Lima to Cusco today so that you will be able to explore the wonders of the San Pedro Market. San Pedro is Cusco's largest open market. Explore with your guide as you peruse the stalls and discuss the ingredients that have comprised the traditional Peruvian cuisine as well as the local produce that remains a staple of Novoandina cuisine. Fill up the shopping bag and make your way to A Mi Manera Restaurant that specializes in platos tipicos from the Andean highlands as well as creative dishes. Here you will actually go into the kitchen for a cooking demonstration and help prepare your own lunch with the help of some of Cusco's finest chefs. Sit back and enjoy your beautiful and delicious creations! To learn more about traditional dishes and view Peruvian recipes before your Peru vacations begin click here.

After lunch, it's off to explore the city! Andean history comes alive in Cusco. Quechua speaking descendants of the Incas fill the streets and markets, colonial churches sit atop bases of smooth stonework laid centuries before the Conquistadors, and campesinos (Peru's rural farmers) in colorful dress move busily back and forth across the plazas. Explore the main sites and sounds of Cusco with your guide this afternoon.

Transfer to Patabamba enjoying beautiful Andean landscapes along the way. An amazing community reception greets you on arrival with flowers, music and dances. Dress like a local and begin your activities with a short walk to collect flowers used in the wool dying process.  From here, you will have the opportunity to take in the spectacular view of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which is considered one of the most beautiful natural sights of Peru.

Back in the community, expert cooks will be waiting to help you prepare Pachamanca, a dish cooked slowly while covered with large stones in a hole in the ground. As your dish slowly cooks to perfection, it will be time to prepare the wool by shearing, spinning, dyeing, washing and weaving.  After lunch, learn all about medicinal plants and their properties while learning how to make a “poultice” with medicinal herbs. Patabamba is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience!
 

After breakfast, drive the infamous Sacred Valley stopping for markets and ruins along the way. The day is flexible based on your interests, market days, and the weather! Some possible sights to see are Chinchero, with its beautiful combination of Inca ruins, a colonial church, traditional market (main market day is Sunday), and mountain landscapes; take a short walk through the countryside to the seldom-visited town of Maras and its pre-Columbian salt mines (still in use today with salt being collected in traditional fashion); and the Inca agricultural terraces of Moray. Optional: Contact us about having lunch in Moray at the Parador de Moray, a restaurant boasting views of the Moray Inca site and an exciting menu.

This afternoon, we will have lunch at a local restaurant in the Sacred Valley and taste the dishes and ingredients that have contributed to the rise of Peruvian's cuisine. This is a chance to taste chicha, a fermented beverage made from corn, barley, and berries of the pepper tree, and it comes in both alcoholic (similar to beer) and non-alcoholic forms (chicha morada), Schinus molle. Chicha was an important part of many rituals feasts and daily consumption and is still an influential part of today's local traditions and customs.

Eventually, you will make your way to the living Inca city of Ollantaytambo where you can relax for the evening.

In the morning, visit the under-rated ruins of Ollantaytambo before the larger groups of tourists arrive. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo served as a royal estate and later a refuge after the Spanish conquered Cusco. The ruins feature expansive terraces, giant building blocks and well-preserved architecture.  Even the town itself is still laid out as it was during the Inca empire, allowing its visitors to glimpse the history which still exists within its boundaries.

Board the train late this morning and follow the Urubamba River as it tumbles its way towards the Amazon and the sacred city of Machu Picchu, Peru.  After checking into your hotel and enjoying lunch in Aguas Calientes, enter Machu Picchu and begin exploring this amazing site - the former retreat of Inca kings. Walk along ancient canals that still bring water from the high mountains to the baths used by Inca priests.  As visitors, you are welcomed to respectfully dip your hands in the cool water. After walking amongst the massive complex of ruins, receiving a guided tour of Machu Picchu, you'll return to the village of Aguas Calientes (located at the base of Machu Picchu). Enjoy one of many excellent local restaurants or end your day soaking in the hot springs after exploring one of the most magical archaeological sites in the world.

Today you can return to the ruins at Machu Picchu for further exploration.  Depending on your preference in permits, return early with the hope to watch the sunrise at Machu Picchu or arrive in time to hike to the top of Huaynapicchu for incredible views of the entire area. Other options within the citadel include the ability to walk the relatively easy routes to the Sun Gate or the Temple of the Moon.  Alternatively, just walk among the vast expanse of ruins and listen to the spirits of the city's past inhabitants.   (This basic re-entry permit is included in the cost of this tour.  Further permits may require additional costs.)

Once you've had your time in the ruins, return to Aguas Calientes to catch an afternoon train toward Cusco.  Settle into your hotel or head out on a famous Cusco culinary adventure.

This morning you will fly to Lima where you will be met by your guide to explore the colonial section of Lima, the City of Kings. Visit Lima's principal attractions such as the colonial area's Plaza de Armas with the Government Plaza, the Cathedral of Santa Domingo, San Francisco Convent, and the Archbishop's Palace. A short distance away by car is the Museo Larco Herrera, a private museum situated in an 18th century mansion that was built on an archeological site. The most extensive private collection of pre-Columbian art in Peru is on display. See more than 45,000 ceramic pieces, making it one of the largest ceramic collections in the world, and enjoy a superb variety of fine weavings and textiles.

After free time for lunch, you will meet back up with your guide for the afternoon to explore Lima as you wish. Your guide can give you recommendations on neighborhoods to visit (like Barranco or Miraflores), taverns to taste Pisco Sours (such Queirolo Tavern in Pueblo Libre), and where to dine in the evening. Lima is known for its fusion cuisine of Andean, Asian, and rainforest ingredients. A traveler favorite is Huaca Pucllana, an adobe pyramid built in 400 AD that served as a ceremonial and administrative center due to its proximity to fertile agricultural land and the bounty of the ocean, a great combination that maintains a place in modern Peruvian cuisine.

With more time, extend your Peru tours to include Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Nazca, Pisco, or the Amazon!