Lima – Cusco – Chiclayo – Trujillo – Mancora 12D/11N

Trip highlights:

• Arrive in one of the most unique and varied countries of South America – Peru.
• Explore the enchanting Sacred Valley and experience the ancient culture of the Andes.
• Immerse yourself in the magic and mystery of Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, accompanied by first-rate guides.
• Enjoy your free day in Machu Picchu, where you can to climb to Huayna Picchu peak to get majestic views of Machu Picchu.
• Visit Cusco and its off-the-beaten-path hidden treasures.
• Tour of the amazing cultures of northern Peru and experience the contrasts between Andean and coastal cultures.
• Swim, surf, sunbathe, and relax on the beautiful beach of Mancora
• Leave your trip planning in the hands of the luxury travel experts of South America.

Trip Description

This trip is an ideal combination of relaxation and history that includes many less-traveled attractions in the north of Peru. Explore the wondrous Inca cities of Cusco and Machu Picchu. Then visit Trujillo and Chiclayo, where astonishing archaeological discoveries, including Chan Chan and the Lord of Sipan, are on display. Then hit the beach at Mancora, Peru’s top ocean and surf destination, a perfect place to enjoy the sun and waves, and wind down before returning home.

Upon your arrival, our representative will be waiting to welcome you and take you to your hotel, where we will provide all the information about your trip.

In the afternoon you will have free time to rest and relax.

After breakfast, we will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the airport for your flight to Cusco. When you arrive in Cusco, we will be waiting for you at the airport to bring you to the Sacred Valley, which is located at a lower altitude than Cusco, so you will have an easier time acclimating to the altitude. On route to your hotel in the Sacred Valley, we will stop at the Inkarri Museum, to immerse you in the history of the many pre-Incan cultures that influenced the Inca civilization as it expanded to become a great empire. You will then arrive at your hotel to rest in luxury for the night.

Breakfast/Lunch

In the early morning we will pick you up from your hotel to start the tour of the magical Sacred Valley of the Incas, visiting first the archaeological site of Pisac—a place where the history and knowledge of the Incas is in full display, and where you can appreciate the beautiful terraces and the impressive construction of the urban center. We will then visit the local handicraft market town of Pisac, where you will find extraordinary handmade textiles, silverware, pottery, and more. Later we will head to Urubamba, where we will have a delicious lunch right in the heart of the Sacred Valley.

We will continue the tour by visiting the town and archaeological site of Ollantaytambo, where you can appreciate the beautiful and complex architectural design of the place, built as a military and administrative base, while also serving as a final resting place. After visiting these stunning and beautiful sites, we return you to your hotel.

Breakfast/Lunch

Our transport will take us to the train station in Ollantaytambo, where we board the train to Machu Picchu village. Upon arrival we will take the bus up to the lost city of Machu Picchu, where we will have a guided 2-hour tour of the enigmatic site, visiting the Main Plaza, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Royal Quarters, and the famous Inti Huatana or Solar Clock and the Tower Circle. After exploring Peru´s wonder of the world, you will enjoy a delicious, gourmet buffet lunch at Sanctuary Lodge. Later, you can explore the citadel before returning to Aguas Calientes to enjoy a good night’s rest.

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Today you can choose between spending your day relaxing and enjoying the citadel of Machu Picchu, or you could visit and hike up Huayna Picchu Mountain, a very popular spot from where you can appreciate the best views of Machu Picchu and its surroundings.

Later we will take the train back to Poroy, which is located 30 minutes from the city of Cusco. From there our transportation will take us to the hotel in Cusco.

Breakfast

After a good breakfast, we will begin the tour of Cusco with its temples and monuments such as the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, and the convent of Santo Domingo, which was built on top of the Temple of the Sun or Qoricancha, where you can see the impressive Inca constructions. There is also the archaeological complex of Sacsayhuaman, a masterpiece of Inca architecture, and where each year, on June 24, the famous Festival of the Sun or Inti Raymi is celebrated. Continuing the tour, we will visit Quenqo, with its monolithic altar, representing a puma, and then arrive at Puca Pucara, a beautiful spring-fed mountain that forms a series of pools. All of these sites are famous Inca monuments of great religious importance.

After enjoying a great lunch, one of our directors will share with you a unique experience created exclusively for Royal Luxury clients as a way to thank you for traveling with us. It will be a gift coming from our hearts.

Breakfast/Lunch

In the early morning, our transport will take us to the airport for the flight to Lima to take your connecting flight to Trujillo. Once there, we will escort you to your hotel to get settled and get ready for your next day.

Breakfast

After breakfast, we will start touring the historic center of Trujillo, a city whose heart still pulses with colonial splendor. We visit the immense main square and the spacious mansions built by Spanish and Creole gentry during the 17th and 18th centuries. Then we make our way through Trujillo towards the coast, arriving at the great Chimú center of Chan Chan, the largest adobe city ever built. It was in fact an elite settlement, a series of nine enormous palaces belonging to successive rulers of the Chimú realm.

Then we continue on to the nearby beach resort of Huanchaco, where we have a chance to try the superb seafood of Trujillo at a restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Here fishermen still paddle out to sea, kneeling on caballitos de totora—little one-man reed rafts which have been used for millennia to collect the ocean’s abundant bounty. We will visit the Temple of the Moon, and the Temple of the Sun, two huge flat-topped pyramids built by the Moche culture between 0 and 800 A.D.

Breakfast/Lunch

We begin by taking private transport to the archaeological complex of Sipan, one of the most important discoveries of recent years, comparable to that of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in Egypt. The tomb of Sipan was discovered between 1987 and 1988 by Dr. Alva, a famous Peruvian archaeologist, who found the intact remains of a dignitary or lord of hierarchy belonging to the Moche culture. Then we will visit Ferreñafe, which is 18 km north of Chiclayo, and was founded in 1550. It is known as the «Land of the Double Faith» because people there were faithful both to the law of the spirits and to Catholicism. In this town is the National Museum of Sican, whose main function is as a research center for studies of the Sican culture. The discoveries are displayed in their own archaeological context, with information about all the gold jewelry, textiles, ceramics, and society of the Sicanes, ancient inhabitants of the nearby forest of Pomac. This exhibition is permanent. Sican Museum is considered unique in Latin America and one of the few in the world that exhibits evidence left by this culture. In the afternoon we head to the Brunning museum, which is a must-see in the city of Lambayeque. It holds a spectacular display of more than 1500 items (gold Chimu, textiles and ceramics, among many others). It began with the patient collection of artifacts by the German engineer Enrique Brunning in the late 19th century. It was acquired by the Peruvian government in 1925. The collection has since been enriched by donations, new excavations and discoveries, and artifacts seized from smugglers. Later we return to the hotel to rest.

Breakfast/Lunch

Today our transportation will take you to the airport of Chiclayo for your flight to Piura, and we will take you to one Mancora’s gorgeous beaches, where you will have the opportunity to relax and enjoy Peru’s top oceanside destinations.

Breakfast

This day is just for you, where you can enjoy the sun and sandy beach of Mancora, relaxing in one of the best hotels along the beach.

Breakfast

After breakfast, our transportation will take you to the airport in Piura for your flight back to Lima, where we will take you to the district of Barranco to explore this bohemian and artisan neighborhood with the assistance of a guide and private car at your disposal. Based on your international flight information, we will bring you back to the airport to help you check in.

Breakfast