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Peru with Machu Picchu & Nazca Lines
Small Group
Tour Description:
Discover Peru on a 13-day Small Group journey through ancient cultures, living traditions and remarkable landscapes. From the heights of Machu Picchu to the coastal landscapes of Paracas and the mystery of the Nazca Lines, this journey connects Peru’s best-known sites with local insight and distinctive cultural experiences. Explore Korikancha, visit the salt pans of Maras and meet a local Quechua weaver for a private presentation of long-held weaving traditions. In Cusco, a private planetarium visit reveals the role of astronomy in Andean culture, before a Local Expert leads your visit through Machu Picchu.
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Dates & Pricing
| Saturday 15 Aug 26 — Thursday 27 Aug 26 | Starting at $6,685 |  SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 06 Mar 27 — Thursday 18 Mar 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 27 Mar 27 — Thursday 08 Apr 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 17 Apr 27 — Thursday 29 Apr 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 01 May 27 — Thursday 13 May 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 15 May 27 — Thursday 27 May 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 12 Jun 27 — Thursday 24 Jun 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 26 Jun 27 — Thursday 08 Jul 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 10 Jul 27 — Thursday 22 Jul 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 31 Jul 27 — Thursday 12 Aug 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 14 Aug 27 — Thursday 26 Aug 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 28 Aug 27 — Thursday 09 Sep 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 11 Sep 27 — Thursday 23 Sep 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 25 Sep 27 — Thursday 07 Oct 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 09 Oct 27 — Thursday 21 Oct 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 16 Oct 27 — Thursday 28 Oct 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 06 Nov 27 — Thursday 18 Nov 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
| Saturday 20 Nov 27 — Thursday 02 Dec 27 | Starting at $6,186 | SPECIAL | Get a Quote |
Disclaimer: Prices listed are per person, based on double occupancy, and in USD. All promotions are valid for new bookings only, capacity controlled and valid on select dates and departures. Individual Terms and Conditions will apply to all promotions. Any promotion can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Please speak with your Pavlus Travel Planner for complete vendor terms and conditions, including eligible tour and cruise dates.
Destination & Sightseeing
Destination & SightseeingDestination Highlights:
From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
Prices include economy air and air-related charges for the flights between Lima - Cusco. This trip experiences high elevations, we recommend guests with preexisting medical conditions talk with a doctor prior to travel.
From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
Prices include economy air and air-related charges for the flights between Lima - Cusco. This trip experiences high elevations, we recommend guests with preexisting medical conditions talk with a doctor prior to travel.
ITINERARY
ITINERARYWelcome to Lima
Arrive in Lima, a capital shaped by history, culture and one of Latin America’s most influential food scenes. Home to a UNESCO-listed historic center, Lima was once the seat of Spanish rule in South America and still carries that significance today. On arrival, transfer to your hotel and settle in before meeting your Travel Director and fellow small group travelers this evening for dinner with drinks, a relaxed first introduction to the journey ahead.
Explore Lima
Explore the colorful capital of Peru this morning with your Local Expert. Discover its colonial heritage, taking in key landmarks such as the Cathedral of Lima, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and City Hall. Visit Casa Aliaga, an impressive mansion that's been home to the Aliaga family for 17 generations. For those with an appreciation for art and history, enjoy a visit to Museo Larco, a renowned private museum nestled in the Pueblo Libre District. Rated as one of South America's top museums, it houses the world’s largest collection of Pre-Columbian art. Enjoy lunch set in an 18th-century garden at Cafe del Museo Larco, where regional Peruvian dishes draw on centuries-old traditions. Dine beneath bougainvillea-draped terraces in the grounds of a vice-royal mansion, part of one of Lima’s most storied colonial estates. Afterwards, a Local Expert will guide you through the museum's treasured collection, offering fascinating insights into Peru’s ancient civilisations and spiritual traditions.
Lima to Sacred Valley
Take a transfer to the airport in the morning, where you'll catch your flight to the ancient capital of Cusco. Begin your tour of the Sacred Valley, while taking in impressive views on your scenic drive along the way. After a few stunning photo stops, enjoy lunch at Altar Inca, surrounded by some of the most impressive views of the region. Enjoy a leisurely trip to your hotel for the next couple of nights, where the evening is yours to do as you please. We recommend that you rest in order to adjust to the altitude comfortably.
Explore Sacred Valley
Spend the day in the Sacred Valley, where ancient ingenuity, living traditions and local flavors come together. Visit the Maras Salt Mines with a Local Expert and see the thousands of terraced pools still used to harvest salt, before continuing to Moray, where the Incas created circular terraces believed to have been used for agricultural experimentation. Later, head to Laguna Piuray for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience weaving demonstration, revealing how textiles continue to shape personal and regional identity in the Andes. Then enjoy an experience at Laguna Piuray. Sit down to a traditional lunch, cooked in the earth with hot stones and accompanied by local musicians, before learning to play the zampoña, a traditional Andean panpipe.
Explore Machu Picchu
Begin the day in Ollantaytambo, where the surviving stone streets and terraces still reflect the layout of an Inca town. Visit the ruins with a Local Expert, then stop at a local home in the old town to meet the family who live there and learn more about daily life in the village. Later, enjoy your travels as you board IncaRail’s The Prime train to Machu Picchu Pueblo, traveling in superior comfort with an Andean-inspired tasting and live music on board. On arrival, visit Machu Picchu with a Local Expert, who will guide your Small Group through the 15th-century citadel and explain the significance of its architecture, engineering and mountain setting.
Machu Picchu at Leisure
Take in the breathtaking landscapes of Machu Picchu for a second time. Spend your morning exploring at your own pace, with your Travel Director on hand to answer any queries you may have. The remainder of your day is at your leisure. Relax back at your hotel or perhaps explore the town of Aguas Calientes on your own.
On to Cusco
Board your IncaRail 360 train to Ollantaytambo after breakfast, then continue to Cusco, once the capital of the Inca Empire and still one of Peru’s most important historic cities. You’ll join a Local Expert for a walking tour through the old center, including Plaza Mayor, the 12-Angled Stone and Koricancha, once the most important temple in the Inca Empire. Enjoy an after-hours visit to the Cusco Planetarium to see the southern sky through dome projections, Inca constellations and Andean astronomy, with telescope observation when conditions allow.
Exploring Cusco
Explore the Inca sites above Cusco this morning, where ceremonial spaces, defensive outposts and monumental stonework reveal how the empire shaped its capital. Visit Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Qenqo before continuing to Sacsayhuaman, whose vast zigzag walls still overlook the city. After lunch, explore further with Insight Choice. Visit San Pedro Market with a Local Expert to one of Cusco’s most traditional market halls. Here, you’ll buy local food products that will later be donated to the community. Or step inside Cusco Cathedral on Plaza de Armas to see gilded altars, carved woodwork and paintings from the Cusco School, where colonial art and Inca heritage meet.
Leisure time in Cusco
Spend the day at leisure in Cusco, with time to explore more of this historic Andean city at your own pace. You may wish to join an Optional Experience to ChocoMuseo to learn more about cacao and the chocolate-making process, or choose an Optional Experience to Rainbow Mountain for a striking high-altitude landscape beyond the city. You could also spend time around Plaza de Armas, browse the artisan shops of San Blas or visit San Pedro Market for a look at local produce and everyday life in the city. This evening, join your fellow Small Group travelers for dinner at Inka Grill and share memories of your journey through Peru and the landscapes of the Andes.
From the Andes to the Coast
Depart Cusco and fly to Lima. From here, enjoy a leisurely coastal drive to the beach town of Paracas. Known for its sandy beaches, tranquil bay, wildlife and the Paracas Candelabra geoglyph. With the rest of your evening free, take the opportunity to relax at your beautiful resort right on the beach. Take a cooling dip in one of their two swimming pools or stroll through the fragrant gardens.
Paracas & the Nazca Lines
Begin your day in Paracas, one of Peru’s most historic coastal communities, where fishing is not only a livelihood but a deeply rooted cultural identity. Meet a local fisherman who shares how small-scale communities are sustained by the sea—economically, socially and spiritually. Gain insight into the growing pressure from industrial fleets and the fragile balance between tradition and modernity. This personal exchange offers a rare window into a way of life that is both resilient and under threat. Later, board a scenic flight over the UNESCO-listed Nazca Lines. Etched into the arid plateau more than 1,500 years ago, these vast geoglyphs continue to puzzle archaeologists and enchant travelers.
Ballestas Islands and Peruvian Wildlife
Home to blue footed boobies, Humboldt penguins, Peruvian pelicans, fur seals and sea lions, the Ballestas Islands are famous for their abundant marine life as well as striking rock formations. Soak it all in on this morning’s scenic cruise with your Local Expert. Experience another side of the area in the nearby city of Ica at a pisco distillery for a tasting. Sip and savor the national drink in Peru in this region known for growing grapes and producing the best pisco. Enhance your cultural discoveries at one of Peru’s finest small museums housing mummies, skulls, fossils, ceramics, textiles and artifacts from the Inca and other significant civilizations of the region.
Chincha and return to Lima
Return to Lima today with your small group, stopping in Chincha at Hacienda San José, a 17th-century estate in Peru’s Afro-Peruvian south coast. Its original house, baroque chapel and underground tunnels reveal the history of the estate and the role it played in Peru’s colonial-era slave economy, adding further depth to your understanding of the country’s past. Later, continue to Lima and transfer to the airport, where it’s time to say goodbye to your fellow travelers as your journey through Peru comes to an end.
Disclaimer: Prices listed are per person, based on double occupancy, and in USD. All promotions are valid for new bookings only, capacity controlled and valid on select dates and departures. Individual Terms and Conditions will apply to all promotions. Any promotion can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Please speak with your Pavlus Travel Planner for complete vendor terms and conditions, including eligible tour and cruise dates.
