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DAY 1 LIMA
Pick up upon arrival at Lima’s airport and
transportation to the hotel. Overnight (No meals)
DAY 2 LIMA, CARAL, CHAVÍN: A JOURNEY TO ANCIENT CITIES
We set off early by private vehicle from Lima, heading
north up the Pan-American Highway. After about 2 ½
hours, our first major stop is Caral, once an important
center of the ancient cultures of the Norte Chico, the
remains of whose rock-and-earth stepped-pyramids lie
scattered across this desert region. Caral is the
perfect place to begin a tour of early Peruvian
civilizations, since archaeological evidence suggests
that this extremely old religious and residential
complex was the cradle of Andean civilization, perhaps
the oldest urban center of the Americas, establishing
patterns of monumental construction and religious
worship that persisted for millennia. Here around 2,600
BC, while the ancient Egyptians were beginning to
construct their pyramids, early Peruvians established a
less hierarchical society, one based on marine
resources, that apparently thrived peacefully on trade
and a now forgotten religion.
We continue a short way north and then turn inland,
climbing into the Andes up a sinuous and dramatic paved
highway that takes us across a high pass and into the
famous Callejón de Huaylas, the valley of the Santa
river, and home to Peru´s highest snow-capped peaks.
Continuing east, we cross the next range, cresting the
Continental Divide, and descending into the Marañon/Amazon
river drainage on our way to Chavín de Huantar, the next
stop on our journey through Peru´s ancient past. We will
spend the next two nights at the selected accommodation.
(B, Box lunch)
DAY 3 CHAVÍN DE HUANTAR TO HUARAZ: FROM HALLUCINOGENIC LABYRINTH TO
HIGH CORDILLERAS
This morning we explore the intriguing remains of a
mysterious, powerful and astonishing civilization.
Chavín is known to archaeologists as the wellspring of
the "Early Horizon" period, dating from around 800 BC.
These were the first Andean people to spread their
cultural and religious influence far and wide, all the
way to the coast, and as distant as about 300Km/200
miles south of where Lima stands today. Their center
here at Chavín de Huantar straddled trans-Andean trade
routes, and drew pilgrims to a great temple, where
esoteric rituals were practiced under the influence of
powerful hallucinogens. Here we see the subterranean
labyrinth which once boomed with the sound of water
rushing through hidden channels, and where a great stela
(the Lanzón) carved with ferocious mythical creatures
and mysterious symbols still stands in its central
chamber.
After lunch we return to the Callejón de Huaylas and
head north to Huaráz, at the foot of the Cordillera
Blanca, in the shadow of mighty Huascarán, Peru´s
highest mountain. We overnight in Huaraz. (B, L)
DAY 4 HUARÁZ, SECHÍN, TRUJILLO: DESCENT TO SECHÍN ALTO AND THE
SOURCES OF CHAVÍN, AND ON TO A SPANISH COLONIAL CITY
We take another scenic plunge from Andes to Pacific
coast, and reach the site of Sechín Alto, the site of a
coastal civilization which pre-dated Chavín, and was
probably its cultural ancestor. Here an early Peruvian
civilization built a vast enclosure ringed with great
monoliths carved with gruesome scenes of battle,
mutilation and death. Scholars argue about whether these
were literal representations, or symbolic depictions of
these people´s ritual lives, but most agree that the
people of Sechín Alto were the predecessors of the
highland Chavín culture.
Sechín Bajo, an early part of this site dating from a
previous period -- perhaps as far back as 3,500 BC --
vies with Caral for the title of "first urban settlement
of the Americas".
After lunch we continue northward up the Pan-American
highway to Trujillo. This city, founded in 1534 on the
orders of Francisco Pizarro, maintains a colonial
atmosphere, with its spacious main square, and marvelous
colonial-period adobe buildings in the coastal colonial
style, featuring huge barred windows and massive wooden
doorways. Tomorrow we will get a close-up look at its
fine colonial architecture.
We will spend the next two nights at the selected
accommodation, a majestic hotel in the heart of
Trujillo´s historic center. (B, Box lunch)
DAY 5 TRUJILLO: THE COLONIAL CITY, THE GREAT ADOBE PYRAMIDS OF HUACA
DE LA LUNA AND HUACA DEL SOL, THE PICTURESQUE BEACH
RESORT OF HUANCHACO, AND THE PRE-INCA CITY OF CHAN CHAN.
We begin a full day of touring and exploration around
this fascinating area. Touring the historic center of
Trujillo, a city whose heart still pulses with colonial
splendor, we visit the immense main square and the
spacious mansions built by Spanish and Creole gentry
during the 17th and 18th centuries.
After our city visit we drive a short way from Trujillo,
to visit the Huaca de la Luna, and the Huaca del Sol,
two huge flat-topped pyramids built by the Moche culture
between 0 and 600A.D. The Huaca de la Luna is an
extraordinary demonstration of what patient long-term
archaeology can achieve. Here, at a site that has been
well known and frequently looted for centuries,
excavations have revealed layer upon layer of ancient
construction, uncovering wall after wall of colorful
friezes that were intentionally buried by the Moche, and
had not seen the light of day for one-and-a-half
thousand years. Bloodthirsty fanged deities and exotic
gods in the form of spiders, snakes felines, octopi and
other marine creatures rub shoulders with lines of
dancers, warriors and naked prisoners, and scenes of
ritual combat. One wall is covered with such a multitude
of mystifying symbols that it has been labeled simply
"The Complicated Theme" -- until some future
archaeologist can offer a plausible explanation of them.
A site museum to display material unearthed here is
under construction, and when opened it will be part of
this visit.
We continue on to the nearby beach resort of Huanchaco,
where we have a chance to try the superb seafood of
Trujillo at a restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Here fishermen still paddle out to sea, kneeling on
caballitos de totora -- little one-man reed rafts which
have been used for millennia to collect the abundant
bounty of the Pacific Ocean.
After lunch we return to Trujillo, stopping at the great
Chimú center of Chan Chan, the largest adobe city ever
built. It was in fact an elite settlement, a series of
nine enormous palaces belonging to successive rulers of
the Chimú realm. At its height the population here may
have reached 50,000 people. Many of them were artists
and craftspeople, who made the sumptuous goldwork,
textiles and pottery for which the Chimú were famous. At
the Tschudi palace enclosure we enter a labyrinthine
series of courtyards lined with clay friezes of fish and
ocean birds, and walled in places with an open meshwork
adobe building style believed to represent fishing nets.
We visit inner patios, residences, administrative
buildings, temples, platforms and storehouses, and a
huge reservoir where "sunken gardens" may have produced
specialized crops for the Chimu nobility.
We overnight in Trujillo. (B, L)
DAY 6 TRUJILLO TO CHICLAYO: THE MOCHE TEMPLE OF EL BRUJO, PERUVIAN
PASO HORSES, AND AN ELEGANT NORTH-COAST LUNCH.
We set off early, heading north by road up the
Pan-American highway and into the adjacent Chicama river
valley, then making a short detour to the Pacific shore
to visit the archaeological site of El Brujo. This site,
featured in National Geographic magazine after the
sensational discovery here of the mummy of a tattooed
priestess, buried with a variety of ceremonial and
military accoutrements. An extraordinary array of
multicolored murals dating from seven or more phases of
construction depicts both scenes from the daily lives of
the Moche, and gory rituals of sacrifice.
Continuing northward, we make a stop at a hacienda in
Paiján to enjoy a delicious lunch, along with a colorful
display of the skilled horsemanship of local Peruvian
paso horses and their riders, who combine their art with
the dance and music of the northern marinera. This is an
optional activity (cost not included), which we highly
recommend.
We reach Chiclayo in the afternoon, with time to relax,
and perhaps enjoy the pool or soak up the atmosphere of
this bustling tropical city. (B, L)
DAY 7 CHICLAYO, THEN LIMA: THE “CRACKED PYRAMID”, TÚCUME, AND THE
ROYAL TOMBS OF SIPÁN.
In the morning we set off for the mud-brick pyramid that
made world headlines in 1987 with one of the most
sensational finds of recent archaeology. Known as the
Huaca Rajada -- the "Cracked Pyramid", because of the
deep gulley’s weathered into its flanks -- this eroded
adobe platform yielded fabulous ancient treasures from a
series of deeply buried tombs of the pre-Inca Moche
culture, who lived in the valleys of Peru's north coast
1,500 years ago. To get there we drive east up the
broad, flat Reque valley past fields of sugarcane
studded with varicolored pastel foothills of the great
Andean chain, then arriving at the modern village of
Sipán. Here we see the tombs themselves, with superb
reconstructions of the burials of priests and
chieftains, together with their sacrificed guards and
companions.
A highly informative site museum tells the story of this
extraordinary civilization, who created some of the
finest pottery, jewelry and gold working of the Americas
-- while also staging macabre costumed rituals of
combat, sacrifice and propitiation as they sought to
mediate a never ending struggle between the forces of
Order and Chaos.
We continue on to Lambayeque, where we visit the Royal
Tombs of Sipán Museum. This modern building,
representing the style of a Moche pyramid, was built to
house the stunning and priceless objects unearthed at
Sipán. (A single looted object from the tombs was
intercepted at an auction in the U.S. -- carrying a
reserve price of $1.6 million!)
Here we see the incredible array of precious symbols and
images, stones and shell necklaces, ear-plugs and
headdresses that were worn and displayed at Moche
ceremonies, and also learn what is known of their
meaning. This astonishing visit ends at an "animated
waxworks" exhibit of the lords and retinue of the Moche
court, allowing us to glimpse and imagine the world of
an unfamiliar but dazzling civilization that thrived
here at a time when Europe was sliding into the Dark
Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire.
After these sensational experiences we return to
Chiclayo for a delicious lunch of Peru's northern-style
cuisine at a top local restaurant. We then drive onward
to an oasis of calm at Tucumé, today's final
destination. Here we see the chronological sequence that
followed the fall of the Moche, at a site where their
descendants, the Sicán culture, continued to amass
millions of adobe bricks for the building of mighty
pyramids -- including the longest of its kind, at more
than 700m -- but were now influenced by highland tribes,
and began to abandon their old ways. The history of this
scenic site -- extensively investigated by the famed
Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl -- leads us all the
way to the Incas, who conquered the region not long
before they, in turn, were conquered by the Spanish. We
can climb to a viewing platform with superb views of the
surrounding pyramids and the dry woodland habitat of the
Leche valley. We can also visit the small, intimate and
low-tech site museum, to enjoy the excellent collection
of excavated objects, dioramas of daily life, and models
of the pyramids.
We say farewell to the warm, dry valleys of Northern
Peru and set off for the airport in the late afternoon
for our evening flight to Lima (Airfare not included).
Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Overnight (B, L)
DAY 8 CUSCO
You will be picked up from your hotel in the morning,
transfer to the airport to take the flight to Cusco
(airfare not included) Upon arrival to Cusco Airport.
Reception and transportation to the Hotel where you will
receive an aromatic coca tea to stimulating for the
height, will have the free morning to rest and also we
suggest you have a light lunch in either your hotel or
in one of the surrounded; in the evening we will depart
on a City tour (entrance to the archaeological centers
and museums including) we will visit the Main square,
Cathedral, the Koricancha (temple of the sun) and in
addition we will make a route bordering archaeological
centers like Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Q'enko, Puka Pukara
and Tambomachay, tour finishes 6:30pm approximately at
the main square in order you can take dinner in one of
the exquisite restaurants in the area, then overnight.
(B)
*Optional Buffet Dinner with Folkloric Show: Adding $24
per person
DAY 9 FULL DAY SACRED VALLEY TOUR
Breakfast. You will be picked up at 8:15 am. Full day
excursion to the Urubamba Valley visiting: the colorful
Indian market in Pisac where a mixture of color and
tradition will be able appreciated besides will have a
good opportunity to try our bargain skills on the free
time to interact with the local craftsmen to purchase
their hand-made souvenirs. The Valley has a distance of
31 km (19 miles) of Cusco, and an altitude of 2,970 ms
(9,700 p), Pisac is located to the entrance of the
Sacred Valley and followed by Ollantaytambo, the older
town continuously occupied of the American continent.
The narrow streets of Ollantaytambo, along with their
channels that have not varied from the time Inca, evoke
their ancestral inheritance, lunch in a typical
restaurant and then the last visit will be to Chinchero
market.
Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of
the rainbow. Its major claim to tourism is its colorful
Sunday market which is much less tourist-orientated than
the market at Pisac. At the end, return to Cusco main
square at 6:30pm approx.
The night is free for you to eat in a restaurant of your
choice; although we always have plenty of suggestions
for you should you require them. (B, L)
Note: Take this tour on market days: Tuesday, Thursday
and Sunday
Bilingual Guided tour on different days
DAY 10 CUSCO / MACHU PICCHU (*Overnight in Aguas Calientes)
Early breakfast and pickup to go the train station to
depart to Machu Picchu, the trip takes about 4 hours.
During the trip we will have an amazing view of the
landscapes of the Sacred Valley of Urubamba and the
Amazon rainforest providing you a small hint of how much
Peru has to offer. Upon arrival to the little town of
Aguas Calientes you will have to approach the bus
station towards the “Ciudadela of Machu Picchu” (Only 20
minutes ride) to receive a professional guided tour by
this Huge Historical Sanctuary follow by some free time
to explore the zone on your own and then take your
buffet lunch at the selected restaurant (included), an
according time, we will go down to the Aguas Calientes
town to relax at the hot springs or just overnight at
the select hotel in Aguas Calientes town. (B,L).
DAY 11 MACHU PICCHU / CUSCO
Breakfast and rest of day at leisure by your own
(entrance and bus fee to Machu Picchu not included on
this day) in the afternoon return to Cusco. Reception at
the train station and transfer to the Hotel where it
passed the night (B).
Upon request: You can make a second visit to Machu
Picchu and have the chance to know hidden places, such
as the Intipunku (Gate of the Sun) or for more
adventures can take a hike to the top of Huayna Picchu
(Young Mountain) to visit the Temple of the Moon and
enjoy a spectacular view of the city. Or if you have
good physical conditions can take a hike full of
adrenaline to the Putukusi mountain opposite position
than Machu Picchu which allows us to have other
unforgettable views from this new wonder.
DAY 12 TRANSFER OUT
Breakfast and transportation from the hotel to the
airport for your flight back to Lima (airfare not
included) arriving in time to catch your international
connection (B)
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