Itinerary:

Lima Cusco Puno Day 01: Arrive to Lima

Lima airport greeting and transfer to Hotel San Agustin Exclusive in Miraflores. This first evening you will be free to wander Miraflores, Larcomar Shopping complex overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Mirflores main square. Your hotel is centrally located walking distance to all the fine spots.

Lima Cusco Puno Day 02: Lima City Tour

After breakfast you will be greeted in the hotel for a private Lima City Tour. Lima is called "The City of Kings". Visit the Plaza Mayor de Lima and the 16th century Cathedral of gold, followed by a tour of the catacombs at the Convento de San Francisco and the Museum of Gold. These are the most popular tourist attractions in Lima. We will end our tour in one of the wealthiest residential and most beautiful districts in Lima, Miraflores. There visit the only pre-Inca ruin remaining there, Huaca Pucllana. Constructed in the 2nd century AD it was considered by the Incas as a "Sacred Town" and was a busy ceremonial and administrative center. You will be returned to the Hotel San Agustin Exclusive in Miraflores after the tour. (B)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 03: Lima – Cusco

After breakfast you will be greeted in your hotel and taken by private car to the Lima airport for your flight to Cusco. You will be greeted in the Cusco Airport and taken to check in to the Hotel San Agustin Exclusive. Rest, breathe deeply and drink the coca tea this day. This day will be spent acclimitating to Cusco's 11,000 ft elevation, drinking coca tea and engaging in a group photography exercise as we walk the streets of historic Cusco. (B)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 04: Cusco City Tour (All Day)

Meet your guide and tour Koricancha Temple of the Sun and La Catedral in the morning. If there is time visit the San Pedro Market or San Blas. In the afternoon you will go north by private van to visit the ancient ceremonial sites of the Incas just outside of Cusco: the megalithic walls of Sacsayhuaman, Q'enqo, Pucapucara. Then visit the baths, canals, aqueducts and waterfalls of Tambomachay. After completion of the tour you will be brought back to your hotel. Overnight Hotel San Agustin International. B)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 05: Sacred Valley Tour (All Day)- Private Tour

Check out of your hotel this morning after breakfast and store the bulk of your luggage at your hotel and get claims checks for your bags. You will be spending the next evening in Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu.

One of the most important tours recommended by ILE Tours is the full-day Sacred Valley Tour. Here you will learn of the Incas important and impressive legacy left to us by their knowledge of building and great respect for the sun and nature. After breakfast you will be greeted in your hotel and driven NE out of Cusco to Pisaq. Stop periodically at scenic overlooks for pictures of the dramatic landscape before continuing on to Pisaq. Known for its indigenous craft market Pisaq was also the easternmost fortress of the Sacred Valley. The fortress you can still see high above the town square to the north. Next we will continue west through the Sacred Valley to the picturesque town of Urubamba where we will stop to enjoy an excellent Andean buffet lunch in one of the valley's best restaurants.

You will next visit the archeological city of Ollantaytambo, the Inca's northern fortress city that guarded the Sacred Valley in the north. Here you will appreciate the complexity of magnificent Inca construction built in accordance with the landscape. Ollantaytambo which still retains its original Inca style and layout. Overnight Pakaritampu Hotel Ollantaytambo. The Urumbamba Valley is nestled below the snow covered Andes and we will have numerousopportunities to photograph llamas, alpacas and Andean villagers. The group will lunch in one of the valley's best restaurants. Overnight in Ollantaytambo. (B/L)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 06: Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

Vistadome Train to Machu Picchu. Train station greeting and checkin to hotel in Aguas Calientes. Enjoy hot springs. Overnight Hatun Inti Hotel. (B)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 07: Machu Picchu - Cusco

Sunrise tour of Machu Picchu, one of the most remarkable and enigmatic archaeological sites in the world. Few works made by man are as in harmonious with nature as the citadel of Machu Picchu. The "Lost City" is located at the top of a flattened mountain. Enjoy the wonders of Machu Picchu with your guide: the Sacred District, the Popular District to the south, and the District of Royalty in the urban sector. Visit the Temple of the Sun, the Room of the Three Windows and Temple of the Condor. Besides the outstanding archaeological remains see the spectacular panoramic views of the Jungle Mountains and the Urubamba River 400 meters below. After the tour return to Aguas Calientes by bus and board your train to Cusco. You will be greeted in Cusco (Poroy) and transferred to the Hotel San Agustin International. Dinner included on the train. (B/D)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 08: Tipon

After breakfast in your hotel we'll ride 23 km SE of Cusco to the huge water-engineering masterpiece Tipon. The genius of the Incas is displayed here by how they exploited springs and rivers. Tipon is a complex system of intricate canals and small aqueducts used for advanced crop irrigation. Return to Hotel San Agustin International before sundown. Traditional lunch of Cuy (Guinea Pig) or Chincheron (fried pork) in Tipon or Saylla. (B/L)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 09: Cusco – Puno

After breakfast you will check-out of your hotel, greeted and taken to the 07:00 Mer bus for your 10 hour guided tour to Puno. Stopping along the way you will visit the Sistine Chapel of the Andes, Andahuaylillas. This is a very pretty cathedral with frescoes on almost every wall. Sorry no pictures allowed. The temple ruins at Raqchi are magnificent at the second stop. There are remains of cottages, warehouses and terraces and it is a beautifully excavated clean site. The remains of the largest Incan church are there and the tight stonework left standing is incredible. Next at the small town of Sicuani you'll stop for a sit-down relaxing outdoor buffet Andean lunch. The next stop is La Raya, the highest point on the route at 4,300 meters elevation. The final stop is the museum in Pukaraou to see the ancient pre-Incans artifacts. When you arrive in Puno you will be met and taken to The Sonesta Posada Hotel to check in. (B/L)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 10: Uros & Taquille Tour

After breakfast you will be taken to Lake Titicaca for a visit to the floating man-made Islands of Uros on a group motor yacht tour. Here you will meet, up-close the citizens who have preserved their old traditions and still live on the water. "The Aquatic Tribe" will show you how they have kept their customs, make their islands and display their crafts made of reeds. For an additional very small tip (5 soles per person) they will take you for a short optional ride on one of their reed boats if you wish. The motor yacht tour then continues to the Greece-like steep island of Taquile, inhabited by native Quechuas. On Uros and Taquille you can appreciate and purchase some of the finest handmade crafts and basket weavings in Perú to support the very friendly and welcoming island people. Typical lunch on Taquile Island. At night return to Sonesta Posada by boat. (B/L)

Lima Cusco Puno Day 11: Juliaca – Siilustani (Chullpas) – Lima

After breakfast you will be greeted in you hotel and taken to the Juliaca airport for your flight to Lima. If there is time you can stop to visit the Pre-Inca chullpa tombs at Sillustani on Lake Umayo. There your guide will explain the circular monument tombs that emphasized the connection between life and death. Afterwards you will continue on to the Juliaca airport for your flight to Lima. Airport greeting and private transfer to your hotel (Day 11 hotel not included). (B/D)

END OF SERVICES