Peru with Machu Picchu & Nazca Lines (Small Group)

• 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 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.  
• 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 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.
• 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.
• Sacred Valley: Learn to play the zampoña at Laguna Piuray, where local musicians introduce one of the Andes' most recognisable instruments. As you try the panpipe for yourself, the workshop offers a direct connection to the music and traditions still heard across the region.
• Machu Picchu: Travel to Machu Picchu aboard IncaRail's The Prime, where spacious seating, attentive service and premium finishes bring added comfort to one of Peru's most memorable rail journeys. Along the way, enjoy an Andean-inspired tasting made with local ingredients and live music on board as the landscapes of the Sacred Valley begin to unfold.
• 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.
• Paracas: Take to the skies on your Peru tour to see the iconic Nazca Lines, archaeological enigmas scratched in the ground 500 B.C. and A.D. 500. Gaze down in awe of these massive designs and patterns you can only view from above. Your private flight will show you many of the lines, complete with their names and a bit of history. From above, you'll observe the different types: straight, geometric (such as triangles, rectangles, trapezoids, spirals, arrows, zigzags, and wavy lines), and pictorial (including a spider, hummingbird, cactus plant, monkey, whale, llama, duck, flower, tree, lizard, dog, and even a mysterious humanoid figure). Some of the animal geoglyphs are up to 1,200 feet long! You'll also learn why the Nazca culture created these lines in the desert plains of the Rio Grande de Nazca River basin and how the Nazca people were able to carve out such massive designs.
• Paracas: In Paracas, meet a local fisherman who will share how traditional practices are passed down through generations. Gain insight into daily life at sea, learn how small-scale fishers contend with industrial fleets and discover what a day's catch is worth in a community where the ocean still shapes survival.

Choose between two carefully selected activities

• Cusco: Explore San Pedro Market with a Local Expert and learn simple Spanish words and phrases to help you connect with local vendors. As you move through one of Cusco's most traditional market halls, you'll buy fruit, vegetables and other goods, with these purchases later donated within the community. 
• Cusco: Step inside Cusco Cathedral on Plaza de Armas, built between 1559 and 1654 on the site of an Inca palace. Its gilded altars, carved woodwork and Cusco School paintings make it one of the most important examples of colonial religious art in Peru.

• Sacred Valley: Visit a local traditional Quechua weaver for a private textile presentation and learn about ancient techniques and their cultural significance. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: Reduced Inequalities.

• 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 dinner.
• Lima:  Make your way to Lima's Pueblo Libre District and indulge on a lunch in the Museo Larco's 18th century garden.
• Sacred Valley: Enjoy lunch at Altar Inca with impressive views of the Sacred valley surrounded by the breathtaking Andes Mountains.
• Sacred Valley: Make your way to the small lagoon of Laguna Piuray where you'll enjoy your 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 Inka Grill, where you'll embark on a journey of flavours from Ceviche Palteado to Quinotto and Aji de Gallina.
• Dining Summary: 12 Breakfasts (B), 3 Dinners (D), 7 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