Impressions of Peru

Petit déjeuner. Départ pour la visite du centre-ville de Lima qui fut fondée en 1535 par Francesco Pizarro, et devint un des centres artistiques et architecturaux
les plus importants d’Amérique Latine à l’époque de la colonisation espagnole.
Visite de la Plaza de Armas, la Cathédrale, le Palacio de Gobierno, le Palacio Arzobispal (visites extérieures). Découverte de la Basilique et du couvent Santo Domingo (visites intérieures). Arrêt à la Plaza San Martin qui doit son nom au libérateur du Pérou. Déjeuner avec cours de cuisine pour élaborer le traditionnel Ceviche. Puis visite du musée La rco qui possède d’incroyables collections privées d’art précolombien couvrant près de 4 000 ans d’histoire et de nombreuses cultures.
Dîner et nuit à l’hôtel.

Breakfast. Transfer to the neighborhoods San Isidro and Miraflores located on the edge of the Pacific. Discover the park of love perched on the cliff overlooking the Pacific and place of worship for all lovers. Lunch in a restaurant on the edge of the Pacific. Visit the archaeological site of Huaca Pucllana, ancient ceremonial center located in the heart of Lima. Ancient Huari tombs and mummies have been found there. Transfer to Lima airport and flight to Arequipa, nicknamed “The White City”, because of the color of its buildings. Welcome by your French guide. Transfer, installation, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Departure for the visit of Arequipa: discovery of the elegant Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the Church of the Society of Jesus (internal visit). Visit the convent of Santa Catalina, a must and huge Dominican convent, founded in 1579. You will see the parlors, the patio of Silence, the cloister of the Novices, the cloister of the Orange trees, as well as the cells where the nuns lived. Lunch in a “Picanteria”, a typical Arequipean restaurant. Visit the Sanctuario Andino museum dedicated to the preservation of the frozen Juanita mummy’s body, also known as the “ice cream girl”. Back to your hotel. Dinner in a local restaurant. Night at the hotel.

Breakfast. Crossing the Aguada Blanca Reserve known for its volcanoes with snow-capped peaks: Misti, Chachani and Ubinas and its numerous flocks of camelids (llamas, alpacas and vicuñas). Continue to Colca Canyon via Yura and Canahuas. You will take an asphalt road at nearly 4,800m through “La Puna”, desolate landscapes surrounded by volcanoes, cacti. Lunch in Chivay. Near the Place des Armes is the small local market. Departure towards La Calera, 4 km from the center of Chivay to swim in the hot thermal waters with curative properties at 38 ° (towels for rent on site). Departure by road to the south of the Canyon. Installation, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Departure by bus by the track towards the Condor Cross. Its depth is estimated at 2 times that of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. You will walk along large colorful and cultivated terraces of quinoa, corn, barley and wheat and cross small Andean villages. Stop at the Cross and observe the Andean Condor and walk along the Canyon to observe the terraces. Buffet lunch in a local restaurant. Road to Puno crossing lunar landscapes of desert steppe. Arrival in the heart of the Altiplano, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Installation, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Transfer to the port of Puno by tuk tuk and embark on the boat that will take you to discover the islands of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, located at 3810 meters above sea level. Its surface is equivalent to 8400 km², of which more than half belongs to Peru, and the rest to Bolivia. Sail to the Uros Islands 7 km from Puno, and discover the way of life of the islanders, spread over more than 60 islands made of reeds about 3 meters thick. Continue to the island of Taquile, where nearly 3,000 people live in community, in rather dry landscapes reminiscent of those of the Mediterranean. Lunch of local specialties in the community restaurant. Back to Puno. Dinner with folk animation in traditional costume. Night at the hotel.

Beakfast. Visit the necropolis of Sillustani with the discovery of the funerary tombs, “chullpas”, erected by the Collas who dominated the region before the arrival of the Incas around 1400. Departure by bus to Cusco, essential step, appreciated for its dynamism, its relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, and especially for its architectural and archaeological wealth. Stop at La Raya, which marks the delineation between the Altiplano and the Andean region, at 4300 meters above sea level. Here is the highest point of the trip. From the Raya you can enjoy the Chimboya glacier, where the sacred river of the Incas “Vilcanota”, which leads to Machu Picchu, takes its source. Buffet lunch in a local restaurant. Continue to Cusco. Stop at the Church of San Pedro Apóstol in Andahuaylillas, nicknamed “the Sistine Chapel of the Americas”, thanks to the quality and the profusion of its ornaments. Arrival in Cusco, archaeological capital of South America and the starting point to discover the sumptuous Machu Picchu. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Departure for a guided tour of Cuzco on foot: the cathedral (internal visit), the Plaza de Armas, the Coricancha (internal visit), the district of San Blas characterized by its white houses with blue doors and shutters. Breakfast in a local restaurant. Visit the 4 archaeological sites of Saqsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Tambomachay and Puca Pucara. Return Cuzco. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Departure towards the Sacred Valley, which contains several remarkable archaeological sites. The Incas exploited the Valley in particular to cultivate the corn terraces, which one still distinguishes contours today. Discovery of the Sunday market of the community of Chinchero. Lunch in the community. Continue to the Salines de Maras, located in the heart of the Andes. You will see about 5000 ponds of crystallized salt, on a hillside, where a salt-saturated stream runs. Then, discovering the Moray site is an old Inca laboratory discovered in 1930. The terraces are upstairs in an amphitheater and the site was used as a test for the cultures and then realizing them in the Valley. Continue to the village of Ollantaytambo. It dominates the three deep valleys where passes the path to Machu Picchu. Visit the ruins of the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. You will climb a very steep staircase that will take you to Inca terraces. Then board the train to Aguas Calientes. Installation at your hotel. Dinner in a local restaurant. Night at the hotel.

Breakfast. Departure for the mysterious site of Machu Pichu. You will then take a small shuttle that will take you to the entrance of the site. Then, walk up 500 meters to access the site. Guided tour of the site. Return by shuttle to Aguas Calientes. Lunch at a local restaurant in Aguas Calientes. In the afternoon, return by train to Ollantaytambo. Installation, dinner and overnight at the hotel in the sacred valley.

Breakfast. Departure for the visit of the archaeological site of Pisac. It is one of the most important in the region, and the most complete Inca site after Machu Picchu. From the path of the site you will reach a superb point of view on the old village and the terraces. Lunch. Free afternoon. Dinner show of Cusquenian Andean dances. Night at the hotel.

Breakfast. Morning and free lunch. Transfer to Cusco airport and flight to Lima.