11 DAY STUDY TOUR TO PERU April 9-April 19, 2016

Transcription

1 11 DAY STUDY TOUR TO PERU April 9-April 19, 2016 DAY BY DAY ITINERARY Day 01 April 09 (Sat) -... / Lima / Cusco / Sacred Valley (-/L/D) Lima Airport Assistance (private English speaking transferman) Transfer Cusco Airport / Sacred Valley incl. en route visit to Awancancha, Pisac Market & Hotel Inspection at Inkaterra Urubamba and Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel (private English speaking guide) Lunch at Belmond Rio Sagrado (set menu) + Hotel Inspection PM: Visit Pablo Seminario Ceramic Workshop (private English speaking guide) Dinner at local restaurant (TBA, set menu) Overnight at Hotel Sol y Luna Day 02 April 10 (Sun) - Sacred Valley Hotel Inspection at Tambo del Inka Luxury Collection FD Maras Saltpans, Moray Terraces & Ollantaytambo Fortress (private English speaking guide) Lunch at Wayra Ranch incl. Paso Horse Exhibition (set menu) Dinner at local restaurant (TBA, set menu) Overnight at Hotel Sol y Luna Day 03 April 11 (Mon) - Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu FD Machu Picchu tour via roundtrip Vistadome train (private English speaking guide) AM: Hotel Inspection Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Buffet lunch at Tinkuy Restaurant & Hotel Inspection at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge Hotel Inspection & Dinner at Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel (set menu) Overnight at Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel Day 04 April 12 (Tue) - Machu Picchu / Cusco AM: Return via Vistadome train to Ollantaytambo station and transfer to your hotel in Cusco (private English speaking transferman) Lunch + Hotel Inspection at Inkaterra Urubamba (TBA, set menu) PM: Hotel Inspection at Casona Inkaterra Dinner at Limo Restaurant (set menu, walking distance) Overnight at Belmond Monasterio Day 05 April 13 (Wed) - Cusco Early AM: Hotel Inspection at Belmond Monasterio & Belmond Palacio Nazarenas AM: Cusco Walking City tour including San Blas, Hatun Rumilloc Street, MAP Museum ending with Pisco Demonstration & Tasting at Map Café Restaurant (private English speaking guide) Lunch + Hotel Inspection at JW Marriott Cusco (TBA, walking distance) PM: At leisure Dinner + Hotel Inspection at Aranwa Cusco Boutique (TBA, walking distance) Overnight at Libertador Palacio del Inka Luxury Collection

2 Day 06 April 14 (Thu) - Cusco / Lima / Iquitos (B/-/D) AM: Transfer Hotel / Cusco Airport (private English speaking transferman) Lima Airport assistance for your connecting flight (private English speaking transferman) 4 days / 3 nights Amazon Discovery Cruise (FAP) Overnight on board Day 06 thru Day 09 April 14 (Thu) thru April 17 (Sun) - Iquitos 4 days / 3 nights Amazon Discovery Cruise (FAP) Overnight on board Day 09 April 17 (Sun) Iquitos / Lima (B/Sn/D) Transfers docks / Iquitos Airport Transfer Lima Airport / Hotel (private English speaking transferman) PM: Snack (Country Club) + Hotel Inspections (Swissotel, Country Club Lima, Hilton Miraflores, JW Marriott Lima) Dinner at local restaurant (set menu, TBA) Overnight at Belmond Miraflores Park Day 10 April 18 (Mon) Lima AM: At leisure Hotel Inspection at Belmond Miraflores Park Lunch + Hotel Inspection at Hotel B PM: Colonial & Modern City tour Lima incl. Larco Museum (private English speaking guide) Hotel inspection + After Office (TBA) Overnight at Westin Lima Day 11 April 19 (Tue) Lima / Transfer Hotel / Lima Airport (private English speaking transferman) (B/-/-) Special Remarks: B: Breakfast / L: Lunch / BL: Box Lunch / D: Dinner

3 ITINERARY DESCRIPTION Day 01 April 09 (Sat) / Lima / Cusco/ Sacred Valley (-/L/D) Lima Airport assistance (private) Upon arrival into Lima International Airport, you will be met by our representative who will assist you with check-in procedures for your next flight, and provide you with a detailed itinerary and vouchers covering all the services included in your tour, as well as additional information on the organization of your Peru trip. You will also receive a contact information sheet with all the hotel details as well as our offices contact information for each city and a 24-hour emergency number. Transfer Cusco Airport / Sacred Valley incl. Awanacancha, Pisac Market & Hotel Inspection at Aranwa Sacred Valley, en route (private) Upon your arrival to Cusco Airport you will be met by our representative who will assist you with your luggage and drive you to the Sacred Valley. En route towards the Valley, you will have the chance to visit Awanacancha, an Andean textile center whose key objective is to maintain the wealth of the Inca s textile art and keep their traditions alive. Awanacancha means the palace of weaving and as its name announces, it is all about textile production. Here you will learn about the dyeing techniques and instruments used for hundreds of years in the weaving of these famous textiles. You will walk along a thatched roof path and will watch and learn about the four different kinds of South American camelids: Huanaco, Llama, Alpaca and Vicuña. At the end of the path you will find weavers from over 12 communities from southern Peru who alternate exhibitions of threading, dying and weaving traditional Andean textiles, thus avoiding their identity loss. Continue to the town of Pisac, famous for its ruins but even more so for its market which was the place of reunion for all artisans of the region to get together and exchange or buy and sell their products. Originally held only on Sundays, but due to the increase of tourism in the area during the XXth century it became increasingly popular to the point that now it is held daily. It is a favorite destination for visitors from all over the world who don t want to miss the opportunity of enjoying the colorful ambience in this marketplace. This is an excellent chance to share the peasants customs closely with plenty of time to explore and even barter all the goods and crafts typical of the areas around Cusco. Leisurely roam through the textiles and souvenir sections of the market. From here we will continue to Hotel Inkaterra Urubamba for our first hotel inspection. We will then continue to Aranwa Sacred Valley for our second inspection of the day. Lunch will be served at Belmond Rio Sagrado El Huerto Restaurant (depending on weather conditions it could be offered at the hotel Gardens), after the corresponding site inspection.

4 PM: Visit Pablo Seminario s Ceramic Workshop (private) After lunch, stop at Pablo Seminario s Ceramic Workshop, where you will observe creations in progress and with luck maybe even meet the own artist Pablo Seminario as he mainly works in his studio year round. He dedicates his life to the discovery of techniques and designs from ancient Peruvian cultures and every production of his studio presents a new art expression, providing continuity to these cultural inheritances. In his atelier, Pablo Seminario works on the drafts of winged men and magic creatures with crowned heads and round eyes, which resemble traditional pre-inca pieces. Inside the working rooms, a group of artisans trained by the family draw and paint cups, vases, and lamps with great accuracy and skill by using long brushes submerged in colored paints. At the end of your visit you will have the opportunity to take a look at the exhibition shop and why not maybe even buy one of their unique pieces. Dinner will be served at a local restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Sol y Luna Day 02 April 10 (Sun) - Sacred Valley Full day Maras Saltpans, Moray Terraces & Ollantaytambo Fortress incl. lunch (private) Our first stop will be Tambo del Inka Luxury Collection Hotel for the corresponding site inspection. Enjoy a journey through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, to the salt fields of Maras and its seemingly never-ending terraces, where salt extracted from springs is stored. Although these waters have been used for centuries, even before the time of the Incas, Maras was founded by the Spanish in It supplied salt to the southern highlands during the viceroyalty, so it was an important town. The use of Maras Salt dates back thousands of years and is inherited from generation to generation and managed communally. It is produced naturally in about 5,000 pools of about 5 square meters each forming different levels of terraces, nourished by salty water from a creek that permeates the pools and then evaporated by the intense sun, forming thick crystals. They are extracted once a month, as soon as they have reached a height of 10 cm. It is impressive to see the variety of colors created by the reflection of the sun s rays in this field of salt deposits, and to learn about the Incas striking ability to generate resources. Continue your excursion to admire the Moray terraces, believed to be a former gigantic agricultural laboratory, an astronomical observatory or a place of worship, or maybe all three. It is thought that Moray was used for plant adaptation to new climatic environments thanks to its circular terraces in immense cone-shaped depressions of 47 to 84 m that resemble giant fingerprints or contour lines. These create a series of microclimates at the different heights of the terraces, which enabled the Incas to experimentally improve a great variety of crops. Today, it is an evidence of the high level of agricultural knowledge they reached. Next stop will be lunch, to be served at a local ranch including a Peruvian Paso Horse demonstration; with their elegance and noble spirit, the Peruvian Paso Horse symbolizes a centuries-old tradition of cultural fusion and folklore that defines and enriches Peru. In this

5 presentation, Paso horses from the ranch stables demonstrate their flowing gait and graceful motion to the rhythm of Marinera, Peruvian National dance, accompanied by an award-winning dancer. After lunch, visit the Inca fortress and citadel of Ollantaytambo. This site was built just as the Spaniards arrived and evidence of how it was constructed is still visible. This fortress was believed to be constructed in order to guard the entrance to this part of the valley and protect it from possible invasions of tribes from the jungle lowlands. Later it served as a temporary capital for Manco Inca, leader of the Inca resistance in 1537 during the Spanish conquest of Perú, who fortified the town to stop the advance, as Cusco had fallen under Spanish domination. Ollantaytambo also features the vestiges of the town built by orders of Inca Pachacutec and thought to be not only a strategic military place to control the Sacred Valley of the Incas, but also for agricultural and religious purposes. Additionally, this place is a ceremonial center dedicated to the purification and worship of water with 150 steps built with perfectly carved stones, very similar to those of Tipon. The archaeological site includes a series of superimposed terraces and stunning finely carved stone blocks located on the upper terrace or Temple of the Sun. The main settlement has an orthogonal layout with four streets crossed by other seven parallel streets and at the center the Incas built a large plaza about the size of four blocks. The town of Ollantaytambo is referred to as a "Live Inca Town" because inhabitants still live according to customs and traditions inherited from their ancestors. Take a journey in time through its straight streets with perfectly laid stones that feature a canal for water to run through the town. After the tour you will be transferred to your hotel. restaurant (TBA). Overnight at Hotel Sol y Luna Dinner will be offered at a local Day 03 April 11 (Mon) - Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu Full day tour to Machu Picchu via roundtrip Vistadome train (private) Morning transfer to the train station for an amazing train journey to the famous Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, the great mountain-top city abandoned by the Inca Empire, reclaimed by the jungle and lost to humanity until its rediscovery in The legendary 'Lost City' is without a doubt one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites. Built by the Incas on the summit of "Machu Picchu" (old peak), overlooking the deep canyon of the Urubamba river in a semi-tropical area 120 Kms (75 miles) from the city of Cusco at 3,400 m.a.s.l (11,155 f.a.s.l).

6 It sits on a mountain site of extraordinary beauty, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest; Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height, with its giant walls, terraces and ramps, which appear as though they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. Machu Picchu is also one of the Inca's best kept secrets, since they did not leave written records and Spanish chronicles make no mention of the citadel, it remains a mystery. Along the way you will enjoy the changing landscape as you travel from Andean highlands to the beginnings of the jungle ( eyebrow of the jungle ), before finally arriving at the town of Aguas Calientes. Once at Aguas Calientes, we shall walk to the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel for a site inspection before walking to the bus stop to board the bus that will take you on a 20 minute ride up to the citadel of Machu Picchu, or Lost City of the Incas, which sits upon the summit bearing the same name, and is one of the most representative and recognized examples of Incan architecture. Upon arrival, site inspection at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge Hotel and lunch will be served at Tinkuy Restaurant before your guided tour. Your visit of the Citadel includes the Main Plaza, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Sun Dial, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and various burial grounds. After the excursion, return by bus to Aguas Calientes, and stop at the hotel s main entrance to disembark. Here we will have the corresponding hotel inspection and Dinner. Overnight at Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel. Day 04 April 12 (Tue) - Machu Picchu / Cusco AM: Return to Cusco Today you will return on a morning train back to Ollantaytambo, and upon arrival at the train station you will be met by our representative and private driver for your transfer to your hotel in Cusco. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant or hotel, en route. After lunch, return to Cusco with a stop at one of the city hotels for the corresponding site inspection and then you will be transferred to your hotel. At the appropriate time, we will walk to the Main Plaza for Dinner at one of the best local restaurants. Overnight at Belmond Monasterio Day 05 April 13 (Wed) Cusco Early morning site inspection at Belmond Monasterio & Belmond Palacio Nazarenas AM: Walking City tour Cusco, San Blas & MAP Museum (private) At the appropriate time, you will go on a walking city tour of the Imperial City of Cusco, including the Santo Domingo Church built upon the foundations of the Inca temple Koricancha, which was dedicated to Sun worship. You will also visit the Main Plaza, which has been the scene of great historical events in Cusco; and the Cathedral, constructed of

7 great slabs of red granite in the renaissance style, and thus contrasting with the baroque style silverwork which decorates the interior. Continue with a visit to the district of San Blas, with its winding streets, the whitewashed houses, the blue balconies hung with geranium-filled flowerpots, the uneven line of the tiled rooftops and the endless stairways. In the neighborhood live the folk artists of Cusco, who for centuries have used their hands to tell the tale of their longings and frustrations working in stone and woodcarving, sculpture, doll-making, silverware, weaving and textile arts, gold-leaf, mask-making, and an array of ceramics in utilitarian, architectural, sculptural, monumental, grotesque and many other styles for example Edilberto Merida, renowned sculptor. He looked to religion for his primary inspiration, but he moved away from traditional religious images, by making grotesque images with exaggerated features. It is a form of sculpture that has come to be known as "mud of protest." Then visit the Pre-Columbian Art Museum, the only museum in Peru dedicated to rebound the arts of ancient Peruvian cultures; the collection of 450 master pieces date from 1250 B.C to.1532 A.D. End this tour with a Pisco Demonstration and Tasting at MAP Café Restaurant, located inside the MAP Museum compound. Continue with a Cusco City hotel inspection plus lunch, and then return to your hotel. At the appropriate time, you will walk to another Cusco City hotel for the corresponding site inspection and dinner. Return to your Cusco hotel. Overnight at Hotel Libertador Palacio del Inka Luxury Collection Day 06 April 14 (Thu) Cusco / Lima / Iquitos (B/-/D) Transfer Hotel / Cusco Airport (private) At the appropriate time, our representative will meet you at the hotel lobby and transfer you to the Cusco Airport to board your next flight. Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and all departure formalities. Lima Airport assistance (private) Upon arrival into Lima International Airport, you will be met by our representative who will assist you with check-in procedures and any departure formalities for your next flight. Day 06 April 14 (Thu) thru Day 09 April 17 (Sun) 4 days / 3 nights Amazon Discovery Cruise (FAP) Morning and afternoon Jungle excursions and overnight on board

8 Day 09 April 18 (Sun) Iquitos / Lima (B/Sn/D) Transfer Lima Airport / Hotel (private) Upon arrival into Lima International Airport, you will be met by our representative and private driver and transferred to Hotel Country Club Lima for the corresponding siteinspection including a snack; then you will continue with a few more Lima hotel inspections (order & names TBA) Dinner will be served at a local restaurant; then you will be transferred to your hotel. Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures. Overnight at Belmond Miraflores Park Day 10 April 18 (Mon) Lima Morning Hotel Inspection at Belmond Miraflores followed by another hotel inspection in the Miraflores area. Lunch and inspection will follow at Hotel B. PM: Half day Lima City tour & Larco Museum (private) Enjoy a half day guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima, the "City of Kings". Visit Lima's Historical Center, passing by Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Cathedral and its Religious Art Museum (closed on Sunday and Saturday pm; Santo Domingo Convent is provided instead on these days) as well as San Francisco Monastery and its famous underground crypts known as the Catacombs. Continue your visit through the residential Districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, passing by the Huaca Pucllana, a Ceremonial and Administrative Centre of the Lima Culture built in the II Century A.C. that the Incas considered as "Ñaupallaqta" or Sacred Town. Also visit El Olivar Park with olive trees brought from Spain in the XVth Century, the Central Park of Miraflores and El Parque del Amor, or Peruvian Love Park. The Love Park, located on the cliffs of Miraflores overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is a beautiful natural lookout, where you can see the waves of the Pacific rolling in towards the coast below and the Morro Solar in Chorrillos at a distance, with the coast extending further along the bay until the port of Callao. This is also the perfect spot for a romantic view of the setting sun in the late afternoon, right in front of you. Your visit continues with a stop at the Larco Museum, for an excellent overview of Peru's ancient past as it holds the best private collection of pre-columbian art in the country. You will have the chance to tour through this old Hacienda House in the Pueblo Libre district, which was built upon a pre-incan sacred site (huaca), housing the private collection of a great Peruvian scholar: Don Rafael Larco Hoyle. The museum chronologically exhibits hundreds of ceramic, textile, metal and precious stone pieces and also inside you will find the vault which safeguards precious pieces of gold and silver with semiprecious stones. The Larco Museum is one of the few museums in the world that allows such intimate access to its deposits, in this case around 45,000 pieces. Another attraction of the museum and of great interest to visitors is the exhibition of erotic pre-colombian art. After the visit you will be driven to your hotel. After the visit you will be driven to your hotel for a Farewell After Office. Overnight at Westin Lima

9 Day 11 April 19 (Tue) Lima / (B/-/-) Transfer Hotel / Lima Airport (private) At the appropriate time, our representative will meet you at the hotel lobby and transfer you to the Lima Airport to board your next flight. Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and all departure formalities. END OF SERVICES B: breakfast / L: Lunch / D: Dinner / BL: Box Lunch HOTEL INFORMATION City Hotel name & web link Room category Sacred Valley Sol y Luna Superior Casita Aguas Calientes Sumaq Machu Picchu Superior Deluxe Cusco Belmond Monasterio Superior Libertador Palacio del Inka Luxury Collection Superior Iquitos Amazon Discovery Cruise Flora / Fauna Cabins Lima Belmond Miraflores Park City View Jr Suite Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center Deluxe

10 INFORMATION NOTES No international tickets nor taxes are included in above given rates o International departure tax from Lima should be included in your int l air fare; please verify All entrance fees are subject to change without previous notice. Important: On the train journey to Machu Picchu, you will be limited to one piece of luggage weighing no more than 11 ponds and a total linear dimension (length + width + height) of 62 inches. You may keep excess luggage at your hotel in Cusco city For payments with credit card, we are forced to charge 5% more out of the total price due to bank fees Rates are subject to change without prior notice in case supplier conditions change and/or if there are USD exchange rate variations in Peru INCLUSIONS Private excursions with local English speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary, except where otherwise indicated Domestic air tickets in Peru All entrance fees to the sites mentioned in the itinerary Meals: As indicated in the itinerary 01 roundtrip train ticket to Machu Picchu via Vistadome train coach per person 01 Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu per person 01 Bus ticket to and from the Machu Picchu ruins per person 10 night s accommodation All tips (except hotel staff); additional tips are optional and voluntary. However, the following amounts may be used as guidelines: o Guide/transferman: USD 5.00 per guest per day o Driver: USD 2.00 per guest per day o Restaurant Tips: 10% of the total check Permanent assistance during the trip EXCLUSIONS International air fares Meals or any other item not described in the itinerary Early check-in, late check-out, services and non-mentioned meals in the itinerary Personal expenses Drinks during meals, hotel extras and personal spending Tips for hotel staff Local VAT taxes (18% applicable only to Peruvian and foreign residents of Peru; in order to be exempted you will need to show your passport) Health and travel insurance