Itinerary - Peru 360°: Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain and Lake Titicaca

Round trip flights are not included in the package, so you can choose from where and when you want to fly. This is to give you maximum freedom of choice!

Check-in to your hotel in Lima and meet the rest of your group! We spend the afternoon visiting the modern capital of Peru, the cultural and economic centre of the country. In addition to its historic centre, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lima offers picturesque residential neighbourhoods overlooking the Pacific ocean - we explore the surroundings and then go for dinner to kick off this journey. Cheers to us!

Our journey starts in the best way: we say goodbye to the capital and reach the National Reserve of Paracas by bus. As soon as we arrive we immediately understand the origin of the name ("para" means storm, "aca" means sand). We are in a vast, desert area, overlooking the ocean, with very strong gusts of wind that make it wild and impressive. We explore the reserve, with its almost otherworldly landscapes, and then we take an excursion to the nearby Ballestas Islands.

The Ballestas Islands are considered the Peruvian Galapagos thanks to their particular ecosystem: here there are several animal species, such as penguins, sea lions and various birds. The excursion lasts about two hours so we'll have the chance to make new friends - if we are lucky, we'll also meet the friendly dolphins. Once back on the mainland, there's a bus waiting for us: we reach Ica, where we'll finally have time to enjoy our dinner! But we won't be late as we'll get on our night bus, which will take us straight to Arequipa while we fall asleep.

Finally, we arrive in Arequipa, the famous white city declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It lies at the foot of the majestic El Misti volcano, 19101 ft tall. After our night trip, we'll have time to recover once we arrive at the accommodation. All we need is a nice shower, a nap and we are as fresh as daisies, ready to explore the white city.

In the afternoon we begin to get used to the altitude and visit the historic center such as the Santa Catalina Monastery, dating back to 1580, which covers 215278 square ft. An entire neighborhood that makes this convent the largest religious building in Peru! The sunset is undoubtedly the best time to be here and admire the view of the city. Now it's time for dinner. Shall we taste the cuy? You know, it's not for everyone, but since we're here...

We leave Arequipa around 4 am heading towards Chivay, at 12,000 ft above sea level, the gateway to the Colca Canyon. The trip takes about 5 hours and winds along the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve, so...let's make the most of it by taking many photos during our breaks! Llamas, alpacas and majestic smoky volcanoes await us along the way. We take a quick bite for breakfast, then we are headed to the first high altitude hike. After 40 minutes we reach the summit above the Cruz del Condor. As the name implies, if we arrive early enough and the weather is nice, we'll be able to admire these immense predatory animals flying over our heads! IMPORTANT: We'll reach 16400 ft along the way. Just remember that everyone reacts differently to altitude. Severe dizziness, wheezing and even vomiting may occur. Would you like to avoid the so-called altitude sickness? Don't worry, we can easily sort this out by buying adequate medicines for altitude sickness prevention. We arrive in Chivay in the afternoon where we slowly get used to the altitude. So why not make the most out of it by visiting the historic centre and its characteristic market? We are in!

We set off to the largest freshwater basin in South America: ladies and gentlemen let me introduce Lake Titicaca! It takes about 5 hours to get to this magical lake, but we promise - it will be worth it! To kill the time, we can take some nice group photos at the Mirador de Los Volcanes! When we arrive in Puno, the locals will welcome us with a delicious family dinner: we'll be able to try out some specialities of the local cuisine. What a perfect way to get to know the locals, ask questions about their habits and traditions, play with the children and...why not? Get to know the most traditional and colourful Peruvian dance!

Today we visit the artificial and floating islands of Uros, and then Taquile, an island located at 13123 ft. With just over 2,000 inhabitants, here we'll get the chance to know the local traditions a bit better. An example? Men, once married, wear a different coloured hat.

And for the bravest...let's take a dive into the highest navigable lake in the world! Then, we return to Puno and hit the road to our next stop: the Rainbow Mountain!

We have a little confession to make: today’s gonna be the most beautiful and challenging day! The Rainbow Mountains will literally leave us breathless: a trek like this is generally easy... but things are different here! Guess why? We'll reach 17060 ft! The Rainbow Mountains, located not far from Cuzco at 17060 ft, are a real miracle of nature, discovered a few years ago when the snow melted, revealing the natural beauty of the rock beneath.

After this hike, we return to the base to have some food - the effort was huge but the landscape has definitely rewarded us. Now we are ready for a 3-hour transfer to reach the most beautiful city in Peru, Cuzco.

Today we take it easy: we can visit the historic districts of Cuzco and its ancient colonial Cathedral. Or we can go for a stroll along the narrow Inca alleys and the picturesque San Pedro market.

Today we get lost in the enchanting Sacred Valley of the Incas, where archaeological, historical and folkloristic evidence of the ancient Inca civil settlements are enclosed.

That's the perfect example of a town built entirely by the Inca - the walls are made with large blocks of stone cut and perfectly overlapping. Thanks to the panoramic tour of the walls, we can appreciate the surrounding green meadows with numerous grazing animals, the eucalyptus woods and the shapes of the glaciers from afar. After this stroll, it's time to stop at a local market. Here we can sip different types of lightly alcoholic drinks, cheers! If we are hungry, we can taste the traditional foods prepared by the locals in the typical pots.

The traditional village nestled in the heart of a cultivated valley at 11154 ft above sea level, where we'll admire the particular colonial church. Let's take a look inside to appreciate some Cusqueña canvases. Going down, we come across the beautiful salt flats: 3,000 tiny pools arranged on terraces and filled with saltwater.

This archaeological complex was the world's first agricultural research centre and is believed to have been used by the Incas to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops.In fact, it has two gigantic circular depressions, about 164 ft deep, used by the Incas to acclimate the seeds of cereals and potatoes to the Andean altitudes.

It is a mountain fortress that features structures built with mammoth blocks of granite positioned in line, the Wall of the Living Rock, the Temple of the Condor and the huge military fortress.In the late afternoon, we leave Ollantaytambo for Aguas Calientes: we can finally relax and have an easy peasy evening waiting for the next stop...Machu Picchu!

We have an early alarm today and we are ready for the greatest Peruvian adventure! We take the shuttle that will take us along a zigzagging path to the gates of the archaeological site of Machu Picchu in just 30 minutes. Describing what awaits us is impossible: this city has been lost for centuries, and today we can see this incredible wonder nestled between the Andean peaks.

After enjoying Machu Picchu from every angle, in the late afternoon we return to Cuzco. Here it is possible to stroll and choose where to spend the evening among bars, cafes, sandwich bars, restaurants, disco and karaoke, many of which stay open until dawn to spend a well-deserved evening in good company!

With a domestic flight, we say goodbye to Cuzco and return to the capital Lima. We leave our backpacks in the accommodation and we are ready to fully enjoy this last day in Peru. Where do we start? The ideal place to start breathing the historical atmosphere is Plaza Mayor, where Francisco Pizarro founded the city in 1535, making it the oldest square. Its grandeur is reflected in the buildings that surround it, such as the Palacio del Gobierno, the Palacio Arzobispal and the Cathedral.

We conclude this incredible journey with dinner: we shared a unique adventure that we'll always remember. Peru is like this: once it gets inside you, it never leaves. Let's drink to this country and us!