Peru with Machu Picchu (Women-Only Tour)

• 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: Visit Casa Aliaga, an impressive mansion the Aliaga family has called home for 17 generations. Meet Wilma Ehni de Aliaga, who'll show you around her family's impressive mansion and share personal stories. Learn how the colonial home dates to the founding of Lima in 1535 and is the oldest dwelling in the Americas that has been in the same family for generations. Discover how the home was rebuilt and reshaped after earthquakes and architectural trends and represents both the Colonial and Republican history of Lima.
• Visit Museo Larco in Lima's Pueblo Libre District, the highest-rated museum in South America housing the largest collection of Pre-Columbian art. Meet a Local Expert who will lead you through the museum and share its private collection with you. You'll also delve into Peruvian culture, its ancient history and religious beliefs and the role of women in ancient Peru.
• Sacred Valley: The UNESCO World Heritage Maras Salt Mine will inspire the mind of any curious traveller. 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 traveller. 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.
• Machu Picchu: Transfer to the station for your 360° IncaRail train ride. This train ride offers an unforgettable experience journeying through the Andes Mountains in style with large panoramic views allowing guests to enjoy the amazing scenery of the lush mountains and the Urubamba River en route to Machu Piccu Pueblo.
• Machu Picchu: 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.
• Aguas Calientes: Peru's Incan history and archaeology will inspire the mind of any curious traveller. 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.
• Founded more than 20 years ago with the aim of sheltering and helping teenage mothers and their children, Mantay store not only offers a safe place, but also provides women with health services, education and job training. The women at Mantay apprentice at a leather workshop as part of their vocational training, learning how to make beautiful hand-sewn leather goods. Once the women reach the age of 18, they transition out of the home with their children but can continue to work full-time in the workshop, providing them with the opportunity for long-term stabilised income. To commemorate your visit, you'll receive a small present supporting the Mantay project.
• Cusco: Start your day with a walking tour of Cusco, before heading to Sacsayhuaman.
• Machu Picchu: Enjoy your first guided visit to Machu Picchu with Local Experts where you'll explore the sophisticated 15th century Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains.
• Cusco: Visit Cusco's planetarium to learn more on how the Incas interpreted the stars. After a reception with hot wine (or tea) and appetizers, local experts will explain and share stories about the influence the stars had on Andean culture. You'll then be led to a room specially accommodated to view the ancient night skies, weather permitting.

Choose between two carefully selected activities

• Cusco: Join a Local Expert on a trek of the Inca ruins in Puca Pucara.
• Cusco: Explore the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas and visit the prestigious art galleries.

• Sacred Valley: Visit a local traditional Quechua weaver in the Sacred Valley for a private textile presentation. You'll learn about ancient weaving techniques and the importance these textiles have in shaping personal and regional identities.

• From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
• Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
• We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
• Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
• If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
• Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
• Prices include economy air and air-related charges for the flights between Lima - Cusco. This trip experiences high elevations, we recommend guests with preexisting medical conditions talk with a doctor prior to travel.

• Lima: Unwind at your luxury abode, before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers in the evening for a Welcome Dinner.
• Join an archeologist from Museo Larco to indulge in lunch in its 18th-century garden setting. You'll love this opportunity to learn insights into the museum's history and the archeologist's experience working there.
• Sacred Valley: Make your way to the small lagoon of Laguna Piuray where you'll enjoy your Highlight Lunch of Pachamanca, a traditional Peruvian feast.
• Cusco: Enjoy an immersive slow-cooked Cusquenian lunch at Pacha Papa. Lunch will be served al fresco at the courtyard of a historic mansion in the artsy neighbourhood of San Blas.
• Cusco: In the evening, join your fellow travellers for a memorable Celebration Dinner at Calle del Medio, where you'll enjoy innovative interpretations of classic Peruvian Creole dishes while toasting to your new adventures.
• Dining Summary: 5 Dinners with Wine (DW), 9 Breakfasts (B), 4 Lunches (L)

• Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19. All Travel Directors, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
• Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

• Itinerary and inclusions are subject to change
• Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included