Overland to Machu Picchu - Single

DAY ONE:  Arica – Cusco

After disembarking your ship in Arica around lunchtime, it’s approximately a four-hour drive to Tacna airport in Peru. A boxed lunch will be served during this journey. You’ll fly from there to Cusco, via Lima, then check-in to your accommodation. After a long day of travelling, you can enjoy a relaxing dinner in your hotel.  

DAY TWO:  Cusco – Sacred Valley – Cusco

Make your way to an Andean Village of Flowers for a personal encounter with the Quechua-speaking locals. After a warm welcome, this rural community of farmers and weavers will share their rich culture and traditions with you. They’ll invite you into their colourful kitchens and demonstrate their textile techniques, which have been an essential feature of Peruvian life for millennia. 

They’ll also welcome you to the heart of the Andean agricultural cycle, and demonstrate how they hand-turn the soil on the mountainsides. Join them in celebrating their Inca past, as they bless their earth, animals and the newly ploughed land.

In Hacienda Huayoccari, at the Inkariy Museum, you’ll find dioramas showing iconic scenes of the Caral, Chavin and Paracas cultures, with realistic characters, clothing, ornaments and even music. This cultural exhibition was the brainchild of artists and archaeologists who wanted to share the impressive pre-Columbian cultures of Peru with the rest of the world. 

DAY THREE: Cusco – Machu Picchu – Cusco

Before boarding your train to Machu Picchu, visit a massive, well-preserved Incan Fortress in Ollantaytambo that lies at the start of the Inca Trail. Then your adventure begins, as you hop aboard your stately railcar and trundle through narrow, winding valleys with rugged gorges, spectacular snow-capped peaks and countless archaeological ruins. 

The highlight of your day, however, is sure to be the timeless wonder and grandeur of Machu Picchu – the ‘Lost City of the Incas’. Soaring over 600 metres above the rumbling Urubamba River, this misty haven is filled with remarkably preserved palaces, baths and temples, as well as some 150 houses.

Your guided exploration will cover the terraces and aqueducts leading to the Temple of the Three Windows. You’ll also see the sun's rays pass through the temple, to light the Sacred Plaza, and make a visit to the ‘solar clock’. 

Afterwards, return to Aguas Calientes by road, then hop on the train for your return journey to the Sacred Valley, with a delicious dinner on board. 

DAY FOUR:  Cusco – Lima

After breakfast, you’ll leave the hotel for a tour of this captivating city. Explore the mysterious fortress of Sacsayhuaman, which was constructed using boulders weighing up to 120 tons[MP1] .

Visit the sacred site of Koricancha to see the lovely Dominican Convent of Santo Domingo, which was built on the foundations of the Inca Empire’s most important temple.

Enjoy a delicious lunch in a local restaurant before heading to the airport for the flight from Cusco to Lima, where you’ll rejoin your waiting ship.