Hi, I am Ricardo and thank you for trusting me for your trip of a lifetime.

I make this trip twice a year, in May and October because these months fall on the best seasons in Peru, autumn and spring which bring about the best weather of the year!!! The other two seasons are not convenient to travel in because our winter is too cold and in the summer we have the rainy season which includes mud slides and constant rain. This is due to the geographical position of Machu Picchu. You see Machu Picchu is at the beginning of the Peruvian rainforest where it usually rains for 3 months without stopping.

Day 1 - Flight to Peru
When you arrive in Lima, Peru, we will be waiting for you at the airport to assist you in the transportation to the Carmel Hotel and help you check in. It is ideally located in the bustling seaside district of Miraflores, close to some of the capital's most popular restaurants, cafes and boutiques.

Day 2 - Lima City Tour
After a resting night, we embark upon a city tour that highlights Lima's most interesting sites. We stroll through one of Lima's largest plazas and explore our fashionable Miraflores neighborhood. It is one of Lima's exclusive residential districts, offering the excitement of cultural and artistic activities, fine shops and restaurants and wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean. We also take time for the guided visit to Lima National Museum of Anthropology and Archeology at Bolivar Square, which contains unmatched collections of Inca artifacts along with other antiquities from Peru's many intriguing ancient cultures. We'll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, and tonight you'll enjoy our Lima by Night Tour that includes a wonderful visit to the Park of the Magic Circuit of the Fountains and a coffee break at the Sheraton Hotel.
Meals 1B, 1L.

Day 3 - Lima-Cuzco
Flight from Lima to Cuzco. Arrival to the Royal Inca Hotel. The remainder of the day to relax. Lunch at a local restaurant and at night we will pick you up and take you to the Tunupa Restaurant were you will enjoy a fabulous dinner and a magical show.
Meals 1B, 1L, 1D.

Day 4 - Cuzco
Today we are going to visit the most important sites of Cuzco ancient cultures. First we will visit the massive fortress of Sacsayhuaman Archeological site on a hilltop overlooking the city. Recent excavations have revealed this ancient stone complex to be much larger than previously thought. We continue the day filled with Peruvian cultural discoveries. We will visit part of the terraces that the Incas work like farms. The vegetables and animals of the Inca civilization come from this place. Riding down the road we will find the Pisac Market were you will appreciate people who still work on farms (If we coincide with the season) or we can see some typical clothing made with the finest alpaca wool (available for purchase). The villagers work all year long at their crafts. They are of good quality and at good prices. After this stroll, we go to the Fortress of Ollantaytambo. This is one of the few places where the Spaniards lost a battle during the conquest of Peru. In 1536, the army of Manco Inca routed a Spanish invasion company led by Hernando Pizarro, we can climb the huge terraces guarding the ancient hilltop temple area. Late afternoon we drive to our hotel for a time to rest and freshen up before heading out for dinner.
Meals 1B, 1L, 1D.

Day 5 - Trips to Urubambay Machu Picchu
Today we wake up early in the morning for our spectacular train trip to the gorgeous Urubamba River and on to Machu Picchu. The station for Machu Picchu is a bit over 8,100 ft high, well below the elevation of Cuzco. The train trip to Aguas Calientes takes 1 hr. and 40 min. Our expert Trip Leader and our guide give us a complete and compelling look at the fabled "Lost City". With your Trip Leader, guide and on your own you'll have ample time to explore, reflect and ponder the enigma of this man-made wonder. Speculations abound about Machu Picchu's role in the Inca world. Was it an administrative center? A fortress? A high-altitude farming community? The evidence seems to point to "none of the above". Archaeological explorations, which began here in 1940, have uncovered relics indicating that the "Lost City of the Incas" may have been the religious center of Inca life. The temples, astronomical observatory, and a remarkable solar clock named Intiwatana, or "hitching post to the sun" are all signs of the Incas' devotion to their sun god. (The fact that all the unearthed human remains are female also points to Machu Picchu as a site of religious sacrifice). As for the fate of Machu Picchu's people, the theories are even more far reaching (and theory is all we have, for the Incas left no written record). It is known that smallpox decimated the population in the early 16th century, but the remainder may have succumbed to drought or disease, been conquered by the Spanish or simply abandoned the site. It's a mystery for you to unravel, and perhaps you will come with your own answers. The story of the Inca Empire is a great historical epic, and you can learn the tale of Hiram Bingham's dramatic "discovery" of Machu Picchu in 1911. Here we can quietly contemplate the achievements of the Inca monarchs who built this mountaintop citadel. After touring the ruins we will stop to enjoy a succulent late lunch at a local restaurant, The Happy Indian.
Meals 1B, 1L.

Day 6 - Return to Cuzco City
We return to Cuzco city were you have the rest of the day to wander around or go with the Team Leader to explore different areas of this wonderful city.
Meals 1B, 1L, 1D.

Day 7 - Cuzco-Puno
Today we wake up early in the morning and take the tour bus to the city of Puno. Puno is situated approximately 390 kilometers SE of Cuzco. On the way from Cuzco to Puno we will enjoy spectacular views and very important and interesting sites. Our bus is equipped with bathrooms. We will also be accompanied by a bilingual guide and an attendant. We will make our first stop in Andahuayllilas, located aprox. 40 min. from Cuzco. This small village is known for its famous church, dated since the beginning of the XVIII century. It's known as "Sixtina de America del Sur" because of the magnificent portraits and pictures it possesses and the gold carved altar. Next we will pass through Uros, where every Sunday you'll find the typical trading market were they actually still do "trueque" or exchanges. We will go through several agricultural valleys belonging to different cultures in Peru. After 50 mins. we arrive in Raqchi, home of the Wiracocha Temple. The legend says that the son of Yahuar Huaca Inka had an encounter with the God "Wiracocha". In this encounter, God Wiracocha told him that his father was in danger of dying in Cuzco, threatened by the Chancas. He immediately formed an army and marched to Cuzco determined to save his father's life. He wins the battle and to thank the God Wiracocha he raises a temple in his honor, with his name in the same location that this God had appeared to him. When Yahuar Huaca dies his son takes the name of Wiracocha. This temple consists of a main building that was used by the Inka himself and several apartments designated for nobility. We will also see traditional and numerous places that were used to store food destined to the people of Cuzco. We will continue our trip to Sicuani were we will have a succulent lunch. The landscape changes little by little, as the terrain becomes more arid and soon we get to Raya, the highest point of our trip. Our next destination is Pucara where we will visit the Litico Museum. This museum will further your appreciation of the evolution of the Andean people since the beginning of mankind to the Incas. After Pucara we continue our journey through the high Andean plains.
Meals 1B, 1L, 1D.

Day 8 - Puno-Isla De Los Uros-Lachon
The city of Puno is situated in the SE of Peru around a magnificent Lago Titicaca, 126 kilometers from the Bolivian border. We depart at 8:00 a.m. to the port of Puno where we will board a motorboat and travel 40 min. to visit the interesting Floating Islands of Uros. There we will stay and visit, observing the Uros tribe, a people who have lived there for hundreds of years after taking the land from the Incas and Collas. It is here that the Uros make a unique material from "Totora" (a unique reed plant that is notable to Lake Titicaca) to fabricate their "Totora horses" (unique boats) that are used for fishing and also for the fabrication of their homes. The 42 Floating Islands of Uros are also man-made of Totora reeds.
Meals 1B, 1L, 1D.

Day 9 - Flight from Lake Titicaca to Lima
After a resting night in the hotel in Puno, we leave to the Juliaca Airport, approx. 2 hrs. away. On the road we will pass through many Quechua villages and archeological sites mainly of the colonial era. Arrival to the Juliaca airport and return to Lima. When we get to Lima, you have the afternoon to relax by yourself or you can go with Ricardo to different places to buy Peruvian memorabilia...
Meal's 1B, 1L.

Day 10 - After a good and resting night, and a delicious breakfast, we take you to the Lima Airport for your return to U.S.

Optional Extended Tours:
- Arrive a day before the standard tour to take a Cooking Tour at Sky Kitchen, rated #1 class in Lima, Peru by Trip Advisor, or attend the Changing of the Guard at the Presidential Palace and a Downtown Lima Tour that includes a visit to Lima's catacombs.

- Extend your trip by 3 days to tour Todo Paracas National Reserve (a mini Galapagos) in Inca, Peru and tour the world famous Nazca Lines and figures.