Peru Culture Tour: The Inca Empire & The Nazca Culture

Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting for you at the airport to transfer you to the selected hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest or take an excursion (on request), if time permits.

Overnight in Lima.

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, we will start the panoramic city tour where we can see the Colonial Centre, the Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the Cathedral Basilica, the Archbishop's Palace, and the Municipality of Lima. Also, we will visit the whole of San Francisco, a convent with cloisters and catacombs of the Colonial period. The tour will continue through the traditional, residential, and commercial areas of Lima to end with a spectacular panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and the beaches of the Miraflores district.

After midday, we will transfer you to the station to board the regular bus service to the city of Ica (duration of the trip: 4:30 hrs. approx.). Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel.

Overnight in Ica.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. At the coordinated time, we will pick you up from the hotel to transfer you to the Ica aerodrome. Upon arrival, you will enter an orientation room for the overflight, where you will be able to appreciate audiovisual material referring to the Nasca Lines (subtitled). Then, in turns, we will board the aircraft to fly over the Nasca Lines for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. During this walk, we will be able to appreciate the gigantic zoomorphic and geometric figures, drawn in low relief on the sands of the Nasca desert.

The Nasca Lines are located in the southern part of Peru, mainly on a desert plateau between the Ingenio and Nasca valleys. On this dark plain of more than 500 square kilometers, the ancient men of the Nasca culture drew huge designs, representing geometric figures, animals, birds, plants, and straight lines that run through the desert for several kilometers in all directions. These images on the surface of the desert are so gigantic that the only way to appreciate them in their full dimension is by doing it from the sky.

The true origin of these lines and figures is unknown; no one knows for sure who built them, or why. For some, these lines represented a gigantic astronomical calendar related to agriculture, for others, it is a navigation plane and an extraterrestrial airport. At the end of the overflight, you will be able to draw your own conclusions. After the experience, we will go to the beautiful Huacachina lagoon, which gives rise to the famous oasis in the middle of the Iqueño desert.

At the coordinated time, we will transfer you to the station to take the bus to Paracas. Upon arrival, reception and transfer to the selected hotel.

Note: optionally and with an additional payment, you can request a buggy ride through the desert sands.

Overnight in Paracas.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we will transfer you to the Paracas pier to board the boat, on which we will start the excursion to the Ballestas Islands. During the tour, we can appreciate the giant Chandelier outlined on the side of a hill facing the sea, and our local guide will tell you the various theories that have been woven around this enigmatic design. Upon arriving at the Ballestas Islands, you will be able to observe different species that make up part of the local marine fauna, highlighting among them the Humboldt penguins, sea lions, gulls, pelicans, etc. (some of them are almost extinct).

Finishing the tour, we will return to the mainland and, after a free time, we will transfer you to the bus station to return to the city of Lima. Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting for you at the station to transfer you to the hotel.
Note: the exact time of departure to the Ballestas Islands is subject to the weather, as it is necessary that the port captaincy approves for navigation.

Overnight in Lima.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. At the set time, you will be transferred to the airport to take your flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, our staff will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel.

After midday, we will pick you up at the hotel to start the tour of the colonial city, built on the bases of Inca palaces. In the tour, we will visit the Main Square, the Temple of the Sun (known as Qoricancha), and the Cathedral of Cusco, where we will be able to observe beautiful paintings and sculptures. Then we will continue to the Archaeological Center of Sacsayhuaman, a multipurpose place where the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth were worshipped, and which was also used as a military fortress and an astrological center. Later, we will arrive at Q'enco, a cult center related to the fire element. We will continue to Puca Pucara, a place used as a supply center and an Inca checkpoint, where wind ceremonies were also held. Finishing the tour, we will arrive at Tambomachay, a center of worship for water and fertility.

At the end of the tour, we will return to the hotel.

Overnight in Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, we will start a tour that includes the town of Pisac, its handicraft market, the popular fair, and its narrow streets. Then we will continue the tour through the Sacred Valley of Urubamba, where you can enjoy a nice buffet lunch.

After lunch, we will visit Ollantaytambo, an Inca city still inhabited that preserves a complex system of irrigation channels and foundations from that time, on which much of the town was built. This archaeological center has large groups of platforms, forts, squares, channels, and the Real Casa del Sol, a megalithic temple of great mystical value.

Overnight in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Breakfast at the hotel. At the set time, we will transfer you to the train station to start the excursion to the Sacred City of Machu Picchu, recognized as one of the wonders of the world and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Once we reach the archaeological site, we will begin a guided tour around the citadel that will last about 2 hours. During the tour, you will find temples, palaces, squares, and streets in military and agricultural areas. The beauty of Machu Picchu is exalted by the extraordinary scenery in which it is located. Around the citadel, the National Reserve covers an area of 32,500 hectares and includes a constellation of archaeological monuments which we believe that were built as part of the complex of Machu Picchu and not in isolation way.

Free time to enjoy the archaeological site. At the arranged time with the guide, we will descend to Aguas Calientes town, where lunch will be included. Return to Cusco. Upon arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Breakfast at the hotel. At the set time, you will be transferred to the airport to continue with your itinerary.

Meals: Breakfast