Summary
Short description
Incan wonders, colonial elegance and Andean beauty
Highlights
- Enjoy restaurant-car indulgence as you plunge into the Andes
- Summit a world wonder – Machu Picchu
- Take in Peru’s colonial beauty with Lima, Cusco and Arequipa
- Spot condors in the savagely beautiful Colca Canyon
- Enjoy private touring throughout and stays in luxurious Belmond properties
In Brief
- 1 Night Lima
- 2 Nights Sacred Valley
- 1 Night Machu Picchu
- 2 Nights Cusco
- 2 Nights Belmond Andean Explorer
- 1 Night Colca Canyon
- 2 Nights Arequipa
In pictures
About
Recommended for:
City | History & culture | Natural world | Rail journey
Take in Peru’s diverse delights with expert-led private tours, exclusive stays and the continent’s most luxurious rail journey. Beginning with Lima’s European charm, you’ll fly down to the Sacred Valley to compare its indigenous villages to Machu Picchu’s mist-shrouded secrets and Cusco’s treasures both Incan and Spanish. Your indulgent Andean Explorer rail trip will then see you link remote temple ruins with a cruise among Lake Titicaca’s floating villages. End with Arequipa – a city hewn from white rock – along with the soaring condors and mighty peaks of Colca Canyon.
Day by day itinerary
Day
1
UK to Lima
After enjoying your complimentary airport lounge access and your day flight to Lima, a private transfer will bring you to the modern elegance of the Belmond Miraflores Park. Here, you’ll have some time to rest, enjoying spectacular views over the Pacific from the hotel’s rooftop pool and manicured gardens.
Stay: Belmond Miraflores Park, Lima (Deluxe)
Day
2
Lima/Sacred Valley
After breakfast, a private city tour will bring you between Lima’s multifaceted heritage. The Peruvian capital is resplendent in colonial charm, centring around the Plaza Mayor. Here, the city wears its ‘City of Kings’ moniker with pride, in the neo-plateresque Government Palace, the palm-tree-fronted cathedral and the 16th-century Archbishop’s Palace. You’ll also make a stop at the Choco Museum, where you’ll learn about the country’s cocoa production – a tradition begun in ancient Peru. Then, after uncovering Lima’s religious convictions in the Convent of Santo Domingo, take in the city’s genteel parks before bookending your flight out to Cusco and its Sacred Valley host with private transfers.
Stay: Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado, Sacred Valley (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Day
3
The Sacred Valley
Beset on both sides by green-dappled peaks, the Sacred Valley hides historic villages, ancient cultures and your luxury, riverside accommodation. From here, you’ll head out and explore on a full-day private tour, watching as hillsides are tiered into bright-white saltpans at Maras and semi-circular agricultural terraces at Moray used by the Incas as a botanical laboratories. You’ll also take in Ollantaytambo – a mountaintop Incan stronghold that commands stunning views of its homonymous town, whose narrow streets and canals date back to the 15th century.
Stay: Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado, Sacred Valley (Deluxe)
Meals: B L
Day
4
Machu Picchu
Today, a world wonder awaits. You’ll set off from Cusco on the Vistadome train where truly panoramic windows frame wild, Andean scenery as you travel on to Machu Picchu. On arrival, following a bus transfer, you’ll have the services of an expert who’ll guide you between royal quarters and ancient temples to spectacular vistas over mist-dappled peaks. After some time to explore on your own, you’ll enjoy the same mountain scenery from your luxurious accommodation.
Please note: accommodation will be at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge to Mar 2025 and at Sumaq Hotel Machu Picchu from April 2025 onwards.
Stay: Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu (Deluxe)
Meals: B L D
Day
5
Machu Picchu
Staying at the only hotel adjacent to Machu Picchu, you’ll have a UNESCO-listed treasure on your doorstep. With some extra time to explore, perhaps make the hike up to Huayna Picchu for stunning views over the main complex and a collection of lesser-visited temples. You’ll then retrace your steps with a bus hop and Vistadome train ride back to Cusco, followed by a private transfer to the Belmond Monasterio. Alternatively, why not upgrade your return rail journey to the ever-so-luxurious Belmond Hiram Bingham? Named after the explorer who rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911, it's a real celebration of early 20th-century style, boasting 1920s Pullman carriages replete in polished wood and brass. And, as one of the world's most luxurious trains, you'll be treated to fine wines and gourmet dining as the Andean landscapes rush by.
Stay: Belmond Hotel Monasterio, Cusco (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Day
6
Cusco
Staying in a national monument – a centuries-old monastery – you’ll be treated to a private tour of Cusco’s unique heritage. Here, ancient Incan sites rub shoulders with Spanish-colonialist charm; the finest example of which is Coricancha – a colonial church built atop a sun temple. You’ll then make a stop at San Cristobal Lookout for citywide views before zooming in on the Plaza de Armas where long arcades point towards the twin domes of its 16th century church. You’ll then turn out to Sacsayhuaman – an Incan fortress formed from giant stone blocks. It’s the perfect introduction to a spread of archaeological sites, while a workshop visit demonstrates the region’s more artistic heritage.
Stay: Belmond Hotel Monasterio, Cusco (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Day
7
Belmond Andean Explorer to Lake Titicaca
Today you’ll board the continent’s most luxurious train, checking into your designer, wood-panelled cabin. As you wind through Peru’s mountain-framed countryside, you’ll enjoy indulgent fine dining, pisco sour cocktails and the twinkling of a grand piano in the lounge car. Your first stop is Raqch’i, a collection of remote Incan ruins that form a great walled temple. You’ll return to the train for dinner, paired with included drinks and taken as the sun sets over the La Raya Mountains.
Stay: Belmond Andean Explorer (Deluxe)
Meals: B L D
Day
8
Belmond Andean Explorer to Colca Canyon
After overnighting at Lake Titicaca, you’ll head out to explore what is South America’s largest body of water. Sail out on a traditional woven boat to discover whole villages built on man-made reed islands where life continues unchanged by time’s progress. You’ll take your lunch on a delightful beach, enjoying performances by traditional dancers and demonstrations by local artisans as you dine. After, you’ll reboard to continue your journey towards Colca Canyon.
Stay: Belmond Andean Explorer (Deluxe)
Meals: B L D
Day
9
Colca Canyon
Wake to the rugged scenery of Lake Lagunillas before visiting Sumbay, whose cave paintings date back eight millennia. You’ll then disembark at Colca Canyon where indigenous communities thrive, cragged peaks soar and pre-Incan stepped terraces are still farmed on. Start your tour with a visit to the colourfully dressed locals of Yura Village before you stop at the lesser-visited Aguada Blanca National Reserve. Here, great saltpans and verdant wetlands are roamed by yet more wandering alpaca. Along the way, you’ll enjoy traditional meals, packed full of Andean flavour. You’ll then transfer to an orchard-ringed private bungalow at Belmond Las Casitas – a luxurious mountain hideaway.
Stay: Belmond Las Casitas, Colca Canyon (Deluxe)
Meals: B L D
Days
10-11
Colca Canyon/Arequipa
Today, your private driver will bring you to the Cross of the Condor where you’ll take in the finest views of Colca Canyon’s condor-troubled crags. Then, an included lunch and stops at church-dotted market villages will bring you – via high mountain passes – to Arequipa and the cathedral ceilings of your accommodation, housed in the city’s old mint. The next day, your private touring will showcase Arequipa’s distinctive architecture. Everything from its Baroque churches to the San Ignacio Chapel – ‘America’s Sistine Chapel’ – is realised in white, sillar rock, sourced from the city’s volcanic surrounds. You’ll also take in leafy Yanahuara’s panoramic views and the bright reds and deep blues of the 16th-century Santa Catalina Convent.
Stay: Casa Andina Premium Arequipa (Superior)
Meals: B
Days
12-13
Depart for UK
After breakfast, a final private transfer will bring you to the airport for your flight home, arriving on day 13 via Lima.
Meals: B
Map
Pricing
Any element of this itinerary can be adjusted to suit your needs. Just contact us to find out more.
Accommodation rating:
13-day tailor-made rail journey
from £10,185 pp incl. flights
Deluxe
Low Season
from £10,185 pp. incl. flights
High Season
from £10,730 pp. incl. flights
Includes:
- Complimentary UK airport lounge access
- Return flights from London to Lima
- Domestic flights from Lima – Cusco and Arequipa to Lima
- Private transfers
- 7 nights accommodation in 5* (Deluxe) hotels on a B&B basis
- 2 nights accommodation in 5* (Deluxe) hotels on a full-board basis
- 2 nights accommodation aboard Belmond Andean Explorer train ('Peruvian Highlands') on a full-board basis including an Open Bar
- Private half day Lima city tour
- Private full day tour to Maras, Morai and Ollantaytambo with lunch
- Private full day Machu Picchu tour by Vistadome train with lunch
- Private half day Cusco city tour & ruins
- Private half day Colca Canyon tour
- Private Arequipa city tour and Santa Catalina convent
Terms & Conditions
Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room; prices are subject to availability and possible change; normal booking conditions apply.
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