Discover Peru & the Nazca Lines

(9 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Lima, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Paracas

This luxury Peru tour is perfect for travelers wanting to combine the country’s main highlights with the coastal scenery and Nazca Lines near Paracas.

Begin with introductory private touring in Lima. This cosmopolitan city is well worth a visit for the opportunity to experience its history as well as Peru's best museums, shopping and restaurants. Enjoy personalized touring according to your interests, such as an insider tour of the old colonial quarter, a viewing of spectacular pre-Columbian art collections, time for browsing high-quality boutiques and art galleries, or exploring the city's food markets (including tastings of local specialties).

Next, fly to Cusco, and transfer through the beautiful countryside to the Sacred Valley (Urubamba Valley), a river valley with the high peaks of the Andes towering overhead. During private touring with your own guide and driver, experience the best of the local culture, such as visits to indigenous markets and villages, meetings with renowned local weavers and artisans, and tours of outstanding archaeological sites such as Ollantaytambo, Moray and Pisac. Perhaps also visit terraced salt evaporation ponds at Maras to learn how this natural resource is harvested by local people. Upon request, additional activities can also be incorporated, such as pottery or weaving workshops, a Nuevo Andean cooking lesson, a traditional pachamanca dinner, and active touring including day treks, rafting, horse-back riding or mountain biking.

Continue to Machu Picchu and spend one night near the ruins. Your private guide will teach you about the fascinating history of the site and ensure that you have the opportunity to explore the grounds after most tourists have left. Spend the following day exploring the ruins with the option to hike trails to stunning viewpoints around the site.

Continue to Cusco on the luxury Hiram Bingham train. An oxygenated room will be arranged at the city’s most luxurious and distinguished hotel. Your guide will lead you through the narrow cobblestone streets as you learn about the fascinating Incan and Spanish history in the city. During your tour, visit markets, galleries, boutiques and the best artisan workshops. Also opt to see important archaeological sites just outside of the city. In the evenings, enjoy dining reservations at Cusco’s top restaurants. Additional activities can also be arranged, upon request, such as a meeting with a local art expert or an evening cultural performance. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can also arrange a day excursion to beautiful Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain (also known as Tres Rainbows), where mineral deposits create colorful stripes on the dramatic, undulating alpine landscape. (This location is different from the more remote and more crowded Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain.)

Continue to Paracas, a coastal town where the desert meets the ocean. During touring, enjoy options such as a flight over the Nazca Lines to see the legendary geoglyphs from the air; an excursion to the Islas Ballestas archipelago to look for sea lions and penguins, pelicans and other sea birds and observe the impressive Candelabra geoglyph; and an excursion to Paracas National Reserve, a beautiful coastal region with protected beaches, marine life and pre-Inca cultural sites.

Booking Information >

All Artisans of Leisure tours are private and depart daily.

Please Contact Us for more information regarding the above tour, or to begin customizing your own itinerary.

The Artisans of Leisure Style of Travel:

• Private touring with your own personal guides and drivers
• Preferred rooms in the very best luxury hotels
• Firsthand, sophisticated destination knowledge and recommendations from our travel specialists
• Itineraries that are customized according to your interests and schedule
• Artisans of Leisure upgrades and amenities
• A seamless travel experience, including all logistics, skipping lines during touring whenever possible, restaurant and spa reservations, performance tickets, private airport transfers, internal transportation, VIP and fast-track airport assistance in many destinations
• Around-the-clock support in each destination during your trip
• Unique, insider travel experiences and access to the Artisans of Leisure network of experts around the world