Peru Highlights 21 day adventure tour

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Start of trip
1 stop
1
New Jorge Chávez International Airport
Today our Peru adventure tour starts! At the airport, your guide will meet you and take you to your cosy hotel in the middle of the European-looking Miraflores district.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Miraflores - Barranco
2 stops
2
Miraflores
Spend the day getting to know Peruvian culture for the first time. On a walking tour you will explore the Miraflores district, where our hotel is located. It is considered to be the European-style district of Lima. Immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of a South American city and take a first look at the Pacific Ocean. A short walk takes us to a nearby market hall with its rich range of exotic fruits and other treats. Enjoying a freshly prepared fruit juice will set you in the culinary mood for the experiences ahead. Many boutiques and craft markets invite you to browse, the restaurants offer international standards and an excellent selection of the rich Peruvian cuisine, considered one of the best in the world. For dinner (optional), enjoy an unforgettable view of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean with Peruvian delicacies.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
3
Barranco
After dinner, explore the Barranco district, considered an artist and entertainment district with its picturesque houses and many pubs. From the "Bridge of Sighs" you have a romantic view of the former seaside resort with its Art Nouveau architecture.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 3
City tour of Lima's old town with Plaza San Martin, Torre Tagle, San Francisco Catacombs, Plaza Mayor, etc.
5 stops
4
Lima
During today's tour of Lima's historic old town, we dive into lively Peru. First we visit the Museum of Pre-Columbian Cultures in Lima. Here you can get a good overview of the Peruvian cultures of the past 4,000 years, which culminated in the Inca period. The city of Lima is located in the tropical climate zone, but due to the constant light breeze from the Pacific, temperatures rarely reach more than 28 degrees Celcius even in midsummer.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
5
Plaza San Martin
Afterwards, we will start the city tour of Lima's historic, lively old town. Our tour takes us from Plaza San Martín through the Jirón de la Unión to the colonial Baroque churches of San Agustín and Santo Domingo and past the Desamparados train station, which now also serves as a cultural institute.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
6
Plaza de Armas (Plaza Mayor)
We visit the Torre Tagle Palace, a colonial building with beautiful balconies typical of Lima. The building dates back to the first half of the 18th century, and nowadays the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its representative seat in it. The colonial palace can therefore only be visited from the outside and in the courtyard. Nearby is Plaza Mayor, Lima's central square. It shows its colonial splendour with the Government Palace, the Town Hall with its typical dark precious wood balconies, the Archbishop's Palace and the mighty cathedral.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
7
From there it is not far to the church of San Francisco, where we visit the famous catacombs with their piled bones of countless limeños, as the inhabitants of Lima are called. Along the way, we have the opportunity to buy typical Peruvian crafts in one of the beautiful craft shops.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
8
Circuito Magico Del Agua
In the evening you have the opportunity to visit the Circuito Mágico del Agua, a large park with a variety of different water fountains, which are illuminated in color and offer a wonderful spectacle in darkness. These are the largest water features in the world, only opened in 2016.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 4
Lima - Panamericana - Paracas National Park - Huacachina
3 stops
9
We start our tour in a private, modern coach and travel south along the Pacific coast on the Panamericana, one of the dream roads in the world, through the coastal desert. The Panamericana extends over the entire north-south extent of the American continent, i.e. connecting Alaska with Tierra del Fuego. In South America, the very well-developed Panamericana runs along the Pacific coastal desert with magnificent views of the roaring Pacific Ocean, occasionally interrupted by fertile river valleys. In the afternoon we reach the town of Paracas, located directly on the Pacific Ocean. Here we visit the Nacional de Paracas Reserve, Peru's oldest marine reserve with its coastal desert, sand dunes and many different bird species. Impressive are the exhibition at the local nature museum and a beach made of red sand. The sea off Peru, through which the cold Humboldt River passes, is one of the most fishy in the world.
5 hours • Admission ticket free
10
Paracas National Reserve
In the afternoon we reach the town of Paracas, located directly on the Pacific Ocean. Here we visit the Nacional de Paracas Reserve, Peru's oldest marine reserve with its coastal desert, sand dunes and many different bird species. Impressive are the exhibition at the local nature museum and a beach made of red sand. The sea off Peru, through which the cold Humboldt River passes, is one of the most fishy in the world.
5 hours • Admission ticket included
11
Huacachina
Afterwards we continue to the fascinating desert oasis of Huacachina. Nestled between 100 m high sand dunes is a small lake, which is picturesquely surrounded by tall date palms. The oasis is one of Peru's tourist attractions and has some hotels and restaurants. If you like, you can splash through the dunes in a sand buggy or try out sandboarding, where instead of snow, the dune sand serves as a kind of surfboard (optional). The sunset, when the sun sinks behind the dunes in the Pacific, is unforgettable.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 5
Ballestas – Pisco sample - Sand dunes - Nazca
4 stops
12
We start early in the boat to the Ballestas Islands, passing the enigmatic Candelabro, a geoglyph in the shape of a candle holder. Hundreds of thousands of seabirds that produce the famous guano fertilizer breed on the Ballestas Islands, but we will also encounter Humboldt penguins, Perut oil pelicans, monk seals and sea lions. The rocky Ballestas Islands off Paracas are also known as the "little Galapagos of Peru". They are part of the Paracas National Park, are protected and may only be accessed in a few places.
5 hours • Admission ticket included
13
The Chandelier
On the boat trip to the Ballestas Islands you can see a large figure on the slope of a hill, the mysterious Candelabro (candle holder). Although this geoglyph is strongly reminiscent of the Nasca Lines, experts dispute whether the figure is from the Pre-Inca Paracas culture or in the 16th century./17th century by sailors or fishermen as a point of reference. Although the Paracas culture did not know such shaped candle holders and on the other hand it is questionable whether sailors and fishermen would have gone to so much trouble... But judge for yourself on your visit!
Admission ticket free
14
Taqara 1856
Later in the morning we continue south. At the El Catador winery in Ica, we taste different types of homemade piscos and let the local manufactory show us how to make the Peruvian national drink. There is also the possibility of a very good lunch (optional).
3 hours • Admission ticket included
15
Nazca
Our journey continues in our private coach towards Nazca. Around 21 km before reaching the city, we climb a lookout tower from which you can see some of the famous sharp lines (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in the desert sand. The more than 1,500 images of humans and animals were created around 800 BC and were researched by the German researcher Maria Reiche from 1939 until her death in 1998.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 6
Day Tour in Nazca
5 stops
16
Early risers can now view the famous Nazca lines from the air from a small plane (optional). The flight takes around 45 minutes and is only suitable for airworthiness (costs about € 110,-). On an area of over 500 square kilometers, scattered on a dry plateau, huge geoglyphs are depicted, geometric patterns, animals, humans and countless exactly straight, kilometer-long lines, which can only be captured in their entirety from the plane (or the sky, as the seat of the gods?). According to Erik von Däniken, the straight lines are take-off and landing runways for visitors to another planet... Only during a flight over the lines of Nazca and neighbouring Palpa can you recognize the depictions of a monkey, a spider, a whale, a lizard, a hummingbird, a condor, even an astronaut or shaman and many more figures and enjoy a breathtaking view over the Nazca desert.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
17
Cementerio Chauchilla
After breakfast, we visit the mummy cemetery in Chauchilla with our local guide. In pre-Inca times (7th-13th centuries) the dead were wrapped in fabrics and buried in a squat position. Due to the dry desert climate, these mummies are still very well preserved. In addition, many ceramic remains have been preserved from this so-called Nazca culture. It was not until the 1920s that this burial site with several hundred graves was discovered. Several individual and family graves with mummies, bones and ceramics wrapped in cotton cloths can be visited. Unfortunately, many graves were damaged by grave robbers a long time ago. However, what you can still see is still very impressive. The most valuable of the finds made, which did not fall victim to grave robbers, can be visited in the local museum as well as in the museums in Lima.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
18
A detour leads us to the ruins of Los Paredones from the Inca period. The citadel of Los Paredones is located directly on the outskirts of Nazca. These are the remains of an administrative center of the Incas. For only 90 years, the Incas dominated the area and cultures of Nazca before they were deposed by the Spanish Conquistadores. Visiting the facility requires good footwear.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
19
Cantalloc Aqueduct
We continue to the aqueducts of Cantalloc, which the people of the Nazca culture built more than 1,500 years ago to develop the underground drinking water storage facilities. The Peruvian coastal desert would be a flowering garden if it could be adequately watered. While water is abundant in the Amazon region, geology on the Pacific coast provides sparse surface water through few rivers on the one hand, and the cold Humboldt Current from Antarctica on the other hand provides rare rain - despite its subtropical location. Afterwards we visit the ceramicist Jenny Calle. In her traditional ceramics workshop, she shows us how traditional ceramics are still produced today using ancient processes from the time of the ancient Nazca culture.
4 hours • Admission ticket included
20
If you are not tired yet, you can visit the planetarium in the evening, where a picture lecture about the Nazca lines is offered (optional, about € 6,-).
1 hour • Admission ticket not included
Day 7
Nazca - Camaná – Swimming in the Pacific - Arequipa
3 stops
21
In our private bus, we embark today on a long journey along the fascinating coastal desert of Peru, interrupted by some green river oases. First we drive past the majestic Cerro Blanco, which at 2,076 m is considered the highest sand dune in the world and looks like snow-capped from a distance.
Admission ticket free
22
On the way we visit the town of Yauca, known for its excellent olives, and enjoy an olive tasting. Later in the afternoon, we reach the seaside resort of Camaná, which is best known for its white beaches and numerous surfers. Here we refresh ourselves by diving into the Pacific Ocean, on one of Peru's most beautiful beaches.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
23
Afterwards we continue our drive to Arequipa, where we arrive at our hotel in the evening.
4 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 8
Arequipa City and Surroundings Tour with Yanahuara, the Mill of Sabandía, Alpaca Manufactory Incalpaca
5 stops
24
We enjoy our breakfast today in Arequipa, located at an altitude of 2,300 m above sea level at the foot of the impressive Misti volcano. The magnificent colonial old town is built of white volcanic rock and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru and for many the most beautiful. The city is the birthplace of Peruvian Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa. Built of white Sillar, a volcanic rock, Arequipa is also called the "white city". In the morning we take a city tour and first visit the old town.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
25
The magnificent Plaza de Armas in the city centre is surrounded by palm trees and colonial arcades. The architecturally imposing cathedral dominates the square, and inside you can admire colonial art.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
26
The Yanahuara district transports its visitors back in time to the colonial past with its small, winding streets. From the Mirador Yanahuara viewpoint you have a wonderful view of the whole city, in the background the volcanic mountains El Misti (5,821 m above sea level), Cachani (6,075 m above sea level) and Pichu Pichu (5,425 m above sea level).
1 hour • Admission ticket free
27
After lunch at one of Arequipa’s best restaurants (optional), our bus will take you to the charming surroundings of Arequipa, usually within sight of the Misti, Chachani and Picchu Picchu volcanoes. We visit the original Sabandía mill, located 10 km outside Arequipa. It was built in 1621. After a long period of decay, it has been restored and is now one of the attractions of Arequipa, nestled in a beautiful landscape. In the garden of the mill is a small zoo, with llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas. The so-called "Hanging Gardens" frame Arequipa and form a lush green contrast to the ubiquitous, snow-capped volcanoes.
3 hours • Admission ticket included
28
Arequipa is the center of alpaca fiber production. During a detour to the alpaca factory Incalpaca, we get to know the various New World camels (lamas, alpacas, vicuñas, guanacos) in the associated zoo and have the opportunity to purchase high-quality alpaca goods at a reasonable price at the factory. We will stay in Arequipa.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 9
Arequipa
4 stops
29
Today is at leisure and offers the opportunity to discover Arequipa on your own.
5 hours • Admission ticket free
30
It's worth visiting the Santuarios Andinos Museum, where Juanita, the mummy of an Inca girl so baptized, is kept (unless she's in the US for examinations).
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
31
Or you can take a short walk to the picturesque 16th century monastery town of Santa Catalina, just a few steps from our hotel (optional). Until a few decades ago, the monastery was isolated from the outside world. It is one of the landmarks of the city and St. Consecrated to Catherine of Siena. The approximately 20,000 m2 monastery still houses about twenty nuns who live in a side wing of the monastery. However, the vast majority of the monastery buildings can be visited. The monastery is like a town within the city, where daughters of wealthy Spanish families were once taught by nuns. The novices lived quite casually and were allowed to keep their own servants. If they wanted to become choir sisters, they had to bring a dowry of about 2,400 silver coins and valuable items into the monastery. Up to 150 nuns and 300 servants lived temporarily in the monastery of Santa Catalina.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
32
Or enjoy a cup of Coca tea or coffee at one of the city's sidewalk cafes and browse the numerous Arequipa boutiques for beautiful and inexpensive pieces of alpaca wool or other souvenirs! If you prefer to knit yourself, you will also find an overwhelming variety of alpaca wool in all colours and thicknesses in the Michell premises, not far from the hotel!
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 10
Arequipa - Pampa Cañahuas - Patapampa Pass - Colca Valley
3 stops
33
In the morning we drive in our bus towards Colca Valley. The Colca Valley is located north of Arequipa and is also called the Valley of Condors. It is of great scenic appeal and one of the most beautiful regions of Peru. The 160 km long route from Arequipa to Chivay, the gateway to the Colca Valley, is also of impressive beauty. It passes through the Pampa Cañahuas National Park at an altitude of around 4,000 metres, which was established to protect the Vicuñas, then over the Patapampa Pass at an altitude of 4,910 metres and finally winds down many serpentines into the Colca Valley (around 3,600 metres above sea level).
5 minutes • Admission ticket free
34
Abra Patapampa
We pass the Patapampa Pass at 4,910 m altitude. Despite thin air, we enjoy the spectacular view of the volcanoes of the surrounding area. Along the way we encounter llamas, alpacas and shy, graceful Vicuñas. At a beautiful vantage point we stop for a snack with coca tea, crafts and alpaca textiles.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
35
Colca Canyon
The Colca Valley is deeper than the North American Gran Canyon (and is also slightly deeper than Arequipa), and we experience a unique landscape characterized by large elevation differences and the terraced fields that look like hanging gardens. They date back to the Pre-Inca period and allow the cultivation of a variety of crops, as different microclimates result depending on altitude. In Chivay (3,600 m) you have the opportunity to relax in the thermal springs there (optional).
5 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 11
Condors in the Colca Valley - Andean Lakes - Puno/Lake Titicaca
3 stops
36
Mirador Cruz del Condor
In the morning we start at times to Cruz del Condor. The condors use the thermals of the warming sun's rays of the early morning hours to elegantly lift their kilos of body weight. A unique experience to watch the majestic Andean vultures up close!
2 hours • Admission ticket included
37
On Carretera Interoceánica, we continue across the barren but fascinating Andean plateau, passing several Andean lakes, including the Laguna Lagunillas, where many flamingos live.
Admission ticket free
38
Puno
In the evening we finally reach our hotel in Puno on Lake Titicaca.
5 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 12
Puno - Boat tour Lake Titicaca, with the floating islands of the Uros and the island of Taquile
3 stops
39
Uros Floating Islands
Right after breakfast we will go to the port of Puno and the boat tour on Lake Titicaca. First we visit the floating reed islands of the Uros. The inhabitants of the islands proudly show us the technique they use to make their floating islands, because the reed material rots over time and must be constantly renewed.
3 hours • Admission ticket included
40
Taquile Island
We enjoy a longer and quieter journey on the highest navigable lake in the world and then climb the island of Taquile. The Taquileños are famous for their high-quality textiles, which are mainly made by men and belong to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The textile works of art of the Taquileños can be purchased at fair prices. The taquileños are organized cooperatively. They deliberately refer to the pre-Inca commandments "Ama suwa, ama llulla, ama qilla" (not stealing, not lying, not being lazy). As a result, there is no police unit on the island. The cooperative also controls the greatly increased tourism. Hotels are still sought in vain on the island, you can only stay in private accommodation. For lunch we can eat a delicious grilled trout from Lake Titicaca (optional).
3 hours • Admission ticket included
41
Puno
The region around Puno is particularly well known for its textile art (jumpers, carpets, accessories), but you will also find beautiful ceramic goods and can visit the textile and craft market right at the port of Puno. The evening offers the opportunity to explore Puno with a short walk. The city itself is not really pretty, but there are good restaurants, often with homely, open fireplaces and usually with musicians who move from restaurant to restaurant in small groups and perform the folklore music of the Andes for a tip (El condor pasa...).
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 13
Puno - Ruta del Sol - Cusco, with Pukará - La Raya Pass - Andahuaylillas
4 stops
42
We leave Puno early in the morning and continue on the bus to Cusco. The road follows the railway line running here and there are several stops, including in the town of Pukará. Pucará has a large and worth seeing cathedral. Funny detail: on the fence posts sit small ceramic bulls called Toritos de Pucará. It is also the ceramic bulls that Pucará is known for in Peru. Mounted on the roof of a house, the Toritos de Pucará are said to bring happiness. Originally, the ceramic figurines were llamas, which then mutated into bulls during the colonial period.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
43
La Raya Pass
We cross the 4,300-meter-high La Raya Pass. It is the highest point between Puno and Cusco at 4,314 m above sea level and the stop for the train connection between Puno and Cusco.
Admission ticket free
44
Later in the afternoon we arrive at the Jesuit Church of San Pedro Apóstol, dedicated to Peter, which is considered the Sistine Chapel of Latin America. During our visit to the church we learn a lot about the architecture of the colonial Andean Baroque. The church is right on the Plaza in Andahuaylillas, and its visit is a must! Rather inconspicuous from the outside, the church was built by Jesuits over a pre-Columbian sanctuary from 1570. The gilded altar is impressive, the interior was decorated in the 1620s with frescoes and paintings by artists from the Cusco school, showing the connection between Native American and Christian art.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
45
Cusco
In the evening we reach Cusco. Formerly the Inca capital and the "navel of the world", Cusco was conquered by the Spanish in 1533. Artful Inca walls with precisely interlocked stones alternate with magnificent colonial buildings. The streets of the old town were laid out by the Incas just wide enough for two packed llamas to pass each other. We move into our hotel in the middle of the old town and have the opportunity to spend the rest of the evening exploring the ancient Inca city, considered by many to be the most beautiful city in Peru.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 14
City tour Cusco and ruins, with Tambomachay - Puka Pukara - Q'enko - Sacsayhuamán - traditional dances
5 stops
46
Tambomachay
In the morning, we start on the city tour and visit the numerous sights that Cusco has to offer. First we visit Tambomachay. This sanctuary served the water cult of the Incas. It shows finely crafted installations such as platforms, niches and fountains fed by the water of higher springs over four terraced levels. It is one of the sanctuaries connected by a series of imaginary lines that determined the place and time for religious ceremonies. The complex is located around 8 km from Cusco.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
47
Puka Pukara
Continue to the Inca places of worship Puka Pukara, which is high above the city of Cusco. The name of the fortress means “Red Fortress” in the indigenous language of Quechua, which is probably derived from the red color of the stones. Good footwear is mandatory today.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
48
The religious complex is located about 4 km northeast of Cusco. It was built directly into the rocks, because according to the Incas the natural rocks were apus (gods) and were therefore directly involved in the cult acts. The stairways are carved into the rock, the Incas created channels where they probably kept chicha, the traditional corn beer, for their rituals. The complex has a semicircular square, which is delimited by a low wall with a series of niches. In the center is the Huaca, the sanctuary, a slender stone that stands like a statue in the middle of a chapel.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
49
Sacsayhuaman
Continue to the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuamán, high above Cusco, with its terraced zigzag walls and seamlessly matching huge stone blocks. Sacsayhuamán is one of the most important sights of the Incas. It has not yet been definitively determined whether the facility was intended to protect the city of Cusco as a military fortification, or whether it had a more important significance as a sanctuary. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure and is ideal for browsing the beautiful craft markets of the old town.
3 hours • Admission ticket included
50
In the evening we will attend a performance of traditional Peruvian dances with dancers in traditional costumes.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 15
Sacred Valley of the Incas with Urubamba - Chinchero - Salt pans - Ollantaytambo - Narrow gauge railway - Aguas Calientes
7 stops
51
Sacred Valley of the Incas
Even today we have an ambitious program waiting for us, so we start after an early breakfast. You will travel to the surroundings of Cusco, the Sagrado Valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and visit impressive Inca ruins.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
52
Pisac Market
First we visit the famous Pisac market, which offers a wide range of knitwear and handicrafts.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
53
Salinas de Maras
Afterwards we visit the famous salt pans at Maras, where we can trace the process of salt extraction.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
54
Urubamba
For lunch we have the opportunity to enjoy handmade beers and lunch at a small but fine local craft beer brewery near Urubamba (optional).
2 hours • Admission ticket free
55
Chinchero
In Chinchero, we are welcomed by a weavers’ cooperative, where we are shown the production of the artful, traditional local textiles: from spinning, to dyeing with plant and insect colours, to weaving.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
56
Archaeological Park Ollantaytambo
The impressive incarnations of Ollantaytambo, in the 16th century retreat of the Inca Manco Capac from the Spanish, show the architecture of the Incas. The town of Ollantaytambo itself is also worth a visit, as it has already been created by the Incas. Its buildings and narrow streets (two packed llamas wide!) are still preserved in their original condition.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
57
Aguas Calientes
In the evening we continue on the narrow gauge railway to Aguas Calientes, also called Machu-Picchu-Pueblo. The place is located at subtropical 2,060 m above sea level, is the starting point for visiting Machu Picchu and serves purely tourist purposes. However, it offers good restaurants and a very well-stocked textile and craft market. After a few days in the Andean highlands, it is always very pleasant for all the tour participants to be a little lower back to (almost ridiculous) 2,060 m above sea level...
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 16
Inca town Machu Picchu - narrow gauge railway to Ollantaytambo
2 stops
58
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
In the very early morning, a bus takes us up the serpentines to the entrance of the mysterious Inca city of Machu Picchu, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose visit is a must on any Peru trip. We explore the mysterious Inca city on a walking tour, but also have time to let the magic of Machu Picchu work on us in quiet places. If you are physically fit and largely vertigo-free, you can climb Huayno Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (optional), while deep down in the valley, the Urubamba River meanders by. The deserved reward of the climb is the overwhelming view of Machu Picchu and the unique landscape in which the Inca fortress is congenially embedded. This magical place at 2,360 m above sea level, built in the 15th century and uncovered only from 1911 by the English explorer Hiram Bingham and not visible from the valley, will captivate you!
8 hours • Admission ticket included
59
Later in the afternoon we take the narrow gauge railway back to Ollantaytambo. The vegetation along the migration route along the Urubamba River is initially lush green, the landscape breathtaking. The large windows on the train offer magnificent views of the passing subtropical mountain landscape and occasional Inca ruins. We experience the transition from the subtropical-green lowlands to the gradually becoming barren highlands of the Andes. By bus we continue from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
3 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 17
Cusco
6 stops
60
Cusco Cathedral
The day is at leisure so that you can discover the fascination of the city of Cusco and let its magic work on you unhindered and on your own. If you like, you can visit the cathedral with the famous paintings of the so-called Cusco School (optional), where, for example, in the image of a depiction of the Last Supper, a roasted guinea pig can be seen in the middle of the table in a very local way. At the entrance, you can borrow a free German-language audio guide and follow the detailed explanations of the cathedral's attractions.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
61
If you still don’t feel the appetite for fried guinea pigs, visit the San Pedro market and discover the variety of Peruvian potatoes – after all, the potato comes from Peru. In addition to the variety of exotic fruits, the San Pedro Market Hall impresses with its architecture, which comes from none other than Gustave Eiffel.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
62
Qorikancha
Or explore the Inca temple of Coricancha, built in the 15th century under the Inca ruler Pachacútec. It was here that the Incas celebrated their most important ceremonies until the Spanish conquerors finally built a Dominican monastery over it.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
63
Or visit one of Cusco's many museums, such as the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chocolate Museum, the Museum of Traditional Textiles, the Potato Museum or the Coca Museum.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
64
In the evening, we recommend visiting the planetarium located just outside Cusco.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
65
Those who are tireless can use the day off for an organized day trip to Mount Vinicunca, known as Rainbow Mountain (optional). Those who are not afraid to leave at 4 am with one of the numerous providers in Cusco, after arriving at an altitude of 4,600 m above sea level, a trail of 1.5 hours to hike, will experience -arriving at an altitude of 5,200 m above sea level (!) - a fascinating natural phenomenon. A good condition should be brought for this, of course, also the day tour is only recommended in good weather. The tour can be booked at short notice in Cusco, your guide will be happy to help you.
8 hours • Admission ticket not included
Day 18
Cusco - Iquitos
3 stops
66
Iquitos
Once again we have to get up very early, because we leave the Andean highlands and fly from Cusco to Iquitos (usually with a stopover and short stay in Lima). The humid tropical city of Iquitos is located on the Amazon and can only be reached by plane or boat, but not by land. This gives Iquitos a very special atmosphere. Iquitos is the capital of the Loreto department and is located on the banks of the Amazon. By trading rubber, Iquitos was once one of the richest cities in the world. Today, magnificent Art Nouveau villas decorated with ceramic tiles by the rubber barons from the colonial era still bear witness to this wealth.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
67
After arriving at the hotel, you can explore the morbid charm of the old colonial city, with its pompous buildings from the glamorous era of the rubber barons, when Iquitos was one of the richest cities in the world.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
68
Mosaic-decorated colonial houses give an idea of the city's former wealth. Right on Plaza de Armas stands Casa de Fierro, an iron house built by Gustave Eiffel, the builder of the Eiffel Tower. We're staying in Iquitos.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 19
Iquitos - Boat trip on the Amazon - jungle lodge
2 stops
69
After breakfast, we head to the Amazon jungle: from the port of Nanay near Iquitos, where we can take a look at the exotic delicacies of the local market and taste them, we head out in a boat to the rivers Nanay and Itaya and the Amazon. The boat trip to our lodge takes several hours, on the way we visit the wildlife there on a monkey island. If you don't want to stay at the lodge, you either have a day off in Iquitos, or you accompany (for an expense share) those tour participants who want to stay at the lodge to Monkey Island and from there go back to Iquitos by boat and stay at the hotel.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
70
In the afternoon we arrive at our lodge where we have lunch and later dinner. After dark, we either take a hike through the night jungle or an extended boat trip to explore the night wildlife - including snakes and tarantulas... Please note that accommodation in the lodge including full board is not included in the tour price. The additional costs are approx. 200 Euro /person Included in the lodge package are full board (lunch and dinner, breakfast) as well as a detailed, accompanied program of boat tours on the Amazon, visiting a monkey island, a night trip on the Amazon to observe the nocturnal wildlife, piraña fishing and visiting a Yagua and/or Bora tribe. The program may vary depending on the lodge booked.
1 day • Admission ticket not included
Day 20
Lodge - Boat trip back to Iquitos
3 stops
71
While the day wakes up in the jungle around our lodge, we take a boat trip on one of the many tributaries of the Amazon before breakfast. Our local guide shows us how to catch (and then prepare) pirañas with a little luck.
5 hours • Admission ticket not included
72
After breakfast (depending on fishing luck with or without pirañas) we will return to Iquitos in a boat. Along the way, we visit a tribe of the Yagua and/or Boras people, where we can purchase locally made jewelry and crafts, and we observe gray and pink river dolphins and exotic birds.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
73
Iquitos
Later in the afternoon we will be back in Iquitos. The rest of the day is at leisure. In the evening you have the opportunity to have dinner in an exclusive restaurant (optional). The restaurant, called Al frio y al fuego, is located on a platform in the middle of the Itaya River off Iquitos and offers delicious food, a swimming pool and a cocktail menu worth seeing. We're staying in Iquitos.
4 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 21
Iquitos - Lima
2 stops
74
Iquitos
Enjoy the charm of Iquitos again during walks or a trip to the surrounding area. Visit one of the local museums or one of the artisan markets, explore the historic rubber-era steamship Ayapua built by a German shipping company in Hamburg or discover and taste exotic delicacies or medicinal plants at the Belén market. Trace the Werner Herzog film Fitzcarraldo, starring Klaus Kinski, shot in Iquitos and the surrounding area, and/or simply brave the tropical heat, at a shady spot on the promenade of Iquitos overlooking the Amazon - and with a cold drink. Depending on your mood, you can also choose from an extensive range of excursions to explore the surroundings of Iquitos (from € 25.00, each with a local guide).
5 hours • Admission ticket free
75
Miraflores
In the afternoon we fly back to Lima, where we move into our hotel in Miraflores for our last night in Peru.
4 hours • Admission ticket included

Additional info

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

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