High Level Itinerary:
DAY 1: Welcome to Peru! Dinner at Maido.
A Kusa Treks representative will meet you at the Lima airport. Dinner at Maido. Overnight at Villa Barranco or Hotel B
DAY 2: Cooking class. Dinner at Malabar.
Cooking class with a top chef. 5-course meal prepared by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino at the workshop of his restaurant Malabar. Overnight at Villa Barranco or Hotel B
DAY 3: Lima Tour. Dinner at Central.
Tour of Lima in the morning. Urban Eats sampling food tour. Dinner reservation at Central. Overnight at Villa Barranco or Hotel B
DAY 4: Flight to Cusco. Visit Pisac. Lunch at Haciendo Sarapampa. Overnight stay in Sacred Valley.
Flight to Cusco in the morning. Visit ancient Inca site called Pisac. Lunch and Paso horse demonstration at Hacienda Sarapampa, a giant corn farm. Overnight at Sol y Luna.
DAY 5: Sacred Valley Tour. Maras and Moray Tour. Lunch on an Organic Farm.
Visit Maras and Moray. Enjoy a traditional Pachamanca lunch on an organic farm. Visit Ollantaytambo and craft brewery in the evening. Overnight at Sol y Luna.
DAY 6: Travel to Machu Picchu via Vista Dome Train.
Vista Dome train to Machu Picchu. Overnight at El Mapi or Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel.
DAY 7: Tour of Machu Picchu.
Professionally guided tour of Machu Picchu. Vista Dome train to Cusco. Overnight at El Mercado or Inkaterra La Casona.
DAY 8: Cusco Tour.
Enjoy Cusco’s cobbled-street charm with a tour of the city’s key sites. Urban Eats sampling food tour by night. Overnight at El Mercado or Inkaterra La Casona.
DAY 9: Cooking Classes in Cusco and Urban Eats Tour.
Cusco cooking class or urban eats sampling food tour. Free time in Cusco. Overnight at El Mercado or Inkaterra La Casona.
DAY 10: Flight to Lima.
Flight from Cusco – Lima. International Departure.
NOTE: The hotels listed are subject to change based on availability, number of people in your group and time of year. However, the accommodations provided will be similar to the hotels listed.
Details For Each Day
DAY 1: Welcome to Peru! Dinner at Maido.
- Accommodations: Hotel B
- Meals Included: Dinner at Maido
A Kusa Treks representative will welcome you to Lima and take you to your hotel, assisting with all check-in procedures.
You have a reservation at one of Lima’s top restaurants, Maido, which is in the top 10 on the World’s Top 50 Restaurants List. Peru is a proud home of several incredible restaurants and the ultimate food mecca in South America and one of the world’s most exciting culinary travel destinations.
NOTE: If you booked your own international flights, please provide us your flight details prior to your arrival.
DAY 2: Cooking class. Dinner at Malabar.
- Accommodations: Hotel B
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
MORNING
In the morning you will learn about Peru’s world-famous food through ‘Lima with Zest’, a hands-on culinary experience with a professional chef. Visit local markets to gather local, organic ingredients before cooking together in a family home in bohemian Barranco.
Alternatively visit a local market and take a cooking class at Urban Kitchen (supplement applies) in a professional kitchen workshop led by Peruvian professional chef Ignacio Barrios, who has worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant and under the famed Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
In the evening enjoy the five-course Chef’s Table dining experience with acclaimed Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino at his leading restaurant Malabar. Known for championing Amazonian ingredients, Pedro is a charismatic character who will prepare a gourmet meal right in front of you.
DAY 3: Lima Tour. Dinner at Central.
- Accommodations: Hotel B
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
MORNING
The tour begins around 9AM with our private transportation picking you up directly from the airport or from your hotel. The tour will take you through the great city of Lima. You will experience the city’s 3 historic periods: Pre-hispanic, Colonial and Modern.
First, enjoy a panoramic view of “La Huaca Pucllana”, followed by touring Historic Downtown Lima. Downtown Lima is full of palaces, museums, mansions, churches and squares. The tour of downtown will end with a visit to the residential district in San Isidro and unforgettable views of the Pacific Ocean from the Miraflores District.
You will then visit several museums (admission is included)…BCR Museum, the Museo de Larco and the Complejo Monumental San Francisco and its Catacombs.
You will also visit: Plaza San Martin, Lima´s Cathedral, the Archbishop Palace and the Government Palace, among others.
AFTERNOON
In the afternoon explore Lima’s local food scene with a ‘friend in the city’, as opposed to a tour guide, on our authentic Urban Eats sampling food tour. They will bring you to popular local eating spots to sample Peruvian classics and criollo dishes.
EVENING
In the evening, you will dine at the world famous Central Restaurant. Which in ranked in the top five on the World’s Top 50 Restaurants List, Central delivers ambitious and worldly fusion from chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz, who has crafted a series of modern, molecular dishes using ingredients native to Peru.
DAY 4: Flight to Cusco. Visit Pisac. Lunch at Haciendo Sarapampa. Overnight stay in Sacred Valley.
- Accommodations: Soy y Luna in Urubamba
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
MORNING
Fly to Cusco where you will be met at the airport by your guide. You will board private transportation and drive 1 hour into the Sacred Valley. The first stop will be the Pisac market and ruins. The Inca masonry here is amazing, matched by views of the stunning mountain terraces.
AFTERNOON
In the afternoon, you will drive to Hacienda Sarapampa, known for producing giant corn which is endemic to the valley. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by the owners who will take you on a private tour of the working farm and cornfields, showcasing the different stages of cultivating corn. You will then enjoy a private seven-course lunch in the gardens and treated to a traditional Peruvian Paso Horse demonstration.
EVENING
After this incredible tour you will be driven to your accommodations for the next two nights, Soy y Luna. An incredible 5-star hotel located in the beautiful Sacred Valley.
DAY 5: Sacred Valley Tour. Maras and Moray Tour. Lunch on an Organic Farm.
- Accommodations: Soy y Luna in Urubamba
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
MORNING
You will be picked up from your hotel between 9-9:30AM and driven to Moray. During the drive, you will see incredible mountain peaks, farms and other natural wonders. Our first stop will be Moray, which is is one of the best preserved examples of the terraced farming technique the Incas used to thrive in the Andes.
In Moray you will observe the concentric circles that made up an Inca agricultural laboratory. Your tour guide will lead you on a 5-10 minute hike down into the archaeological site. Once you reach the bottom, you will receive a guided tour of the ruins that served as one of the main amphitheaters for the Incas where they performed rituals and ceremonies.
After touring Moray, you will re-board the van and drive a few miles down the road to Maras. This area is a collection of over 3,000 salt pools carved into a mountainside. These pools have been here for over 1,000 years and are fed daily by a stream of water from the mountain. It is truly a breathtaking site.
AFTERNOON
After visiting these two iconic sites, you will head to an organic farm to try a traditional Pachamanca lunch, which is cooked under the earth.
Located in the midst of Inca terracing, the farm provides impressive views towards the snow-capped peaks of mount Veronica and Ollantaytambo ruins. Enjoy a delicious meal with the local farmers, a truly authentic afternoon.
EVENING
You will end today with a visit to the Cerveceria del Valle, a family-owned craft brewery producing Andean-inspired ales and lagers. One of the founders will guide you around the brewery before you sample a selection of beers on tap, made using high quality ingredients and glacial spring water from over 13,000 ft. above sea level.
DAY 6: Travel to Machu Picchu via Vista Dome Train.
- Accommodations: El Mapi or Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel in Aguas Calientes
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
MORNING
In the morning you will have a tour of the Ollantaytambo Fortress. It was here that one of the greatest battles of the Conquest was fought – and one of the few where the Incas defeated the Spaniards.
You will then head over to the Ollantaytambo Train Station and board the Vista Dome train, featuring spectacular panoramic windows with incredible scenic views (approx 1.5hrs) to Aguas Calientes, where you will board a bus to reach the entrance of Machu Picchu.
Alternatively you can upgrade to the Hiram Bingham luxury train to Machu Picchu – we can also arrange private charter train services.
AFTERNOON
This afternoon you will have your first of two visits to the iconic ruins of Machu Picchu, one of the world’s most important archaeological sites. Set among mist-shrouded mountains, this man-made marvel has become a symbol for the ingenuity and prosperity of one of the most expansive empires in Latin American history: The Incas. Your guide will explain the history and purpose of this awe-inspiring site.
EVENING
After your tour of Machu Picchu you will head back to Aguas Calientes for the evening.
DAY 7: Machu Picchu
- Accommodations: El Mercado in Cusco
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
MORNING
Return to Machu Picchu with your guide to optionally hike to the Sun Gate, Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, which offer spectacular panoramic views.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
Take the bus back to the town of Aguas Calientes to catch the Vistadome train (approx. 1.5hrs) to Ollantaytambo for a private transfer to Cusco (approx. 2hrs). Alternatively upgrade to the luxurious Hiram Bingham train (supplement price applies).
Your arrival station will depend on the time of year of your trip, departure time and class of train. Once you arrive to either station, a Kusa Treks van and driver will be waiting for you at the station to take you back to your hotel.
NOTE: Train times depend on: the number of people in your group, the time of year of your trip and the class of train you prefer.
DAY 8: Tour of Cusco
- Accommodations: El Mercado in Cusco
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
MORNING
Free morning at your hotel to relax, perhaps schedule a massage at the hotel.
AFTERNOON
A Kusa Treks van will pick you up at 1PM from your hotel lobby. The tour starts with a quick drive to the Plaza de Armas, which is located right in the heart of the historic city! After being dropped off, you will take a 2 minute walk to the Catholic Cathedral, where you will enjoy a guided tour.
After visiting the cathedral, you will walk down the Avenida El Sol to the very center of the Inca Empire: Coricancha (Q’oricancha), known as the Temple of the Sun. At this incredible site you will witness a stark contrast between the Inca and Spanish methods of construction. This temple was the spiritual center of the Incas and the point from which their entire empire spread.
After touring Coricancha, you will take a 20-25 minute van ride to the outskirts of Cusco, where you will use your Tourist Ticket to visit 4 Inca archaeological sites. The first site you will visit is Sacsayhuaman, which is covered in, 200 ton monoliths. This incredible site will challenge your imagination as you ponder how it was possible for the Incas to build such a city over 500 years ago. Your guide will provide several explanations and interesting facts, after which you will have time to explore this vast site on your own.
From Sacsayhuaman you will take a five minute van ride to the Q’enqo Inca site, which is famous for being home to several Inca Alters. You will not spend as much time here as you did at Sacsayhuaman but enough time to receive a guided tour.
Your next site is another five minute drive to Puca Pucara, a small, circular Inca post built as a lookout.
The final stop on this tour is Tambomachay, which was built by the Incas as a Water Temple. It has several impressive water fountains, which are thought to have been used by the Incas for bathing.
The tour ends with a drive back down to your hotel in Cusco.
EVENING
In the early evening enjoy a sampling food tour to learn about the many influences on Peruvian food that have helped position Peru as one of the world’s top culinary destinations.
DAY 9: Cooking Classes in Cusco and Urban Eats Tour.
- Accommodations: El Mercado in Cusco
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
MORNING
In the morning you will be able to take a cooking class, ideal for foodies looking to learn more about Peruvian gastronomy and influences on Peruvian cooking. You also will get to learn how to prepare Peruvian classics, complemented by Pisco tasting.
Alternatively, take our food sampling tour ‘Urban Eats’, stopping at local markets, shops, eateries and restaurants for an insight into ingredients and ways of life in the Andes and Peru.
AFTERNOON
Another option is to take our Chef’s Food Tour (supplement price applies). Led on foot by one of the city’s top professional chefs to visit a market and local eateries before heading to a restaurant to learn to make a pisco sour at the bar, followed by a mini-ceviche cooking class.
DAY 10: Flight to Lima
MORNING
You will be met at your hotel for a private transfer to Cusco airport for your domestic flight to Lima International Airport. We will assist you with your international departure.
