In the Footsteps of the Incas

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In the Footsteps of the Incas



Tour Description:

From the cloud forests of the Andes to the birthplace of the sun at Lake Titicaca, this journey through Peru's altiplanos and the famous floating Uros Islands traces the ancient past of the Incas. Visits with local weavers, corn farmers, and expert photographers infuse this Peru tour with captivating culture.

Map for In the Footsteps of the Incas
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Dates & Pricing

Monday 17 Feb 25 — Thursday 27 Feb 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 24 Feb 25 — Thursday 06 Mar 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 10 Mar 25 — Thursday 20 Mar 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 07 Apr 25 — Thursday 17 Apr 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 14 Apr 25 — Thursday 24 Apr 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 21 Apr 25 — Thursday 01 May 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 05 May 25 — Thursday 15 May 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 19 May 25 — Thursday 29 May 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 02 Jun 25 — Thursday 12 Jun 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 09 Jun 25 — Thursday 19 Jun 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 23 Jun 25 — Thursday 03 Jul 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 07 Jul 25 — Thursday 17 Jul 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 14 Jul 25 — Thursday 24 Jul 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 18 Aug 25 — Thursday 28 Aug 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 25 Aug 25 — Thursday 04 Sep 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 08 Sep 25 — Thursday 18 Sep 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 22 Sep 25 — Thursday 02 Oct 25Starting at $3,864Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 06 Oct 25 — Thursday 16 Oct 25Starting at $4,225Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 13 Oct 25 — Thursday 23 Oct 25Starting at $4,225Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 27 Oct 25 — Thursday 06 Nov 25Starting at $4,225Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 03 Nov 25 — Thursday 13 Nov 25Starting at $4,225Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 17 Nov 25 — Thursday 27 Nov 25Starting at $4,225Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 08 Dec 25 — Thursday 18 Dec 25Starting at $4,225Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Check Mark Icon 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.


ITINERARY

Arrive Lima
The Capital of the New World extends a warm welcome on your epic voyage through the iconic and unexpected highlights of Peru. Meet your local host on arrival and transfer to your hotel in the upscale shopping district of Miraflores. This evening, you’ll join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a Welcome Reception at 6 p.m.

Lima Sightseeing
Start your city tour taking in the highlights of Lima. Visit Casona San Marcos, where you'll enjoy a snack from a local vendor and learn more about the fascinating history of this ancient building from Local Specialists. During a short workshop, learn to play the “cajón” percussion instrument and get an introduction to the basic steps of “musica negra”, a dance that originated in Chincha (near Paracas). Continue to the Main Square of Lima for more views and history. Choose to join a walking tour of Miraflores with a local expert highlighting the popular Larcomar shopping center. End at Kennedy Park for additional exploration on your own or walk back to your hotel.

Lima – Cusco – Sacred Valley (2 Nights) Dive Into Culture Stays With Stories
We board a morning flight to Cusco, the gateway to Peru's treasured Sacred Valley, where you'll enjoy a Peruvian lunch with sweeping views of the Sacred Valley. Then we'll Dive Into Culture and meet a Shaman who will perform a special ceremony welcoming you to Peru.

Sacred Valley Connect with Locals
Connect With Locals over a Be My Guest experience lunch, learn about the culture surrounding the production of Giant White Corn. Our hosts will demonstrate the differences between traditional farming techniques and the newer technologies used today. Revel in the romance of the local Marinera dance and local musicians. The marinera is the best-known couple dance on the coast of Peru. It is characterized by the use of handkerchiefs, steps of great elegance and rhythmic music similar to the Aragonese jota, the zamacueca and the Chilean cueca, but with its own Peruvian identity that flaunts the Hispano-indigenous-African miscegenation. For the same reason, over the years Andean and highland versions have emerged. This evening, meet Local Specialist, Peter Frost, a writer, photographer and independent scholar who has explored the Andes and Amazon for 47 years, locating and investigating the previously unknown Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina. He currently resides in Peru and works as an accompanying expert for National Geographic Expeditions. Later this evening, learn how to prepare an authentic Ceviche and pour the perfect Pisco sour.

Sacred Valley – Machu Picchu Connect with Locals
Visit the mystical Incan stronghold of Ollantaytambo, en route to Machu Picchu, a village in the Sacred Valley, set on the Urubamba River amid majestic mountains. It's known for the Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside. Then, ascend to the Lost City in the Clouds aboard the Vistadome train (light snack included) traveling along the Inca Trail, where you can view hikers and porters along the way. Here you will delve into the mysteries of this once-great civilization, joining your Local Specialist for an exploration of the temples, palaces and terraces whose construction defy imagination. Visit the iconic great Temple of the Sun, the House of the Priest, the Sacred Plaza and the intricately carved Intihuatana, most likely used as a sundial centuries ago.

Machu Picchu – Cusco Dive Into Culture
The ruins of Machu Picchu beckon yet again and we enjoy one final opportunity to reconnect with its story, spending some time on our own to explore the hill-top fortress. Next, we’ll journey back to the Sacred Valley by train, stopping en route to Cusco to MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® and learn about the natural dyeing techniques used by native weavers. Visit the Pisac handicraft market followed by sampling the sweet flavors of chicha, savoring the favorite drink of the Andes.

Cusco Sightseeing
Begin your day at the ruins of the UNESCO-listed Incan Sacsayhuaman fortress overlooking Cusco. Admire the massive, sacred stonework before your Local Specialist guides you through Cusco’s colonial center. During your city tour, visit the shop of the social project Mantay, a housing and education project for underage mothers to live here and learn a craft or trade. Later, you’ll join another Local Specialist who will reveal insights into the nearby 13th-century Incan settlement of Qoriwayrachina. The afternoon is free to join an optional experience including a visit to the Chocolate Museum, Cusco off the beaten track or the greenhouse and salt wells of Maras and Moray.

Cusco – Juliaca – Lake Titicaca
Fly to Juliaca and meet a Local Specialist to learn about daily life on the Peruvian altiplano. After an included al fresco lunch, visit Sillustani, a pre-Incan burial ground on the shores of Lake Umayo where striking chullpas (stone tombs) are scattered across the landscape, inviting you to step back in time. Then travel via Puno along the shores to Lake Titicaca, the birthplace of the sun. Here you’ll Dive Into Culture visiting the home of Víctor Coila, his wife Mariluz, and their two daughters for a meal of quinoa bread, potatoes with cheese and authentic chaco sauce.

Lake Titicaca Excursion Connect with Locals Dive Into Culture
Connect With Locals as you cruise the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca, passing floating islands constructed by the Uros people. Next, in the midst of South America’s largest lake lies Taquile Island, where we’ll MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®  and embark on a private tour to gain insights into the tradition of knitting and weaving for which the local villagers - men and women - are renowned. Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. This experience aligns with UN's Global goal 10, reduced inequalities. Enjoy a lunch here and learn more about the islanders’ unique way of life upon islets make of totora reeds, which grow in the lake, and are attached to sticks driven into the bottom of the lake. Tonight, we indulge in a Regional Dinner at our favorite local restaurant in Puno.

Lake Titicaca – Juliaca – Lima Dive Into Culture
This morning we return to Lima, enjoying an afternoon at leisure after our flight. Enjoy time on your own to explore the capital of Peru, settled on the country's arid Pacific coast. We’ll join a Local Specialist this evening, visiting one of Lima's most renowned museums after dark - the Larco Museum. Admire the pre-Columbian artefacts that reveal insights into the cultures of ancient Peru. Then, sit down to a gourmet Farewell Dinner filled with Peruvian flavors as you overlook the museum's beautiful gardens.

Check Mark 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.