Arequipa – Puno – Cusco 8 Days

Reception in Arequipa and transfer to your selected hotel.

In the afternoon, we will take a tour of the White City of Arequipa, visiting the Carmen Alto Viewpoint, where you can appreciate beautiful panoramic views of the Chilina Valley. We will continue to the Yanahuara Viewpoint, from where you can see the city’s guardian volcanoes.

We will visit the famous Santa Catalina Convent, a 17th-century colonial gem that transports its visitors four centuries into the past. It was known as a small town that was closed for 400 years until its opening to the public in 1970. We will tour numerous spacious courtyards, gardens, the kitchen, and the slave quarters. We continue to Arequipa’s Plaza de Armas, where we will see the exterior façade of the Cathedral, the Church, and the Cloisters of the Society of Jesus, with the famous Dome of San Ignacio.

Return to the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will begin our 2-day Colca Canyon tour, traveling to Yura, crossing the Chachani Foothills and the Pampa de Arrieros (muleteers’ plains), to enter the Cañahuas Pampa, where we can enjoy the sighting of slender vicuñas in their natural habitat.

We continue the tour through Vizcachani and the Pampas de Toccra, where we will see a large number of migratory birds, both local and passing through.

Then we will skirt the Chucura crater to reach Patapampa, located at 4,800 meters above sea level. This point is known as the Mirador de los Andes or Mirador de los Volcanes, where we can observe the imposing Chachani, Misti, and Pichu Pichu volcanoes that surround the city of Arequipa. We will then descend to the town of Chivay for lunch.

The afternoon is free, and we suggest visiting the relaxing hot springs of La Calera, where you can take a refreshing dip in the medicinal waters.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we will head toward the famous Condor Cross, located 41 kilometers from Chivay, where we will enjoy a flight over the majestic Andean condors performing masterful flights and appreciate the impressive depth of the Colca Canyon.

We will then visit the picturesque traditional villages of Pinchollo, Maca, Achoma, and Yanque, making several stops at the main viewpoints of Antahuilque and Choquetico, where we will appreciate the pre-Inca terraces known as colcas, the mysterious hanging tombs, the lithomorphs, and other natural rock formations.

We will return to Chivay, where we will have time to enjoy lunch and then begin our journey to the city of Puno. During the journey, we will observe different Andean landscapes such as rock forests, immense high-Andean lagoons with diverse birds, and small towns in the region, passing through the cities of Imata, Santa Lucía, and Juliaca.

After approximately six hours of travel, we will arrive at 7:30 p.m. (approx.) in the city of Puno, where a travel representative will be waiting to transfer you to the hotel of your choice.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will transfer very early to the pier or main port to board our boat and visit the famous Uros Floating Islands, currently considered part of the Lake Titicaca National Reserve, located about a 30-minute boat ride away.

The Uros people still maintain their own vibrant culture and ancestral traditions, as well as artisanal fishing, primarily for carachi and silversmithing. When fishing is abundant, they keep the fish by drying it in the sun. They also hunt wild birds and collect duck eggs. There are currently 75 artificial islands inhabited, and each island is very well organized.

After a brief 40-minute visit, we will continue the journey to the natural island of Taquile, whose inhabitants are primarily dedicated to agriculture, textile crafts, and fishing. The locals continue to live according to their ancient traditions and current Inca laws, maintaining customs, religious practices, and popular practices such as the marriage ceremony known as Sirvinacuy and the tribute to the earth called Pachamama. It is worth noting that spinning and weaving are carried out primarily by men from the age of eight, while women exclusively make threads. We will enjoy our included traditional lunch with beautiful panoramic views of the lake. After lunch, we will have two free hours to visit the island’s artisan center, take photographs with panoramic views of Lake Titicaca, and then return to the city of Puno to their respective hotels.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will transfer to the bus station at 6:45 a.m. for the departure to Cusco on a comfortable tourist bus.

We will travel along the Collao plateau, stopping in the town of Pucará, famous for its Lithic Museum, its pyramid-shaped buildings, and its ceramics. The Pucará Bull is its most representative figure.

Along the way, we will pass La Raya, the natural border between the cities of Cusco and Puno, located at over 4,335 meters above sea level, where the famous Chimboya mountain is located, covered in perpetual snow. Here, you can take photographs of the landscape during a 5- to 7-minute visit.

Afterwards, we will have our buffet lunch in a quiet rural restaurant, where you can enjoy the culinary art of the region.

We will make a stop in Raqchi where we can see the spectacular Inca Sanctuary, built by the Inca Pachacutec and dedicated to the great god Wiracocha.

It features a large central wall with a stone base of beautiful Inca architecture, while the other walls are built with giant adobe bricks. The structure also features two circular lateral columns, and around the temple, we find several buildings used as homes or warehouses.

We will continue to the beautiful colonial town of Andahuaylillas where we will visit the 17th-century Church of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, better known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas due to its polychrome ceiling and the beauty of its murals, gold leaf, and the paintings of the Cusco school inside.

Finally, we will arrive at the bus station in Cusco and transfer to the hotel of your choice.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will have the morning free to acclimatize to the altitude.

Pickup from hotels will take place from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. to begin the Cusco city tour, visiting the imperial city and nearby archaeological sites. The tour will show us the impressive colonial city built on Inca foundations.

We will visit Qoricancha, or the Temple of the Sun, known as the Royal House of the Sun, in the of Cusco.

Afterwards, we will visit the four most important archaeological sites, starting with Sacsayhuamán, a large Inca ceremonial fortress located 5 kilometers from the city; Qenqo, a sacred Andean amphitheater and center of worship for the god Puma, where human sacrifices were performed; Puca Pucará, known as the Red Fortress due to the reddish hue its rocks acquire at dusk; and finally, Tambomachay, the Inca water temple dedicated to the worship of water.

Return to hotels

After breakfast at the hotel, we will be picked up from your hotels at the scheduled time for transfer to the train station in Ollantaytambo, where we will begin our journey to the Citadel of Machu Picchu.

After a 1-hour and 45-minute train ride through spectacular landscapes, a representative from our travel agency will be waiting at the Aguas Calientes station to transfer you to the bus station where we will board the bus that will take us to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham.

We will enjoy a comprehensive guided tour of the main buildings and areas of the Inca citadel, such as the panoramic viewpoint of the entire citadel, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Intihuatana, the famous Inca sundial, the Main Plaza, and the urban and agricultural areas. We will also learn about the fascinating history of this sacred site.

Afterwards, we will return to the town of Aguas Calientes where we will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we will take the train back to Ollantaytambo station, where transportation will be waiting to take us back to Cusco.

After breakfast, we will have free time for last-minute shopping or personal activities.

At the appropriate time, we will transfer you to the airport or bus terminal according to your travel itinerary, thus concluding our 8-day Arequipa-Puno-Cusco tour.