Private Guided Tour — Daily Departures, All Year Long
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Peru Explorer turns the classic southern loop around. After the Ballestas Islands, the Huacachina Oasis and a flight over the Nazca Lines, you fly from Lima straight to Cusco, so Machu Picchu comes early in the trip. From there the route heads south over the Andes: the Route of the Sun to Puno and Lake Titicaca, the altiplano road to Chivay and the condors of the Colca Canyon, and finally Arequipa, the White City, where you fly back to Lima for your connection home.
Your Peru Explorer tour at a glance, from the Nazca Lines and Machu Picchu to Lake Titicaca, the Colca Canyon and Arequipa. Tap any day to see the details.
Every day of your trip, with where you'll spend the night.
Day 1
Your private driver welcomes you in the arrivals hall and escorts you along the coast to your hotel in Miraflores. The rest of the day is yours: stroll the clifftop malecón, watch paragliders drift over the Pacific and enjoy a first taste of the cuisine that has made Lima one of the great food capitals of the world.
Day 2
Leave Lima at dawn for the Paracas peninsula and take a boat to the Ballestas Islands, past the giant Candelabra figure, to watch sea lions bask and Humboldt penguins nest among thousands of seabirds. Inland, stop at the Huacachina Oasis, a palm-fringed lagoon cradled by golden dunes, before the drive through the Ica desert to Nazca.
Day 3
Take to the air for a flight over the Nazca Lines, giant drawings of animals and geometric shapes etched into the desert floor and visible only from above. After lunch, board the bus back north along the Pacific coast to Lima (approx. 7–8 hours) for an overnight stay before your flight to the Andes.
Day 4
Fly from Lima to Cusco (approx. 1.5 hours), the ancient capital of the Incas at approx. 3,400 m. After the transfer to your hotel, take the rest of the day slowly: drink coca tea, rest, and in the late afternoon wander down to the Plaza de Armas to see the Cathedral and the arcades light up.
Day 5
With your guide, explore the layers of Cusco’s history: the Koricancha, once covered in gold, the Cathedral with its colonial paintings, and above the city the great walls of Sacsayhuamán, built of stones weighing many tons, followed by the shrines of Qenqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay.
Day 6
Drop down from Cusco into the warmer Sacred Valley to visit the Inca terraces and market of Pisac and the stone town of Ollantaytambo beneath its temple fortress. Late in the day, the panoramic train runs alongside the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes, where you spend the night at the foot of Machu Picchu.
Day 7
Take an early bus up to Machu Picchu and discover the Inca citadel with your private guide: the Main Plaza, the Temple of the Sun and the Intihuatana stone, set between towering green peaks above the Urubamba River. After the tour, return to Aguas Calientes and board the panoramic train back to Cusco.
Day 8
Travel south from Cusco to Lake Titicaca on a guided tourist bus. Visit the church of Andahuaylillas, known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, and the Inca temple of Wiracocha at Raqchi, stop for a buffet lunch, cross La Raya Pass (approx. 4,335 m) and see the Pucará museum before arriving in Puno in the late afternoon.
Day 9
Set sail on Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake. First stop: the Uros Floating Islands, woven entirely from totora reeds by families who still live on them today. Continue to Taquile Island, whose textile art is recognized by UNESCO and where the men are master knitters, for a walk along its stone paths and a lunch of fresh lake trout with views of the Bolivian Andes.
Day 10
Cross the high altiplano from Puno to the Colca Valley (approx. 6 hours) on a tourist bus with stops at the Lagunillas lakes, home to flamingos and other water birds, and at viewpoints over volcanoes and herds of alpacas and vicuñas. Arrive in Chivay in the afternoon and relax in the La Calera hot springs.
Day 11
An early departure takes you along the rim of the Colca Canyon, almost twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, to the Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint, where Andean condors rise on the morning thermals just above your head. On the way back to Chivay, visit the terraces and colonial churches of Pinchollo, Maca and Yanque.
Day 12
Leave the Colca Valley in the morning and cross the Patapampa pass and the Salinas y Aguada Blanca reserve, where vicuñas graze, down to Arequipa (approx. 3.5 hours). The afternoon is yours in the White City: visit the Santa Catalina Monastery, admire the volcanic-stone Plaza de Armas or enjoy a farewell dinner of Arequipa’s famous cuisine.
Day 13
Transfer to Arequipa airport for your morning flight to Lima, where you connect with your international flight home. End of services.
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It runs the southern circuit in reverse: after the coast and Nazca you fly straight to Cusco, see Machu Picchu in the first week, then continue overland to Lake Titicaca, the Colca Canyon and Arequipa, flying home from Arequipa. You avoid backtracking and end the trip in the mild climate of the White City.
12 nights of accommodation with breakfast, all transfers and ground transport, the Ballestas Islands and Huacachina, the Nazca Lines flight, the Cusco city tour, the Sacred Valley, the panoramic train, Machu Picchu with guide, the Route of the Sun bus, the Lake Titicaca island tour, the Colca Canyon with the La Calera hot springs and all listed entrance fees.
You fly from Lima to Cusco (approx. 3,400 m), so day 4 is kept free to rest and acclimatize. The Sacred Valley (approx. 2,900 m) and Machu Picchu (approx. 2,430 m) are lower, which helps your body adjust before Puno (approx. 3,830 m) and the Colca highlands. Drink plenty of water, try coca tea and consult your doctor before travel if you have a medical condition.
The flights Lima – Cusco and Arequipa – Lima are quoted separately, so you can choose the airline and times that suit you. Mention it in the request form and we will include them in your quote.
The tour runs all year. April to November is the dry season in the Andes, with clear skies over Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and the Colca Canyon; December to March brings green landscapes and afternoon showers.
The price depends on the hotel category you choose (Essential 2★, Comfort 3★, Superior 4★ or Deluxe 5★) and on the number of travelers. Open the Rates tab for the current price per person, based on double or twin accommodation.