Machu Picchu at first light
From 5:45 a.m., for up to four, sunrise in the lodge gardens, among the first into the citadel for a guided tour, then breakfast overlooking Huayna Picchu.
Peru, Andes to Altiplano
Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lake Titicaca and the Colca Canyon, over 10 nights in Peru.
- 10 nights
- Six stays
- Peru
- Culture, archaeology, rail, lodges
Peru's southern highlands at an unhurried pace. Weavers and potters in the Sacred Valley, a night beside Machu Picchu to enter the citadel at first light, the Hiram Bingham train back to Cusco and an afternoon painting with the ceramicist Tater Vera. Then the high lake at Titicaca, and the condors of the Colca Canyon.
- Length
- 10 nights
- Pace
- Six stays
- Style
- Culture, archaeology, rail, lodges
- Route
- Lima to The Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu to Cusco to Lake Titicaca to The Colca Canyon
- LimaOne night
- The Sacred ValleyTwo nights
- Machu PicchuOne night
- CuscoTwo nights
- Lake TiticacaTwo nights
- The Colca CanyonTwo nights
01
Days 1 to 2 · one night
Lima
Met on arrival in Lima, then a private city tour the next morning before the flight to Cusco.
Where you stay
Miraflores Park, A Belmond Hotel
Miraflores Park is a contemporary hotel above the Pacific in Miraflores, within a six-mile stretch of parks and boardwalks. Rooms and suites look out over the ocean, Tragaluz serves modern Peruvian cooking, and there is a heated swimming pool on the roof.
02
Days 2 to 4 · two nights
The Sacred Valley
An archaeological site on the way from Cusco, then Moray, the Maras salt pans and local markets. At Sol y Luna, women from the valley show weaving from the raw wool to natural dyes of flowers, roots and herbs and the loom, the hotel's artisans lead a ceramic workshop, and Peruvian Paso horses show their gait to the Marinera each day.
Where you stay
Sol y Luna
Sol y Luna has 43 stone casitas, each decorated individually and surrounded by gardens of plants native to the valley, all facing the Andes. Cycling, trekking, riding and kayaking start from the hotel, and its profits help fund the Sol y Luna Association, which supports education for local children.
03
Days 4 to 5 · one night
Machu Picchu
The Vistadome train to Machu Picchu for a private afternoon tour of the citadel. Next morning, the lodge's First Light Experience starts at 5:45 a.m. with sunrise in the gardens, among the first into the citadel for a guided tour, then breakfast overlooking Huayna Picchu, with an optional hike. In the afternoon, an Andean shaman can lead a Payment to the Earth ceremony.
Where you stay
Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel
Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel at the gates of Machu Picchu, a three-minute walk from the entrance to the citadel. It first housed explorers and researchers before becoming a Belmond hotel in 1999, and Tampu serves rainforest-focused cooking, with a pisco menu at the bar.
04
Days 5 to 7 · two nights
Cusco
The Hiram Bingham train back towards Cusco, with dinner on board, and a full private day in the city. In the hotel's chapel, a guide reads the 18th-century Cusco School paintings; in his UNESCO-certified workshop, Tater Vera teaches the painting of a torito, the bull of prosperity. From April to December, San Blas can be walked at 5 a.m., before the city wakes.
Where you stay
Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel
Palacio Nazarenas is a former palace and convent built on Inca foundations, restored by Belmond and reopened in 2012, with courtyards planted with native flora. Chef Pía León leads Mauka, which cooks with ingredients native to Cusco and the Andes, and there is a heated outdoor pool.
05
Days 7 to 9 · two nights
Lake Titicaca
A flight to the lake, and a full day by private boat to the floating islands and the communities and weaving traditions of the shore. Titilaka's guides lead shorter outings by water, by bicycle and after dark. The boat can also go out to Taquile, where Quechua is spoken, the men knit and the women weave textiles on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage, with a walk to the top of the island for the view across the lake.
Where you stay
Titilaka
Titilaka stands on a private peninsula of four acres reaching into Lake Titicaca at 3,810 metres, with a private shore on either side. Every room faces the water, and excursions leave by boat, on foot or across the Altiplano to the lake's communities, traditions and wildlife.
06
Days 9 to 11 · two nights
The Colca Canyon
A flight to Arequipa for a private tour of the city and the Santa Catalina Monastery, then the drive up to the canyon past villages and hot springs. A morning watching condors; at 5:30 p.m. a local expert leads a short Andean offering to Hanan Pacha, the upper world of the condor. Back to Arequipa for the flight home.
Where you stay
Las Casitas, A Belmond Hotel
Las Casitas sits in the hills above the Colca Canyon, about three hours by road from Arequipa, with 20 casitas that each have a private plunge pool. Trails, riding and birdwatching start at the door, and before dawn guests can set out to watch Andean condors rising over the canyon.
Arranged on request
Payment to the Earth
An Andean shaman leads an offering to Pachamama of flowers, seeds, grains and fruit, by advance booking.
Tater Vera's workshop
Three hours in the Cusco ceramicist's UNESCO-certified workshop, painting a cup or a torito under his guidance.
The Cusco School in the chapel
An expert guide to the original 18th-century Cusco School paintings in the hotel's Chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption, on request.
Weavers at Sol y Luna
Women from the valley demonstrate textile making, from untangling the wool to dyeing with flowers, roots and herbs and preparing the loom.
Subject to availability.
Ways to make it yours
- Hiking, cycling or riding in the Colca Valley, on horseback to Uyo Uyo.
- A crossing from Titicaca into Bolivia, planned in advance: Copacabana and its basilica, the hydrofoil to the Islands of the Moon and the Sun, and the master builders of reed boats at Huatajata.
- A night in Arequipa at either end of the Colca stay.
This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.
Made around you
Most travel is bought. This is designed.
Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.
The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.
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