American Airlines Flight information

Flight

Departure

Date

Time

Arrival

Date

Time

AA2878	R Reagan Nat, Washington, DC, US (DCA)	15Aug24	12:07		Miami Intl, FL, US (MIA)	15Aug24	14:50
AA0917	Miami Intl, FL, US (MIA)	15Aug24	17:35		Jorge Chavez Intl, Lima, PE (LIM)	15Aug24	22:22
AA0358	Jorge Chavez Intl, Lima, PE (LIM)	25Aug24	22:00		Miami Intl, FL, US (MIA)	26Aug24	05:00
AA2878	Miami Intl, FL, US (MIA)	26Aug24	08:30		R Reagan Nat, Washington, DC, US (DCA)	26Aug24	11:00

Your Accommodations:

• Westin Lima
• Tamba Del Inka Sacred Valley
• Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
• Palacio Del Inka in Cusco

Itinerary

DAY 1 ARRIVE TO LIMA
Upon arrival in Lima, we’ll transfer you to our hotel to check in.

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DAY 2 VISIT CHINCHA & THE AFRO-PERUVIAN COMMUNITY
After breakfast, we’ll visit Chincha town, located south of Lima. In this town you will learn about the Afro-Peruvian community living in the El Carmen village. We will arrive at Casa Hacienda San José, a cultural Heritage site since 1970, which is a spectacular and exclusive colonial hacienda located in El Carmen town. The farm keeps one of the most wonderful secrets of the Peruvian coast. Lunch is included with typical Peruvian dishes while you enjoy an Afro-Peruvian dance. After experiencing this gastro–cultural experience, we’ll return to Lima. (B, L)

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DAY 3 LIMA – CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY
Today, we’ll depart Lima with a flight to Cusco. On arrival in Cusco, we’ll transfer to the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley is located at a lower altitude than Cusco city, which aids the acclimatization of the city.

TRANSFER TO THE SACRED VALLEY WITH VISIT ON OURTE
On the way, visit Awanacancha textile center to observe traditional Andean weaving and to see the four types of camel-related Andean animals – llamas, guanacos, alpacas, and vicuñas. Alpacas have thick wool and are the most used, while the vicuñas are small and delicate, with fur considered the finest.  Here, you can meet these four types of camelids, learn about the harvesting of the different wools and the natural dying techniques, and have a chance to see native weavers from different areas showing their different weaving secrets and lifestyles.

After the visit, we’ll continue on to our hotel located In the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

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DAY 4  OLLANTAYTAMBO, PISAC MARKET & RUINS
After breakfast, continue to the fortress of Ollantaytambo, which was believed to have been constructed to guard the entrance to this part of the valley and protect it from invasions of tribes from the jungle lowlands. Later, it served as a temporary capital for Manco Inca, leader of the Inca resistance in 1537 during the Spanish conquest of Peru, who fortified the town to stop the advance, as Cusco had fallen under Spanish domination. Additionally, this place is a ceremonial center dedicated to the purification and worship of water, with 150 steps built with perfectly carved stones. The archaeological site includes a series of superimposed terraces and stunning finely carved stone blocks located on the upper terrace or Temple of the Sun. Then, take a journey in time through the Ollantaytambo town with its straight streets and perfectly laid stones that feature a canal for water to run through the town. After the visit, transfer to the other side of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

After the tour, you will continue your day with a visit to the town of Pisac, where the Incas built an observatory for the study of astronomy, as well as an impressive network of cultivated terraces. After this, IF time permits, you will have the opportunity to bargain with the vendors at the local handicraft market in Pisac.

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DAY 5  CHINCHEROS TOWN, MARAS SALTPANS & MORAY TERRACES
After breakfast, transfer to the town of Chinchero, which is a small Andean Indian village. Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. The village mainly comprises mud brick (adobe) houses, and locals still go about their business in traditional dress. The most striking remnant of this period is the massive stone wall in the main plaza with ten trapezoidal niches.

Head to the salt fields of Maras and its seemingly never-ending terraces, where salt extracted from springs is stored. Although these waters have been used for centuries, even before the time of the Incas, Maras was founded by the Spanish in 1556. It is produced naturally in about 5,000 pools of approximately 5 square meters, each forming different levels of terraces. It is nourished by salty water from a creek that permeates the pools and then evaporates by the intense sun, forming thick crystals. It is impressive to see the variety of colors created by the reflection of the sun’s rays in this field of salt deposits and to learn about the Incas’ striking ability to generate resources. Continue your excursion to admire the Moray terraces, believed to be a former gigantic agricultural laboratory, an astronomical observatory, a place of worship, or maybe all three. Moray was thought to be used for plant adaptation to new climatic environments thanks to its circular terraces in immense cone-shaped depressions of 47 to 84 m that resemble giant fingerprints or contour lines. These created a series of microclimates at the different heights of the terraces, which enabled the Incas to improve a great variety of crops experimentally. Today, it is evidence of the high level of agricultural knowledge they reached.

Special Andean Lunch is settled in a country restaurant where you will taste the famous Pachamanca, which refers to a traditional way of preparing food and a typical dish of Peruvian gastronomy, prepared by cooking over the heat of preheated stones, beef, pork, chicken previously seasoned with ingredients such as chincho, huacatay, chili peppers, and other spices, along with additional indigenous Andean products, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, broad beans in pods, and eventually cassava. Beyond a meal or an agape, it is a community rite in the Andes and in the cities. This is an authentic experience worth living. After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel in the Sacred Valley. (B, L)

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DAY 6 SACRED VALLEY / MACHU PICCHU
This morning, you will be transferred to your train station in Ollantaytambo, which is located close to the site where the old Inca hanging bridge crossed the Urubamba. On board the VISTADOME train, you will move along the tracks following the river’s course into the jungle lowlands to Aguas Calientes, a.k.a. Machu Picchu Pueblo (a 2-hour ride). This is the last stop before getting to the famous archaeological complex. Find crafts, books, restaurants, and an array of hotels in this buzzing town. The bus zigzags up the mountain’s steep side for nearly 20 minutes. The pre-Hispanic engineering marvel unveils itself gradually; this was the site Pachacutec Inca (1438-1572) chose as a royal retreat and where his “malqui” or mummified remains were to be worshiped. Machu Picchu, or “Old Mountain,” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders, yet the traveler senses a beauty unmatched by these or any other title. How was such a work accomplished? Granite stone buildings that seem to naturally sprout from the earth instead of being constructed on it. Andean mountain aesthetics can truly be appreciated at Machu Picchu; explore the site at your own pace. Visit the Royal Mausoleum or take the path to the Inca Bridge or the central flight of steps to reach Intihuatana. Or simply contemplate the sacred geography all around: the Urubamba nearly encircling the site and Mount Salkantay (“Wild”), overlooking the citadel from the southeast.

After the visit to Machu Picchu, you will return to your hotel located down in Aguas Calientes town.  (B, L, D)

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DAY 7 MACHU PICCHU / SACRED VALLEY / CUSCO
With an early start, we will board the shuttle bus that will take us to Machu Picchu. This morning, you will return to Machu Picchu and have a guided visit to any of the attractions of the citadel. Or on this day you can visit Huayna Picchu Mountain. You may climb the Wayna Picchu (subject to space availability), which means “Young Mountain” instead of Machu Picchu. This ascent takes about an hour, and its main attraction is the “Temple of the Moon,” a complex of underground constructions likely to have been used by the elite.

In the afternoon, head to the train station of Aguas Calientes.

After Lunch, we’ll take the afternoon VISTADOME train back to Cusco City.  (B, L)

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DAY 8 PACHAMAMA CEREMONY, AN ANDEAN PRAYER (PRIVATE)
Take part in a Pachamama Ceremony, in worshiping Mother Earth, where a traditional “Pako,” an Andean Shaman, will prepare your offerings and present them to the Pachamama. Mysticism and culture will be the highlights of this lifetime experience. This activity is an original recreation that inhabitants practice in the Andes, prayer to Mother Earth (Pachamama), and main glaciers and peaks for prosperity, health, and happiness. A cultural interaction surrounded by beautiful Andean landscapes. (B)

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DAY 9: CUSCO CITY TOURS & NEARBY RUINS

Inca rulers once called Cusco the “Navel of the World.” Cusco remains today a city that blends colonial Spanish charm with older, more austere remains of pre-Columbian glory. One can see the foundations of Inca structures on many of its city streets today. Today, you will go on a guided visit of the Imperial City of Cusco. In this Cusco city tour, you will visit the Main Plaza, which has been the scene of great historical events in the Capital of the Incas. The main Cathedral church is built of great slabs of red granite in the Renaissance style, thus contrasting with the baroque style silverwork which decorates its interior. You will then continue to the Santo Domingo church, built upon the foundations of the Inca temple Koricancha, which was dedicated to Sun worship. Get to know the 12 cornered stones and all the interesting facts this archaeological remains must tell. Following, you will head to the City’s nearby ruins: the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, a magnificent example of Incan military power; Qenqo, a ritualistic site with subterranean galleries that form an underground maze; Puca Pucara, the red fortress; and finally Tambomachay, also known as the Incan Baths. After this amazing, educative Cusco city tour, you will be driven back to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure. (B, D)

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DAY 10 CUSCO / LIMA HD CITY TOUR OF LIMA, LARCO MUSEUM (PRIVATE)
Early in the morning, we’ll transfer to the airport for our flight back to Lima.

Today you will take a guided sightseeing tour to Lima’s most attractive and important site, the “City of Kings.” The tour includes Lima’s Historical Centre, passing by Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Cathedral, and its Religious Art Museum. Its construction began on the city’s foundation on January 18, 1535. We will visit the Convent and Church of San Francisco, considered by some as the greatest architectural complex of Colonial Art in America and the Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The underground galleries or Catacombs during the Viceroyalty served as a cemetery for the city. You will continue with a visit of the Larco Herrera Museum, founded in 1926, which showcases remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview of 3000 years of development of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. The museum, located in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th-century pre-Columbian pyramid, has many fine examples of textile works, one example of which has a record-breaking 398 threads per inch; materials and tools used by ancient Peruvians to produce their work in ceramics and metal, it also features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru. After the tour, return to your hotel.  (B, L)

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DAY 11 LIMA / OUT CULINARY EXPERIENCE

Today, you will be part of a Gastronomy experience. You will learn how to cook different dishes of Peruvian gastronomy. This experience includes the preparation of the Pisco sour, a Peruvian beverage. After cooking, you will eat what you have prepared. Special emphasis will be placed on the history of Peruvian gastronomy, the influence of other kitchens, and how we have come to have one of the most important dishes in the world. The experience will not only focus on cooking but also on Peruvian culture.

We will transfer to the airport for our international departure flight back home this evening. (B)

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Itinerary, dates, accommodations, and transfers subject to change

Payment Schedule: Not adhering to the payment schedule can result in late payment fees, cancellation without notice, and/or rate increases.

• 25% per person non-refundable deposit is due at the time of booking
• 2nd payment = 50% of the package price is due by February 15, 2024
• 3rd payment = 75% of the package price is due by April 30, 2024
• Full and final payment is due by July 1, 2024

All prices are in US Dollars. Due to exchange rate changes, taxes, and other factors, we do not guarantee the amount of the final Tour Fee until the Full and Final Payment Date; prior to said date, we may increase the Tour price. Except as expressly stated in the Itinerary, you are solely responsible for any Tour-related costs you incur.

Change/Cancellation: Notice of change/cancellation must be made in writing to Advantage International, LLC, and your cancellation date will be the date we actually receive your notice:

A name change can be requested but not guaranteed; additional fees will apply. All changes are subject to availability and rate differences and are not guaranteed.

Cancellation:

• 25% per person is non-refundable.
• 50% of the package price is non-refundable if canceled from February 16- April 29, 2024
• 75% of the package price is non-refundable if canceled from April 30 -June 30, 2024
• 100% of the package price is non-refundable if canceled on or after July 1, 2024.
  • We must receive your cancellation notice in writing by email, fax, or overnight courier, and your cancellation date will be the date we receive your notice.
  • Your decision not to participate in the Tour due to State Department warnings, fear of travel, or the like will be deemed a cancellation. If a flight or another delay for any reason prevents you from joining the Tour on the Tour start date, you will be considered a no-show, and we cannot provide a full or partial refund or credit toward a future Tour, but you may join the Tour late if you wish.

Travel entry requirements for Peru (US Passport Holders)

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