Legacy of the Incas
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(11 days/10 nights)
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(12 days/11 nights)
Empire of the Sun
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(14 days/13 nights)
Ancient Civilizations of Peru
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru:
Colca Canyon - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological & Ecological
Treasures
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru & Ecuador:
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca (or Amazon)
(18 days/17 nights)
Grand Tour of the Inca Empire
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru:
Colca Canyon - Amazon
Machu Picchu- Lake Titicaca
(22 days/21 nights)
Ancient & Colonial Capitals
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu
(10 days/9 nights)
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu
(13 days/12 nights)
Machu Picchu & Galapagos
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Peru & Ecuador:
Machu Picchu - Galapagos
(15 days/14 nights)
Galapagos & Machu Picchus
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Ecuador & Peru:
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
(18 days/17 nights)
Enchanted Isles of the Galapagos
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Ecuador:
Galapagos
(11 days/10 nights)
Galapagos & the Kingdom of Quito
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Ecuador:
Galapagos - Andes
(16 days/15 nights)
Galapagos & the Amazon
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Ecuador:
Galapagos - Amazon
(16 days/15 nights)
Historic Haciendas of the Andes
Machu Picchu Luxury Tours
Ecuador:
Cotopaxi - Antisana - Otavalo
(7 days/6 nights)
© 2013 Inka's Empire Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Puno - Lake Titicaca - Lima
Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel
Chullpas of Sillustani, on the shore of Lake Umayo, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Land Price (6 days/5 nights)
Frugal Luxury US$ 3,755 De Luxe US$ 3,860 Imperial US$ 4,190 per person
The land price includes escorted transfers, private excursions with professional guides and chauffeurs, entrance fees, selected category of accommodations, gourmet cuisine, all land and water transportation, and travel insurance for guests through the age of 59 years (over that age, there is a supplementary fee). All prices are per person based on two people sharing a guest room. For a detailed description of our services, see Opulent Itineraries.
Air fares are in addition to the land price.
Boatman, Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
The worship of the Sun constituted the peculiar care of the Incas,
and was the object of their lavish expenditure.
The most ancient of the many temples dedicated to this divinity
was in the Island of Titicaca,
whence the royal founders of the Peruvian line
were said to have proceeded...
-- William H. Prescott, The History of the Conquest of Peru, 1847
After a spectacular rail adventure on the Orient-Express Andean Explorer through magnificent mountains towering over the deep valleys of the meandering Huatanay River, and across the gentle, rolling Altiplano, where vicuña and alpaca are often seen; your tour will continue on and around Lake Titicaca. Cruise to traditional Taquile Island and the floating Islands of the Uros, and drive to the millennia-old pilgrimage site of Inka Anatawi and the enigmatic archaeological site of Sillustani.
Return to Lima to explore the Pachacamac archaeological site. After lunch at the extraordinary Huaca Pucllana restaurant, walk in the artists' quarter of Barranco, have a farewell drink and transfer to the airport for your overnight flight home, completing your tour of the sacred lake of the Incas.
Woman unloading totora reeds. Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Highlights
Lake Titicaca
Day 1: Cuzco - Orient-Express Andean Explorer - Puno. Transfer to the train station. First Class service on the Orient-Express Andean Explorer to Puno. Three-course lunch, followed by coffee in the observation car. Scenic stop at La Raya, the highest point on the route. Reception and transfer to your hotel. Cocktails, dinner and overnight in the Titilaka.
Day 2: Puno (Taquile Island, Sailing & Inka Anatawi). Morning cruise to Taquile Island to see the living culture of the Incas. Ceremonial lunch baked in an adobe oven. An afternoon excursion on a small sailboat with a skilled sailor will let you experience the splendor and spirit of Lake Titicaca, its islands and the Andes. Later, ascend an Inca trail to Inka Anatawi, a millennia-old pilgrimage site with a vast panorama of the lake and nearly all of its islands. Natural rock sculptures enhance the sacred feeling of this sanctuary, which could well be considered the Gothic cathedral of its age. After descending, visit the local community and see colorful textiles made by its weavers. Return to the hotel. Cocktails, dinner and overnight in the Titilaka.
Options:
Instead of sailing and Inka Anatawi, you may select your choice of afternoon excursions offered by Titilaka, such as one to the poetic pueblos of Juli and Pomata, whose churches are jewels of colonial architecture, or to the anciently-carved rockface known as the Puerta de Amaru Muru.
Day 3: Puno (Chucuito Bay - Socca Beach). This morning, experience the splendor and spirit of Lake Titicaca as you sail on Chucuito Bay and see the most impressive panoramas from this part of the lake. Cruise back to the hotel for lunch and a siesta. After tea time, walk along the sandy shores of the lake, past wetlands and farms where you can appreciate the agricultural practices of the locals. At Socca Beach, take pleasure in the magnificent scenery, watch an idyllic sunset and see the first stars coming out at night. Cocktails, dinner and overnight in the Titilaka.
Options:
Instead of Chucuito Bay and Socca Beach, you may select your choice of excursions offered by Titilaka.
Day 4: Puno (Uros Islands & Sillustani) - Juliaca - Lima. Drive to the Port of Puno for a morning cruise to the floating islands of the Uros. Upon returning to port, begin an overland excursion to Sillustani. Picnic lunch among the ruins. Continue to the Juliaca airport for the Flight to Lima. Arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel. This evening, a dinner of artistic cuisine at Rafael. Overnight in the Orient-Express Miraflores Park.
Lima
Day 5: Lima (Pachacamac & Barranco). Morning drive to Pachacamac, the most reknowned pre-Inca and Inca pilgrimage site of the coast. Upon returning to Lima, lunch at the extraordinary Huaca Pucllana restaurant, which reinterprets the Peruvian Criollo tradition. Afterward, continue to Barranco for visits to one of the country's finest crafts shops, the Museo de Arte Colonial Pedro de Osma, La Puente de los Suspiros and La Iglesia de La Ermita. After arrival back at the hotel, have a farewell drink, order from room service or just rest before the transfer to the airport for your Overnight Flight Home. Relax in the VIP Club while awaiting departure and enjoy a buffet of light fare and beverages, including Peru's famous pisco sour. Day Room in the Orient-Express Miraflores Park.
Home
Day 6: Lima - Home. Flight and arrival home.
Details
Orient-Express Andean
Explorer railway, Meseta de Collao, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Day 1: Cuzco - Orient-Express Andean Explorer - Puno
Breakfast. Early transfer to the Orient-Express Andean Explorer. This spectacular rail adventure begins in Cuzco and runs south to the historic city of Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The gentle climb is breathtaking. The first half of the journey is dominated by magnificent Andean mountains, towering over the deep valleys of the meandering Huatanay River. It then reaches the gentler, rolling Andean Plains, where vicuña and alpaca are often seen. Sightseeing while on board the train is enhanced by a glass-walled observation car. Dining includes a three-course lunch, directed by executive chef Federico Ziegler, followed by coffee served in the observation car. The journey is broken by a scenic stop at La Raya, the highest point on the route.
The banks of Lake Titicaca were the meeting place of three cultures: the Aymara, Quechua and Spanish, the combination of which becomes evident in their artistic and cultural expressions. This unequaled legacy has resulted in Puno being recognized as the Folkloric Capital of Peru.
Festival of Candelaria,
Puno, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
The city of Puno perches in the southeastern highlands of Peru, or Altiplano, at a breathtaking 12,550 feet above sea level. It is situated on the shores of Titicaca, an ancient inland sea thrust high into the Andes. The area, cold and uninviting by some standards, is rich with spectacular landscapes and imposing archaeological ruins.
Around Puno's main square, or the Plaza de Armas, are the 18th century Cathedral; La Casa del Corregidor, a traditional Puno manor house of the 19th century; and La Casa del Conde de Lemos, a colonial mansion in which, according to tradition, Viceroy Conde de Lemos stayed when he founded the city on November 4, 1668. Early evening arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel, where head cook Glicerio Cruz creates Andean fusion cuisine. Cocktails, dinner and overnight in the Titilaka.
Chillora, on the shore of Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Day 2: Puno (Taquile Island, Sailing & Inka Anatawi)
Breakfast. Morning cruise to Taquile Island to see the living culture of the Incas.
"This is an indigenous community of some 350 families which continues to live within the traditions of the 14th century, according to the principles of Inca life. Here, without noting the passing of time, the three golden rules of the Empire of the Sun have been kept: Ama suwa, Ama quella, Ama llulla (do not steal, don't be idle, and do not lie). The contact with other civilizations has not been able to destroy the profound identity of the Inca way...
On Taquile there are no planes, no trucks, no cars, no motorcycles. It is on foot, following the little pathways of ordered stones, that the visitor allows himself to be infused with this surprising atmosphere that envelops the island. The principal characteristic of the island resides in the fact that it has conserved, across the centuries, a great many of the customs of the old lake population, such as a comunitarian life where everything is shared, exceptional handcrafts, and -- unique of their kind -- dances and traditional music, maintained in all their purity."
-- Hernan Cornejo & Christian Nonis, Rumbos Magazine, Volume II, No. 10, 1997
After a "huatia", a ceremonial lunch baked in an adobe oven, return to the hotel.
Sailing on Lake Titicaca.
Photo: The Andean Experience Co. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
An afternoon excursion on a small sailboat with a skilled sailor will let you experience the splendor and spirit of Lake Titicaca, its islands and the Andes. While on board, you can ponder how Titicaca, once an inland sea, was raised more than two miles into the sky by nature's tectonic forces.
Later, ascend an Inca trail to Inka Anatawi, a millennia-old pilgrimage site with a vast panorama of the lake and nearly all of its islands. The Incan ceremonial altars that overlook the immensity of Lake Titicaca still receive offerings for Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Mamacota (Mother Water) from Aymara natives and spiritually-minded visitors. Natural rock sculptures enhance the sacred feeling of this sanctuary, which could well be considered the Gothic cathedral of its age. After descending, visit the local community and see colorful textiles made by its weavers.
Options:
Instead of sailing and Inka Anatawi, you may select an afternoon overland excursion to the poetic pueblos of Juli and Pomata, whose churches are jewels of colonial architecture or to the anciently-carved rockface known as the Puerta de Amaru Muru.
Weaver in front of Juli's Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Afternoon overland excursion to the poetic pueblos of Juli and Pomata, whose churches are jewels of colonial architecture.
Juli, "The Little Rome of America", was once a great cultural and religious center of the Altiplano. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was occupied by the Dominicans and, later, the Jesuits who, in their zeal to persuade the native population, constructed beautiful churches in the mestizo style: San Pedro, San Juan de Letran, Santa Cruz and La Asuncion, in which are found impressive examples of painting and sculpture in that style.
Pomata, called the "Philosophic Balcony of the Altiplano" because of its sublime geographic location on the banks of Lake Titicaca, is a propitious place for contemplation and inspiration. Its principal attraction, the 17th century, mestizo-style Temple of Santiago Apostol de Pomata is, perhaps, the most beautiful in the south of the country, because of its rich interior decoration, augmented by the architectural expression of its pink granite construction. Beautifully carved pink granite and gold-leaf altars also distinguish the 18th century church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Return to the hotel. Cocktails, dinner and overnight in the Titilaka.
Puerta de Amaru Muru, Vilca Uta, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Edwin Harkness Spina. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Afternoon overland excursion to the anciently carved rockface known as the Puerta de Amaru Muru, one of the most enigmatic sites in the Lake Titicaca region. Some say that the "puerta", or doorway, has magical properties -- that people disappear through it, never to return, and that strange beings have been seen to emerge from it. Some say the doorway is the entrance to the Temple of Illumination of Amuru Muru, one of thirteen lords sent by an advanced race to different parts of the world to preserve their knowledge and sacred artifacts. Some believe that Amuru Muru was the first Inca, Manco Capac, and that he hung one of the artifacts, the Solar Disk, in Cuzco's Temple of the Sun. This disk is said to have been carried back through the doorway centuries later to protect it from the Spaniards. Local inhabitants tell strange stories about the stone doorway, such as it becomes transparent on some sunsets, allowing a view of a city within. Is it really a portal to another dimension of the Universe? You will have a chance to reach your own conclusion. Return to the hotel. Cocktails, dinner and overnight in the Titilaka.
Isla Suasi, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Day 3: Puno (Chucuito Bay - Socca Beach)
Breakfast. This morning, experience the splendor and spirit of Lake Titicaca as you sail on Chucuito Bay and see the most impressive panoramas from this part of the lake. Cruise back to the hotel for lunch and a siesta. After tea time, walk along the sandy shores of the lake, past wetlands and farms where you can appreciate the agricultural practices of the locals. At Socca Beach, take pleasure in the magnificent scenery around this ancient inland sea, thrust miles high by the Andes, watch an idyllic sunset and see the first stars coming out at night. Cocktails, dinner and overnight in the Titilaka.
Options:
Instead of Chucuito Bay and Socca Beach, you may select your choice of excursions offered by Titilaka.
Flamingo on the Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Day 4: Puno (Uros Islands & Sillustani) - Juliaca - Lima
Breakfast. Drive to the Port of Puno for a morning cruise to the Islands of the Uros, forty island-like packs of floating totora reeds. Legend has it that Manco Capac, the first Inca, and Mama Ocllo, his sister-consort, rose from the waters of the lake to found the Inca Empire. The royal pair are said to be the forebears of the Uros, whose descendents now inhabit the lake's famous floating islands. These lake dwellers continue to live like their ancestors did, preserving their customs and idiosyncracies but, above all, their own system of communal life.
Boatman sailing a traditional
reed boat, Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Upon returning to port, begin an overland excursion to Sillustani. Its necropolis, which is one of the largest in America and one of the most impressive in the world, stands over a peninsula-like esplanade, surrounded by the beautiful Umayo lagoon. The chullpas found here are large funerary monuments built by the Collas about 2,000 years ago. These quadrangular and circular buildings are more than 40 feet high and their architectural design is a real challenge for balance, as the diameter of the base is less than the top. The site, surrounded by a landscape that has given rise to diverse and mysterious legends, seems imbued with a magical quality. Picnic lunch among the ruins. Continue to the Juliaca airport for the Flight to Lima. Arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel. This evening, a dinner of artistic cuisine by chef Rafael Osterling at Rafael. Overnight in the Orient-Express Miraflores Park
House of the Virgins of the Sun, Pachacamac, c. 1500 AD.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Day 5: Lima (Pachacamac & Barranco)
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for the flight to Lima. Arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel. Morning drive to Pachacamac, the most reknowned pre-Inca and Inca pilgrimage site of the coast, dating back to 200 AD. It was originally devoted to the worship of the earth god Pachacamac: "he who sustains or gives life to the universe". Upon returning to Lima, lunch at the extraordinary Huaca Pucllana restaurant, located on the grounds of a 1,500-year-old adobe pyramid built by the original inhabitants of Lima. The cuisine is a reinterpretation of the Peruvian Criollo tradition by chef Marilú Madueño (Le Cordon Bleu Paris).
Malecon de la Reserva, above La Costa Verde, Miraflores, Lima.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Lake Titicaca Tours & Travel.
Afterward, continue to Barranco for a visit to one of the country's finest crafts shops: Mari Solari's Las Pallas. Once Lima's beach resort, this district is now the home of Peru's most prestigious artists and writers. Among its colorful, colonial mansions is the Palacio de Osma, now the Museo de Arte Colonial Pedro de Osma, which focuses on colonial Peruvian art from the country's cultural centers of the day. La Puente de los Suspiros (The Bridge of Sighs) is a romantic outlook over the ocean in the loveliest part of the quarter, said to inspire artists. Next to it is La Iglesia de La Ermita (The Church of the Hermitage), built on the spot where legend has it that a glowing image of Christ appeared to guide sailors home from a tempest at sea. After arrival back at the hotel, have a farewell drink at the bar, order from room service or just rest before the transfer to the airport for your Overnight Flight Home. Relax in the VIP Club while awaiting departure and enjoy a buffet of light fare and beverages, including Peru's famous pisco sour. Day Room in the Orient-Express Miraflores Park.
Day 6: Lima - Home
Flight and arrival home.
© 2013 Inka's Empire Corporation, Machu Picchu Luxury Tours. All rights reserved.
