Abercrombie & Kent
OFFER ID 1561168
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Amazon
Experience the incredible diversity of Peru on a luxury adventure that ranges from the soaring stone walls of Machu Picchu to remote reaches of the Peruvian Rainforest, where you cruise along a wildlife-rich tributary of the Amazon River. Sample a variety of culinary treasures throughout your journey, explore the Sacred Valley with llamas at your side and enjoy the option to hike the Inca Trail.
12 nights from $16,495 per person
Abercrombie & Kent: Peru: Machu Picchu & the Amazon
DAY 1 Lima, Peru
Arrive in Lima, where you are met and transferred to your hotel.
Set out for a guided visit to a market to learn about the products used locally for Peruvian cuisine. Continue by bike, stopping along the way for juice and a Peruvian lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, return to the hotel by bike or car, enjoying time to freshen up and rest. This afternoon, embark on a colonial city tour, starting in the historical center of Lima, visiting Casa de Aliaga and Santo Domingo Convent. Stop at a chocolate shop for a brief explanation on the importance of chocolate and coffee production in the Amazon region. Tonight, gather for a welcome dinner at a top-flight local restaurant.
Fly to Cusco, arriving in time for lunch. Head out for the Sacred Valley, stopping en route at a center devoted to caring for South American camelids, such as llamas, guanacos and alpacas. Arrive at your hotel and enjoy an afternoon at leisure to acclimatize. This evening, dine at your hotel’s restaurant.
Begin your day with a refreshing light trek — escorted by llamas — on a trail that overlooks a lake, and then proceed to a village in the Sacred Valley to meet with members of the local community. Stop for a delicious picnic lunch before enjoying an afternoon at leisure capped off by a Scenic Sundowner. Tonight, dine at your hotel.
Start the day by exploring Ollantaytambo, a fortress of massive stone terraces that hug the mountain slopes and the site of the Incas’ greatest victory over the invading Spanish. Then, journey by Inca Rail First-Class Train deep into the Andes toward Machu Picchu gazing out at the spectacular Peruvian countryside. Upon arrival, transfer up to Machu Picchu and check into the only hotel on site, situated just steps from the Incan citadel. This afternoon, explore the ruins with your expert guide and, as you wander amid the age-old stone walls, picture life as it might have been in this majestic citadel. Alternatively (for an additional cost), you may opt to hike the Inca Trail en route. Depart early, forgoing the visit to Ollantaytambo, boarding a many-windowed Vistadome Train for the same scenic ride, but with a twist: disembark at KM 104 and set out with a guide on a hike that culminates at the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), looking out over the vast UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rise with the sun to walk through Machu Picchu in the early morning mist before the crowds arrive, an experience some consider the spiritual highlight of the journey. Overlooking the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at the height of the Inca Empire. Although this “Lost City” was revealed to the rest of the world by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, its location was long known to locals. Its original purpose, however, remains a matter of some conjecture, as the Incas left no written records. Enjoy lunch before returning to Ollantaytambo by Vistadome Train. Continue to Cusco.
Discover Cusco on a city tour that includes the remnants of Korikancha, once a major Incan religious center, as well as the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and the Santo Domingo Temple. Listen as a local expert explains how the historic clashes between the Incas and the Spanish played a role in forming today’s Peruvian culture. Later, visit the well-preserved ruins of Sacsayhuaman, an imposing fortress compiled from colossal stones. Later, enjoy time at leisure to rest or shop. This evening, dine at an elegant Cusco restaurant, where the chef gathers local ingredients for use in innovative recipes that honor Peru’s culinary traditions.
Experience Cusco your way, enjoying one of these Design Your Day activities.
Visit the San Blas Neighborhood, a unique, bohemian enclave where you visit the workshops of artisans.
Stroll San Pedro Market and Visit the Inca Museum, first tasting local fruits and cheese and glimpsing daily life, and then looking back into Peru’s rich history.
Explore with an Expert Photographer who helps you refine your skills and capture Cusco as a local sees it, including its narrow streets and beautiful houses.
Later this afternoon, depart for Lima. Enjoy dinner at the hotel before you retire early to rest up for the next leg of the adventure.
Today, fly to Iquitos. Upon arrival, journey overland into the Peruvian countryside en route to remote Nauta, a village set on the banks of the Marañón River, one of the Amazon’s three main tributaries. Begin your four-night river-cruise adventure, embarking elegant Pure Amazon, A&K’s all-new boutique riverboat offering an intimate and exclusive experience. Designed for sustainable exploration and authentic cultural immersion it features panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows for superb wildlife viewing and a staff-to-guest ratio of over 1:1, ensuring exceptional, personalized attention. Settle into your spacious suite before meeting the expert naturalist guides who accompany your expedition. This evening, gather for dinner featuring innovative Amazonian cuisine.
In this paradise for birders, where vibrantly colored macaws may be seen gliding overhead, start your day at dawn’s first light on an expert-led birding excursion. View any of the hundreds of amphibians, reptiles and mammals that call the Amazon home as well, including frogs, bats, iguanas and insects. Return to your ship for lunch and an exclusive midday lecture from one of the local experts travelling by your side. This evening, as the equatorial sun dips behind the treetops, you may opt to set out by skiff for a night safari, watching as your guide shines a light over the ink-black water to reveal the glowing yellow eyes of dozens of caimans and other nocturnal river dwellers.
Devote your day cruising along the Pacaya River aboard a skiff for up-close looks at shoreline flora and fauna, and be sure to scan the forest canopy for long-limbed spider monkeys or an endearingly slow-moving sloth.
A new day along the ever-changing river brings with it new possibilities. This may be the day you spot the Amazon’s fabled pink dolphins or go ashore to visit the residents of a local village to learn about daily life deep in the Amazon. Back on your vessel, enjoy lunch before heading out on another river foray or fish for piranha from a skiff, catching (and carefully releasing) this tenacious species. Later, gather for a chat with the your vessel’s expert guides who recount stories of life in the Amazon, followed by a farewell dinner on board.
Disembark Pure Amazon in Nauta and return to Iquitos to immerse yourself in everyday local life with a visit to a lively neighborhood market with freshly harvested bounty from the surrounding forest is on display as well as the Museum of Indigenous Amazonian Cultures. Fly to Lima, where you enjoy the use of a dayroom until privately transferring to the airport for your departing flight.
Nauta is a bustling small town on the shores of the Maranon river in the Peruvian Amazon. This town is perfect for visitors intersted in nature and small town culture. Visitors can hire a boat from Nauta and experience the majestic forests, mountains and lakes. For the gastronomically inclined, this region of Peru is especially known for its delicious spicy cuisine.
CUZCO: Pottery workshop by Totemiq - 3 hours
Let your imagination soar in two magnificent workshops offered by Totemiq, an artistic and cultural development project where Cusco traditions are rescued and given new life in artistic sessions. In the first activity, Cusco Colonial Glazed Ceramics, learn how to make a horse or bull of Pucara, a traditional Cusco figure, and apply fine finishes with a layer of enamel, giving it a glazed effect. In the second, the Colonial Gold Leaf application, enjoy painting with the characteristic colours of the mountain range and then finish decorating your work with gold leaf, a traditional technique that Art Trail has recovered and applied to contemporary crafts. Both workshops are taught by renowned Cusco artists. By the end of the sessions, you’ll have two personalised works that will be delivered to your hotel the following day. After the workshops, return to your hotel.
Tour duration: 3 hours
Tour can operate: Morning / afternoon
Wheelchair accessible: No
Physical activity level: Moderate
Included: Private guide and transportation, materials and souvenir
Not included: Tips for guide and driver.
SACRED VALLEY: Hat making lessons at Maras community - 1 hour
Mrs. Grandonia and Mrs. Álvarez, the renowned hatters of Maras, run an attractive crafts shop that produces top hats. They want to share their art with the travelers who visit their town. Dare to learn this ancient Andean activity.
Tour duration: 1 hour
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair accessible: No
Physical activity level: Moderate
Included: Private guide and transportation, participatory classes
Not included: Tips for guide and driver.
LIMA: Lima´s boardwalks and gastronomic experience - 4 hours
Start with a scenic tour of the boardwalk, crossing the bohemian district of Barranco and the modern district of Miraflores, passing by Love Park where you can admire an imposing view of the Pacific Ocean. After the tour, arrive at a thematic restaurant and participate in a cocktail demonstration class, learning how to prepare the famous pisco sour. Then, enjoy a demonstration cooking class, learning how to make a delicious, typical Peruvian dish. After both classes, enjoy a tasty lunch overlooking the sea. At the end of your tour, transfer back to your hotel.
Tour duration: 4 hours
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair accessible: No
Physical activity level: Moderate
Included: Private guide and transportation, gastronomic experience
Not included: Tips for guide and driver.
LIMA: Participative cocktail class offered by Hotel B - 1.5 hours
Learn to prepare some of the most representative cocktails of Peru in a participatory class at the elegant Hotel B. The class is carried out by an experienced bartender who explains the history of the drinks and the elements used for each one. Each cocktail will be accompanied by a tasty pairing. Take advantage of this experience to learn about local cocktails in this luxurious hotel, located in a mansion of the early twentieth century.
Tour duration: 1 hour 30
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair accessible: No
Physical activity level: Moderate
Included: Private guide and transportation, seasonal cocktail accompanied by a pairing
Not included: Tips for guide and driver.
Huacas and Shrines on a bike (Lima - 4 hours)
Lima is a big and modern city, it has been in continuous occupation for almost 2,000 years. Scholars have found more than 30 archaeological sites at different locations within the city limits. “HUACAS” are pyramidal constructions with superimposed platforms ending on a flat top, they were used for religious and administrative purposes by prehispanic civilizations along the Peruvian coast.
Our specialized Guide and his assistant will pick you up at the hotel with the bikes and the necessary equipment for the activity. After the briefing you will ride along one of the principal avenues of Lima towards the heart of Miraflores while enjoying the architecture and everyday life of the city folks. The first stop is at Huaca Pucllana, built 1,300 years ago, this visit is a great introduction to the history of Lima, traditions, cuisine and economic activities of ancient inhabitants. Then, we continue to the commercial and financial district, San Isidro, to visit Huaca Huallamarca, which has been through a magnificent restoration by the City Hall, you´ll appreciate the contrast between history and modern life. Finally, we return to the hotel completing a 12 km circuit on the bike. This activity is offered for mornings and afternoons. It lasts for 4 hours. The advantage of being at sea level and our moderate weather is that we can provide it all year round. We include a vehicle as support in case someone in the group decides to stop biking during the tour.
Highlights:
Historical and Natural Sanctuaries (Lima - 6 hours)
Highlights:
The south limits of Lima house two important sanctuaries for the visitor: Villa Wetlands, a natural reserve holding a great variety of flora and fauna, its bodies of water attract a good array of biodiversity, they have identified more than 200 species of resident and migratory birds. And Pachacamac, historical sanctuary and important ceremonial center of the central coast in Perú, it was occupied by 4 consecutive civilizations before the arrival of the Spanish.
Our specialized guide and the vehicle will pick you up at the hotel. It´s necessary to reach Villa Wetlands early in the morning to enjoy the ecosystem. You walk for 2 km. around a lagoon facing the ocean with good opportunities for pictures and a clear understanding of the migratory patterns. The next stop is Pachacamac, the highlights of this massive archaeological site are visited. You will also enter the Site Museum displaying important pieces found during excavations, one of them is the wooden idol of Pachacamac, the most important prehispanic god in this area, carved in local wood more than a thousand years ago.
Return to the hotel is after noon, the activity takes almost 6 hours and you walk almost 5 km during the visits.
Tour Duration: 6 hours
Tour can operate: daily (excepts Monday)
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
Walking the history center of Lima (4 hours)
WHAT YOU'LL VISIT
Depart the pier to Lima's main square where the Spanish conqueror, Francisco Pizarro, founded the "City of Kings" in 1535. The Government Palace, Lima City Hall, Archbishop's Palace, and the Lima Cathedral surround the square.
Lima was founded to be the capital and most important town of the Spanish domain in South America until the 18th century. The Historical Center represents the model of architecture and urban planning of Spanish colonial cities with high political, economic and cultural importance, as devised by Charles V in 1542.
Our expert Guide will take you to the colonial section of Lima, you will walk among historical monuments, religious and political buildings located within the perimeter declared Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1988. This learning experience will allow you to appreciate typical examples of Hispanic American baroque style as well as some other different styles like Art Nouveau.
Besides the stops for great pictures of Limenian architecture, you will have the opportunity to visit Casa de Aliaga, a mansion still inhabited by the same family since the foundation of the city, an extraordinary experience that will take you back in time. To finish the experience, we will visit the Dominican Convent, which was the first catholic order to arrive in Perú with Francisco Pizarro and they have a lot of history, traditions, and sainthood to impress our travelers.
Highlights:
The Amano Textile Museum (4 hours)
WHAT YOU'LL VISIT
This excursion brings us to the Amano Textile Museum, renowned globally for its extensive collection of archaeological artifacts from pre-Columbian Peruvian civilizations, as well as the significant efforts of Mr. Yoshitaro Amano in safeguarding the world's global textile heritage. The museum's inception followed Mr. Amano's decision to settle in Peru, leveraging his success as a Japanese entrepreneur.
During his journeys across Peru, Mr. Amano encountered relics abandoned by grave robbers. Recognizing their cultural importance, he dedicated a substantial portion of his time to recovering and preserving these artifacts scattered throughout Peru's coastal deserts. These treasures were then exhibited in his residence in Miraflores.
The Amano family remains deeply committed to advancing conservation and research initiatives centered on Peru's textile legacy, in accordance with the vision of the museum's founder, while also paying homage to his memory.
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Moderate level of activity (easy walking for short distances/stairs)
DURATION: 4 Hours
(Suggested) Departure Time(s) 10:30 and/or 14:30
Note: Filming and photography are not permitted in the Amano Textile Museum, we suggest leaving your cameras in the bus.
WHAT YOU'LL VISIT
This excursion brings Larco Museum, founded by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1926, to showcase ancient Peruvian history through its extensive collection of artifacts spanning 5000 years. Housed in an 18th-century viceroyalty mansion built atop a pre-Columbian pyramid, the museum is renowned for its erotic pottery, accessible archives, and beautiful gardens. Andres Alvarez Calderon, actual owner of the collection, emphasizes the importance of museums in preserving humanity's heritage and engaging the public through immersive experiences.
Since it was established in 1926, the Museo Larco has been acknowledged as a pioneer in terms of public access to its collections. It was one of the first museums in the world to open its storerooms to the public, and to provide online access to its entire collection, encouraging in this way the multidisciplinary research first promoted by its founder.
Larco Museum in focused on storytelling, allowing visitors to connect with Peru's ancient civilizations and their profound relationship with nature and the cosmos.
After this stop reboard the motor-coach to return to the pier.
WHAT YOU'LL SEE ALONG THE WAY
Museo Larco´s collections
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Moderate level of activity (easy walking for short distances)
DURATION: 4 Hours
(Suggested) Departure Time(s) 09:00 and/or 14:00
Flash photography is not permitted in the Museum.
Includes:
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
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