On the Trail of the Incas (2024 departures)

Our culinary experience begins with a guided visit to a local market in Lima with our chef. See all the ingredients Peru has to offer as we search for what we’ll need for our cooking class – we'll decide on the dishes as a group. Then it’s time to head into the kitchen where our chef will teach us how to prepare some of Peru’s most traditional, classic dishes, including ceviche, causa limeña (layered potato dish), or perhaps a tiradito de pescado (Peruvian sashimi) or lomo saltado (beef stir fry). Once we’ve finished cooking, we can relax as chef prepares a traditional Peruvian lunch while telling us more about the country’s cuisine, history, and ingredients.

Known as The City of Kings, Peru is packed with stunning colonial architecture and huge religious buildings. We’ll tour some of the most important sites, including Huaca Pucllana, the Plaza de Armas, Lima Cathedral, and the Santo Domingo Convent. Afterwards, we’ll head to the private Larco Museum to see a wide range of pre-Columbian art and artefacts.

Transfer to the airport for our flight to Cusco. We’ll have a quick welcome meeting at the hotel once we arrive.

Journey through the Andes and the famous Taray viewpoint to take in the Sacred Valley. Once we arrive at Pisac Inca complex we’ll explore the extensive ruins on a guided tour, passing through structures that served as homes, storage rooms, and temples. Plus you’ll see Inca altars, carvings, tunnels, caves, and the famous Intihuatana (sundial).

We’ll then follow a section of the Inca trail, circling a mountain to the religious part of Pisac, Intiwatana. Enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing to the town of Pisac via a tall waterfall. Visit the market, then we’ll transfer back. If you want, you could spend more time at the market in Pisac instead of visiting the ruins (arranging a meeting time with your guide).

Maras and Moray are two amazing attractions located within a short distance of each other in the Sacred Valley. Firstly, we’ll visit Maras, famous for its 3,000 or so salt evaporation ponds, which have been in use since at least Inca times. Then we’ll venture to Moray, an Inca archaeological site where several large terraced circular depressions were used to test crop production in various microclimates.

Then, we’ll visit the Andean Community of Misminay. When we arrive, the locals will receive us with traditional music and dances that have been passed down through the centuries. We’ll then tour the town, looking at the crops that are grown here and enjoying the views of the Sacred Valley. You’ll have free time before lunch and a walk to a viewpoint over Moray.

Today we’ll embark on a shorter two-day version of the full Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu. We’ll leave Cusco and transfer to Ollantaytambo station where we’ll board the train for a 1.5-hour scenic ride to a point known as Kilometer 104. From here, we’ll begin walking, firstly it’s around four hours to archaeological site of Wiñay Wayna with its spectacular series of agricultural terraces.

We’ll continue to Inti Punku (the Puerta del Sol) where you’ll have your first spectacular view of Machu Picchu. Before reaching Machu Picchu, we’ll take a side road and head towards Aguas Calientes, leaving our exploration of Machu Picchu for the next day.

To better appreciate Machu Picchu, we’ll wake up early to reach the citadel in time to watch the sunrise. We’ll walk to the starting point of the bus for the short, zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu. A guided walking tour (around two hours) will take us to see all the most famous and spectacular parts of the extensive archaeological complex. Afterwards you’ll have free time to explore and enjoy the views of the agricultural terraces, surrounding mountains, and deep gorges.

We’ll take the bus back to Agua Calientes where you can have lunch before boarding the train back to Poroy and Cusco.

Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, is one of the most fascinating cities in South America. Walking through the centre, we’ll see an incredible mix of architecture, starting at the Inca temple of Koricancha, next to the Church of Santo Domingo. Next we’ll head to the Cathedral of Cusco, which houses works of art from the Cusco school of painters. Finally, we’ll visit San Blas neighbourhood, known as the neighbourhood of artisans.

Hidden under snow until 2015, Rainbow Mountain is one of Peru’s most recently discovered attractions. We’ll head to the top of the mountain for sweeping panoramic views of this otherworldly landscape and across to the imposing Ausangate Massif. We’ll have to trek to get there, but it’s well worth the effort.

We’ll set off from Cusipa (3,310m) and as we get closer to the top (5,100m), we’ll see llamas and alpacas as well as traditional towns. We’ll explore the series of coloured mountains with layers of gold, lavender, red, and turquoise that give them their name. And after our trek down, we’ll head to a restaurant for a buffet lunch before returning to Cusco.

Enjoy a free day to explore Cusco. The capital city of the Inca Empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city.

We’ll leave Cusco and travel towards Puno by bus, stopping at the 17th century Chapel of Andahuaylillas, also known as the Sistine Chapel of America thanks to its ornate murals. Then we’ll continue to the Raqchi Archaeological Complex (or Temple of Wiracocha) where we’ll explore the colcas (or barns). We’ll have lunch at a restaurant and visit Paso de la Raya where the famous snow-capped Chimboya is located, and where the Amazon River starts.

We’ll cruise out to two of Lake Titicaca’s islands today, the manmade floating islands of the Uros, and the natural island of Taquile. On both, you’ll witness their traditional way of life, including the skills of the master weavers who live on the lake. On Taquile, we’ll visit the small and rarely visited rural community of Luquina, where we’ll enjoy a buffet lunch at the local fisherman’s house.

The floating islands of Uros were originally built for defence and made from the totora reeds that grow around the lake. We’ll explore the main island and see the houses and watchtowers all built of reeds. One of the locals will then give a brief presentation about how the islands are made, and then you can meet one of the local families to see how they live. 

After breakfast enjoy your last day at leisure before transferring to the airport for your return flight home via Lima.