Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, November 23, 2008: Travel from the port of Callao through downtown Lima to the safe and pretty Miraflores suburb. Check into our pretty and secure Bed and Breakfast with its flower-filled courtyard. Lima, Peru's beautiful capital city, has pretty parks, interesting architecture, a fabulous crafts market, good restaurants and world-class museums. Our first stop will be the Rafael Larco Herrera Museum - a fabulous collection of ancient ceramics, textiles, and gold, housed in a beautiful colonial mansion with flowery gardens. This museum also contains a separate section of famous and funny erotic ceramics, created 1500 years ago!
We will have lunch at the museum’s new café, owned by Gaston Acurio, Lima’s most famous and creative chef. Then continue to the Anthropology Museum. Back to the hotel to relax, or peruse the nearby crafts market, within easy walking distance of the hotel. Dinner oceanside at one of Lima’s most famous restaurants, known for seafood and other typical dishes. Hotel, Lima.
Day 2, November 24: We now begin our Andean adventure! Morning flight to Cuzco on a Lan Peru jet. On a clear day, this flight offers views of the snow-capped Andes mountains. We land in the charming city of Cuzco, then check into our renovated 17th-century landmark hotel. After a fortifying cup of coca leaf tea, said to help us acclimate to the altitude, we walk 2-3 blocks to lunch at a nearby restaurant on the stunning Plaza de Armas.
After lunch, we will walk around the Plaza so you get your bearings and admire the colonial architecture and the beautiful open space. Then the rest of the afternoon is free to rest and acclimate and/or wander the central plaza area. Cuzco offers stunning architecture, astounding Inca stonework, churches and museums and wonderful shopping--exquisite traditional textiles, unique jewelry, papier maché masks, handmade sweaters and alpaca knitting yarn. At this altitude, it is best to take it easy, and not eat too much at first. (See the general information about altitude preparation.). Evening/ Dinner Music performance.
Day 3, November 25: We will first visit the excellent little museum of the new Traditional Textile Center of Cuzco, organized by weaving and textile expert, Nilda Callañaupa. Then Nilda will accompany us "behind the scenes" to a highland community near Cuzco to meet the superbly talented weavers and knitters in. The Quechua-speaking villagers will be at work so we can see their techniques and also photograph them in their colorful, handmade traditional dress. If you are a knitter, bring a project to show off, as these knitters all love to see what we are making and with what new yarns! Time permitting, we will also see the interesting Inka site of Sacsahuayman, above Cuzco. If we don’t have time today, we will see it after Machu Picchu.
Day 4, November 26: We take the early morning train to the incredible, mystical site of Machu Picchu and check into our hotel with just a small overnight bag; we leave our big bags at the hotel. Lunch then we take the shuttle bus to the site to learn about the Inkas with an expert local guide. Dinner at a wonderful little restaurant uphill from town. Then a relaxing night with the rushing Urubamba River to lull us to sleep.
Day 5, November 27: More time to experience the magic of Machu Picchu. The most enthusiastic among us will have time to rise early, see the sunrise, and climb Huayna Picchu, the tall peak behind Machu Picchu. Lunch on your own at the sandwich cafe or the Ruinas Hotel restaurant. Afternoon train back to Cuzco to our hotel where we have left the bulk of our luggage. Dinner and sleep.
Day 6, November 28: Over stunning highland scenery to visit a different village. En route, visit a typical wood-burning bakery and see the huge round oven; sample some bread! At the village, optional dye mini-workshop: Try your hand at dyeing some alpaca yarn with natural leaves, flowers and cochineal insects. You will notice how the textile techniques, environment and people’s traditional clothing vary from the other village we visited. Anyone not interested in dyeing or visiting a village may relax in Cuzco. Picnic lunch, then back to Cuzco. See Sacsahuayman and nearby Inka structures if we didn’t before. Relax before dinner, then pack up for tomorrow’s flight.
Day 7, November 29: Morning free to visit Cuzco and see anything we missed. Mid-day flight back to Lima. Check into hotel, then by van to Amano Museum, one of the world’s best collections of pre-Columbian textiles. Farewell dinner at Lima’s chic-est spot for elegant gourmet dinners. We can sample the “nouvelle” Peruvian cuisine that has become world-renowned for taste and presentation, thanks to innovative chefs. Hotel, Lima.
Day 8, November 30: Fly Home from Lima.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Lima-Cuzco round-trip flight,
- All accommodations (7 nights hotel; double rooms),
- All meals except one lunch (at Machu Picchu),
- All ground transportation in private vans,
- Expert local guides,
- The Cuzco Cultural Ticket,
- Shuttle bus and one entrance to Machu Picchu.
Single supplement, $200.
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Peru
Cultural Journey
Crafts Tours
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