Morning departure from London Heathrow, on LAN Airlines via Madrid (2 hours 15 minutes) to Lima (12 hours 25 minutes) On arrival you will be met by your Peruvian Tour Manager and transferred to the Casa Andina Private Collection, Miraflores for 2 nights.

This morning our sightseeing is in the colonial heart of the fabled ‘City of Kings,’ where we will visit the magnificent grandeur of the Plaza de Armas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the magnificently ornate church of San Francisco, a beautiful mix of baroque and Mudejar styling, which is renowned for its tile work and panelled ceilings. This afternoon we will visit the ruins of Pachacamac, set amongst the landscapes of the Lurin Valley. Once one of the most important religious sites in the entire central Andes, its towering pyramids and ornate palaces brought it unwanted attention from the invading Spanish, who destroyed the city is search for gold. In the evening we will dine at the Hacienda Los Ficus, a key stud for the Peruvian Paso Horse, a breed known for its distinctive gait. After a tour of the farm, we will see a display by the horses, before a traditional dinner.

Our final sightseeing in Lima takes us to the Museo Larco, a recently refurbished private museum which houses one of the finest collections of textiles, ceramics, sculpture and jewellery chronicling centuries of civilisations across Peru. We continue to the airport for the flight to the city of Arequipa (1 hour 25 minutes) set in a beautiful valley before the magnificent backdrop of a trio of imposing volcanoes. Stay for two nights at the Casa Andina Private Collection Arequipa.

Founded in 1540, Arequipa is an elegant city filled with colonial grandeur, many of its dazzling churches constructed from the white volcanic sillar that litters the landscape. This morning we tour the city, taking in something of its grace and charm and visiting the remarkable Santa Catalina Convent, a quite astonishing complex of cobbled streets and elegant buildings that were only opened up to the public in the 1970s and provide a rare insight into a far from impoverished holy order. The afternoon is free to explore this delightful city.

Leaving Arequipa this morning we head towards the remote Colca Valley, passing a landscape peppered with unspoilt Cabana and Collagua villages and pre-Columbian terraces, where llamas, alpacas and a variety of birdlife punctuate our journey to the town of Chivay. Arrive in time for lunch and stay overnight at the Casa Andina hotel.

Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and home to Andean condors, the Colca Canyon is spectacular in the extreme. Carved by the Rio Colca it lies at a lofty 3,500 mt above sea level at Chivay and an early start sees us visiting the spectacular majesty of this natural wonder. The canyon presents a tableau of plunging gorges set before the slopes of Sabancaya, one of the most active volcanoes in the Americas and, after exploration of the area and lunch at the hotel, continue through the majestic Andean landscape en route to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Stay for 2 nights at the Libertador Lake Titicaca.

The highest navigable lake on the planet, Titicaca sits on the ‘altiplano’, the high barren plateau that extends across Peru and Bolivia. Lying at over 3,800 mt above sea level this immense lake has been the home to Aymara and Quechua tribes for centuries and this morning a boat ride is included to visit the Aymara Indians and their floating reed islands. The lake has long held deep significance for the indigenous people, its sacred waters believed to have been the birthplace of the legendary founders of the Inca race, the mythical ‘Children of the Sun’. After the Uros Islands we continue to Llachon, a less-visited Quechua community, where we learn something of another traditional way of life by the lake. Return to Puno this afternoon, where we pay a brief visit to the Yavari, a Victorian steamship built in England, dissembled and transported by mule across the Andes.

This morning board the ‘Andean Explorer’ to Cusco, crossing the high altiplano and passing along the Rio Vilcanota. During this 10 hour, highly scenic journey, a three course lunch is served on board and a stop at La Raya, provides an opportunity to take in the local vendors selling an array of locally made rugs and clothes at the highest point on the line (4,321 mt). On arrival in Cusco, transfer to the Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco for a three night stay. (B,L)

A morning tour of Cusco takes in the impressive Plaza de Armas, with its sumptuous cathedral, the Convent of Santo Domingo and the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, whose imposing zigzagged walls were built to defend the city. The once great capital of the ancient Incan empire, Cusco is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America and its streets present a rich treasure trove of archaeological remains, as well as a dazzling array of monuments to its colonial heritage. The afternoon is free to explore at your leisure and see the first of the Corpus Christi festivities.

A full day at the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, located on the hill above Cusco, whose imposing zigzagged walls were built to defend the city. Sacsayhuaman was the original setting of the Inca ‘Festival of the Sun,’ when the city of Cusco comes alive with music, folk dancing, processions and banquets.

This morning travel by Vistadome train from Poroy to Machu Picchu (3 hours), the famous ‘Lost City’ of the Incas. Enjoy a guided tour of what is surely one of the most spectacular archaeological sites anywhere on earth. Hidden amongst the breathtaking Andean mountains, until its ‘discovery’ in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, the city is a quite exceptional collection of tombs, temples, stairways and palaces that served as a major ceremonial and agricultural centre for the Inca Empire. Overnight at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel. (For those who would like to stay at the Sanctuary Lodge next to the ruins we can book this – subject to availability – for a supplement starting from £130 per person twin share. Please enquire at time of booking).

The morning is free to revisit the site on your own, or simply relax amidst the stunning mountain landscapes (Bales include a second entry ticket to the ruins for you) before the afternoon train back to Cusco, for a final night at the Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco.

Morning flight to Lima (1 hour), where rooms are available at the Ramada Airport Hotel until the evening LAN Airlines overnight flight to Madrid.

Arrive in Madrid and continue by LAN / Iberia codeshare flight back to London Heathrow, arriving in the evening.