MACHU PICCHU & HE SOUTHERN CULTURES Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Ica, Nasca Lines & Paracas

ITINERARY:

Day 01 LIMA

Arrive in Lima. Meeting and transfer to the hotel. Guided visit to Colonial and Modern Lima. Drive through the historic center of the city. Admire the beauty of San Martin and Major squares, the Cathedral, the Government Palace and visit the Convent of San Francisco and its catacombs Convent, a religious building from the end of the XVI century. Continue through the residential districts of San Isidro and Miraflores.

Day 02 LIMA - CUSCO

Transfer to the airport in time to take the flight to Cusco. Meeting and, transfer to the hotel. City tour and nearby ruins. Visit Main Square, the Cathedral and its religious Art Museum, the Church of Santo Domingo or Koricancha. Includes visits to Sacsayhuaman and Puca Pucara fortresses, the temple and amphitheater of Kenko and the water shrine of Tambomachay .

Day 03 CUSCO - MACHU PICCHU - CUSCO

Transfer to the station for a morning train ride to the unparalleled, Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas". Machu Picchu was associated with the earth cult revolving around the Coca leaf, which was a privilege restricted to the Inca Royal family and priests. Lunch at a local restaurant. Mid afternoon departure by train to Cusco. Meeting and transfer to your hotel.

Day 04 CUSCO - LIMA

Transfer to the airport in time to take the flight to Lima. Meeting and transfer to the hotel. Balance of the day free.

Day 05 LIMA - ICA - NASCA

Transfer to the bus station, where you will ride the bus to Ica. Visit to the city including the Regional Museum of Ica, housing a great collection of fossils, mummies, Paracas mantles, Nasca ceramics, and Colonial and Republican art pieces and a winery where you will be able to observe the process of Pisco-making, the typical Peruvian drink and ingredient of the famous Pisco Sour. Transfer to your hotel in Nasca.

Day 06 NASCA - PARACAS

Morning flight over enigmatic Nasca Lines. It is an area of approximately 500-km/310 ml of Pampa, where the mysterious lines were discovered in 1927. The real dimension of these lines can be fully appreciated by air. They represent diverse animal figures, as a spider, a monkey, a dog, a lizard, a humming bird, and a condor. The dimensions of these figures vary from 15 to 300 m/50 to 1,000 ft. high each. Continue with Archaeological tour of Nasca including Chauchilla Pre-Inca cemetery. Transfer to your hotel in Pisco or Paracas Bay.

Day 07 PARACAS - LIMA

Morning cruise to the Ballestas Islands, where you will see sea lions, penguins, and more than 60 species of sea birds. You will also see the huge "Candelabrum" drawn in a sand slope. Return by bus to Lima and transfer to your hotel.

Day 08 LIMA

Transfer to the airport time to take the international departure flight. You may continue with the extension of your choice.