Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Peru – Lima – Ollantaytambo – Sacred Valley – Machu Picchu – Cuzco
100% customisable for you
Your Peruvian adventure begins today with an overnight flight from London to Lima, usually via Madrid, Amsterdam or another European hub city. The journey time is around 16 hours so now’s the time to load up the playlists, pick your in-flight films wisely and fully embrace airport snacks as a food group.
Touch down in Lima the following morning where a private driver will meet you at the airport and whisk you to your hotel in Miraflores, one of the capital’s most stylish neighbourhoods. Expect leafy streets, clifftop ocean views and surfers bobbing around in the Pacific below.
After the overnight journey, today is intentionally gentle. Stretch your legs along the coastal promenade, stop for a strong coffee in nearby Barranco or simply relax at your hotel and ease yourself into Peruvian time.
If energy levels allow, head out this evening for your first proper Peruvian feast. Fortunately, you’re in one of South America’s great food cities.
Today, dive into Lima’s layered history with a private guide. The city’s UNESCO-listed historic centre is overflowing with grand colonial architecture, from the Plaza Mayor and Government Palace to beautifully carved balconies and centuries-old churches.
Wander through the old quarter, hearing stories of conquistadors, earthquakes and political intrigue, before continuing to the greener districts of San Isidro and Miraflores. Along the way, expect ocean viewpoints, shady plazas and perhaps a reality check that Lima is far bigger than most people imagine.
Later, spend time exploring Barranco, Lima’s bohemian district where colourful casonas, street art and independent galleries have replaced much of the old aristocratic grandeur. There’s live music drifting from bars, excellent coffee on nearly every corner and enough boutiques to test your luggage allowance early on in the trip.
This evening, dinner is booked at Maido, crowned the World’s Best Restaurant in 2025. Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura’s celebrated Nikkei cuisine blends Japanese precision with Peruvian ingredients, and the results are every bit as good as you’d hope.
This morning, you’ll be transferred back to the airport for a short one-and-a-half-hour flight to the historic city of Cuzco, located 11,150ft above sea level in the Andes. From here, continue by road into the Sacred Valley, which sits slightly lower and makes for a gentler introduction to the altitude.
The drive takes around one-and-a-half hours and the scenery shifts quickly from busy city streets to steep green valleys, terraced hillsides and tiny villages backed by mountains. Keep an eye out for women in bright traditional dress selling woven textiles beside the roadside.
You’ll spend the next three nights in Ollantaytambo, one of the Sacred Valley’s prettiest towns. Your hotel is surrounded by gardens filled with hummingbirds, avocado trees and bright flowers – the perfect peaceful backdrop for an afternoon at leisure with a coca tea in hand (this traditional Andean infusion is your friend up here).
Over the next two days, explore the Sacred Valley with your private guide and driver. First up is the town of Pisaq, where sprawling Inca terraces tumble down the mountainside above one of the region’s most colourful markets. Stalls overflow with potatoes, woven textiles, herbs, cheeses and enough alpaca wool jumpers to kit out a small expedition.
You’ll also visit Ollantaytambo, one of the best-preserved Inca towns in Peru. Its enormous stone terraces and hilltop fortress still dominate the valley today and the precision of the stonework remains genuinely staggering.
Another day is dedicated to the surreal salt pans of Maras and the circular terraces of Moray. The Maras salt pans cling dramatically to the mountainside, their bright white pools glinting in the Andean sunshine like patches of snow. Nearby Moray looks almost extraterrestrial, with huge concentric terraces once used by the Incas as an agricultural testing ground.
Fancy something more active? There’s also the option to visit the Quechua village of Huilloc and hike to the lesser-visited ruins of Pumamarca.
This morning, head to Ollantaytambo station and board the panoramic train bound for Aguas Calientes, a journey that takes around two hours. When you arrive, you’ll met and transferred 30 minutes to Machu Picchu. Even after countless photos and documentaries, the first glimpse still catches most people off guard. Perched high among misty peaks and wrapped in cloud forest, the lost Inca citadel feels every bit as magical as its reputation suggests.
Explore the site with your private guide who’ll help decode the temples, terraces and astonishing engineering feats hidden among the ruins. Because yes, hauling enormous stones up mountains without modern technology really was as difficult as it sounds.
Back in Aguas Calientes this evening, settle into your hotel and toast the day with a well-earned pisco sour.
Lunch today is already planned at one of Aguas Calientes’ best-loved restaurants, where Peruvian and French influences collide in wonderfully eccentric surroundings filled with maritime curiosities and treasure-map-themed decor. Slightly bonkers? Yes. Memorable? Also yes.
Then, board the panoramic train back towards Cuzco. The full journey takes around four hours and serves up more sweeping valley views along the way.
When you’ve arrived back in the former Inca capital, settle into your hotel in the artistic San Blas district where cobbled lanes, tiny galleries and blue-painted balconies create one of the city’s most atmospheric corners.
Spend the rest of the evening wandering Cuzco at your own pace. At this altitude, steep streets definitely count as cardio.
An early start today rewards you with one of Peru’s most extraordinary landscapes: the rainbow mountain of Palcoyo. Sitting at around 16,400ft, the striped mineral-rich peaks glow in shades of red, gold and turquoise beneath the Andean sky.
The walk itself is relatively gentle by mountain standards, taking less than an hour, though the altitude certainly reminds you who’s in charge. Along the way, enjoy sweeping views across the Vilcanota range and the snow-capped Ausangate peak towering in the distance.
Back in Cuzco the following day, explore the city with a knowledgeable local guide. Once the capital of the Inca Empire, Cuzco blends Inca foundations with Spanish colonial architecture in fascinating ways. Wander through the Plaza de Armas, admire intricate stonework in San Blas and visit the mighty ruins of Sacsayhuaman overlooking the city.
Between sightseeing stops, duck into local cafes, browse artisan shops or simply soak up the atmosphere of one of South America’s most captivating cities.
Come dinnertime, contact your Concierge who can recommend the best restaurants in town.
Sadly all great adventures must come to an end. This morning, you’ll be privately transferred to Cuzco Airport for your flight home via Lima and onward connections. Depending on schedules, you’ll usually arrive back in London the following day with approximately 4,000 photos of mountains and a sudden urge to add aji amarillo to absolutely everything.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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