15D14N Peru & Bolivia Explorer

Exceptional Experiences:

• Enter the home of a local Peruvian Chef and learn how to prepare peruvian dishes

• Visit Condor’s Cross, where you might see the world-famous Andean Condor birds fly majestically above us as they rise up from the Canyon

• Travel in Style in a luxury train from Arequipa to Cusco: Savour the unforgettable indulgence of the Belmond Andean Explorer train as you are whisked through Peru’s most spectacular destinations, including the spellbinding Lake Titicaca.

• Sleep overnight in a transparent luxury capsule located 400m above the Sacred Valley that hangs from on top of a mountain

• Snap a picture at the ‘World’s Biggest Mirror’ Uyuni Salt Flats also known as Salar de Uyuni, stretches more than 4,050 square miles of the Altiplano, it is the world’s largest salt flat, left behind by prehistoric lakes evaporated long ago.

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Itinerary:

Day 1: Singapore - Lima

Depart Singapore for Lima, the capital of Peru.

Meet your local guide and you will be escorted to your private transfer. Make your way to your hotel accommodation and rest for the night.

Accommodation: 5* Country Club Lima Hotel

Day 2: Lima (B/L/D)

This morning after breakfast, awaken your taste buds sampling over 35 exotic fruits from Peru before creating an authentic Peruvian meal from the freshest ingredients found in Lima’s local markets.

Then, spend time learning how to prepare typical peruvian dishes in the in the home of a local Peruvian Chef, Chef Yurac with an unmatched view over Lima. Chef Yurac opens his home to you so that the class feels as if you are visiting a friend's penthouse.

This will be a hands-on class. You will be guided through the preparation of all the courses of a meal, allowing you to prepare an authentic Peruvian meal from scratch. You will prepare classic Peruvian cuisine with tools you can find in your own kitchen using the freshest ingredients that you can find in the plentiful markets of Lima.

Thereafter, bring home detailed instructions and recipes for recreating the meal when you return home. It will surely be an experience you won't soon forget.

Then, this evening, discover the most important pre-Inca archaeological site in Lima – Huaca Pucllana. A great adobe and clay pyramid dating from ~Year 500. Take a guided night tour followed by an exclusive dinner of the fine Peruvian cuisine back in your hotel.

Accommodation: 5* Country Club Lima Hotel

Day 3: Arequipa (B/L/D)

This morning, enjoy your breakfast, served in Perroquet Restaurant in your accommodation. Then, meet your driver and head to the airport to take your domestic flight to Arequipa (90 minutes)

Upon arrival in Arequipa, embark on a city tour.

Take a walk around Leoncio Prado, a pedestrian-only, cobblestoned street in the neighbourhood of Yanahuara and be dazzled by the views of Misti volcano from Yanahuara viewpoint.

Set off for a quick gastronomic adventure and tour through as “picanterías” known as in traditional restaurants, where the finest regional cuisine is prepared in stone mortars and clay pots.  Get unique spice and local offerings at the San Camilo Market, and prepare yourself for the cool nights with some traditional Peruvian Alpaca clothing at the Fundo el Fierro artisan market.

Then, explore Peru’s colonial baroque architecture, Arequipa’s Plaza de Armas is one of the most beautiful main squares in Peru. This evening, catch the peruvian sunset from one of the rooftop bars in the Plaza de Armas.

Return to your accommodation and you may wish to utilize your complimentary $100 USD equivalent Spa Services credit during your stay at Belmond Las Casitas.

Accommodation: 5* Belmond Las Casitas

Day 4: Chivay (B/L/D)

This morning after breakfast, depart from the city of Arequipa for one of the world’s deepest canyons located in Peru’s countryside. From Arequipa, Aguada Blanca National Reserve is a 2 hours drive away and it is home to herds of vicuñas, llamas and alpacas. If you’re lucky, you may try to take a selfie with an Alpaca!

Make a quick stop at Mirador de los Andes, the crater of Chucura. Arrive in Chivay in the afternoon. (2-2.5 hours from the national reserve) Then, have a quick bite for lunch and check into your accommodation for the night.

If you would like, you may bathe in the thermal waters at Calera at your own expense. Alternatively, explore the small but picturesque town of Chivay.

In the evening, visit a local Peruvian folklore show where you will be encouraged to partake in the local dancing and singing.

Accommodation: 5* Colca Lodge Spa & Hot Springs

Day 5: Colca Canyon (B/L/D)

Rise and shine! This morning, after breakfast, depart for a 1-hour journey to Condor’s Cross, where you might see the world-famous Andean Condor birds fly majestically above you as they rise up from the Canyon.

Here, visit various different viewpoints of the Canyon and be wowed by the sheer size of this incredible canyon (the second deepest in the world).

Enroute back to Chivay, we will make a quick stop at the town of Yanque and visit its beautiful church and its characteristic stone streets among other attractions. Then, drive to the observation points of Choquetipo and Artahuilque where you can see pre-Inca tombs and mock-ups of the terraces, so make sure you save plenty of space in your memory card for these amazing places and inhale the spectacular view of Colca Valley.

Return back to Arequipa in the evening and have your dinner nearby your hotel accommodation.

Accommodation: 5* CIRQA - Relais & Châteaux

Day 6: Arequipa – Cuzco via Train (+ 2 days in total)  - (B/D)

Option 1: *Guests can opt for a luxury train ride to Cuzco (2D2N) below or fly direct to Cuzco, please add an additional 2D2N to the itinerary f you opt to take a train from Arequipa to Cuzco

This morning, after breakfast, spend your afternoon at leisure.

Meet your driver in the evening to make your way to the train station, where you will travel from Arequipa to Cusco in unforgettable style. Savour the unforgettable indulgence of the Belmond Andean Explorer train as you are whisked through Peru’s most spectacular destinations, including the spellbinding Lake Titicaca.

This evening, enjoy a welcome cocktail at Arequipa Station at 7 pm. Then have dinner on board the train as the train departs. Spend the rest of your night at leisure on board in your suite cabin.

If you wish, you may choose to unwind in the Picaflor Spa Car and enjoy luxurious treatments as you glide through spectacular Andean landscapes at your own expense. Choose from an exceptional menu of therapies specially selected to enhance your Peruvian experience with natural Andean ingredients.

Accommodation: Onboard Luxury Belmond Andean Explorer train

Note: **Train does not run in February and only departs on Saturday

*Day 6 + 1: Lake Titicaca - Marangani – Cuzco via Train (B/L/D)

This morning, wake up and witness the sunrise as the train passes Lake Titicaca. Enjoy breakfast on board at 6 am.

Then, disembark your train for a short day excursion. Board a boat to explore Lake Titicaca and visit Uros and Taquile islands. Have a private lunch at Collata Beach, Taquile around noon.

Return to Lake Titicaca Station (Puno) in the late afternoon and unwind with some tea at the station before boarding the train again to depart to Cusco and enjoy pre-dinner cocktails. Dinner will be served on board around 7.30 pm.

Arrive in Marangani and disembark for an overnight stay.

*Day 6 + 2: Cusco (B/L/D)

This morning, wake up and witness the sunrise in Marangani. Enjoy breakfast onboard your train carriage.

Depart for Cusco at 7.30 am in the final leg of this rail journey and enjoy a 3 hour tour of Raqch'I, an Inca archaeological site in Peru. Have brunch in the bar car and arrive in Cusco (Wanchaq Station) at about 13:30.

Visit the local San Pedro Market, the city’s main food market. Designed in 1925 by Gustave Eiffel, it is the oldest market in the city. Then visit the Temple of the Sun and continue to the Inca Fortress of Sacsayhuaman.

This evening, walk up to San Blas and watch the sunset over Cusco and have dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the sunset.

Then, check into your accommodation and you may choose to utilize your complimentary $100USD Spa Services Credit to be utilized during your stay (not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full) at Palacio del Inka.

Accommodation: 5* Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Cusco

OR

Day 7: Arequipa – Cuzco via Plane

Option 2: For guests flying direct to Cuzco, please omit Day 6 from your itinerary.

Today, fly to Cusco.

Visit the local San Pedro Market, the city’s main food market. Designed in 1925 by Gustave Eiffel, it is the oldest market in the city. Then visit the Temple of the Sun and continue to the Inca Fortress of Sacsayhuaman.

This evening, walk up to San Blas and watch the sunset over Cusco and have dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the sunset.

Then, check into your accommodation and you may choose to utilize your complimentary $100USD Spa Services Credit to be utilized during your stay  (not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full) at Palacio del Inka.

Accommodation: 5* Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Cusco

Day 7: Sacred Valley (B/L/D)

This morning after breakfast, meet your local guide and driver.

Enroute to Sacred Valley, drop by Awana Kancha (35 min drive), a beautiful textile and South American camelid exhibition centre. Here, you can interact and feed the different species of South American camelids. Learn about the shearing, spinning, natural dyeing and traditional weaving of camelid fibre. If you would like, purchase high-quality textiles at producer prices at your own expense.

Then, travel on a one-hour scenic drive to Urubamba Valley. Here, you will visit a local community located about 30 minutes away from the Valley, in the town of Ollantaytambo. This afternoon take part in a cooking demonstration on how to make local dishes.

After which, take a short 10-minute drive and check into a transparent luxury capsule located 400m above the Sacred Valley that hangs from on top of a mountain – a unique experience and accommodation that you should tick off your bucket list!

Enjoy a gourmet dinner with wine at your accommodation while hanging above the cliffs and rest for the night.

Accommodation: 5* Skylodge Adventure Suites

Day 8: Machu Picchu

This morning, enjoy breakfast and bid goodbye to SkyLodge.

Board the luxury train from Urubamba/ Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu and absorb the majestic Andean landscapes while enjoying excellent service aboard PeruRail Sacred Valley. Accommodating just 33 passengers, the train exudes the elegance of the 1920s, reflected in the sumptuous Dining Car and Observation Bar Car.

Be greeted with an Andean infusion to enjoy in the Observatory Bar Car while you delight yourself with the landscapes of the Sacred Valley.  En route to Machu Picchu, you are served a gourmet lunch in the Dining Car with an appetizer, entrée and dessert, with a glass of wine and delicate petits fours.

*Note: Daily departures, except for the first Sunday of each month.

Then, disembark the train upon arrival at Machu Picchu and enjoy a guided visit of the citadel. The intensely green terraces and the imposing mountains surrounding the site combine to create a stunning landscape which surpasses visitors’ expectations. Machu Picchu is a World Heritage Site and the pride of Peru.

Then, check into your accommodation and you may utilize your complimentary 25 25-minute de-stress massage for up to two people, once during stay at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

Accommodation: 5* Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Day 9: Machu Picchu  - Cusco (B/D)

This morning, after breakfast, enjoy the town of Aguas Calientes at your leisure.

Then, board the luxury train back to Cuzco from Machu Picchu station and enjoy the elegant VIP waiting lounge.

Onboard PeruRail Sacred Valley, while on your way back from the Inca Citadel, enjoy a gastronomic dinner including an appetizer, entrée and dessert, with a glass of wine and delicate petits fours.

Note: Daily departures, except for the first Sunday of each month.

Arrive in Cusco and make your way to your accommodation. You may choose to utilize your complimentary $100 USD Equivalent Spa Services credit, on services only (not valid on Spa products, not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full) at Belmond Hotel Monasterio

Accommodation: 5* Belmond Hotel Monasterio

Day 10: Uyuni (B/L/D)

This morning after breakfast, meet your driver and depart for the airport.

Here, you will take a domestic flight to Uyuni from Cuzco.

Upon arrival, take a drive and visit a ‘Train Cemetery’ known as Cementerio de Trenes. Uyuni was once a major transportation hub for bringing natural resources from the Andean mountains out to the Pacific Coast. But after the region’s mining industry collapsed, hordes of trains were rendered redundant and left outside to decay in the Bolivian salt winds.

Take a drive Uyuni Salt Flats and Incahuasi Island. Uyuni Salt Flats also known as Salar de Uyuni, stretches more than 4,050 square miles of the Altiplano, it is the world’s largest salt flat, left behind by prehistoric lakes evaporated long ago. This picturesque location is also known as the ‘World’s Biggest Mirror’.  After which, have lunch at Hotel De Sal Luna Salada, the world’s only salt hotel.

Make your way to Incahuasi Island is particularly interesting for being covered by giant cacti (Trichoreus cactus) approximately 700 years old and 10 meters high. A short hike to its summit will be rewarded by a beautiful panoramic view.

Then, check into your accommodation and rest for the night.

Accommodation: 4* Hotel Palacio de Sal

Day 11: Huayllajara (B/L/D)

This morning, travel to Huayllajara and along the way, make a visit to Siloli Desert. Be properly acclimatized before visiting the highest desert in the world at 15,000 feet (4550 meters). Dusty, barren and hopelessly isolated, many wonder if they have arrived at the end of the world.

Then, stop at Red Lagoon (also known as Laguna Colorada), populated by three species of flamingos. The nearly 15,000-acre salt lake is less than three feet deep, and is tinted blood red due to a variety of algae which thrive in the salt water. The plankton rich lake draws a large number of endangered James flamingos, which is another highlight of the lake.

A short drive to the small village of Huayllajara and check into your accommodation.

In close proximity to the Atacama Desert, this part of Bolivia has some of the world’s most impressive night skies. If you’re lucky, you may be able to see the stunning night sky.

Continue your journey to Huayllajara and check into your accommodation.

Accommodation: 4* Hotel Victoria Plaza

Day 12: Huayllajara – Uyuni

Today, visit the Green Lagoon, also known as Laguna Verde, an impressive aquatic mirror that resembles a giant emerald. Located close by, an inactive volcano, Licancabur Volcano sits in its backdrop that stands at 5,930m.

Then, visit the Valley of Rocks, famous for its gigantic rock formations and continue to Uyuni.

Accommodation: 4* Hotel Palacio de Sal

Day 13: Uyuni – La Paz

This morning after breakfast, depart for La Paz via your domestic flight (50 minutes)

Upon arrival in La Paz, go on a city tour and walk along El Prado, a main street surrounded by skyscrapers. View notable sites such as San Francisco Church, Plaza Murillo and the Historic Centre of La Paz with its colonial streets and museums before heading to Witches Market, a popular attraction which sells many of its unique clay geography formed through centuries.

Then, explore the famous colonial street Calle Jaen. Conclude with a ride on the world’s highest and longest cable car ride as you experience the mountains and unique urban landscape of La Paz from up in the air.

Accommodation: 5* Atix Hotel

Day 14: La Paz – Lima – Singapore

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima. Upon arrival, travel downtown and join a Lima city tour to explore the ethnic melting point of Lima. With a population of more than 8 million people, Lima is the 5^th largest city in South America. Known as the city of Kings, Lima was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro and is one of the very few South American cities that preserves the colonial past. In 1991, the Historic Centre of Lima was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This evening, transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Day 15: Singapore

Cross international dateline, arrive in Singapore.

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Please note: This itinerary is designed to give you an idea of what to expect on the tour but is not set in stone. What we actually do on a given day is flexible and can be tailored based on the interests of the group.

This itinerary and its package inclusions might be changed later in time, subject to availability.

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