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Peru and the Andes - Your Itinerary 16 days
From: £3105
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What's included:
- Scheduled flights, including all U.K. and overseas airport taxes and applicable fuel surcharges
- The services of an experienced local Tour Manager, who takes care of the tipping on your behalf English-speaking guides, exclusive to the Bales group, for all included sightseeing in Peru
- Private air-conditioned vehicles, exclusive to the Bales group, plus scheduled internal trains
- Sightseeing As detailed, including entrance fees
- First class hotels in Lima, Arequipa, Machu Picchu and Puno. First class heritage hotel in Cusco. Medium grade elsewhere.
- 14 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 3 dinners
- Average group size 15 passengers
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Day 1
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 Day 1
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Early morning departure from London Heathrow by KLM (or similar)
via Amsterdam to Lima. On arrival you will be met by your Peruvian Tour
Manager and transferred to the Casa Andina Private Collection, Miraflores.
Meals:
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Day 2
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 Day 2
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Our sightseeing in Lima starts with a visit to the Archaeological
Museum which, importantly has many exhibits and displays relevant to
areas of Peru which we will see later in the itinerary. We then continue
to the colonial heart of Lima, where we visit the Plaza de Armas and the
magnificently ornate church of San Francisco.
Meals: B
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Day 3
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 Day 3
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Drive south to the Paracas National Park, stopping en route at the
ruins of Pachacamac. After lunch at a colonial hacienda we continue to
Paracas, staying at the Libertador Reserva Natural Paracas Hotel.
Meals: B, L
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Day 4
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 Day 4
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Morning boat excursion to the Ballestas Islands, one of the best
places in South America to view marine birdlife. Afterwards we drive to Ica,
visiting the interesting Regional Museum, before arriving at the Nasca Lines
Hotel. This afternoon there is an option to take a flight (weather permitting)
over the mysterious Nasca Lines (Please advise at the time of booking if
you would like to take this excursion which costs £75 per person)
Meals: B, D
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Day 5
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 Day 5
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A fascinating day sees us crossing the desert landscapes of the
Pacific coast and heading towards the Andes and the city of Arequipa,
which is set before the magnificent backdrop of a trio of imposing
volcanoes. Stay at the Libertador Ciudad Blanca Hotel
Meals: B, L
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Day 6
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 Day 6
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Arequipa is an elegant city filled with colonial grandeur. This morning
we tour the city and visit the remarkable Santa Catalina Convent.
Meals: B
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Day 7
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 Day 7
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Leaving this morning we head towards the remote Colca Valley,
passing a landscape littered with unspoilt villages and pre-Columbian
terraces, where llamas, alpacas and a variety of birdlife punctuate our
journey to the town of Chivay. Stay overnight at the Casa Andina.
Meals: B, L, D
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Day 8
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 Day 8
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Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and home to Andean condors,
the Colca Canyon is spectacular in the extreme. An early start sees us
visiting this natural wonder, from where we continue through the majestic
Andean landscape en route to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca.
Accommodation is at the Libertador Lake Titicaca Hotel.
Meals: B, L
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Day 9
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 Day 9
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The highest navigable lake on the planet, Titicaca sits on the
‘altiplano’, the high barren plateau that extends across Peru and Bolivia.
This morning we take a boat ride to visit the Aymara Indians and their
floating reed islands. The afternoon is free
Meals: B
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Day 10
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 Day 10
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This morning we board the ‘Andean Explorer’ to Cusco. During
this 10 hour highly scenic journey, lunch is served on board and a stop
is made at La Raya, the highest point on the line. On arrival we will be
transferred to the Libertador Palacio del Inka Cusco.
Meals: B, L
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Day 11
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 Day 11
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Our morning tour of Cusco takes in the impressive Plaza de Armas,
with its sumptuous cathedral, the Convent of Santo Domingo and the
extraordinary Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, whose imposing zig-zagged
walls were built to defend the Inca capital. The afternoon is free
Meals: B
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Day 12
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 Day 12
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Full day circular tour of the beautiful Sacred Valley visiting the towns
of Chinchero, Urubamba and the ruins at Ollantaytambo.
Meals: B
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Day 13
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 Day 13
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In the morning, we travel by Vistadome train to Machu Picchu, the
famous ‘Lost City’ of the Incas, where we enjoy a guided tour of the site.
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 of £125 per person sharing
and £90 single supplement. Please enquire at time of booking).
Meals: B, L, D
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Day 14
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 Day 14
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The morning is free to revisit the site or relax. (Bales includes a
second entry ticket to the ruins for you). Afternoon train to Cusco.
Meals: B, L
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Day 15
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 Day 15
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Morning flight to Lima, where hotel day rooms are available until
the early evening flight via Amsterdam to London.
Meals: B
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Day 16
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 Day 16
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Arrive London Heathrow in the afternoon.
Meals:
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