LIMA – ICA – NAZCA – CUSCO – PUNO 10 DAYS

Day 1: Lima, Peru

Upon arrival to Lima Peru, you will be met and transferred to the hotel.
Overnight in Lima.

Day 2: Lima – Ica

In the morning, after a good night’s rest, we will visit the Museum of the Inquisition (9:00 am)
which is housed in a former mansion once used by the Spanish Inquisition. Exhibits trace the
history and the impact of this bloody time and include some of the torture instruments used. After
lunch, we’ll leave for Ica on the coast. En route we will visit Pachacamac, the ruins of an ancient
Indian civilization that existed centuries before the time of the Incas. (See the Museum first) We’ll
stay in Ica (approximately a four-hour bus ride from Lima. Overnight in Ica. (B)

Day 3: Ballestas Islands – Nazca

After an early morning breakfast, we’ll depart to the Paracas Peninsula. We will board boats that
will take us to the Ballestas Islands, where thousands of different species of birds and marine
animals live. Following the Islands, we travel to Nazca to fly over the Nazca Lines and stay there
for the night before returning to Lima. Overnight in Lima. (B)

Note: The Ballestas Islands is a similar experience to the Galapagos Islands. It is not allowed to
disembark in the islands, but the boats arrive close to the shores of the islands, from where you
will be able to appreciate this marvel of nature and the marine wild life. The sea lions will probably
come closer to the boat or you will see many penguins in the water. Thousands of marine birds will
fly between the islands and you will be able to see their nests on the rocks of the islands.

Day 4: Lima • Cusco

Transfer at the airport to catch your flight to Cusco.
Upon arrival to Cusco, you will be met and transferred to the hotel and allow our bodies to adjust
to the altitude. Overnight in Cusco. (B)

Day 5: Cusco – city tour

At 9:00 am. We will begin by visiting Coricancha, the ancient Incan temple of the Sun. Next we
will visit nearby sites such as Sacsahuaman, Qenqo, Tambomachay and Puca Pucara
(Quechua for red fortress). Finishing the city tour around 13:00 hrs. You’ll have a free afternnon
today to do some shopping, visit the 16th Century Cathedral, take a walk or just relax. Overnight in
Cusco. (B)

Day 6: Sacred Valley – Machupicchu

8:00 am. We will begin the morning as we descend into the Sacred Valley and visit an interesting
animal reserve called Awanacancha then on to the Pisac Market and Ollantaytambo.

After viewing the Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo, we will take an afternoon train ride at 3:30 pm
on the Vista dome train that is very comfortable and has glass ceilings to really enjoy the Andes
arriving in Aguas Calientes around 5:00 pm to prepare for our assault on Machu Picchu
tomorrow. Overnight in Aguas Calientes Machupicchu town. (B)

Day 7: Machupicchu

At 8:00 in the morning we will take a 20-minute bus ride to the Citadel of Machu Picchu, then
immediately begin a complete guided tour of the Inca citadel that will take approximately two
hours. You will then have free time to walk around, climb the Waynapicchu Mountain, where one
can experience spectacular views of all of Machu Picchu, the valleys and mountains that surround
it, or visit the Temple of the Moon and the fabulous Inca Bridge
In the afternoon we return to Aguas Calientes. At 3:30 pm we will board the train for our return
trip to Cusco arriving back at the hotel around 8:00 pm. Overnight in Cusco. (B)

Day 8: Cusco – Puno

Tourist bus to the city of Puno passing through and visiting such places as Andahuaylillas
known as the Peruvian Sistine chapel; Urcos- where they celebrate the birth of Inca Huascar, the
last emperor of Cusco; Raqchi- the temple or palace of Wiracocha, the white bearded God;
Sicuani- capital of this province and where we will have lunch; La Raya- Line between the
departments of Cusco and Puno also where the Vilcanota, the sacred river of the Incas begins.
Pucara- remains of an Incan temple and where the sacred bulls of Pucara are crafted. Overnight in
Puno. (B, L)

Day 9: Los Uros – Taquile Island

This will be one of your special days of the trip. Early transfer to the port for your boat ride on Lake
Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. We will first visit Los Uros and their
floating islands, which are made of reeds and inhabited by the Uros people, which live on these
islands of reeds, called Totora. We will walk on the floating islands and take a short ride on their
boats, made entirely from these same reeds. After that we will continue on Lake Titicaca to the
island of Taquile on which there are numerous pre-Inca and Inca ruins and Inca terracing.
Members of this community receive visitors in their colorful national costumes and show them
around the island. There is a cooperative shop on the island that sells exceptional woolen goods
which are not cheap but of very fine quality. Return to our hotel in Puno. Overnight in Puno. (B,
L),

Day 10: Puno – Lima

On our way to the airport for our flight to Lima and 32 kms from Puno are the Chullpas (pre-
Columbian funeral towers) of Sillustani, beautifully set on a peninsula in Lake Umayo
surrounded by stark altiplano. The Chullpas were built by the Aymara-speaking Collas – a tribe
that dominated the Titicaca region before the Incas. Each tower contained the remains of Colla
nobility accompanied by their riches. Grave robbers have since removed their contents, although
the towers are well preserved and well worth seeing. The engineering involved in their
construction is more complex than anything the Incas built. Two of the towers are unfinished: one with a ramp still in place to raise blocks; the other with cut stones ready to go on a very ambitions
dome. Transfer at the airport to catch your flight to Lima. (B)