Lake Titicaca Tour Highlights:
Not just Lima, Machu Picchu, Cusco, and the Sacred Valley but the highest navigable lake in the world with its bizarre Uros floating islands. Our Lake Titicaca tour is a great value Peru trip.
- Lima city tour, explore the “City of Kings“
- Lima Pisco and Gastronomy experience
- Two visits to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu
- Enjoy Imperial Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas
- Lake Titicaca full day plus Sillustani
- Wide choice of hotel levels, train services, and tour options
- Flexible dates, go and come back any day you like
- 10 Day Lake Titicaca Tour from US$ 1975 per person
The links below are examples of other destinations within Peru or around South America that can easily be added, feel free to ask us about combining more spectacular places.
Day 1 | Lima “City of Kings”
Your Lake Titicaca tour program starts with your arrival at Lima airport where we welcome you to Peru and transfer you in a private vehicle (with a guide) to your chosen hotel in the Miraflores or Barranco areas of this slightly crazy, gastronomic paradise of a capital city. The “City of Kings”.
Depending on your arrival time we might be able to fit some visits in today but if not just enjoy the rest of the day as free time to wander the parks and browse the shops, and enjoy the world-famous Peruvian food and Pisco Sours of course.
Day 2 | Lima City Tour
Today you will be collected from your hotel for a half-day tour of colonial and modern Lima (as you may wish to add a culinary element to your day). You will see Lima cathedral and the convent of San Francisco, among other places of interest in and around the impressive Plaza de Armas square.
After eating (which could be part of the culinary option) you have a wide range of options and you could choose to visit a museum for example, such as the excellent Larco Herrera, the Gold or National Museums.
Peruvian Gastronomy Option: Many of our clients are enjoying adding this to their day in Lima, click the link to see all the details. If you book this within our package it will cost you less, so just ask us to include it.
The evening could continue with a visit to the spectacular Fountain Park in the center of Lima or spend some extra time in the atmospheric barrio of Barranco. It can be a very full day of sightseeing in this bustling, historic metropolis if you wish it to be?
Day 3 | Fly to Cusco | City Tour
This morning you will be taken to Lima airport for your short flight to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco, we will meet you and transfer you to your chosen hotel in the ancient, historic center of the Imperial city.
Cusco is the jewel in the crown of Peru and your time spent here will never be forgotten. In the afternoon you will enjoy a Cusco City Tour visiting the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman plus the three other smaller Inca ruins nearby; Cusco Cathedral in the main square; and the most important temple of the Inca Empire, the Coricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun.
Cusco is a lovely city to wander around and you should take time to do this when not being guided. Make sure you walk around the San Blas district.
Video of Saqsaywaman Fortress + Perfect Inca Wall
Day 4 | The Sacred Valley of the Incas
Today we have a Sacred Valley tour option that includes a visit to Chinchero, an ancient village where much of its original character and traditions have been maintained. We will often use this route on shared tours to avoid many of the crowds in the Pisaq area. Pisaq market and ruins can be visited of course but on a different route. Your tour to the Sacred Valley of the Incas includes a buffet lunch so you can recharge your batteries along the way.
Today’s first destination is Chinchero, a quaint little town that houses an important Inca archaeological center, built at the end of the 1400s, as well as a lovely and very traditional church. You will visit “Urpi” a famous textile center where the townsfolk have preserved the traditional Andean spinning and weaving techniques, they will also show you how they get the vivid natural colors for their fabrics. On our way to Ollantaytambo, we will stop at the lookout point of Racchi, where we will have the chance to have some of the best views of the Sacred Valley, after that, lunch will be served in a local restaurant.
Afterward, we will arrive in Ollantaytambo, one of the most monumental architectural complexes of the ancient Inca Empire, and one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors actually lost a major battle. Very well known for its “Andenes” (terraces dug into the slopes of mountains for agricultural purposes), Ollantaytambo was a highly effective fortress that also served as a temple. Then, we will continue to the adjacent town of Ollantaytambo, “the unique living Inca town”: the best surviving example of Inca city planning, with narrow cobblestone streets that have been continuously inhabited since the 13th century.
After your day out you will be dropped off at your Sacred Valley hotel or driven back to Cusco depending on your schedule with us. Most people elect to stay overnight in the Valley for the reasons you will see below.
Day 5 | Machu Picchu Tour | First Visit
Today you will have an early start to catch your chosen train to Machu Picchu which will be one of the services described in the link below. The advantage you have is that you have stayed in the valley overnight and therefore do not have to get up quite as early as you would in Cusco to catch the train, plus you have less traveling and more time in your day for other things.
A transfer will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the station for the 90-minute train ride (ask us about train styles and levels). After being met in Aguas Calientes by your guide, you can drop off your overnight bags at your hotel before taking the bus transfer to the Machu Picchu site. Here you will enjoy a tour of this incredible place with a local guide.
In the late afternoon, you will return to your chosen hotel in Aguas Calientes, the town that nestles in the valley below Machu Picchu. You may choose to take a dip in the hot springs, ask your guide for information on this.
Note: The option exists to return to Cusco the same day, but if you have the time, it is well worth staying over the see this incredible place the next day.
If you prefer to stay right at the gate of Machu Picchu, and your budget will stand it, you could choose the Sanctuary Lodge, as its location cannot be beaten.
Day 6 | Second day at Machu Picchu
Today you will be able to re-visit Machu Picchu and enjoy this fabulous site without being guided. You may choose to climb Huayna Picchu, the peak that overlooks Machu Picchu (400 people per day and by prior appointment only), which affords fantastic views and photo opportunities.
In the late afternoon, you will board the train for your trip back to Cusco. You will leave the train at Ollantaytambo, where you boarded yesterday, for a faster and more convenient transfer by road back to your hotel in Cusco.
Day 7 | A free day to enjoy Cusco
A free day to enjoy Cusco at your leisure. Your tour package with us includes the “Cusco Tourist Ticket” which gives you access to a number of places you didn’t see the first time.
If you wish, we can arrange additional activities for you on this day. Please ask us for more details and options. If you wish to drop this day from the schedule due to lack of time, no problem!
Day 8 | Sightseeing VIP bus to Puno
Today, you will be transferred to the bus station for your full-day trip to Puno, the base for your Lake Titicaca tour section. During the comfortable nine-hour journey, there will be several interesting guided visits and a buffet lunch. It is not just transport – you will see and learn a lot along the way.
You could also choose to upgrade your Peru tour to use the luxury Andean Explorer train to Lake Titicaca. This is a superb ten-hour train journey, which takes you across the spectacular Peruvian Altiplano (high plain) in great comfort. Ask us about this and let us see if it fits your schedule and budget.
Day 9 | Uros and Lake Titicaca Tour
Today, you will enjoy a full-day visit to the strange Uros Islands and the large island of Taquile on the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca. Make sure you have plenty of camera battery as there are some great photos ops today.
This lake is the fabled birthplace of the Inca nation, from where its founders Mana Ocllo and Manco Capac traveled to Cusco to establish the capital of the Empire.
You will have a local guide all day and lunch included on Taquile Island. Make sure you have plenty of sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and gloves for when the sun goes down!
Day 10 | Puno to Lima
Today, we will take you with a private transfer and guide from Puno to Juliaca airport, via the pre-Inca Sillustani funerary towers (photo above), for your flight back to Lima. Sillustani is a spectacular site, very other-worldly, and is a great way to round off your time in the Peruvian highlands.
If you are staying over in Lima again, then speak to us about arranging accommodation and anything else you might need in and around Lima. If not, you will connect with your homeward flight in Lima. If you are wanting to extend in Peru there are so many options.
*Please note that the price listed above represents the lowest budget rate we can offer for a minimum of 2 people traveling, during the lowest season, sharing rooms in budget 3* hotels, with shared tours & services. Flights are quoted separately according to dates and season.
For solo travelers, the ‘single supplement charge’ applies (essentially to pay for having your own hotel room and airport transfers). Ask your travel consultant for more information and also read more below.
Included:
Hotels: We work with a wide range of hotels and lodges from 3-star mid-range through 4 stars to high-end 5 star, luxury establishments. You choose and we quote, we custom design each tour to your budget. We deal with all transport from when you enter Peru to when you leave. Transfers, trains, planes (unless specified in the Not Included section), buses, etc. Our “from” website prices are based on twin share arrangements, single supplements will vary by tour.
Guided Tours: You can choose private tours for just you and your traveling companions or take a tour with other people you don’t know. You can, of course, mix tour styles up to suit your wishes.
Support & Backup: You will have 24 / 7 backup while on tour with us. We provide you with all the info and contacts you need and you will feel very well taken care of.
Meals: This very much depends on the type of tour you choose, some places such as the Amazon jungle or the Galapagos all full board. But in any case, breakfasts are generally included, plus some lunches and dinners in accordance with the schedule. More often than not we like to leave people to choose where to eat in the evenings as there is a large range of great places.
Entrance Fees & Tickets: Where a particular tour is included in your itinerary the necessary entrance tickets or fees will also be included (unless local conditions dictate otherwise). Such tickets will be held by your local guide or presented to you at the correct time.
Not Included
Flights: We quote most domestic and inter-country flights according to your specific program as prices vary a lot according to seasonal demand. We may be able to get special prices/discounts at some times and can pass these savings on to you. Your travel consultant will advise you and provide the flight costs with your tour program.
Travel Insurance & Expenses: Personal expenses are not included and we advise that clients bring some cash and a credit/debit card to take funds from ATMs / pay directly around their tour. Travel insurance is highly recommended, please ask your travel consultant for details.
Tips: Ask us for our advice regarding tipping as it varies by country and service.
