Peru | Family Adventure: From Inca Ruins to Desert Dunes

Upon arrival in Lima you will be met and assisted with check-in at hotel. No meals. Please note all transfers and tours are on shared basis. For private services, add $225.00 per person.

Check-out and walk through the airport to the domestic terminal of the Lima Airport for flight to Cusco. Arrive and transfer to the Sacred Valley with box lunch en route. Visit Awanacancha Alpaca Center and learn about the four different camelids (vicuña, llama, alpaca, and guanaco) found in Peru. While viewing the animals, take note of the differences so that you can tell them apart during your travels. Arrive and check-in at the hotel, then have some time to rest or enjoy the hotel amenities.

Visit Chincheros town and a weaving cooperative to learn of ancient traditions still practiced by descendants of the Inca. Enjoy a traditional lunch with members of the community, then a guided walk through the town of Ollantaytambo and examine remnants of Inca construction still in use. Water still flows through the town in aqueducts built centuries ago during the reign of Emperor Pachacuti. Visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo, the site of the Incas’ last stand against the Spanish. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

This morning, embark on an exhilarating rafting adventure on the Urubamba River. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the side of the river. Later return to the hotel to enjoy some time on your own.

Transfer to the Ollantaytambo Station for a train to Aguas Calientes. Disembark at Aguas Calientes Station, and board a bus for transfer up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Depending on arrival time, lunch my be prior to the visit to avoid crowds. Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, who was searching for Vilcabamba and Vitcos. He hypothesized that the site was a “citadel,” existing for strategic purposes, as well as a refuge for Cusco’s Virgins of the Sun, based on the skulls found. Breakthroughs in archaeology since have supported the view of Machu Picchu as a center for the region. Machu Picchu was built, flourished, and fell within 100 years. Board a bus back to Aguas Calientes, then a train back to Ollantaytambo. Transfer to Cusco.

Today, tour the city of Cusco with a special visit to an art studio to see how art incorporates the religious symbols of the Inca and the Spanish. Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the western hemisphere. The Inca considered Cusco to be the center of their empire and the world. The Spanish looted the city and built on the original foundations. After seeing some highlights of Cusco, visit the Sacsayhuaman ruins and enjoy a discussion on the religious rituals of the Inca. The fortress of Sacsayhuaman forms the head of the Puma design of old Cusco. It is constructed of huge blocks which interlock so precisely that a knife blade cannot be put between them. Its construction is a mystery, since the stones are foreign, and most weigh over a ton. Return to Cusco for lunch on your own and the rest of the day to explore Cusco.

Here you could have a full day on your own to soak in Cusco and enjoy a full day of leisure after your fun filled but busy days in the Sacred Valley.

Transfer to airport for flight to Lima followed by transfer to Paracas. Stop for a traditional lunch. Paracas is located on the edge of the Paracas National Reserve. The Humboldt Current brings plankton-rich water from the Antarctic, forming the foundation of an ecological pyramid with cormorants, boobies, gulls, and terns as well as whales, dolphins and sea lions. In the southern winter, shearwaters, petrels, and even albatrosses migrate up. The Humboldt Current is home to the most productive fisheries in the world. This afternoon on own to rest and enjoy the hotel amenities.

Enjoy a boat ride to the Ballestas Islands. En route, take a moment to admire views of “El Candelabra,” a pre-Inca mysterious geoglyph on the face of the Paracas Peninsula. While navigating the islands, look for fur seals, sea lions, and penguins. Discuss the Humboldt Current as a food source. After the boat trip, visit the Paracas National Reserve, then return to hotel for lunch on your own. This afternoon participate in a desert sport practiced in the region – sand boarding! Lie down, sit, or stand on special sand boards and ride the dunes! The area near Paracas is home to the annual Peru Sand Boarding Cup.

This morning, begin return to Lima. En route, visit Hacienda San Jose, a local hacienda with much history. After arrival, the rest of day is on your own.

Transfer to the international airport for your departure flight.