Abercrombie & Kent
OFFER ID 1544291
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley
Experience the enduring heritage of the Incas as you interact with the people of the Sacred Valley, sample Peruvian culinary delights and explore magnificent Machu Picchu, staying at the only hotel on site.
7 nights from $7,995 per person
Abercrombie & Kent: Peru: Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley
DAY 1 Lima, Peru
Arrive in Lima and transfer to your hotel, located in the city’s exclusive residential district of Miraflores. Founded in 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, this “City of Kings” is a blend of colonial, pre-Colombian and modern influences.
Start with a visit to Huaca Pucllana, a historical site in the midst of urban Lima. Then, make your way to a food market in the company of a local chef before enjoying lunch at a local restaurant. Afterward, stop for a coffee tasting before strolling the city’s colorful Barranco, an artists’ haven, and visit the Osma Museum. Continue your gastronomic discovery of Peru on a Chef’s Table Experience, savoring the delicious dishes you have cooked for dinner.
Fly to Cusco, located more than 11,000 feet above sea level, where you are met and transferred to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. En route, visit an animal sanctuary to interact with the South American camelids living there — such as llamas and alpacas — and learn about the valuable fibers created from their coats. Then, visit the beautiful Hacienda Sarapampa to savor lunch with the owner for a unique Chef’s Table experience. Listen as he shares his family’s history in farming and shows you around the estate. Continue to your awe-inspiring resort, designed to fit in with the Sacred Valley’s landscapes.
Visit a remote village where the local residents provide a hands-on introduction to the customs and crafts that make up their way of life, including weaving and cooking, for an A&K-exclusive experience. Then, participate in one of Peru’s oldest and most sacred rituals when you join a local shaman in a traditional offering to Mother Earth (Pachamama). After this spiritual ceremony, visit the Kuychi Center to meet the children at Niños del Arco Iris (Children of the Rainbow), a project supported by Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy that provides education, nutrition, medical care and hope to children in the Sacred Valley. Sit down to lunch served on site before returning to your hotel, where you prepare for your visit to Machu Picchu with a private lecture from a renowned scholar and expert on the Incas. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure, gazing upon the soaring Andes and savoring a refreshing Scenic Sundowner.
Today, explore Ollantaytambo, a fortress of massive stone terraces that hug the mountain slopes and the site of the Incas’ greatest victory over the invading Spanish. Then, journey aboard the Inca Rail First-Class Train deep into the Andes toward Machu Picchu and gaze out at the spectacular Peruvian countryside. Upon arrival in the early afternoon, explore the ruins with your expert guide and, as you wander amid the age-old stone walls, picture life as it might have been in this majestic high-altitude citadel. Overlooking the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at the height of the Inca Empire. Although this “Lost City” was revealed to the rest of the world by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, its location was long known to locals. Alternatively (for an additional cost), travel on an earlier train for the same scenic ride, but with a twist: disembark at KM 104 and set out with a guide on a hike that culminates at the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), looking out over the vast UNESCO World Heritage Site. Either way, arrive for your overnight stay at the only hotel located on-site at marvelous Machu Picchu.
Rise with the sun to walk through Machu Picchu in the early morning mist before the crowds arrive, an experience some consider the spiritual highlight of the journey. After exploring the “Lost City of the Incas,” board the Vistadome train back to Ollantaytambo. Continue to Cusco, where you check in to your hotel, once a 16th-century monastery and now a national monument that offers a retreat from the bustle of Cusco while set just off the city square.
This morning, discover Cusco on a city tour that includes the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and the Santo Domingo Temple. Listen as a local expert explains how the historic clashes between the Incas and the Spanish played a role in forming today’s Peruvian culture. Later, visit the well-preserved ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a testament to Incan architectural skill. This afternoon, enjoy time at leisure to rest or shop. Tonight, listen to a private Andean music presentation by a regional expert and learn the history of his handmade instruments. Absorb not only the timeless quality of the Peruvian folk tunes he plays, but the unmistakable cultural identity revealed by their haunting, immersive melodies as well. Afterward, sit down to a farewell dinner at an elegant Cusco restaurant, where the chef gathers local ingredients for use in innovative recipes that remain true to Peru’s culinary traditions.
This morning, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities.
Visit the San Blas Neighborhood, a unique, bohemian enclave where you find the workshops of artisans.
Stroll San Pedro Market and Visit the Inca Museum for a taste of local fruits and cheese, and a glimpse of daily life, followed by a look back into Peru’s rich history.
Explore with an Expert Photographer who helps you refine your skills and capture Cusco as a local sees it, including its narrow streets and beautiful houses.
Later, board your departing flight.
CUZCO: Pottery workshop by Totemiq - 3 hours
Let your imagination soar in two magnificent workshops offered by Totemiq, an artistic and cultural development project where Cusco traditions are rescued and given new life in artistic sessions. In the first activity, Cusco Colonial Glazed Ceramics, learn how to make a horse or bull of Pucara, a traditional Cusco figure, and apply fine finishes with a layer of enamel, giving it a glazed effect. In the second, the Colonial Gold Leaf application, enjoy painting with the characteristic colours of the mountain range and then finish decorating your work with gold leaf, a traditional technique that Art Trail has recovered and applied to contemporary crafts. Both workshops are taught by renowned Cusco artists. By the end of the sessions, you’ll have two personalised works that will be delivered to your hotel the following day. After the workshops, return to your hotel.
Tour duration: 3 hours
Tour can operate: Morning / afternoon
Wheelchair accessible: No
Physical activity level: Moderate
Included: Private guide and transportation, materials and souvenir
Not included: Tips for guide and driver.
SACRED VALLEY: Hat making lessons at Maras community - 1 hour
Mrs. Grandonia and Mrs. Álvarez, the renowned hatters of Maras, run an attractive crafts shop that produces top hats. They want to share their art with the travelers who visit their town. Dare to learn this ancient Andean activity.
Tour duration: 1 hour
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair accessible: No
Physical activity level: Moderate
Included: Private guide and transportation, participatory classes
Not included: Tips for guide and driver.
LIMA: Lima´s boardwalks and gastronomic experience - 4 hours
Start with a scenic tour of the boardwalk, crossing the bohemian district of Barranco and the modern district of Miraflores, passing by Love Park where you can admire an imposing view of the Pacific Ocean. After the tour, arrive at a thematic restaurant and participate in a cocktail demonstration class, learning how to prepare the famous pisco sour. Then, enjoy a demonstration cooking class, learning how to make a delicious, typical Peruvian dish. After both classes, enjoy a tasty lunch overlooking the sea. At the end of your tour, transfer back to your hotel.
Tour duration: 4 hours
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair accessible: No
Physical activity level: Moderate
Included: Private guide and transportation, gastronomic experience
Not included: Tips for guide and driver.
LIMA: Participative cocktail class offered by Hotel B - 1.5 hours
Learn to prepare some of the most representative cocktails of Peru in a participatory class at the elegant Hotel B. The class is carried out by an experienced bartender who explains the history of the drinks and the elements used for each one. Each cocktail will be accompanied by a tasty pairing. Take advantage of this experience to learn about local cocktails in this luxurious hotel, located in a mansion of the early twentieth century.
Tour duration: 1 hour 30
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair accessible: No
Physical activity level: Moderate
Included: Private guide and transportation, seasonal cocktail accompanied by a pairing
Not included: Tips for guide and driver.
Huacas and Shrines on a bike (Lima - 4 hours)
Lima is a big and modern city, it has been in continuous occupation for almost 2,000 years. Scholars have found more than 30 archaeological sites at different locations within the city limits. “HUACAS” are pyramidal constructions with superimposed platforms ending on a flat top, they were used for religious and administrative purposes by prehispanic civilizations along the Peruvian coast.
Our specialized Guide and his assistant will pick you up at the hotel with the bikes and the necessary equipment for the activity. After the briefing you will ride along one of the principal avenues of Lima towards the heart of Miraflores while enjoying the architecture and everyday life of the city folks. The first stop is at Huaca Pucllana, built 1,300 years ago, this visit is a great introduction to the history of Lima, traditions, cuisine and economic activities of ancient inhabitants. Then, we continue to the commercial and financial district, San Isidro, to visit Huaca Huallamarca, which has been through a magnificent restoration by the City Hall, you´ll appreciate the contrast between history and modern life. Finally, we return to the hotel completing a 12 km circuit on the bike. This activity is offered for mornings and afternoons. It lasts for 4 hours. The advantage of being at sea level and our moderate weather is that we can provide it all year round. We include a vehicle as support in case someone in the group decides to stop biking during the tour.
Highlights:
Historical and Natural Sanctuaries (Lima - 6 hours)
Highlights:
The south limits of Lima house two important sanctuaries for the visitor: Villa Wetlands, a natural reserve holding a great variety of flora and fauna, its bodies of water attract a good array of biodiversity, they have identified more than 200 species of resident and migratory birds. And Pachacamac, historical sanctuary and important ceremonial center of the central coast in Perú, it was occupied by 4 consecutive civilizations before the arrival of the Spanish.
Our specialized guide and the vehicle will pick you up at the hotel. It´s necessary to reach Villa Wetlands early in the morning to enjoy the ecosystem. You walk for 2 km. around a lagoon facing the ocean with good opportunities for pictures and a clear understanding of the migratory patterns. The next stop is Pachacamac, the highlights of this massive archaeological site are visited. You will also enter the Site Museum displaying important pieces found during excavations, one of them is the wooden idol of Pachacamac, the most important prehispanic god in this area, carved in local wood more than a thousand years ago.
Return to the hotel is after noon, the activity takes almost 6 hours and you walk almost 5 km during the visits.
Tour Duration: 6 hours
Tour can operate: daily (excepts Monday)
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
Walking the history center of Lima (4 hours)
WHAT YOU'LL VISIT
Depart the pier to Lima's main square where the Spanish conqueror, Francisco Pizarro, founded the "City of Kings" in 1535. The Government Palace, Lima City Hall, Archbishop's Palace, and the Lima Cathedral surround the square.
Lima was founded to be the capital and most important town of the Spanish domain in South America until the 18th century. The Historical Center represents the model of architecture and urban planning of Spanish colonial cities with high political, economic and cultural importance, as devised by Charles V in 1542.
Our expert Guide will take you to the colonial section of Lima, you will walk among historical monuments, religious and political buildings located within the perimeter declared Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1988. This learning experience will allow you to appreciate typical examples of Hispanic American baroque style as well as some other different styles like Art Nouveau.
Besides the stops for great pictures of Limenian architecture, you will have the opportunity to visit Casa de Aliaga, a mansion still inhabited by the same family since the foundation of the city, an extraordinary experience that will take you back in time. To finish the experience, we will visit the Dominican Convent, which was the first catholic order to arrive in Perú with Francisco Pizarro and they have a lot of history, traditions, and sainthood to impress our travelers.
Highlights:
The Amano Textile Museum (4 hours)
WHAT YOU'LL VISIT
This excursion brings us to the Amano Textile Museum, renowned globally for its extensive collection of archaeological artifacts from pre-Columbian Peruvian civilizations, as well as the significant efforts of Mr. Yoshitaro Amano in safeguarding the world's global textile heritage. The museum's inception followed Mr. Amano's decision to settle in Peru, leveraging his success as a Japanese entrepreneur.
During his journeys across Peru, Mr. Amano encountered relics abandoned by grave robbers. Recognizing their cultural importance, he dedicated a substantial portion of his time to recovering and preserving these artifacts scattered throughout Peru's coastal deserts. These treasures were then exhibited in his residence in Miraflores.
The Amano family remains deeply committed to advancing conservation and research initiatives centered on Peru's textile legacy, in accordance with the vision of the museum's founder, while also paying homage to his memory.
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Moderate level of activity (easy walking for short distances/stairs)
DURATION: 4 Hours
(Suggested) Departure Time(s) 10:30 and/or 14:30
Note: Filming and photography are not permitted in the Amano Textile Museum, we suggest leaving your cameras in the bus.
WHAT YOU'LL VISIT
This excursion brings Larco Museum, founded by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1926, to showcase ancient Peruvian history through its extensive collection of artifacts spanning 5000 years. Housed in an 18th-century viceroyalty mansion built atop a pre-Columbian pyramid, the museum is renowned for its erotic pottery, accessible archives, and beautiful gardens. Andres Alvarez Calderon, actual owner of the collection, emphasizes the importance of museums in preserving humanity's heritage and engaging the public through immersive experiences.
Since it was established in 1926, the Museo Larco has been acknowledged as a pioneer in terms of public access to its collections. It was one of the first museums in the world to open its storerooms to the public, and to provide online access to its entire collection, encouraging in this way the multidisciplinary research first promoted by its founder.
Larco Museum in focused on storytelling, allowing visitors to connect with Peru's ancient civilizations and their profound relationship with nature and the cosmos.
After this stop reboard the motor-coach to return to the pier.
WHAT YOU'LL SEE ALONG THE WAY
Museo Larco´s collections
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Moderate level of activity (easy walking for short distances)
DURATION: 4 Hours
(Suggested) Departure Time(s) 09:00 and/or 14:00
Flash photography is not permitted in the Museum.
Includes:
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
ABC Travel
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or by appointment year round
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