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12-Nights Peru with Machu Picchu & the Nazca Lines a Women-Only Tour from $5,012
Insight Vacations
OFFER ID 1542530
Peru With Machu Picchu & The Nazca Lines A Women-Only Tour
Travel with a small group as you feast on Peruvian delicacies in Lima, tour the ancient Korikancha temple in Cusco and adventure through the Ollantaytambo ruins of Machu Picchu on this 13-Day women-only exploration of Peru. Embark on a Private Planetarium Tour in Cusco and uncover the influence of astronomy on Andean culture. In Lima, visit Casa Aliaga, an impressive mansion the Aliaga family has called home for 17 generations and tour and dine in Museo Larco guided by an archeologist who shares her insights. Join a Local Expert in Machu Picchu for a guided tour through the ancient ruins-set high in the Andes against breathtaking backdrops. Visit the salt pans of Maras in the Sacred Valley where the Incas used to harvest minerals and visit with a local Quechua Weaver to learn their ancient weaving techniques in a private presentation. In Paracus, be sure to pause at the Pisco distillery to sample this tasty local aperitif.
Dining Summary
- 11 Breakfast (B)
- 6 Lunch (L)
- 4 Dinner with Wine (DW)
- 1 Dinner (D)
- Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Cusco: Explore the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas and visit the prestigious art galleries.
- Cusco: Join a guided hike of the Inca ruins in Puca Pucara.
- : Prices include economy air and air-related charges for the flights between Lima - Cusco. This trip experiences high elevations, we recommend guests with preexisting medical conditions talk with a doctor prior to travel.
- Lima: Unwind at your luxury abode, before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travelers in the evening for a Welcome Dinner.
- : Join an archeologist from Museo Larco to indulge in lunch in its 18th-century garden setting. You’ll love this opportunity to learn insights into the museum’s history and the archeologist’s experience working there.
- Sacred Valley: Make your way to the small lagoon of Laguna Piuray where you’ll enjoy your lunch of Pachamanca, a traditional Peruvian feast.
- Cusco: Enjoy an immersive slow-cooked Cusquenian lunch at Pacha Papa. Lunch will be served al fresco at the courtyard of a historic mansion in the artsy neighborhood of San Blas.
- Cusco: Explore the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas and visit the prestigious art galleries.
- Cusco: Join a guided hike of the Inca ruins in Puca Pucara.
- Machu Picchu: Enjoy a guided visit with a Local Expert.
- Cusco: Visit Cusco's planetarium to learn more on how the Incas interpreted the stars. After a reception with hot wine (or tea) and appetizers, local experts will explain and share stories about the influence the stars had on Andean culture. You'll then be led to a room specially accommodated to view the ancient night skies, weather permitting.
- Paracas: Take to the skies on your Peru tour to see the iconic Nazca Lines, archaeological enigmas scratched in the ground 500 B.C. and A.D. 500. Gaze down in awe of these massive designs and patterns you can only view from above. Your private flight will show you many of the lines, complete with their names and a bit of history. From above, you’ll observe the different types: straight, geometric (such as triangles, rectangles, trapezoids, spirals, arrows, zigzags, and wavy lines), and pictorial (including a spider, hummingbird, cactus plant, monkey, whale, llama, duck, flower, tree, lizard, dog, and even a mysterious humanoid figure). Some of the animal geoglyphs are up to 1,200 feet long! You’ll also learn why the Nazca culture created these lines in the desert plains of the Rio Grande de Nazca River basin and how the Nazca people were able to carve out such massive designs.
- Sacred Valley: Visit a local traditional Quechua weaver in the Sacred Valley for a private textile presentation. You'll learn about ancient weaving techniques and the importance these textiles have in shaping personal and regional identities.
- Cathedral of Lima: This morning, explore Peru's buzzing capital with your Local Expert, including the Cathedral of Lima, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and City Hall.
- : Visit Museo Larco in Lima’s Pueblo Libre District, the highest-rated museum in South America housing the largest collection of Pre-Columbian art. Meet a Local Expert who will lead you through the museum and share its private collection with you. You’ll also delve into Peruvian culture, its ancient history and religious beliefs and the role of women in ancient Peru.
- Lima: Visit Casa Aliaga, an impressive mansion the Aliaga family has called home for 17 generations. Meet Wilma Ehni de Aliaga, who’ll show you around her family's impressive mansion and share personal stories. Learn how the colonial home dates to the founding of Lima in 1535 and is the oldest dwelling in the Americas that has been in the same family for generations. Discover how the home was rebuilt and reshaped after earthquakes and architectural trends and represents both the Colonial and Republican history of Lima.
- Sacred Valley: The Maras Salt Mine will inspire the mind of any curious traveler. Learn how salt once harvested by Incas at this site is now exported to the entire world. Discover 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 be amazed at how, to this day, it is not known where the water actually comes from and has only been measured in the last 20 years during which the flow and intensity has not changed.
- Sacred Valley: Peru’s Incan history and archaeology will inspire the mind of any curious travel
12 nights from $5,012 per person
Insight Vacations: Peru with Machu Picchu & the Nazca Lines a Women-Only Tour
Day 1 - Welcome to Lima
Arrive in Lima for the first day of your journey. Met at the airport and transferred to your hotel, unwind at your luxury abode, before celebrating your first night with your Travel Director and fellow travelers this evening with a Welcome Dinner and drinks.
Accommodations: MGallery Manto, Lima
Meals: Dinner with Wine
Day 2 - Explore Lima Relaxed Start
Explore the coastal, colorful capital of Peru with your Local Expert. Delve into its colonial past and see key attractions, including the Cathedral of Lima, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and City Hall. Visit Casa Aliaga, an impressive mansion that has been home to the Aliaga family for 17 generations, for a tour with Wilma Ehni de Aliaga. Art lovers will enjoy Museo Larco where you’ll indulge in a lunch with an archeologist who shares her knowledge of the museum as you dine against a backdrop of an 18th-century garden. After lunch, meet a Local Expert who will show you Museo Larco, highlighting women’s impact and the museum’s private collection. End your day by delving into Peruvian culture, its ancient history, and learning about the country's religious beliefs.
Accommodations: MGallery Manto, Lima
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3 - Lima to Sacred Valley
This morning, catch your flight to the ancient capital of Cusco. Begin your tour of the Sacred Valley, while taking in impressive views on your scenic drive along the way. After a few stunning photo stops, enjoy lunch at Altar Inca, surrounded by some of the most impressive views of the region. Enjoy a leisurely trip to your hotel for the next couple of nights, the luxurious Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel, where the evening is yours to do as you please. We recommend that you rest in order to adjust to the altitude comfortably.
Accommodations: Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel & Wellness, Urubamba
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4 - Explore Sacred Valley Relaxed Start
Start the morning off with a visit to the Maras salt pans, where the Incas harvested their salt. Today, the salt from Maras is exported to the entire world. Move on to an Incan laboratory in Moray, an archaeological site close to Cusco. Find out more about the ideal altitude to grow crops in the Sacred Valley. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience as you visit a local traditional Quechua weaver in the Sacred Valley and learn about the importance these textiles have in shaping personal and regional identities. Afterward, make your way to Laguna Piuray, where you’ll enjoy a Pachamanca, a traditional Peruvian feast, for your Highlight Lunch. In the evening, transfer to Hacienda Huayoccari, where you'll discover this gem of the Sacred Valley while exploring its grounds and small museum. Sit down for a special Peruvian dinner before heading back to your hotel.
Accommodations: Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel & Wellness, Urubamba
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with Wine
Day 5 - Explore Machu Picchu
Transfer to the station for your IncaRail train ride. Enjoy lunch on your way to Machu Picchu pueblo, the gateway village to Machu Picchu. On the way, visit the Ollantaytambo ruins, followed by a stop at a local house in the village’s cobblestoned old town and visit with the family living there. In the afternoon, visit Machu Picchu, where you’ll meet your Local Experts for a guided visit in small groups. They will take you through the ruins and explain their historical and archaeological significance, as well as the importance of their location. Set high in the Andes Mountains, it offers spectacular scenery and history, dating back to the 15th century. End your day with a relaxing dinner and drinks at your hotel.
Accommodations: Inkaterra Forest, Machu Picchu
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 6 - Machu Picchu at Leisure
Take in the breathtaking landscapes discovering Machu Picchu on your own. Spend your morning exploring at your own pace, with your Travel Director on hand to answer any queries you may have. The afternoon is yours at leisure. Relax back at your hotel or perhaps explore the town of Aguas Calientes on your own. Spend the evening as you please before sitting down to dinner with your fellow travelers.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 7 - On to Cusco
Return by train to Ollantaytambo, where you will transfer to the ancient city of Cusco. Once the capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco showcases a mix of Spanish colonial architecture, ancient remains and a lively cosmopolitan scene for modern inhabitants. Upon arrival in Cusco, embark on a walking tour with a Local Expert. See its cathedral and the Qorikancha temple, the most important temple in the Inca Empire. Enhance your day by visiting the hand-picked Mantay store, one of four stores in Cusco that support the Mantay project of underaged, often abused, mothers and their young children, by providing a home and education. As you have the evening free to explore, consider asking your Travel Director for local insights to discover more about this ancient city.
Accommodations: JW Marriott El Convento, Cusco
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8 - Exploring Cusco
Start your day with a walking tour of Sacsayhuaman, a citadel built in the reign of Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the ninth Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco. Afterward, explore with Insight Choice. Choose to join a local expert on a guided hike of the Inca ruins at Puca Pucara. Alternatively, explore the artisan bohemian neighborhood of San Blas and visit the prestigious art galleries. After lunch at Pachapapa, visit San Blas Church and the surrounding streets, before making your way to San Pedro Market, where you will find local produce. Later, make your way to the city’s planetarium, for a private, after-hours tour. Learn about astronomy, cosmology, and its influence on Andean culture. While here, try some local delicacies paired with hot wine.
Accommodations: JW Marriott El Convento, Cusco
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9 - From the Andes to the Coast
Embark on the next leg of your journey with a flight from Cusco to Lima. Arriving in Peru’s capital city, head out on a leisurely coastal drive to town of Paracas. This beach town where the desert meets the Pacific Ocean is the ideal jumping off point for the Ballestas Islands as well as Paracas National Reserve. Indulge your curiosity learning how this protected desert peninsula is known for its abundant wildlife and as an important archaeological area once home to a prehistoric civilization from 800 BCE and 200 BCE.
Accommodations: Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort, Paracas
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10 - Paracas & the Nazca Lines
Peru’s Incan history and beautiful landscapes will inspire the mind of any curious traveler. Uncover insights into Paracas’ local culture meeting fishermen and women who share their daily lives and routines in this charming coastal town. Deepen your discovery of the area and treat yourself to incredible views with a flight over the mysterious Nazca Lines. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a collection of giant geoglyphs drawn in the desert sand by the Nazca people. Look out from your aircraft for representations of plants and animals including a spider, hummingbird, cactus plant, monkey, whale, llama, duck, flower and tree measuring up to 1,200 feet (370 meters) long. Conclude another grand day over a sea-to-table meal at your luxurious resort by the bay.
Accommodations: Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort, Paracas
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11 - Ballestas Islands and Peruvian Wildlife
Home to blue footed boobies, Humboldt penguins, Peruvian pelicans, fur seals and sea lions, the Ballestas Islands are famous for their abundant marine life as well as striking rock formations. Soak it all in on this morning’s scenic cruise with your Local Expert. Experience another side of the area in the nearby city of Chinca at a pisco distillery for a tasting. Sip and savor the national drink in Peru in this region known for growing grapes and producing the best pisco. Enhance your cultural discoveries at one of Peru’s finest small museums housing mummies, skulls, fossils, ceramics, textiles and artifacts from the Inca and other significant civilizations of the region.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 12 - Chincha and return to Lima
Lands so rich with history they will leave you spellbound. Embark on your return to Lima, stopping at Hacienda San José in Chincha. On your insightful tour, learn how this former slave plantation portrays a dark chapter of Peruvian history. Tour the original building and baroque chapel, viewing frescoes, agricultural equipment, a web of catacombs and underground tunnels which were used to bring the slaves from the coast to the Hacienda. After immersing yourself in Peru’s history, your tour concludes with a drop-off at the Lima airport.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Vacation Details
* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
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