The Best of Peru and Bolivia (PB202)

After breakfast, at 10:30 am we transfer to the Larco Museum, an excellent introduction to the archaeological sites we will visit later. The museum houses one of the world’s most impressive collections of pre-Columbian art, showcasing gold, silver, and copper works from ancient civilizations including Paracas, Chavín, Nazca, Moche, Wari, Lambayeque, Sican, Chimu, and Inca.

After the visit, we enjoy the opportunity to taste authentic Peruvian cuisine for lunch before returning to the hotel. (B)

Early morning flight from Lima to Chiclayo. After rest, we visit Huaca Rajada (“Cracked Pyramid”), famous for the 1987 discovery of spectacular Moche tombs—one of the most important archaeological finds in Peru. The site museum showcases this pre-Inca civilization known for exceptional pottery, gold, and jewelry.

We continue to Lambayeque to visit the Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum, which houses priceless artifacts from the Sipán discovery.

Then we travel to Túcume, where the museum explains the transition from the Moche to the Sicán culture, who built vast adobe pyramids, including the world’s longest (over 700 m). Return to Chiclayo for overnight. (B, L)

Travel along the Pan American Highway with coastal scenery. Visit El Brujo Archaeological Complex, associated with the Moche, Wari, and Inca periods. Here we see the tomb of the Lady of Cao, a remarkably preserved Moche ruler with tattoos and burial offerings of jewels and symbols of power. Visit the site museum to learn more about her and the Moche culture.

Continue to Trujillo with a lunch stop at a local restaurant en route. Transfer to hotel. (B, L)

Visit Huaca de la Luna, a Moche pyramid (100–750 AD) with murals of the god Ai-Paec (“Decapitator”), plus the Huacas de Moche Museum with excavation displays and multimedia exhibits.

Continue to Huanchaco to enjoy seafood and see traditional “caballitos de totora” reed boats still used by local fishermen since pre-Inca times.

In the afternoon, explore Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the world and former Chimú capital. Once home to about 50,000 people, it consists of nine royal palace complexes. At the Tschudi palace, walk through courtyards with fish and seabird friezes, net-patterned walls, ceremonial areas, residences, storage rooms, and reservoirs with “sunken gardens” for elite agriculture. Return to hotel. (B, L)

Transfer to the airport for a flight to Cusco via Lima. On arrival in Cusco (3,400 m), receive coca tea for acclimatization.

Visit Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun), later built over by the Santo Domingo convent. If time permits, enjoy a traditional music and dance show or a walk through the historic center, including the Main Square and nearby artisan streets. (B)

Pick up from hotel and transfer to the Amaru community to experience living Andean culture. On arrival, we are welcomed with traditional music and k’antu flowers, the sacred flower of the Incas. A guided visit introduces traditional textile techniques, including the use of organic plants for natural dyes, their symbolism, and medicinal uses. We also participate in wool processing, including shearing, cleaning, spinning, and natural dyeing. After the demonstrations, there is an opportunity to purchase local textiles such as scarves, belts, bags, and table runners.

After lunch prepared by local cooks, we visit the Pisaq traditional market before continuing to Ollantaytambo, a remarkably preserved Inca town and former agricultural, military, and religious center built to defend the Sacred Valley. Transfer to hotel. (B, L)

Early breakfast and transfer to the train station. A 2-hour train journey takes us to Aguas Calientes (below 2,000 m), followed by a 20-minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu, set 500 m above the Urubamba River and overlooked by Huayna Picchu (2,800 m). Our guide explains the history and myths of this iconic site, considered one of the most mysterious and spectacular archaeological wonders in the world. The dramatic landscape features steep cloud-forest mountains and views over the Urubamba Canyon.

After the visit, we return by bus to Aguas Calientes for optional buffet lunch, then take the train back to Ollantaytambo or Cusco. Transfer to hotel. (B)

Today we start our visit to the four archeological centers of Sacsayhuaman, Quenqo, Tambomachay and Pukapukara.

Early lunch on your own and transfer to the Chocolate Museum to take a course on how to make chocolate from scratch. Free rest of the afternoon. (B)

In the morning, flight to La Paz. Welcome at El Alto Airport. Cable car ride into downtown or Zona Sud in La Paz. (B)

Early flight from La Paz to Uyuni and transfer to Colchani, gateway to the Uyuni Salt Flats, where locals extract and process salt. Learn about the salt flats’ geology, including the “Ojos de Sal,” where ice-cold mineral water bubbles up through the salt, fed by underground rivers from the Tunupa Volcano. En route to Isla Incahuasi, we pass the first hotel built entirely from salt blocks. On the island, we enjoy lunch surrounded by giant cacti and unique high-altitude wildlife.

In the afternoon, we continue north across the salt flats toward Tunupa Volcano for sunset views over the Salar. Dinner follows, with optional stargazing under clear skies to learn about Aymara constellations and beliefs. (B, L, D)

After breakfast, drive to Tunupa Volcano viewpoint, with an optional 6-hour hike offering panoramic views over the salt flats. Return to Colchani with stops at key viewpoints to explore and photograph the landscape. (B, L, D)

After breakfast and hotel check-out, we travel to the colonial city of Potosí, once the richest city in the Americas, founded in the 16th century. The journey crosses high Puna grasslands and the Altiplano at over 4,000 m (13,000 ft), taking about 4.5 hours (250 km) on paved road. En route, after about one hour, we stop in Pulacayo, an old mining town known for its historic railway linked to the story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

On arrival in Potosí, a UNESCO World Heritage city famous for its narrow streets and blend of baroque, Gothic, and indigenous architecture, we continue with a visit to the Casa de la Moneda (Royal Mint House). If time permits, optional visits include San Francisco Church or the Convent of Santa Teresa. Transfer to hotel. (D)

In the morning, we will check out of the hotel to travel to the City of Sucre. After checking in at the hotel, in the afternoon we will tour the most beautiful city in Bolivia. Among its many attractions, we will find the Recoleta Convent, which is compelling and offers a great view of Sucre and the hills surrounding the city. Later during the day, we will visit the historic “House of Liberty” where Simon Bolivar signed Bolivia’s Act of Independence in 1825, creating a free republic.

Today we will visit the famous Dinosaur tracks, and we will have a chance to view Bolivia’s best examples of indigenous art (weavings) at ASUR (Museum of Indigene Art) and then we can walk the textile street. Free afternoon to relax in this city. (B)

In the morning, pick up from the hotel to go to Sucre’s new airport for a fly to El Alto airport. Upon arrival transfer to Copacabana, entrance gate to Lake Titicaca, by car. This trip will take about three and half hours. (B, L, D)

Today we will visit Isla del Sol, from Copacabana we will ride a boat to the Isla, where can hike through the village of Yumani, known as “The Garden of the Incas”; and visit the spring of Eternal Youth, where the Incas performed baptisms. It is said that if we drink water from this fountain, we will have eternal youth!

Then we head to the bay to return by boat to Copacabana, and to La Paz. (B, L)

Transfer to the La Paz airport for our flight to go home. (B)