In the Footsteps of the Incas

Price Includes

What's Included

• - An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
• - Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
• - All porterage and restaurant gratuities
• - All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
• - Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
• - Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
• - Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
• - Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
• - Tickets for a ride aboard the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu
• - A Trafalgar bonus all Intra-Air Flights: Lima to Cusco, Cusco to Juliaca and Juliaca to Lima, including porter service at all airports.
• - Optional Experiences and free time
• - On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized.
• - Discover the Amazon’s otherworldly realm of aguajales rainforest swampland during your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and learn how vegetation has adapted to the exotic species that are drawn here.

Dining Summary

• - 1 Welcome Reception (WR)
• - 10 Breakfasts (B)
• - 4 Lunchs (L)
• - 1 Dinner (D)
• - 1 Regional Dinner (RD)
• - 1 Farewell Dinner (FD)

Iconic Experience

• Take in the highlights of Lima, the 'City of the Kings,' including a panoramic view of the ancient districts. Join a local specialist for a visit to the UNESCO-listed Historic Center. Learn how before it was destroyed by earthquakes in the mid-18th century, observing how the historic buildings display a collaboration between local craftspeople and others from the Old World. Then drive along the coastline as you learn more about the fascinating history of Peru's capital city. 
• Climb the exhilarating Inkaterra Canopy Walkway for an unforgettable opportunity to observe the rainforest from its rooftop. Follow a sophisticated network of seven suspension bridges originally designed for scientific research strung between eight treetop observation platforms over 30 meters (100 feet) above the forest floor. This half-day, medium difficulty exploration is an immersive and colorful way to experience the jungle stretching out beneath you. 
• Embark on a half-day hike on a boardwalk jungle trail to Lake Sandoval, a glassy ox-bow lake tucked inside the protected Tambopata National Reserve. Board a dug-out canoe to paddle through eerie mangroves and glide out onto the palm-flanked lake, home to thousands of bird species as well as anacondas, black caimans, yellow spotted side-neck turtles, red howler monkeys and two endangered (and elusive) families of giant river otters.  
• Discover the Amazon’s otherworldly realm of aguajales rainforest swampland on a gentle hike along a –200 meter (656 feet) walkway through this diverse ecosystem. Learn how vegetation has adapted to this atmospheric natural habitat and the exotic species of amphibians, reptiles, snakes, birds and mammals that are drawn here. 
• Boldly venture out at night to discover some of the strange species that come alive under deep darkness in the Amazon. Wildlife activity greatly differs between day and night, as some creatures curl up and sleep while others employ ingenious adaption mechanisms to emerge. Enjoy a gentle, quiet stroll as your senses heighten to the mysterious nocturnal sounds of birds, mammals, insects, and amphibians wandering close by.
• Learn how to prepare an authentic Ceviche and pour the perfect Pisco sour.
• Visit the mystical Incan stronghold of Ollantaytambo with a Local Specialist. These famous ruins are a massive Inca fortress made of large stone terraces stretching out across a hillside. Walk among the stone platforms, the sun temple of six monoliths and the Princess Baths fountain ― the Baño de la Nusta at the base of the ruins flowing from carved stone into a pool. Over your exploration, learn how the old town is an Inca-era grid of cobblestoned streets and adobe buildings.
• Soak in every moment of your Machu Picchu tour in style as you descend to the Lost City in the clouds aboard the Vistadome train. Traveling the Inca Trail, you’ll traverse dramatic landscapes with a panoramic view of the soaring peaks, river, and ruins. Sit back and relax as you enjoy this multi-sensory journey complete with background music, an informative audio commentary highlighting interesting sites, and an included light snack.
• Take a shuttle to the top of the mountain where you’ll meet your local specialist for a guided hike of Machu Picchu. You’ll learn about Machu Picchu’s history and the use of each section of including ceremonial, storage, agriculture, temples, astronomical, and observatory as well as the possible reasons why the Incas left Machu Picchu.
• The ruins of Machu Picchu beckon yet again and we enjoy one final opportunity to reconnect with its story. Journey to take in the ruins at sunrise spending some time on your own to explore the hill-top fortress. Soak in every moment at this iconic site, making stops at points of interest while your guide shares their insights on the archaeological sites.
• Join your Local Specialist for a guided walk through Cusco's colonial center, including the nearby 13th century Incan settlement of Koricancha. Here in Cusco’s Golden Temple of the Sun dedicated to the Sun God Inti, view the trapezoidal and irregular shapes and rounded edges. Note how the stones fit together and were built simply by placing them on top of each other without using any mortar. This staggered placement also enables them to withstand earthquakes.
• Begin your day at the ruins of the UNESCO-listed Sacsayhuamán fortress overlooking Cusco. With zig zagging walls and ruins of giant stones, see how the shape and harmony of the landscape is similar to Machu Picchu. Stroll through this Incan architecture of sacred buildings such as residential buildings, towers, shrines, warehouses, roads and aqueducts. And while you may not be able to take in the grand scale, the complex design is based on the shape of the head of a puma, a sacred animal in Inca spirituality.
• Enjoy lunch alfresco next to Lake Umayo on your way to Sillustani, a pre-Incan burial ground on the shores of Lake Umayo. Join a local specialist and explore its towering chullpas (above ground tombs) that cast long shadows across the landscape. Then cruise the deep blue waters of South America's largest lake - Lake Titicaca, the birthplace of the sun - through floating islands made of entirely reeds by the Uros Indians.
• We cruise the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca with a Local Specialist, discovering its floating islands constructed from reeds by the Uros Indians
• Join a local specialist for a tour of the Rafael Larco Herrera Museum which houses the largest private collection of pre-Columbian Peruvian art in the world. You'll also explore the extensive collection of Peruvian gold and silver from ancient times. Learn the history of the museum founded by Rafael Larco on July 28th, 1926 in Trujillo followed by in 1958 when Larco moved his collection to Lima to a unique colonial residence built on top of a VIII century pyramid.

Dive Into Culture

• Dive into the rich history of Casona San Marcos, an ancient building in Lima now part of the property of a university. Learn to play the “cajón” (meaning “box” or drawer”) box-shaped percussion instrument played by slapping the faces with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements. Continue your musical discovery trying the basic steps of “musica negra”, a dance that originated in Chincha (near Paracas) that is popular during over the Christmas season. Over your lesson, try a snack from a “pregonero”, a vendor who specializes in selling a typical snack through boisterous advertising in the city streets.
• We'll Dive into Culture and meet a Quechua Shaman who will perform a ceremony welcoming you to Peru.
• This evening, meet Local Specialist Peter Frost, a writer, photographer and independent scholar who has explored the Andes and Amazon for 47 years, locating and investigating the previously unknown Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina. He currently resides in Peru and works as an accompanying expert for National Geographic Expeditions.
• Enjoy the flavors of chicha, a Peruvian corn beer. Hear about how chicha is brewed by the local indigenous women and its history dating back to the time of the Incas as a favorite drink of the Andes. Learn about the two types of chicha, alcoholic sour chicha de jora made from fermented jora corn and the non-alcoholic, sweet chicha morada.
• Visit the home of Víctor Coila and his wife Mariluz, and their two daughters, Luz Mery and Carla Mercedes. Join the family to try quinoa bread, potatoes with cheese, and chaco - a sauce made with a kind of clay used in cooking and medicine.

Trafalgar Difference

• Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel & Wellness is built along the Vilcanota riverbank, on the lands of an old 17th-century colonial hacienda.

Be My Guest

• Connect with Locals over a Be My Guest experience lunch, learn about the culture surrounding the production of Giant White Corn. Our hosts will demonstrate the differences between traditional farming techniques and the newer technologies used today.

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®

• During your city tour on the outskirts of Cusco, visit the shop of the social project Mantay, a housing and education project for underage mothers who come to live here and learn a craft or trade. The children are taken care of while the mothers are working, and your visit supports both the family’s livelihood. You’ll also receive a hand-crafted gift that will further support your visit.
• Arrive at Taquile Island, where we'll embark on a private tour to gain insights into the tradition of Textile Art for which the local villagers-men and women-are renowned. Learn more about the culture of the people living on the island and enjoy a traditional lunch.

Optional Experiences

Optional Experiences are subject to change. Your Travel Director will supply you with a final list of Optional Experiences available on your trip. Optional Experiences cannot be booked online; they can be purchased during your trip through your Travel Director.

Experience The Magic Circuit Of The Water (Available on Day 2)

The Magic Water Circuit is the world's largest fountain complex of beautiful interactive fountains featuring swaying water, colored lights and lasers dancing with the music. The first fountain to welcome you, known as the Magic Fountain, forces water to a height of more than 250 feet (80 meters). This optional experience is available Wednesday to Sunday.

Adult Price: $41 Child Price: $41 Moray and Maras (Available on Day 7)

Explore ancient history and living traditions on a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Maras Salt Mine. Discover how salt from this region where the Incas once harvested salt is now exported to the entire world. Unlock the secrets of 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 love learning how the same technique is still used today and getting to see the local families who own the different salt pans work on site. It’s an incredible way to connect with the community who then sells all things salt including salt cooking salt mixes, pure pink salt, chocolate with salt and bathing salts. Then head northwest of Cusco, visit the Moray Incan laboratory to unlock how the Incas determined the ideal altitude to grow crops in the Sacred Valley. You’ll love learning how this ancient culture learned how to build these round terraces on a high plateau and experimented with different kinds of soils and temperatures to grow their crops.    

Adult Price: $78 Child Price: $78 Visit and Workshop at Choco Museum (Available on Day 7)

Visit the Choco Museum where you will learn the Peruvian chocolate making process from the cacao bean to the chocolate bar. You will participate in making the chocolate and experience the true feeling of a chocolate maker.

Adult Price: $46 Child Price: $46 Cusco After Dark (Available on Day 7)

Experience Cusco like never before! During your walking tour through the streets of the ancient city, you will learn its darkest secrets. Stories only locals know about and are shared exclusively in this experience. Go beyond the usual city tour in Cusco, and learn something you can drop as an exclusive inside story at your next gathering with friends and family. To add to the experience, this tour is offered during sunset (5 am) or after dark (starting at 6 pm) only.

Adult Price: $36 Child Price: $36 Cusco - Off the Beaten Track (Available on Day 7)

Start your visit with the oldest Cemetery of Cusco, Cementerio General de la Almudena. Your guide will not only explain burial rites, but also relate personal stories, and most of all, stories about the citizens of Cusco buried here. From funny stories to tragic ones, what is guaranteed is that you will learn a lot of stories to tell! After that, you will walk through Coripata neighborhood back to Plaza de Armas in Cusco. On the way, you will get a glimpse into Cusco and how it is rarely seen through the eyes of a tourist. You will see tiny stores that sell everything from tombstones to everyday goods, and hear stories about the neighborhood and how life in Cusco works for the Cuzqueños. You will also learn more about Cusco’s history, and how it evolved from the Capital of the Incas to what it is today.

Adult Price: $44 Child Price: $44