10-Day Andean Highlights Machu Picchu & Puno

Upon your arrival in Lima, a representative of Inkayni tours will wait for you at the airport to assist you with transportation to your respective hotel. There will be the option that afternoon to visit Lima’s historic downtown. UNESCO declared Lima the “City of Kings” and a World Heritage site.

The following key locations may be visited:

Huaca Pucllana (Ceremonial and archaelogical site)

Lima’s historic center

Colonial Architecture (main square, goverment palace, the archbishop offices, and cathedral)

Museum of the Central Bank.

San Francisco

This day is essential for your trip, to first rest and acclimatize to the altitude and conditions during your stay in Cusco. This smooth transition via rest will assure that during the following days you can enjoy your tour without any concerns of altitude sickness. We will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your hotel for your lodging during the following days.

Today we begin our adventure up to the high plains. We stop first at Chinchero, an important ancient site for the Inca and known as the birthplace of the rainbow. We will visit the main site with its picturesque colonial church located on the ancient archaeological site. We will also visit a local textile center and learn about the ancient science of weaving from the artisans themselves.

Continuing through the rolling hills, we will visit the enigmatic circular terraces of Moray to learn more about these experimental agricultural constructions. Near Moray, we will stop at the town of Maras to then visit the ancient salt mines, used for thousands of years by local families to supply salt not only to the Incas but still to this day offering us an example of the natural art of salt harvesting straight from the land.

In the afternoon, we will travel to Ollantaytambo and board our train to Aguas Calientes for our visit to Machu Picchu.

Today we wake early to have breakfast and board the bus up to Machu Picchu. If we are lucky, we will see the first rays of the sun as dawn breaks and lights up this magical mountain. Your guide will be with you at every moment to inform you about the site and answer any questions. We will take a guided tour through the Sanctuary which will last roughly 2 to 3 hours.

Later we will begin our return to Aguas Calientes for lunch and rest.

Today we arrive at Ollantaytambo and continue onwards to the town of Pisaq to have a spectacular encounter with the engineering capabilities of the Incas, demonstrated by mountainsides full of terraces and buildings on steep hillsides and high peaks. As we journey to the top of this mountain, the heights will offer us the best views of the Sacred Valley below.

Later, we will return to the town of Pisaq and visit the local artisan market, offering everything from weavings to musical instruments and all sorts of souvenirs.

After the market, we will board our transportation back to Cusco. Along the way we will stop at Awanacancha weaving center and also have an opportunity to meet the Andean species of camels, such as alpaca, llama, vicuña, and guanaco, as we continue to dive deeper into the science of weaving and appreciate this hand-made art by Andean women.

At night you will have a dinner show with dances and instrumental music of the Andes in an excellent place located near to the main square of Cusco city.

Enjoy a free day in Cusco today. Feel free to walk in the city or book day tours with us. If you’re interested, ask for the following day trips:

City tour

River rafting in Vilcanota River

Horse riding in Saqsayhuaman Park

Zip line in the Sacred Valley

ATV’s in Killarumiyoc

In the morning we will depart from the bus terminal and head towards Puno. This is a special journey by bus which allows us to visit the many diverse locations along the way on “the Route of the sun”. We have planned stops to visit the following:

Andahuaylillas: Known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, this temple is one of the best examples of the fusion between Catholic and Andean religions)

Raqchi: An Inca temple dedicated to the god Wiracocha and construction of monumental dimensions. This is the only known temple dedicated to the God Wiracocha, creator of the Universe.

La Raya: The midway point on our journey and the highest point on the road at 4335 meters. The impressive views here allow us to admire the rugged high altitude full of tall peaks, many of which are snow-capped, and herds of llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. This is the geographic border between two cultures, the Quechua of Cusco and the Aymara of Puno.

Pucara: This ceremonial center is one of the oldest and most important of the high plains, well known for its lithic structures and tombs.

Today we have a full day boat excursion afloat Lake Titicaca. We will visit the ancient culture of the Uros and step foot on their floating islands. The Islanders will give us a presentation about their lifestyle upon their man-made islands, built using the totora reed which grows among the shores of the lake. We will learn about their existence on these small islands and how they have adapted to its conditions.

Continuing across the lake we will arrive at the island of Amantani. Here we will meet the Quechua families that will offer us a cozy home-stay style lodging and prepare traditional food for lunch. After lunch, we will make the short ascent to the two hilltops of the island while observing the daily lifestyle of the local people. Atop of the island, we will visit two ancient pre-Inca temples, Pachatata and Pachamama.

In the evening after dinner, the community members will hold a small welcoming party for us.

After breakfast on Amantani, we will board the boat again to make the short trip to the neighbouring island of Taquile. Here we will ascend the beautiful stone paths to the community, a small and quite shy population, not to mention very hard-working and wise, a culture full of art and tradition. Taquile people are cheerful and proud of their origins and culture, and happy to share with us the beautiful atmosphere of island life upon the immense Lake Titicaca.

Today we have a brief transfer from Puno to the neighbouring city of Juliaca. Upon arrival in Lima there will be assistance for an international connecting flight, or if preferred, transfer for a hotel.

End of the tour.