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Peru with Machu Picchu & the Nazca Lines - Small Group
Discover Peru on a 13-day Small Group journey through ancient cultures, living traditions and remarkable landscapes. From the heights of Machu Picchu to the coastal landscapes of Paracas and the mystery of the Nazca Lines, this journey connects Peru's best-known sites with local insight and distinctive cultural experiences. Explore Korikancha, visit the salt pans of Maras and meet a local Quechua weaver for a private presentation of long-held weaving traditions. In Cusco, a private planetarium visit reveals the role of astronomy in Andean culture, before a Local Expert leads your visit through Machu Picchu.
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Welcome to Lima
Arrive in Lima, a capital shaped by history, culture and one of Latin America's most influential food scenes. Home to a UNESCO-listed historic center, Lima was once the seat of Spanish rule in South America and still carries that significance today. On arrival, transfer to your hotel and settle in before meeting your Travel Director and fellow Small Group travelers this evening for dinner with drinks, a relaxed first introduction to the journey ahead.
Hotel: MGallery Manto, Lima
Explore Lima Relaxed Start
Explore the colorful capital of Peru this morning with your Local Expert. Discover its colonial heritage, taking in key landmarks such as the Cathedral of Lima, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace and City Hall. Visit Casa Aliaga, an impressive mansion that's been home to the Aliaga family for 17 generations. For those with an appreciation for art and history, enjoy a visit to Museo Larco, a renowned private museum nestled in the Pueblo Libre District. Rated as one of South America's top museums, it houses the world's largest collection of Pre-Columbian art. Enjoy lunch set in an 18th-century garden at Cafe del Museo Larco, where regional Peruvian dishes draw on centuries-old traditions. Dine beneath bougainvillea-draped terraces in the grounds of a vice-royal mansion, part of one of Lima's most storied colonial estates. Afterwards, a Local Expert will guide you through the museum's treasured collection, offering fascinating insights into Peru's ancient civilisations and spiritual traditions.
Hotel: MGallery Manto, Lima
Lima to Sacred Valley
Take a transfer to the airport in the morning, where you'll catch your flight to the ancient capital of Cusco. Begin your tour of the Sacred Valley, while taking in impressive views on your scenic drive along the way. After a few stunning photo stops, enjoy lunch at Altar Inca, surrounded by some of the most impressive views of the region. Enjoy a leisurely trip to your hotel for the next couple of nights, where the evening is yours to do as you please. We recommend that you rest in order to adjust to the altitude comfortably.
Hotel: Aranwa Sacred Valley, Urubamba
Explore Sacred Valley Relaxed Start
Spend the day in the Sacred Valley, where ancient ingenuity, living traditions and local flavors come together. Visit the Maras Salt Mines with a Local Expert and see the thousands of terraced pools still used to harvest salt, before continuing to Moray, where the Incas created circular terraces believed to have been used for agricultural experimentation. Later, head to Laguna Piuray for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience weaving demonstration, revealing how textiles continue to shape personal and regional identity in the Andes. Then enjoy an experience at Laguna Piuray. Sit down to a traditional lunch, cooked in the earth with hot stones and accompanied by local musicians, before learning to play the zampona, a traditional Andean panpipe.
Hotel: Aranwa Sacred Valley, Urubamba
Explore Machu Picchu Relaxed Start
Begin the day in Ollantaytambo, where the surviving stone streets and terraces still reflect the layout of an Inca town. Visit the ruins with a Local Expert, then stop at a local home in the old town to meet the family who live there and learn more about daily life in the village. Later, enjoy your travels as you board IncaRail's The Prime train to Machu Picchu Pueblo, traveling in superior comfort with an Andean-inspired tasting and live music on board. On arrival, visit Machu Picchu with a Local Expert, who will guide your Small Group through the 15th-century citadel and explain the significance of its architecture, engineering and mountain setting.
Hotel: Sumaq Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes
Machu Picchu at Leisure
Take in the breathtaking landscapes of Machu Picchu for a second time. Spend your morning exploring at your own pace, with your Travel Director on hand to answer any queries you may have. The remainder of your day is at your leisure. Relax back at your hotel or perhaps explore the town of Aguas Calientes on your own.
Hotel: Sumaq Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes
On to Cusco Relaxed Start
Board your IncaRail 360 train to Ollantaytambo after breakfast, then continue to Cusco, once the capital of the Inca Empire and still one of Peru's most important historic cities. You'll join a Local Expert for a walking tour through the old center, including Plaza Mayor, the 12-Angled Stone and Koricancha, once the most important temple in the Inca Empire. Enjoy an after-hours visit to the Cusco Planetarium to see the southern sky through dome projections, Inca constellations and Andean astronomy, with telescope observation when conditions allow.
Hotel: JW Marriott El Convento, Cusco
Exploring Cusco Relaxed Start
Explore the Inca sites above Cusco this morning, where ceremonial spaces, defensive outposts and monumental stonework reveal how the empire shaped its capital. Visit Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Qenqo before continuing to Sacsayhuaman, whose vast zigzag walls still overlook the city. After lunch, explore further with Insight Choice. Visit San Pedro Market with a Local Expert to one of Cusco's most traditional market halls. Here, you'll buy local food products that will later be donated to the community. Or step inside Cusco Cathedral on Plaza de Armas to see gilded altars, carved woodwork and paintings from the Cusco School, where colonial art and Inca heritage meet.
Hotel: JW Marriott El Convento, Cusco
Leisure time in Cusco Relaxed Start
Spend the day at leisure in Cusco, with time to explore more of this historic Andean city at your own pace. You may wish to join an Optional Experience to ChocoMuseo to learn more about cacao and the chocolate-making process, or choose an Optional Experience to Rainbow Mountain for a striking high-altitude landscape beyond the city. You could also spend time around Plaza de Armas, browse the artisan shops of San Blas or visit San Pedro Market for a look at local produce and everyday life in the city. This evening, join your fellow Small Group travelers for dinner at Inka Grill and share memories of your journey through Peru and the landscapes of the Andes.
Hotel: JW Marriott El Convento, Cusco
From the Andes to the Coast
Depart Cusco and fly to Lima. From here, enjoy a leisurely coastal drive to the beach town of Paracas. Known for its sandy beaches, tranquil bay, wildlife and the Paracas Candelabra geoglyph. With the rest of your evening free, take the opportunity to relax at your beautiful resort right on the beach. Take a cooling dip in one of their two swimming pools or stroll through the fragrant gardens.
Hotel: Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort
Paracas & the Nazca Lines
Begin your day in Paracas, one of Peru's most historic coastal communities, where fishing is not only a livelihood but a deeply rooted cultural identity. Meet a local fisherman who shares how small-scale communities are sustained by the seaeconomically, socially and spiritually. Gain insight into the growing pressure from industrial fleets and the fragile balance between tradition and modernity. This personal exchange offers a rare window into a way of life that is both resilient and under threat. Later, board a scenic flight over the UNESCO-listed Nazca Lines. Etched into the arid plateau more than 1,500 years ago, these vast geoglyphs continue to puzzle archaeologists and enchant travelers.
Hotel: Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort
Ballestas Islands and Peruvian Wildlife
Home to blue footed boobies, Humboldt penguins, Peruvian pelicans, fur seals and sea lions, the Ballestas Islands are famous for their abundant marine life as well as striking rock formations. Soak it all in on this morning's scenic cruise with your Local Expert. Experience another side of the area in the nearby city of Ica at a pisco distillery for a tasting. Sip and savor the national drink in Peru in this region known for growing grapes and producing the best pisco. Enhance your cultural discoveries at one of Peru's finest small museums housing mummies, skulls, fossils, ceramics, textiles and artifacts from the Inca and other significant civilizations of the region.
Hotel: Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort
Chincha and return to Lima Relaxed Start
Return to Lima today with your Small Group, stopping in Chincha at Hacienda San Jose, a 17th-century estate in Peru's Afro-Peruvian south coast. Its original house, baroque chapel and underground tunnels reveal the history of the estate and the role it played in Peru's colonial-era slave economy, adding further depth to your understanding of the country's past. Later, continue to Lima and transfer to the airport, where it's time to say goodbye to your fellow travelers as your journey through Peru comes to an end.
Departure Dates
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Start: March 6, 2027 End: March 18, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: March 27, 2027 End: April 8, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: April 17, 2027 End: April 29, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: May 1, 2027 End: May 13, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: May 15, 2027 End: May 27, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: June 12, 2027 End: June 24, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: June 26, 2027 End: July 8, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: July 10, 2027 End: July 22, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: July 31, 2027 End: August 12, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: August 14, 2027 End: August 26, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: August 28, 2027 End: September 9, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: September 11, 2027 End: September 23, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: September 25, 2027 End: October 7, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: October 9, 2027 End: October 21, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: October 16, 2027 End: October 28, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: November 6, 2027 End: November 18, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Start: November 20, 2027 End: December 2, 2027 Price: $6,186 pp | Land Only Price My Trip |
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Product Code: IVUSAS-ZPERPAN27