Exploring South America - 13 Days

Upon your arrival in Lima, you will be taken to your hotel. Type of service: Private Included: Transportation mentioned above, guide assistance during transfer

At the appropriate time, we will pick you up at the hotel to take you to Lima Airport Type of service: Private Included: Transportation mentioned above, guide assistance during transfer Cusco Tourist Ticket Entrance included Transfer Cusco airport / Hotel in Sacred Valley Upon arrival to Cusco, you will be transferred to your hotel in Sacred Valley. Type of service: Private Included: Transportation mentioned above. Half-Day City Tour We will pick you up at your hotel, to start your tour with a visit to the Coricancha, also known as the "Temple of the Sun" (or "Premises of the Gilded One"), the construction of which was ordered by Inca Pachacútec (1438-1471) and was used as a base for the construction of the Santo Domingo Convent upon the arrival of the Spaniards. This is when the Sun (Inti, in Quechua) was worshipped during the Inca Empire and at the time of the Incas its walls were fully covered with gold sheets and its courtyards were planted with golden corn and life-size llamas. You will then go to the Cathedral, the most important building on the Main Square and one of the most splendid Spanish colonial churches in America, which is shaped as a Latin Cross and houses about 400 colonial paintings from the Cusco art school, and impressive goldsmith, silversmith and precious stones works. Its construction lasted almost a century, it started in 1560 and ended in 1654. The Ecclesiastical Chapter ordered to extract and transport hundreds of stones from the Sacsayhuamán fortress for this purpose. You will then visit the said fortress, en emblematic work of the Incas, which protected the Holy City. Conceived and built by Inca Pachacútec in the 15th century, The Sacsayhuamán complex was built with megalithic blocks, which transportation and construction continue to be a mystery. The Inti Raymi Festival, which worships the Sun, is reenacted on June 24 of each year, during the winter solstice. You will then go to Qenqo, located four kilometers away from Cusco City, an archaeological complex mainly used for religious purposes, and it is believed that agricultural rituals took place there. You will finally visit the vestiges of Puka Pukara, located seven kilometers away from Cusco. Puka Pukara, which means "red fortress", was an architectural complex presumably used for military purposes; it has many rooms, squares, bathrooms, aqueducts, walls and towers, and it is believed that the Incas entourage used it while he rested at Tambomachay. At the end of the tour, we will take you back to your hotel. Type of service: Shared Duration: 4 Hours Included: Transportation mentioned above, excursions mentioned above, local bilingual guide (English-Spanish) Cusco tourist ticket Note: On Sundays, Qoricancha is closed in the mornings

Discover the beautiful colonial town of Chincheros and the spectacular Inca sites of Maras and Moray. Start your morning at the fascinating Maras Salt mines which feature more than 100 small pools fed by a salt-water mountain spring that is interconnected by channels. Be fascinated by the mysteries of the Incan civilization and hold your breathe while learning about this interesting and never equaled culture. In the afternoon, head along a dirt road towards another typical Andean village called Moray; famed for being an Inca agricultural experimental center. At the end of this excursion, you will be drop off at your selected hotel in Valle Sagrado. Duration: Half Day Note: During the rainy season (December to March) this excursion may be changed for South Valley tour taking in the archaeological sites of Tipon and Pikillaqta, and the town of Andahuaylillas