Essential Peru: Lima, the Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu

Trip Features

Active Elements

Includes light adventure or movement for added discovery.

Epic Scenery

Showcases landscapes that elevate parts of the journey.

Iconic Landmarks

Features renowned sites that capture the essence of each destination.

Trip Itinerary

At a Glance

DAY

Arrive in Lima

DAY

Lima City Tour with Larco Museum

DAY

Lima to the Sacred Valley

DAY

Maras and Moray

DAY

The Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes

DAY

Machu Picchu

DAY

Cusco City Tour with Sacsayhuaman

DAY

Day at Leisure in Cusco

DAY

Depart from Cusco

Travel Itinerary

Trip Starts

Trip Stop

Trip Ends

Detailed Itinerary

DAY

Arrive in Lima

Transfer

Jorge Chavez Lima International Airport to Lima - Miraflores

Your Accommodation

Aloft Lima Miraflores

Feel the gastronomic, social and cultural pulse of the city at Aloft Lima Miraflores. With rooms overlooking the city, this hotel in Lima, Peru is strategically located near attractions such as the Larcomar Shopping Center and the Miraflores and Barranco boardwalk, where you can admire the best sunsets in Lima. It is surrounded by parks and shops, close to galleries and museums. The hotel has a varied gastronomic proposal, a restaurant bar and a snack shop open 24 hours a day. In addition, it has an on-site fitness centre, a swimming pool, and state-of-the-art event rooms.

Duration

2 Night Stay

Meal Plan

Buffet Breakfast

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DAY

Lima City Tour with Larco Museum

Today you will learn about the two characters of Lima: the modern one, reflected in the districts of Miraflores and San Isidro; and the historic one, encapsulated in its historic center declared a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Along the tour through different districts of the city, you will see how the old and the modern coexist in buildings such as the Museum of Italian Art, Palace of Justice, Museum of Lima, Plaza San Martín, among others. With your private guide leading the way, you'll explore the center of Lima on foot, with the Main Square as the focal point: a beautiful colonial square worthy of photographs, surrounded by emblematic buildings such as the Government Palace, the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace. You will also have the opportunity to enter one of the most iconic ecclesiastical spaces in Lima, the Convent of Santo Domingo, also declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and where the relics of three Peruvian saints are found: Santa Rosa de Lima, San Martín de Porres and San Juan Macías. The tour would not be complete without a visit to the Rafael Larco Herrera Museum, one of the most important in the country, exhibiting a valuable collection of almost 45,000 pieces of pre-Hispanic cultures, especially the Mochicas. Marvel at the quality of its pieces of jewelry, textiles and its enigmatic erotic room, dedicated to ceramics alluding to fertility, and after exploring the museum, you will be returned to your hotel.

Day Tour

Private Afternoon Lima City Tour with Larco Museum

DAY

Lima to the Sacred Valley

The Boleto Tourism Card (BTC) allows you to access archeological and cultural sites in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. The BTC is a mandatory requirement for travellers visiting the area, and is included in your itinerary.

Transfer

Lima - Miraflores to Jorge Chavez Lima International Airport

Transfer

Cusco Airport to Sacred Valley

Your Accommodation

Hotel La Casona de Yucay

Surrounded by imposing mountains and snow-capped peaks, the hotel will amaze you with spectacular views and beautiful gardens where you can relax and experience the magic of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Located in Yucay, a picturesque town in the heart of the Sacred Valley, the land chosen by the Incas as their resting place, the hotel is the ideal location from which to visit major archaeological sites such as Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Maras, Moray, and Chinchero. This colonial mansion, built in 1810, will transport you back in time to a place where history, nature, and warm service come together to create unique experiences.

Duration

2 Night Stay

Meal Plan

Buffet Breakfast

Day Tour

Boleto Tourism Card

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DAY

Maras and Moray

This half-day adventure will take you to see two of the most iconic places in the Sacred Valley of the Incas: Maras and Moray. The impressive archaeological complex of Moray, which resembles a natural amphitheater, will amaze with its enormous, concentric platforms. Here you will enjoy a guided tour to learn about the history of these fascinating ruins that are an excellent example of brilliant Inca engineering. After touring Moray, you will visit the famous ancestral salt mines of Maras, a place where - to this day - the finest salt in the world is harvested. With stunning panoramic views of the mosaic of terraces and ponds, Maras offers the perfect setting for photography enthusiasts. After touring Maras and Moray, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Day Tour

Private Tour of Maras and Moray

DAY

The Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes

Your adventure today brings you to one of the most important places in the Sacred Valley of the Incas: the town of Ollantaytambo. A window to the country's Incan past, it is an emblematic place where Manco Inca defeated the Spanish in the year 1537. Begin by walking through its characteristic cobblestone streets, surrounded by adobe houses, before heading towards the fascinating archaeological complex, which was a military, religious and agricultural center. There, you will climb the steep stone steps to admire the monoliths that make up the Temple of the Sun, learning a little about Inca astronomy and the impressive architecture seen throughout the archaeological site. Ollantaytambo, its platforms and its fortress are a perfect testimony of the extraordinary skill of the Incas in construction and planning. Please note, the fortress of Ollantaytambo can be considered moderately challenging to explore and requires decent mobility and fitness levels. At the end of your tour, you will be delivered to Ollantaytambo train station or returned to your hotel in the Sacred Valley, pending on your onward travel plans.

Day Tour

Private Tour of Ollantaytambo

Day Tour

Luggage Transfer Service

Day Tour

Expedition Train - Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes

Your Accommodation

El Mapi by Inkaterra

El Mapi by Inkaterra is located right at the foot of the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu and just across from the train station for Cusco/Machu Picchu train. This is a very reasonably priced hotel for Machu Picchu with full amenities. While the ruins may be ancient this hotel has all the modern comforts.

Duration

1 Night Stay

Meal Plan

Half Board (Breakfast + Dinner)

Day Tour

Classic Circuit - 2B - Designed Complete

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DAY

Machu Picchu

On this circuit, you'll have the opportunity to catch classic postcard perfect photos of Machu Picchu from the viewpoint of the Guardian's House. You will also be provided access to Machu Picchu Mountain, and invited to hike up and down the trail, a journey that typically takes between one and two hours. Along the way, you will ascend some 650 meters (roughly 2,130 feet), with a particularly challenging stretch featuring large steps encountered toward the end of the route. Guests with a fear of heights, vertigo, or mobility issues may wish to forego this activity. Also worth noting is that while the trail is wide for most of the way, there are narrow, steep sections as you progress and climb higher. However, the rewards for your efforts are apparent from the moment you reach the top. The panoramic views of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu (further distant) are among the most impressive possible.

Day Tour

Panoramic Circuit - 1A - Machu Picchu Mountain

Day Tour

Expedition Train - Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo

Transfer

Ollantaytambo Station to Cusco

Your Accommodation

Terra Andina Colonial Mansion

Terra Andina is a colonial mansion in the historic district of the former capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco, Peru. The hotel is located half a block from the charming Plaza San Pedro, Eiffel's designed San Pedro Market, San Pedro Church, and the train station to Machu Picchu and only four blocks from the Main Square. It is a 31-room full-service hotel offering comfortable accommodation.

Duration

3 Night Stay

Meal Plan

Buffet Breakfast

Show on Map

DAY

Cusco City Tour with Sacsayhuaman

This charming half-day tour of Cusco offers history, living culture and art. You will be able to appreciate how the Andean and Spanish cultures, as well as the past and the present, coexist in harmony in the Imperial City. Begin the day exploring the halls of the San Pedro Market, the oldest in the city. Designed in 1925 by Gustave Eiffel, today it brings together hundreds of merchants selling local products. You will also visit Koricancha Temple, which during the Inca empire was a center of worship of the Sun, and upon which the Santo Domingo Convent was later built as part of the evangelization process. Its baroque style facade built on solid Inca walls perfectly summarizes the syncretism of cultures in the city of Cusco. To appreciate the greatness of the Incas, ascend to the monumental fortress of Sacsayhuaman, which - with its enormous carved stone walls - constitutes one of the best examples of Inca military architecture. Later, you will tour the archaeological center of Kenko, a ceremonial place where the sun, the moon and the stars were worshiped. The final stop of the day is one of the most impressive; the Cathedral, widely considered the most important temple in the city. It was built by the Spanish on top of the palace of the Inca Huiracoha. Its interior houses a wonderful collection of colonial art composed of goldsmith pieces and representative canvases of the Cusco School of Art. Following your private tour of the city, you will be returned to your hotel.

Day Tour

Private Cusco City Tour with San Pedro Market & Sacsayhuaman

DAY

Day at Leisure in Cusco

Enjoy the day as you wish. If you would like to arrange an activity, excursion, or other experience, please contact your Goway Destination Specialist.

DAY

Depart from Cusco

Transfer

Cusco to Cusco Airport

What to Expect

Explore what moves you.

Colourful local life

Plaza de Armas, Cusco

Plaza de Armas de Lima

Know when to go.

Place

Conditions

Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall

CuscoPartly Cloudy

23°C / 73°F

24mm / 0.9"

LimaMostly Cloudy

22°C / 72°F

0mm / 0.0"

Weather data is based on monthly averages.

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What do the experts say?

RuthAnne Leonty

Team Lead

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For a unique experience visit an indigenous village high in the Andes for a Pachamama ceremony. I was fortunate to participate in one and the warmth of the people and how simple they lived, really touched my heart.

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RuthAnne Leonty

Team Lead

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Dress for all weather types, climate can range from very warm and humid in Lima to cool and rainy in Machu Picchu and very hot and dry in the Sacred Valley

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Osvaldo Gonzalez

Destination Specialist

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May to October is the best time to visit as it is the dry season with sunny days, clear skies, ideal for trekking and enjoy the landscape. However like in all Latin countries, the weather is unpredictable, so be ready if any rain show up during a sunny day

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Osvaldo Gonzalez

Destination Specialist

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Everyone should make sure they try a Pisco sour - It's Peru’s national cocktail—a smooth, citrusy, and slightly foamy drink made with pisco, a type of grape brandy. It’s both refreshing and strong, with a sweet-tart balance and a signature foamy top from egg white.

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Osvaldo Gonzalez

Destination Specialist

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It is astonishing how much incredible diversity of experiences can be packed into one country, Peru is full of deep cultural roots, a wide range of landscape, adventure and its delicious cuisine.

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Essential Peru: Lima, the Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu

Trip Features

Trip Itinerary

At a Glance

Arrive in Lima

Lima City Tour with Larco Museum

Lima to the Sacred Valley

Maras and Moray

The Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes

Machu Picchu

Cusco City Tour with Sacsayhuaman

Day at Leisure in Cusco

Depart from Cusco

Detailed Itinerary

Arrive in Lima

Lima City Tour with Larco Museum

Lima to the Sacred Valley

Maras and Moray

The Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes

Machu Picchu

Cusco City Tour with Sacsayhuaman

Day at Leisure in Cusco

Depart from Cusco

Departures

Terms and Conditions

What to Expect

Explore what moves you.

Most Popular Time to Travel

Know when to go.

Our Commitment

Why Travel with Goway?

What do the experts say?

RuthAnne Leonty

RuthAnne Leonty

Osvaldo Gonzalez

Osvaldo Gonzalez

Osvaldo Gonzalez

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