7-Day Optional Post-Extension to Peru

Extend your adventure to Peru where the faded remains of the Incan Empire and Spanish conquistadors live side-by-side. Fly to Cusco, once the capital of the Incan Empire. Today, descendants of the original Incas dress and speak much in the same way as their ancestors. Visit the bustling market at Pisac and its magnificent Inca citadel. Then it’s on by rail to legendary Machu Picchu – the ‘lost’ city of the Incas, to discover the remains of Machu Picchu’s temples, houses, terraces, gardens. Walk the Inca Trail to Inti Punku – the Sun Gate. Return to Cusco and explore the nearby temples of the Sun and the Moon, the fortress of Sacsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo.

Day 13 Guayaquil/Lima

Discover the faded grandeur of Lima’s beautiful Spanish colonial past on a guided tour. Visit the Plaza de Armas with the government palace, the Archbishop palace and the Cathedral. Drive through the charming suburb of Miraflores and see the spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. Tour the Archaeological Museum with its superb collection of pre-Columbian artifacts. Your evening is at leisure. EL OLIVAR HOTEL. (B)

Days 14/15 Cusco/Yucay/Ollantaytambo/Pisac

This morning fly to Cusco where upon arrival you will board your bus to Yucay in the heart of the Urubamba Valley, the sacred Valley of the Incas. A vital Incan road once snaked its way up the canyon that enters the Urubamba Valley at Pisac. The citadel at the entrance to this gorge, now in ruins, controlled a route which connected the Incan Empire with the eastern jungles. Set high above a valley floor, the stonework and panoramas at Pisac’s Inca citadel are magnificent. Terraces, water ducts and steps have been cut out of solid rock. The main Sun Temple is equal to anything at Machu Picchu. Pisac also offers a colorful market where you can barter for handcrafted jewelry, leather, woolens, carpets and alpaca products. Explore Ollantaytambo, an Incan temple turned fortress against the Spanish. Optional activities (at additional cost) include horseback riding and white-water rafting. POSADA DEL INCA HOTEL YUCAY. (B,L)

Day 16 Machu Picchu

Board your train for a scenic journey to Machu Picchu, a World Heritage Site and mountain-top city of the Incas that remained hidden from the world until 1911. Machu Picchu straddles a high ridge with sheer cliffs on three sides, and the Urubamba River curves around it to fill the canyon with its roar. In all directions, there are the Andean peaks covered in jungle green, a spectacular setting for these ancient ruins. There are temples, houses, crop terraces, gardens and a sacrificial altar. Your beautiful hotel offers a wide variety of ecotourism activities that promote contact with nature and the local culture, plus implements projects for researching and conserving the local flora and fauna. MACHU PICCHU PUEBLO HOTEL. (B,L)

Day 17 Machu Picchu/Cusco

Awaken early to experience the magic of Machu Picchu at dawn. Your morning is free to hike to the citadel of Winaywayna, just three miles from Machu Picchu, passing by the Inti Punku (sun gate) via the Inca trail. Return to Cusco by train in the evening and check into your charming hotel. HOTEL NOVOTEL CUSCO. (B,L)

Day 18 Cusco

Stroll down the picturesque streets of Cusco past Inca descendants dressed in tradition clothes and speaking Quechua (a derivative of the Incan language). In this oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western hemisphere many of the roads and stone walls from the mighty Incan empire live side-by-side with the Spanish colonial structures. This afternoon take a guided tour of some of Cusco’s treasures such as the Inca Temples of the Sun and the Moon, the gigantic Incan fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the Kenko amphitheatre with its unusual stone carvings and Tambo Machay, the traditional bathing place for Incan royalty. HOTEL NOVOTEL CUSCO. (B)

Days 19/20 Cusco/Lima/Miami

Fly to Lima where the remainder of your day is at leisure. A dayroom is provided for you at EL OLIVAR HOTEL. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner at Las Brujas de Chachiche of Peruvian delicacies. Afterwards, transfer to the airport for your flight home via Miami. (B,D)