PERU WITHOUT COMPROMISE - GROUP TOUR

Peru, 11 Nights

Peru holds a special place in any traveller's wish list and imagination. It is a kaleidoscope of natural wonders, ancient civilisations, legends and folklore, echoing with music and exploding with colour. We invite you to explore this fascinating country without compromise and with several resident experts. These experts will be only too proud to show you the city they call home, the archaeological site they term work and the people they know as friends. From the lesser known cultures, museums and temples of the North, our journey continues to the 'navel of the world' and the Inca heartland and fortresses of Cusco and the Sacred Valley. From here the Orient Express Hiram Bingham train takes us to sun rise at Machu Picchu and a memorable guided tour with resident archaeologist Alfredo Mormontoy.

- Explore the Moche Temples of the Sun & Moon with expert Guillermo Cock
- Enjoy sunrise at Machu Picchu with the former resident archaeologist Alfredo Mormontoy
- Get to know the 'real' Cusco with resident author and explorer Peter Frost
- Luxuriate aboard the Hiram Bingham train as you follow the valleys and rivers to Machu Picchu

Tuesday 5th October - Arrival Lima
Arrival transfer to the Orient Express Miraflores Park Plaza, our base for two nights.

Wednesday 6th October - Lima
Full day guided tour of Lima with Guillermo Cock, a Peruvian-born archaeologist and expert on Andean cultures. Visit the little known Pachacamac ruins, the historic city centre and the fascinating Larco Herrera Museum accompanied by Ulla Holmquist, the Chief Curator. In the evening we enjoy a welcome dinner at the Huaca Pucllana Restaurant located in one of the biggest pre-Columbian temples of the city offering you a unique ambiance for your meal.

Thursday 7th October - Lima to Chiclayo
Early morning flight to Chiclayo. Accompanied by Guillermo we start with a visit to 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 then visit Lambayeque host to the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum where many of these riches are displayed. In the afternoon, we are treated to the 26 pre-Columbian pyramids of Tucume excavated by Thor Heyerdahl (of Kon-tiki fame). Overnight and dinner in the simple Gran Hotel Chiclayo.  

Friday 8th October - Chiclayo to Trujillo
Today we drive the arid plains to Trujillo, a delightful colonial town founded in 1534 on the orders of Francisco Pizarro. En route we enjoy a delicious local lunch and Peruvian Paso horse demonstration.
Afternoon visit with Guillermo to the Temples of the Sun and Moon, built by the Moche Culture in around 500 AD, thought to be the largest adobe structures in the Americas. Overnight at the Libertador Trujillo Hotel on the town's main square.

Saturday 9th October - Trujillo to Lima
Morning guided city tour the Casa Urquiaga, Palacio Iturriagui and La Merced Church. Continue to Huaca del Dragon, one of the best-conserved Chimu ceremonial centres. Enclosed by a solid wall Guillermo will explain the myriad of lovely friezes of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures. Lunch is at Huanchaco beach, famous for its 'caballitos de totora', small reed crafts used for fishing. We end our tour of the north with a visit to Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimu culture, built between the 12th and 14th Centuries AD by the rulers of the Tacaynamo dynasty. Considered the largest adobe city in pre-Hispanic America, it covers an area of more than 20km2 and it housed some 100 000 people. We take the evening flight to Lima and overnight at the Sol Ramada Airport Hotel.

Sunday 10th October - Lima to Cusco to Urubamba
Morning flight to Cusco where Peter Frost, a British explorer and author of 'The High Plain' and 'Exploring Cusco' is waiting to accompany you into the Sacred Valley of the Incas - once the ceremonial center for Incan rulers. In the afternoon visit the town of Chinchero and its Traditional Andean Textile Centre, where we can learn how wool is shorn from the llamas and alpacas and later spun, dyed and woven to produce a range of beautiful products. We continue to Ollantaytambo, an attractive little town built on top of original Inca foundations and best surviving example of Inca town planning. It is also located at the foot of the spectacular Ollantaytambo fortress which protected the strategic entrance to the lower Urubamba Valley. Constructed of rose-colored granite, this huge installation was once a thriving complex of baths, temples and military barracks. Two nights with dinner at the simple, locally-styled Casa Andina Sacred Valley Hotel.

Monday 11th October - Urubamba
Accompanied by Peter, we visit Pisac Ruins, located on a hilltop above the village. The steep farming terraces and dramatic architecture are the elements of an impressive scene at this one-time fortress city whose many features include ritual baths fed by aqueducts and one of the largest known Inca cemeteries. After lunch, we continue to the local village of Pisac, known for its colourful ponchos, wall hangings and jewellery.

Tuesday 12th October - Urubamba to Machu Picchu
This morning we board the Hiram Bingham Orient Express train service to Machu Picchu, where a late morning arrival gives us time to begin our explorations of this breathtaking Incan citadel. Accompanied by your guide, explore the city's ruins and feel its pulse as you visualize the lives of the priests, craftsmen, and servants who inhabited this seemingly uninhabitable citadel. Excavations at the site have revealed skeletons, artefacts and woollen clothing, but no gold. The same precision of assembled stones exists here as in other Incan sites. Overlooking the raging Urubamba River and discovered in a hidden tangle of vines and trees atop the mountain, the city of Machu Picchu will forever hold the secret of its destruction - the Incas left no written record. Overnight and full board at the Sanctuary Lodge Hotel next to the celebrated ruins.

Wednesday 13th October - Machu Picchu to Cusco
Today your special host in Machu Picchu will be Alfredo Mormontoy Atayupanqui, formerly the Resident Archaeologist at the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu and current researcher and consultant in the conservation and restoration projects of the site. Enjoy another chance to soak in the atmosphere and understand the complexities of this fascinating Incan mystery. Afternoon return by Hiram Bingham train to Cusco. Two nights at the Orient Express Monasterio Hotel.

Thursday 14th October - Cusco
This morning Peter shows us the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a testimonial to the Incan architectural skills. Compiled of massive stones (one weighs 125 tons!) you are challenged to try to slip a piece of paper between the cracks of these blocks, cut and fitted together with incredible precision without a single drop of mortar to hold them in place. This ancient fortress where the greatest battle between the Spanish and Incas took place, overlooks the red-tiled roofs of Cusco and the spectacular lush countryside. In the afternoon enjoy a walking city tour of Cusco including the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, and the Santo Domingo Temple or Koricancha; a Dominican Church and convent built on the foundations of the Koricancha or 'place of gold', the Incas principal religious building, dedicated to the worship of the sun. Enjoy a farewell dinner at the Pre-Columbian Art Museum.

Friday 15th October - Cusco to Lima
Morning flight to Lima. Use of day room if required. Connect with your international flight.

Price from £4,445 per person including accommodation, transfers, guided excursions, most meals and domestic flights. International flights not included and group size based on minimum of eight passengers.

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