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Ancient Cultures and Treasures 10 days/09 nights

Day 02: Lima

Afternoon guided tour of the City including the main sites at Colonial and modern areas and then visit the Larco Herrera Museum, this museum gives us an excellent introduction to our next destination, The North coast
Overnight (B)

Day 03 – Lima to Chiclayo

Early morning transfer to the airport to take the flight to Chiclayo. Upon arrival to “The Capital of the Friendship”, transfer to Gran Hotel Chiclayo.Then we'll visit Sipan, where the tomb of the Lord of Sipan was discovered. The Lord ruled around 200 AD over the Moche culture, and his gold-laden tomb is considered to be the richest in the Americas. We will travel to the town of Lambayeque to visit the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum where many of these riches are displayed.

After lunch, we'll visit the 26 pre-Columbian pyramids of Tucume. These pyramids were excavated by Thor Heyerdahl (of Kon-tiki fame), who discovered burial sites, textiles, Incan figurines and depictions of reed boats. This, together with goods from far-flung corners of the South America, allowed Heyerdahl to prove that the ancient people of Tucume were experienced voyagers and traders. We'll return to Chiclayo for the night.

Day 04 – Chiclayo to Trujillo

In the morning, we'll travel by private car or bus to Trujillo. This city keeps the colonial atmosphere and it was was founded in 1534 on the orders of Francisco Pizarro. Optional tour : Visit a local hacienda with delicious lunch and Peruvian Paso Fino horse show.

In the afternoon, we'll head south of town to visit the Temples of the Sun and Moon, built by the Moche Culture in around 500 AD. These 130-foot-tall pyramids are thought to be the largest adobe structures in the Americas. We return to Trujillo to spend the night. Overnight at Libertador Hotel located in the Main plaza

Day 05 – Trujillo to Lima

Take a short tour of Trujillo in the morning, including the Casa del Mayorazgo, Casa Orbegozo, Casa de la Emancipacion, and La Merced Church. You'll stroll along the grand central plaza and the streets lined with colonial mansions. We'll then visit the royal palace complex of Chan Chan, built by the Chimu culture in pre-Inca times. This enormous complex, the largest in pre-Columbian America, is divided into nine separate citadels.

We'll travel to the charming seaside town of nearby Huanchaco for lunch, before returning to the airport for a late afternoon flight to Lima. Arrival, recpetion and transfer to selected hotel.

Upon arrival, we will be met at Lima’s international airport and transferred to your hotel. Overnight at selected hotel.

Day 06 - Lima/Cusco/Sacred valley of the Incas

After early breakfast, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Cusco. Arrival at Cusco airport, reception and transfer to the Sacred Valley
Full day tour, including visits to the colorful Pisac Indian Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress. At an elevation of 8,500 feet, the Urubamba Valley, or Sacred Valley of the Incas, is the historic heart of the Inca Empire. It was intensively cultivated with terraces increasing its harvest several fold. Small villages lined the valley floor, while the stone fortresses of Ollantaytambo and Pisac served the dual purpose of providing protection and serving as religious centers. Without the benefit of the wheel, the Incas built massive stone cities and ruled an empire stretching 3,300 miles over some of the harshest terrain on earth. Without the use of mortar, the Inca constructed their cities, suspension bridges, and aqueduct systems, with an engineering expertise that has survived five hundred years of natural disasters, conquest, and modern development.
Overnight at Sacred Valley hotel. PLEASE NOTE THE MARKET ONLY TAKES PLACES ON TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS. (B, L).

Day 07 - Sacred valley/Machu Picchu

You will be transferred to Ollanta station where you will catch the train to Machu Picchu. The 1.5-hour train journey follows the ever-narrowing gorge of the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes town on the way you will see picturesque Andean scenery and traditional villages. As we approach the Machu Picchu Sanctuary, the valley turns into a canyon and the vegetation changes to a cloud forest. Then you’ll board a bus for a 30-minute drive up the switchback road to Machu Picchu. Once at the site and after an orientation by the guide, then have sometime guided exploration of the fabled Inca citadel. Situated on the spine of a jungle cloaked granite peak towering some 600 meters above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced by the powerful equatorial sun. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. After lunch, we’ll descend by bus around 3:00 p.m. to catch the train to Cusco and then bus transfer to selected Hotel. (B)
Recommended optional : Overnight at Machu Picchu at extra cost.

Day 08 – Cusco

We’ll enjoy a guided tour of the nearby Inca ruins including Kenko, the ceremonial bath of Tambomachay and the amazing Sacsayhuaman, a huge fortress of massive stones. We will also take a tour of the city including the Koricancha, temple of the Sun, a nice example of the Inca architecture, The 12-angled stone, the Main Plaza, the Cathedral and much more. Return to your hotel later in the day. Return to your hotel Free Afternoon. (B)

Day 09: Cusco/Lima

Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima. Upon arrival, you will be met at Lima’s international airport and transferred to your selected hotel.
Free afternoon. (B)

Day 10 - Lima

Morning transfer to the airport for your international flight.

(B) = Breakfast
(L) = Lunch

What's Included

• Airport transfers
• Guided Sightseeing as detailed in the itinerary
• Ground transportation (bus and train)
• Four lunches (Chiclayop, Huanchaco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu)
• Accommodation at selected hotels with breakfast.

What’s Not

Meals not noted in itinerary, optional tipping to guides and local staff; airport taxes; and items of a personal nature (sodas, alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.)

More about Machu Picchu

Perched high above a sinuous bend in the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu has lured explorers, poets and pilgrims to its mist-wreathed ridge top ever since its discovery by the American explorer Hiram Bingham in July 1911.

No one lived here before the Incas. Those mighty empire builders from Cusco discovered this extraordinary place, finding it rich in natural features sacred to their religion. Both inspired and humbled by its dramatic natural beauty, their answer was to create on a vast scale one of the planet's most sensitive and harmonious works of art. The aesthetic genius of its layout and architecture coupled with the durability of its brilliant planning and engineering have given us today this finest of jewels among the UNESCO world heritage sites.

Scholars still argue about the meaning of Machu Picchu: why it was built and what purpose it served, who lived there and when they departed. Most agree that its main intent was spiritual and ceremonial.

Suggested reading list

All available through http://www.amazon.com and/or http://www.longitudebooks.com

Lost City of the Incas, The Story of Machu Picchu and its Builders
Hiram Bingham
EXPLORATION • 2001 • PAPER • 263 PAGES • BEST SELLER
A first-rate tale of adventure by the man who rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911. This classic account is a gripping story of exploration, archaeology and natural history -- and still an outstanding overview of the site itself. With original expedition photographs. Originally published in 1952, the book is still an excellent account, not only of the expedition but also of the site itself.

The Incas, People of the Sun
Carmen Bernard
EXPLORATION • 1994 • PAPER • 192 PAGES • BEST SELLER •
A pocket-size encyclopedia in the acclaimed "Discoveries" series, this jewel of a book features hundreds of archival drawings and photographs, a chronology and long excerpts from the journals of early explorers. It's a guide to the ancient monuments, daily life of the Incas, and history of exploration.

Conquest of the Incas
John Hemming
HISTORY • 1970 • PAPER • 641 PAGES
A masterful, prize-winning history of the Inca struggle against the Spanish invasion. This classic account, by one of the best writers on South America, brings together wide-ranging scholarly material in the interests of telling a good story. With a chronology, family tree, bibliography, notes and references.

The Incas and their Ancestors, The Archaeology of Peru
Michael Moseley
ARCHAEOLOGY • 2001 • PAPER • 288 PAGES
An outstanding survey of the archaeology of the Inca, Moche and Nasca civilizations. With hundreds of color illustrations and line drawings, it's an in-depth look at the ancient cultures and history of Peru, the best general introduction to the subject.

Airport taxes

• Domestic Flights         USD 6.82
• International Flight      USD 31.00

Prices are per person and will be paid at the different airports.

More information:

The Coast: Chiclayo and Trujillo  More Tour Programs  Recommended Hotels in the Area  See our Map  About Cultures and Archaeological sites in the North of Peru