12-Day Peru & Lake Titicaca Discovery Tour: Lima, Machu Picchu & Puno

Today’s Highlight: Touch down in South America’s culinary capital and start the journey with a taste of Peru’s extraordinary food scene.

Welcome to Peru. Upon arrival, our team will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in Miraflores or Barranco. The evening begins with a welcome dinner at one of Lima’s finest restaurants, your first introduction to Peruvian cuisine and the flavors that will define the days ahead.

Dinner included

Overnight in Lima

Today’s Highlight: Walk Lima’s UNESCO-listed historic center and enjoy one of the city’s finest dining experiences surrounded by pre-Columbian masterpieces.

A guided morning tour of Lima’s historic center: the grand Plaza Mayor, the ornate Cathedral, the baroque colonial quarter, and the famous catacombs beneath the San Francisco Convent. In the afternoon, lunch at the Museo Larco, set in a beautiful garden courtyard within an 18th-century colonial mansion and home to the world’s largest private collection of pre-Columbian gold, silver, and ceramics. One of Lima’s most memorable dining experiences.

Breakfast & Lunch included

Overnight in Lima

Today’s Highlight: Arrive in the Inca heartland and ease into Andean life with a first stop at a traditional artisan collective.

An early flight brings you to Cusco (3,400m / 11,150ft). Rather than heading into the city, we transfer you directly to the Sacred Valley, lower in altitude and the perfect place to acclimatize. Along the way, stop at an Alpaca Farm, a traditional artisan and food producers collective where ancient Andean ingredients, textiles, and techniques are kept alive by local communities. Settle into your valley hotel and rest.

  Breakfast & Lunch included

Overnight in Sacred Valley

Today’s Highlight: The Inca’s most complete surviving town and a feast cooked underground in the Andean tradition.

Explore Ollantaytambo, the most intact example of Inca urban planning still standing, with dramatic fortress terraces and original stone streets still in daily use. Then sit down to a traditional Pachamanca feast: marinated meats and vegetables slow-cooked in an earth oven with hot volcanic stones, just as Andean communities have done for over 1,000 years.

Return to your Sacred Valley hotel for a final night in the valley before the journey to Machu Picchu tomorrow.

Breakfast & Lunch included

Overnight in Sacred Valley

Today’s Highlight: A panoramic train ride through the Sacred Valley followed by early entry into Machu Picchu before the crowds arrive.

Our private driver and guide will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the train station, where you board the Expedition or Vistadome Observatory train, with its panoramic glass roof and open observation deck as the valley narrows and the mountains rise dramatically around you on the way to Aguas Calientes.

From there, head straight up to Machu Picchu for first entry into the citadel. Circuit 2 covers the site’s most iconic perspectives, the classic panoramic viewpoints above the citadel, the principal temples and ceremonial spaces, and the sweeping agricultural terraces descending toward the valley below, with a licensed guide who brings the architecture, astronomy, and Inca history fully to life.

A second night in Aguas Calientes allows for a relaxed afternoon before tomorrow’s deeper exploration.

Breakfast & Lunch included

Overnight in Aguas Calientes

Today’s Highlight: Two civilizations layered on top of each other and an optional afternoon in a Cusco kitchen learning the secrets of Peruvian cuisine.

A guided morning tour of Cusco’s most significant sites: Koricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun, where perfectly fitted stonework still stands beneath a Spanish colonial church, the vibrant Plaza de Armas, and the monumental ruins of Sacsayhuaman overlooking the city.

The afternoon is free to explore independently or opt for a half-day cooking class where a local chef guides you through the techniques and ingredients behind Peru’s most celebrated dishes.

Breakfast & Lunch included

Overnight in Cusco

Today’s Highlight: One of South America’s great rail journeys, crossing the vast Altiplano with gourmet dining, live music, and panoramic Andean views.

Board the PeruRail Titicaca train at Cusco’s Wanchaq Station for a full-day crossing of the high Altiplano. The journey takes approximately 10 hours, passing through open grasslands, traditional Andean villages, and volcanic peaks at altitudes exceeding 4,000m. Onboard highlights include a three-course gourmet lunch in the restaurant car, live music and traditional dance performances, and an observation car with panoramic views. Arrive in Puno in the early evening and settle into your hotel overlooking the lake.

Note: The Titicaca train departs on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays only. Your itinerary is scheduled around these departure days.

Premium upgrade: The Belmond Andean Explorer, South America’s first luxury sleeper train, offers an extraordinary alternative with private cabin accommodation, fine dining, and a piano bar car. This option departs every Tuesday from Cusco and arrives in Puno the following morning, requiring one additional day in the itinerary. Please ask our team for availability and pricing.

Breakfast & Lunch included (on board)

Overnight in Puno

Today’s Highlight: Walk on islands made entirely of reeds, meet the families who built them, and climb to a hilltop view over the world’s highest navigable lake.

Board a boat for the Uros Islands, entirely man-made floating platforms constructed from totora reeds, where the Uros people have maintained their unique way of life for generations. Spend time with local families, learn how the islands are built and maintained, then continue to Taquile Island.

This UNESCO-recognized community has preserved its textile traditions so completely that their weaving is listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Hike to the hilltop plaza for sweeping lake views and enjoy a traditional lunch before heading back to Puno.

Breakfast & Lunch included

Overnight in Puno

Today’s Highlight: Ancient funerary towers rising above a volcanic lake, one of Peru’s most dramatic and least-expected archaeological sites.

A morning visit to Sillustani, one of the most remarkable and underrated archaeological sites in Peru. Perched on a dramatic plateau above Lake Umayo, the site is home to over 90 chullpas, cylindrical pre-Inca funerary towers built by the Colla people, some reaching up to 12 meters high, constructed without mortar or wheels.

The views across the lake and surrounding Altiplano are extraordinary. After the visit, transfer to Juliaca Airport for your flight to Lima.

Breakfast & Lunch included

Overnight in Lima