Colors of Peru 10 Days

Local Living and living culture experience!

With Colors of Peru itinerary, traveling is not just going somewhere, it is meeting local people, share experiences, knowledge, and culture with them, choosing this tour program you are supporting direct to local families, and you will witness local life in the Andes of Peru. The name of this program bears the same name as our nonprofit project which is focused on support local families in the Andes building rustic houses.

In this program we will take you through the following destinations:

* In Lima: We will take you to a local market to show you the various products that we have in Peru, then accompanied by a Professional chef you will learn how to prepare your own Peruvian food then accompanied by a Professional chef you will learn how to prepare your own Peruvian food in your cooking class tour, like Causa Rellena, Ceviche, Lomo Saltado, and Picarones.

* In Cusco: Walkthrough its narrow streets built with Inca stones at the base and with colonial balconies, a living museum. Today on your own.

* In Waqrapukara: In this non-touristy place, you will barely trust your eyes. For the incredible landscape that you have in front of your eyes. That looks like the backdrop of a science fiction movie!

* In Rainbow Mountain: To reach the top of this mountain, we will take the less crowded trail to avoid the crowd, also we will have the best views of the landscape.

* In the Sacred Valley: We will take you to the Ancient town of Pisac and ruins, Stunning agricultural experimental center of Moray, Salineras (salt mines) in Maras Town, the Impressive Ollantaytambo Inca Site.

* In Short Inca Trail: This short Inca Trail is much more exciting hike, much better than taking 4-days hiking, because you will be able to see Machu Picchu 2 times in 2 different versions, sunset and sunrise

* In Machu Picchu: Witness the glory of ancient Peru in Machu Picchu in the company of your expert local Guide

Itinerary:

• Day1 - International Arrival in Lima

  

  On your landing in Lima, you will be welcomed by our staff with a sign of Go Get Peru and your name, then you will be escorted to your hotel located in Miraflores district; today no planned activities. If you arrive in the morning use the rest of the day to walk through Miraflores, we recommend walk by Larcomar and enjoy the view to the Pacific Ocean, then by Parque del Amor.

  • Hotel In Lima - Casa Wayra Miraflores or similar
  • Meals Included: None

• Day2 - Peruvian Cuisine Experience: Visit Traditional Market – Cooking Lessons

  

  Breakfast at the selected Hotel, our staff will pick you up from your hotel around 08:30 am, today we will start with a guided visit to one of Lima´s local market in order to learn about the variety of products and ingredients we have in Peru, then your trip experience continues with the cooking class directed by our specialized chef - This class can be done vegetarian and vegan on request.

  Course one: CAUSA RELLENA - Mashed potatoes with lime and mild chili paste stuffed with chicken and avocado.

  Course two: CEVICHE - Cured fish salad with corn and sweet potatoes.

  Course tree: LOMO SALTADO - Sauteed beef, onion, and tomatoes with rice and yellow potato fries.

  Course four: PICARONES - Fried pumpkin - sweet potato dough with molasses. After enjoying your lunch, you will return to your hotel on your own, the restaurant is located just a few blocks away from your hotel. Afternoon free on your own exploration or just relax.

  • Hotel: In Lima - Casa Wayra Miraflores or similar
  • Meals Included: Breakfast in the hotel, Lunch

• Day3 - Flight Lima to Cusco - Walking to San Pedro Local Fruit Market – Bean to Bar Workshop in Choco Museum

  

  After breakfast in Lima, at scheduled time pick up and transfer to the airport for your flight to Cusco. Upon arrival to Cusco airport, assistance and transfer to your hotel.

  Pick up from your hotel at 01:30pm; the tour is beginning with a short walk to San Pedro Local fruit Market, during this tour, you will be able to see different types of local products coming from the Andes, valleys, and the cloud forest of Cusco, which are sold fresh and organic, here you can interact with the vendors, also you can try fresh fruit and also natural juice, then at 04:00pm stars the workshop in Choco Museum. Here you'll make your chocolates right from the cacao bean, first we will go to pick up the Cacao beans from the storage, in company of a guide you will start with your Choco class, then you'll leave with your own handmade chocolates, customize the way you like them, and bring them back to your friends and family, this Choco class last 2 hours.

  • Hotel: In Cusco - El Balcon or similar
  • Meals Included: Breakfast in the hotel

• Day4 - Waqrapukara hike – Overnight in local Family house part of our project

  

  Early Pick up from you Hotel at 05:00 am, then we will continue by our private van to Cusipata village, where we will organize the breakfast in local restaurant, then we will continue our journey by car 1 hour and 20 more minutes till the hike start point, from here we will hike for around 2 hour and 30 minutes more or less to reach this impressive place of Waqrapukara. Far away from the top of the mountain you will have the first pictures of Waqrapukara, then you will be getting closer little by little with a spectacular view of the canyon and you will barely trust your eyes, for the incredible landscape that you have in front of your eyes. That looks like the backdrop of a science fiction movie! this archaeological site is real and exists since Inca times, over 3,700 meters in an unreally beautiful landscape, along the trail you will have the privilege of being able to see vicuñas in their natural habitat, with a bit more luck we can see some condors flying over the sky, picnic lunch with an attuning view to Waqrapukara, we still have a 1 hour hike to the road end of Santa Lucia town, here our private transport will be waiting for us, take us to T’umi Community, place where we will spend the night with a local family.

  On this hike, you will cross a 4,400-meter-high pass, wandering along Andean lagoons, past lush Ichu grass

  • Overnight: In T´umi community in family house
  • Meals Included: Breakfast in the community, Box-lunch, Dinner

• Day5 - Rainbow Mountain Hike – Cusco (we do not go by the classic trail to avoid the crowd)

  

  At 07:00am after Breakfast with the family, we will continue our journey to Rainbow Mountain, after 2 hours driving accompanied by a spectacular panoramic view with canyons, native villages, alpacas and llamas grazing in the mountains we will arrive at the starting point of our hike which is over 4500 meters and the top of the Rainbow mountain is 5020 meters. We will prepare our day backpacks and snacks, then we need only 1-hour hike to reach this famous mountain, on the top of the mountain it is quite cold because it runs icy winds, so I recommend bring a warm jacket, wool hat and gloves if you want to appreciate the beauty of the mountain without any discomfort.

  We have around 40 minutes to enjoy the beauty of this stunning place. You have two highlights in front of you. A panoramic view towards the Vinicunca mountain with its natural spectacular colors, then when turning 180 degrees, you will have the sight of the prominent snowy mountain of Ausangate, you will simply fall in love with this place. After taking photos, we will hike downhill to the point we started. As soon as we arrive at the foot of the mountain we relax a few minutes before our car will bring us to the local restaurant for our lunch, then back to Cusco.

  • Hotel: In Cusco - El Balcon or similar
  • Meals Included: Breakfast in family house, Lunch

• Day6 - Chinchero authentic quechua Village - Moray – Maras - Ollantaytambo – Urubamba

  

  Pick up at 08:00 a.m. by the guide and our private van to continue our journey through the colorful agriculture terraces of Chinchero towards the archaeological center of Moray. On the way, we will make some stops to appreciate the natural beauty that the Vilcanota mountain range offers us with its snowcapped mountains. Moray is famous for its sunken amphitheater, made up of four circular terraces, which appear to disappear into the earth like an artificial crater. The site was apparently an Inca agricultural research station designed for experimenting with crops at various altitudes, it is believed that the terraces, built over containing walls filled with fertile earth and watered by complex irrigation systems, enabled the Incas to grow more than 250 plant species. Continue to the impressive Maras salt pools formed by water emerging from a lake inside a mountain in the Urubamba Valley. An amazing view of evaporating ponds for the extraction of salt. Learn about ancestral techniques, which are still used, in agricultural, irrigation, and salt-recollection tasks, as well as in Andean festivals and rites.

  Your next destinations will be the remains of Ollantaytambo Fortress and the Temple of the Sun, a mysteriously built structure with massive 12 foot (3.5m) tall stones.

  Finally, our private transportation will take as to Urubamba town, place where we will spend the night in a peaceful place out of the city, surrounded by trees, flowers and birds.

• Day7 - Traditional Andean dish preparation of Pachamanca – Pisac – Urubamba

  

  After breakfast at your hotel, our representative will pass by your hotel to pick up at 09:00 am then you will continue to the authentic village of Huchuy Qosqo Community in the Sacred Valley, upon arrival and, you will have an affectionate welcome by the members of the community with colorful native clothes and Andean music. Then we will start the preparation of this experience flavors of the Andes known as Pachamanca. It is a way of preparing food that consists of digging a hole in the ground, placing some stones in it, previously heated with firewood. Then, put various types of ingredients on top such as potatoes, cassava, sweet potato, corn, cheese, broad beans, chicken meat, vegetables and other ingredients.

  After sharing the lunch with the locals, our next destination is visit the picturesque town of Pisac, in about 30 minutes driven we will arrive to this town, short ride 25 more minutes up to Pisac archeological site. Here you will participate in the guided tour, visiting all its holy places including terraces, aqueducts, paths that are associated to walls and gates, water channels, cemeteries, bridges, etc. On our way back you have chance to visit the local Market where you can purchase beautifully crafted products hand-made by the locals. Then by our private transportation we will take us back to your Urubamba hotel.

  • Hotel: In Ollantaytambo - Samanapaq hotel or similar
  • Meals Included: Breakfast in the hotel, Organic Lunch

• Day8 - Short Inca Trail: Ollantaytambo – KM 104 – Machu Picchu

  

  Early pick up from your hotel, then transfer to Ollantaytambo train station to board the train that will take you to Km. 104 or Chachabamba where the Short Inca Trail begins after the train drops us here we will go to the Inca Trail checkpoint. From here will begin our hike three hours hike with spectacular overlooks above the great valley, we will reach Wiñayhuayna Inca site, you will participate in the guided tour the guide will explain to you about the importance and the function that this place had in the Incan time. Time to relax and enjoy a delicious box-lunch that we will provide to you, after a short break we will continue our hike, here we will join with the Classic Inca Trail, following the Inca Trail we will reach Gate of the Sun here we will catch the first breathtaking view of Machu Picchu. After enjoying the landscape around Machu Picchu and taking some pictures we walk 50 more minutes to reach Machu Picchu Inca Site, during this trip you will have the privilege of seeing Machu Picchu in 2 versions at sunset and sunrise. this day not guided tour in Machu Picchu Inca Site, just we will pass to catch the bus down to Aguas Calientes town where we will spend the night in a Hotel.

  • Hotel: In Aguas Calientes - Flowers House or similar
  • Meals Included: Breakfast in the hotel, Box-lunch, Dinner

• Day9 - Machu Picchu Tour – Back to Cusco

  

  Excursion to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes: In the morning at the scheduled time the guide will be in your hotel to pick you up and escort you to the bus station, short ride 30 minutes up to reach the citadel of Machu Picchu. After the pass the control you will participate in a guided tour at your leisurely pace, visiting the Main Plaza, the Circular Tower, the most important preserved Intihuatana, the Royal Quarters, the room of the Three Windows and the temple of the Condor.

  Optional climb to Huayna Picchu Mountain; from where you can appreciate the immensity of Machu Picchu, even more, amazing being high and distant (not included in the price): In the afternoon you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo, where you will be assisted by our staff and transfer to your Hotel in Cusco.

  • Hotel: In Cusco - El Balcon or similar
  • Meals Included: Breakfast in the hotel or similar

• Day10 - Departure from Cusco

  

  Breakfast in the hotel, according to the flight schedule we will pick you up from your hotel and transfer to Cusco airport for your flight to Lima or next destination.

Whats included

• Hotel Accommodations

  2-nights hotel accommodation in Lima

  3-nights hotel accommodation in Cusco

  1-night hotel in T´umi Community

  1-nights hotel accommodation in the Sacred Valley - Ollantaytambo

  1-night hotel in Aguas Calientes

• Excursions

  Lima Cooking class

  Hike to Waqrapukara

  Rainbow Mountain + Red Valley

  Sacred Valley Tour (Pisa, Ollantaytambo)

  Short Inca Trail

  Machu Picchu guided Tour

• Tickets

  Entry ticket to Rainbow Mountain

  Boleto Turistico to visit Pisac, Ollantaytambo

  Entry Ticket to Inca Trail

  Entry Ticket to Machu Picchu Inca site

  NOTE: The Boleto Turistico is only to cover the Sacred Valley, not for other sites around Cusco.

• Transportation

  All Transfers and assistance in Lima

  All Transfers and assistance in Cusco

  Private comfortable van for Waqrapukara hike

  Private comfortable van for Rainbow Mountain hike

  Private van for Sacred Valley Tour

  Comfortable tourist train from Ollantaytambo - KM 104

  Bus from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes after Inca Trail

  Nex day Bus from Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes (round trip)

  Comfortable Tourist train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo

  Transfer from Ollantaytambo train station to Cusco hotel

• Others

  Meals according mentioned in the itinerary

  Local top quality English-speaking guides to accompany visits and excursions

  24-hour support by our local staff

Not included

• Additional tickets

  Ticket to Huayna Picchu mountain

  Ticket to Machu Picchu Mountain

  Boleto Turistico to visit around Cusco

• Insurance and Others

  No cover Travel Insurance during this tour

  Internal flights within this Exciting Peru Experience Tour

  Personal items, pre & post-tour accommodation, snacks, drinks, limited souvenirs, laundry, tips, and any extras