Discover Peru on a 13-day Small Group journey through ancient cultures, living traditions and remarkable landscapes. From the heights of Machu Picchu to the coastal landscapes of Paracas, this journey connects Peru’s best-known sites with local insight and distinctive cultural experiences. Explore Korikancha, visit the salt pans of Maras and meet a local Quechua weaver for a private presentation of long-held weaving traditions. In Cusco, a private planetarium visit reveals the role of astronomy in Andean culture, before a Local Expert leads your visit through Machu Picchu.
- Cathedral of Lima: This morning, explore Peru's buzzing capital with your Local Expert, including the Cathedral of Lima, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and City Hall.
- Lima: Discover Museo Larco with a Local Expert who will guide you through private museum's impressive collection.
- Sacred Valley: The Maras Salt Mine will inspire the mind of any curious traveler. Learn how salt once harvested by Incas at this site is now exported to the entire world. Discover how the Incas found a water stream with high salt content and learned - in Pre-Incan times - how to build terraces to extract salt. You’ll be amazed at how, to this day, it is not known where the water actually comes from and has only been measured in the last 20 years during which the flow and intensity has not changed.
- Sacred Valley: Peru’s Incan history and archaeology will inspire the mind of any curious traveler. At the Moray Incan laboratory northwest of Cusco, learn how the Incas determined the ideal altitude to grow crops in the Sacred Valley. You’ll be fascinated by how this ancient culture learned how to build these terraced circular depressions on a high plateau at an altitude of about 11,500 feet and experimented with different kinds of soils and temperatures to grow their crops.
- Sacred Valley: On the way, visit the Ollantaytambo ruins, consisting of a large fortress built in the 1400s, a stepped terrace, and an area known as the Princess Baths, where ceremonial bathing took place. Later, stop by a a local house in the village and meet the family living there.
- Machu Picchu: Walk in the footsteps of Inca engineers as you explore this majestic UNESCO World Heritage Site. With your Local Expert, uncover the astronomical precision of the solar observatory, the ceremonial significance of the Temple of the Three Windows and the ingenious design behind the ritual baths. Marvel at dry-stone walls so masterfully constructed they’ve resisted centuries of seismic activity. Learn how this 15th-century sanctuary, perched high in the Andes, eluded Spanish conquistadors, its secrets safeguarded by the cloud forest until its rediscovery.
- Aguas Calientes: Peru’s Incan history and archaeology will inspire the mind of any curious traveler. With a full day, you have the option to return to Machu Picchu for a different circuit. Or, take advantage of a day at leisure in Aguas Caliente – the town of Machu Picchu of 3,400 residents - to stroll along the river, go shopping for that perfect local souvenir or grab a coffee all midst the cloud forest.
- Cusco: Once you arrive, head on a walking tour of Cusco with a Local Expert. Explore what's known as the "historic capital" of Peru as you discover its ancestral magic through visits to the cathedral and the Qorikancha temple.
- Cusco: Start your day with a walking tour of Cusco, before heading to Sacsayhuaman.
- Paracas: A windswept coastline and haven for wildlife. The Ballestas Islands are a wildlife sanctuary that hold over 200 species of birds including Peruvian boobies, Inca terns, pelicans, red-legged cormorants and Humboldt penguins. You’ll treasure this opportunity to see these penguins in their natural habitat alongside a plethora of different birds.
- Ica: The pride of Peru and their national drink, Pisco is a must-try on any trip to Peru. Visit the beautiful Hacienda La Caravedo to learn about how Pisco was traditionally made on this unique opportunity to see the oldest, continuously operating distillery in the Americas established in 1684 and the biggest distillery in South America. In addition to learning about this tasty beverage, you’ll love learning how the distillery has plants on their rooftop to offset Co2 emissions.
Daily Itinerary
Insight Vacations: Peru with Machu Picchu & Paracas - Small Group
Day 1 - Welcome to Lima
Arrive in Lima, a capital shaped by history, culture and one of Latin America’s most influential food scenes. Home to a UNESCO-listed historic center, Lima was once the seat of Spanish rule in South America and still carries that significance today. On arrival, transfer to your hotel and settle in before meeting your Travel Director and fellow small group travelers this evening for dinner with drinks, a relaxed first introduction to the journey ahead.
Accommodations: MGallery Manto, Lima
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 - Explore Lima
Explore the colorful capital of Peru this morning with your Local Expert. Discover its colonial heritage, taking in key landmarks such as the Cathedral of Lima, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and City Hall. Visit Casa Aliaga, an impressive mansion that's been home to the Aliaga family for 17 generations. For those with an appreciation for art and history, enjoy a visit to Museo Larco, a renowned private museum nestled in the Pueblo Libre District. Rated as one of South America's top museums, it houses the world’s largest collection of Pre-Columbian art. Enjoy lunch set in an 18th-century garden at Cafe del Museo Larco, where regional Peruvian dishes draw on centuries-old traditions. Dine beneath bougainvillea-draped terraces in the grounds of a vice-royal mansion, part of one of Lima’s most storied colonial estates. Afterwards, a Local Expert will guide you through the museum's treasured collection, offering fascinating insights into Peru’s ancient civilisations and spiritual traditions.
Accommodations: MGallery Manto, Lima
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3 - Lima to Sacred Valley
Take a transfer to the airport in the morning, where you'll catch your flight to the ancient capital of Cusco. Begin your tour of the Sacred Valley, while taking in impressive views on your scenic drive along the way. After a few stunning photo stops, enjoy lunch at Altar Inca, surrounded by some of the most impressive views of the region. Enjoy a leisurely trip to your hotel for the next couple of nights, where the evening is yours to do as you please. We recommend that you rest in order to adjust to the altitude comfortably.
Accommodations: Aranwa Sacred Valley, Urubamba
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4 - Explore Sacred Valley
Spend the day in the Sacred Valley, where ancient ingenuity, living traditions and local flavors come together. Visit the Maras Salt Mines with a Local Expert and see the thousands of terraced pools still used to harvest salt, before continuing to Moray, where the Incas created circular terraces believed to have been used for agricultural experimentation. Later, head to Laguna Piuray for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience weaving demonstration, revealing how textiles continue to shape personal and regional identity in the Andes. Then enjoy an experience at Laguna Piuray. Sit down to a traditional lunch, cooked in the earth with hot stones and accompanied by local musicians, before learning to play the zampoña, a traditional Andean panpipe.
Accommodations: Aranwa Sacred Valley, Urubamba
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5 - Explore Machu Picchu
Begin the day in Ollantaytambo, where the surviving stone streets and terraces still reflect the layout of an Inca town. Visit the ruins with a Local Expert, then stop at a local home in the old town to meet the family who live there and learn more about daily life in the village. Later, enjoy your travels as you board IncaRail’s The Prime train to Machu Picchu Pueblo, traveling in superior comfort with an Andean-inspired tasting and live music on board. On arrival, visit Machu Picchu with a Local Expert, who will guide your Small Group through the 15th-century citadel and explain the significance of its architecture, engineering and mountain setting.
Accommodations: Sumaq Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - Machu Picchu at Leisure
Take in the breathtaking landscapes of Machu Picchu for a second time. Spend your morning exploring at your own pace, with your Travel Director on hand to answer any queries you may have. The remainder of your day is at your leisure. Relax back at your hotel or perhaps explore the town of Aguas Calientes on your own.
Accommodations: Sumaq Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 - On to Cusco
Board your IncaRail 360 train to Ollantaytambo after breakfast, then continue to Cusco, once the capital of the Inca Empire and still one of Peru’s most important historic cities. You’ll join a Local Expert for a walking tour through the old center, including Plaza Mayor, the 12-Angled Stone and Koricancha, once the most important temple in the Inca Empire. Enjoy an after-hours visit to the Cusco Planetarium to see the southern sky through dome projections, Inca constellations and Andean astronomy, with telescope observation when conditions allow.
Accommodations: JW Marriott El Convento, Cusco
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8 - Exploring Cusco
Explore the Inca sites above Cusco this morning, where ceremonial spaces, defensive outposts and monumental stonework reveal how the empire shaped its capital. Visit Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Qenqo before continuing to Sacsayhuaman, whose vast zigzag walls still overlook the city. After lunch, explore further with Insight Choice. Visit San Pedro Market with a Local Expert to one of Cusco’s most traditional market halls. Here, you’ll buy local food products that will later be donated to the community. Or step inside Cusco Cathedral on Plaza de Armas to see gilded altars, carved woodwork and paintings from the Cusco School, where colonial art and Inca heritage meet.
Accommodations: JW Marriott El Convento, Cusco
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9 - Leisure time in Cusco
Spend the day at leisure in Cusco, with time to explore more of this historic Andean city at your own pace. You may wish to join an Optional Experience to ChocoMuseo to learn more about cacao and the chocolate-making process, or choose an Optional Experience to Rainbow Mountain for a striking high-altitude landscape beyond the city. You could also spend time around Plaza de Armas, browse the artisan shops of San Blas or visit San Pedro Market for a look at local produce and everyday life in the city. This evening, join your fellow Small Group travelers for dinner at Inka Grill and share memories of your journey through Peru and the landscapes of the Andes.
Accommodations: JW Marriott El Convento, Cusco
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 - From the Andes to the Coast
Depart Cusco and fly to Lima. From here, enjoy a leisurely coastal drive to the beach town of Paracas. Known for its sandy beaches, tranquil bay, wildlife and the Paracas Candelabra geoglyph. With the rest of your evening free, take the opportunity to relax at your beautiful resort right on the beach. Take a cooling dip in one of their two swimming pools or stroll through the fragrant gardens.
Accommodations: Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 11 - Ballestas Islands and Peruvian Wildlife
Begin your day with a thrilling speedboat journey to the Ballestas Islands, a wildlife haven off Peru’s Pacific coast. Look out for colonies of seabirds, sea lions and, with luck, Humboldt penguins as you discover the islands’ fascinating history of guano production, once a prized fertiliser exported around the world. Back on shore, enjoy an Insightful Encounter with local fishermen near Paracas pier, gaining a personal perspective on their daily routines, fishing traditions and life in this coastal community. Then the afternoon is yours to explore Paracas at your leisure.
Accommodations: Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort
Meals: Breakfast
Day 12 - Paracas
In Ica, savor the distinctive warmth of Pisco at Hacienda Caravedo, where you'll enjoy lunch and discover centuries of distilling traditions. At the Ica Regional Museum, your Local Expert introduces the mysteries of the Nasca Lines, ancient mummies and remarkable evidence of early brain surgery. Beyond the oasis of Huacachina, climb aboard a 4×4 for a gentle ride into the desert, where great sweeps of golden sand rise and fall around you. At a secluded spot among the dunes, pause to admire the vast desert landscape before returning to Paracas.
Accommodations: Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 13 - Chincha and return to Lima
Return to Lima today with your small group, stopping in Chincha at Hacienda San José, a 17th-century estate in Peru’s Afro-Peruvian south coast. Its original house, baroque chapel and underground tunnels reveal the history of the estate and the role it played in Peru’s colonial-era slave economy, adding further depth to your understanding of the country’s past. Later, continue to Lima and transfer to the airport, where it’s time to say goodbye to your fellow travelers as your journey through Peru comes to an end.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch