Travels of the Incas – Machu Picchu to La Paz

Arrive in Lima, known as 'the city of the kings.' This charming colonial city is not only the capital of Peru, but also the gastronomic capital of South America. Transfer to your hotel and have some free time to explore the city on your own. If you want to, you can talk to your Southamerica.travel consultant to book dinner at one of the most emblematic restaurants in Miraflores.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before setting out on a Sacred Valley tour. First, visit Pisac, a little village nestled in the Sacred Valley between Cuzco and Machu Picchu. The Pisac Market is famous for being an open-air market where locals sell their handicrafts and products. Browse the handmade goods before taking a tour of the Pisac ruins, an Inca site that highlights the splendid masonry of the Incas. In the afternoon, continue to Ollantaytambo, another town in the Sacred Valley with impressive Inca ruins, aqueducts, and terraces. Ollantaytambo has been in continuous operation since the time of the Incas. Lunch is included.

Head to your hotel in the Sacred Valley before your excursion to Machu Picchu on the next day.

Early in the morning, take a train ride to Machu Picchu. The scenic train journey brings you to the town of Aguas Calientes, where you will take a shuttle bus to the entrance of the ruins. Enjoy a guided tour through Machu Picchu, often called the "Lost City of the Incas" because it was the only Inca city that was never attacked by the Spanish. Wander through the incredible stone architecture and spectacular landscapes and learn about this fascinating city of stone. Return by shuttle bus from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes. Spend the night at a hotel in Aguas Calientes, the town in the shadow of Machu Picchu.

Spend another day at the citadel of Machu Picchu, this time climbing up Huayna Picchu. Wake early and take the first shuttle bus to the entrance to get there in time for sunrise. Walk around the ruins on your own, or hike to Huayna Picchu, the trail that leads up to the mountain above Machu Picchu.

In the afternoon, take a train back to Cuzco or Ollantaytambo (depending on the train availability). Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a stroll through the baroque heart of Cuzco and the Plaza de Armas.

Explore the fascinating Cuzco, one of Peru's many UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a half-day city tour. The Spanish rule left its mark on the Baroque churches, the plazas, and the colonial mansions. Nevertheless, the basic structure of the city was preserved. Learn about its Inca origins at the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, located 4 km (2.5 mi) to the north of the city. Admire its intriguing architecture and its emblematic hexagonal stone. Its altitude of 3,701 m (12,000 ft) makes it an ideal place for taking panoramic pictures of the former Inca capital.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and meet your guide for a private coach transfer from Cuzco across the Altiplano to Puno. The first stop along the journey will be in Andahuaylillas, a colonial village with a charming plaza shaded with red-flowered pisonay trees. Walk inside the San Pedro Chapel, nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of America, admire the dazzling frescos and wall-to-wall colonial paintings of one of Peru's most beautiful churches.

Continue to Raqchi, a ceremonial center built by Pachacutec.  Raqchi shows the ambition and organization skills of Pachacutec's empire. Walk past the Temple of Viracocha and admire the massive adobe brick wall rising nearly 45 feet high and stretching over 270 feet long. Snap a few photos and continue to the town of Sucuani to stop for a delicious local lunch.

Just North of Puno, visit the pre-Inca ruins of Pucara, a ceremonial center built by the Pucara, one of Titicaca’s earliest cultures (300 BC to 300 A.D.). The ruins offer a glimpse into the origins of Lake Titicaca's civilization showing clear links to the Chavin culture that flourished in Peru's central mountains. The first temple is U-shaped and was originally decorated with stelae, or carved stone slabs, showing a deity similar to the degollador, or decapitating deity of the Chavin.

Today’s tour ends on the banks of Lake Titicaca where you will arrive in the city of Puno. Check into your hotel and spend the rest of the evening at your leisure.

Soak in the beauty of the high altitude lake, known as the birthplace of the Inca Empire. The lake dwellers of Lake Titicaca are expert reed craftsmen whose skill has been handed down for centuries. The Uros tribe even continues to build reed islands and boats, which you can visit during your Lake Titicaca tour. Next, have a look at the astonishing pre-Columbian funeral towers of Sillustani along the peninsula in Lake Umayo. These towers were built well before the Inca times and display a mastery of architecture that has been difficult to replicate. In the evening, return to your Puno hotel for the night.

A spectacular way to tour the massive Lake Titicaca is to take a Lake Titicaca cruise. This morning your guide will take you from Puno over the border to Copacabana, the Bolivian side of the lake. Then, enjoy a fascinating tour of the Basilica in Copacabana, which is a real highlight. Next, board your catamaran cruise and head to Isla del Sol, a small island where you can stop and explore. Isla del Sol made their claim-to-fame by being the "cradle of the Inca Empire."

Re-board for the cruise, and enjoy lunch while the ship returns to Copacabana. In the late afternoon, you'll be transferred to your La Paz hotel for the night. La Paz is the highest altitude city in the world, so make sure to rest easy while your body adjusts.

Explore the Bolivian capital of La Paz and the surrounding ruins built by Incas or pre-Incan cultures. The La Paz City Tour starts with a visit to the Plaza Murillo by the Cathedral, the Congress Building, and the Government Palace (now called the "Palacio Quemado" for the number of times it has been burned). Next, go on a tour through Iglesia de San Francisco. No visit to La Paz is complete without a visit to the Mercado de Hechiceria, the "Witches Market." At the market, you will find herbs and magic charms for love, money and health. Lunch is included.

Travel away from the capital a few miles and visit the Moon Valley. This vast badland of hills and rock eroded into weird shapes and deep gulleys, contrasting with the constant hum of the capital city below. Visit a ceramic workshop and see a demonstration of Bolivian-style pottery.

Visit the Tiahuanaco Ruins, an Inca archaeological site dating back to 1000 AD. The main indigenous groups in Bolivia are the Incas and the Aymaras, and on this tour, you will be able to see the Inca ruins and the Aymara descendants that live in the nearby areas to get a fuller idea of Bolivia's heritage.

Afterwards, return to your hotel in La Paz.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel in La Paz.  Today you are free to explore the city or continue to other exciting South American destinations.

We highly recommend you extend this tour to include the Uyuni Salt Flats in southern Bolivia. These salt flats feature a brilliant white expanse encrusted in salt and encircled by colorful lagoons, volcanoes, vicuñas, and flamingoes. Stay overnight in a hotel made completely of salt!