Includes a VIP Sacred Valley Day — Daily Departures, All Year Long
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The Peru South Circuit crosses the southern half of the country in a single line, from sea level to more than 4,000 m and back down to the cloud forest of Machu Picchu. You begin with Lima and the wildlife of Paracas and the Ballestas Islands, cross the desert to Huacachina and Nazca, and travel on to Arequipa, the Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca. After the Route of the Sun, a VIP Sacred Valley day takes you to the Maras salt mines, the circular terraces of Moray and the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo, the gateway to Machu Picchu.
Your Peru South Circuit at a glance, from the Pacific coast and Lake Titicaca to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. 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
Founded by the Spanish in 1535, Lima’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With your guide, visit the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral and the San Francisco Monastery, whose library and catacombs are among the most remarkable in the Americas. The rest of the day is yours to discover Miraflores, Barranco or one of the city’s famous restaurants.
Day 3
Leave the capital behind and travel south along the Pacific coast to the bay of Paracas (approx. 3.5 hours). In the afternoon, explore the Paracas National Reserve, where ochre desert cliffs and red-sand beaches meet the ocean, home to sea lions, flamingos and countless seabirds. Settle into your seaside hotel for a relaxed evening by the bay.
Day 4
Sail out of Paracas in the morning to the Ballestas Islands, where rocky arches shelter sea lions, Humboldt penguins and huge flocks of guano birds, passing the Candelabra geoglyph on the way. Continue inland to the Huacachina Oasis, a desert lagoon among towering sand dunes, and in the afternoon drive south through Ica and Palpa to Nazca.
Day 5
A morning in the sky, an afternoon on the road. Your light aircraft circles the hummingbird, the monkey and the other giant figures of the Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of archaeology’s greatest unsolved puzzles. Then relax on the scenic journey through desert valleys and along coastal cliffs to Arequipa, Peru’s elegant “White City”.
Day 6
A well-earned pause between the desert and the Andes. Wander the colorful streets of the Santa Catalina Monastery, a city within the city, admire El Misti volcano from the Yanahuara viewpoint, visit the Museo Santuarios Andinos, home of the Inca ice maiden “Juanita”, or simply rest and acclimatize at approx. 2,335 m.
Day 7
Cross the high plateau through the Salinas y Aguada Blanca reserve, where wild vicuñas graze, to the Patapampa viewpoint (approx. 4,900 m), surrounded by volcanoes. Descend into the Colca Valley, where communities still farm the terraces carved by their ancestors, and end the day soaking in natural hot springs as the sun sets over the Andes.
Day 8
Wake up early, because the condors don’t wait. Follow the edge of the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world, to the Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint, where Andean condors with wingspans of up to three meters ride the morning thermals. On the way back, visit the colonial churches and villages of Maca and Yanque.
Day 9
A spectacular journey of approximately 300 km across the altiplano. Admire volcanic peaks, high-altitude lagoons and herds of llamas and alpacas grazing on the puna, before arriving in Puno (approx. 3,830 m), the folkloric capital of Peru, on the shores of Lake Titicaca.
Day 10
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 11
From the shores of Titicaca to the capital of the Incas. Cross La Raya Pass at over 4,300 m, where snow-capped peaks rise above herds of llamas and alpacas, then descend into green Andean valleys. Along the way, discover the monoliths of Pucará, the colossal Inca temple of Raqchi and the golden interior of Andahuaylillas, the “Sistine Chapel of the Americas”.
Day 12
A VIP day in the Sacred Valley with your guide and vehicle. Cross the high plain of Chinchero to Moray, where the Incas carved circular terraces into the earth as an agricultural laboratory, then descend to the Maras salt mines, thousands of white pools fed by a salty spring and still worked by local families. After lunch in the valley, climb the terraces of the Ollantaytambo fortress and stay overnight in the Sacred Valley.
Day 13
Enjoy a relaxed morning in the Sacred Valley before boarding the panoramic train in Ollantaytambo. Through its wide windows and glass roof, watch the snow-capped peaks give way to the deep canyon of the Urubamba and the cloud forest, until you reach Aguas Calientes, the village at the foot of Machu Picchu.
Day 14
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 15
Transfer to Cusco airport for your morning flight to Lima, where you connect with your international flight home. End of services.
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Lima, Paracas and the Ballestas Islands, the Huacachina Oasis, Nazca, Arequipa, the Colca Canyon, Puno and Lake Titicaca, the Route of the Sun, the Sacred Valley with Maras, Moray and Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu — the whole south of Peru in 15 days.
It is a full day in the Sacred Valley with your own guide and vehicle, so you set the pace at each stop. It combines the circular Inca terraces of Moray, the Maras salt mines and the Ollantaytambo fortress, with lunch in the valley and an overnight stay there before the train to Machu Picchu.
The valley lies about 500 m lower than Cusco, so you sleep more comfortably, and Ollantaytambo station is right there: the next morning you board the panoramic train without the early drive from Cusco.
Altitude is introduced gradually: Arequipa (approx. 2,335 m) and the Colca Valley (approx. 3,600 m) prepare your body before Puno (approx. 3,830 m) and Cusco (approx. 3,400 m). Drink plenty of water, avoid heavy meals on arrival, try coca tea and take the first afternoon at each new altitude slowly. Consult your doctor before travel if you have a medical condition.
It runs all year. April to November is the dry season in the Andes, ideal for Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu; from December to March the mountains are green with afternoon showers, while Paracas and Nazca are hot and sunny.
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.