Peru: Land of the Conquistadors

Our journey begins in Lima where visits include the Spanish colonial district, the Torre Tagle Palace, the Alameda de los Descalzos and the San Francisco Monastery.  We also enjoy private visits to the Larco Herrera Museum and the Pedro de Osma Art Museum.  We then fly south to the Spanish colonial city of Arequipa where we explore the churches, the Santa Catalina Monastery, old palaces and traditional colonial villages outside the city.  Travelling inland we reach the beautiful city of Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca where we travel by boat to Taquile and the unique floating reed islands of the Uros and Llachon people. 

We then make the spectacular rail journey down from the Andean Plains against a backdrop of mountain peaks to Cusco, former capital of the Incas and now a World Heritage Site.  Our visits here include the Spanish colonial Barrio de San Blas, the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, the Santa Catalina Museum and Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman.  We then drive through the Sacred Valley to Yucay, visiting markets and Inca ruins such as Ollantaytambo en route, before a highlight of the tour, the spectacular train journey to Machu Picchu, the magnificent mountain-top citadel of the Incas which is every bit as impressive as might be expected.  Returning to Lima, fittingly we end our journey with visits to the Gold Museum and several historical colonial mansions.

Day 1: Monday, 1st October

London / Lima

Depart London Heathrow on an Iberia Airlines evening flight to Lima via Madrid. 

Day 2: Tuesday 2nd October

Lima

On arrival transfer to the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection located right in the heart of the fashionable Miraflores district, a short walk from the Central Park, where two nights are spent.  The Andean style Hotel has a gourmet restaurant, coffee shop, spa, gym, beauty salon and a heated swimming pool.  Morning at leisure.

Lunch at the hotel.  Visits in Lima to include the Colonial area starting with the Cathedral in Plaza Mayor whose construction began in 1535, the first stone being laid by Francisco de Pizarro, and where the Conquistador’s tomb can be found.  Continue to Torre Tagle Palace built in 1715 by Don Jose Bernardo de Tagle y Bracho, First Marquis of Torre Tagle and Treasurer of the Royal Spanish Fleet, as his private residence.  The Palace was built in Sevillian Baroque style with a strong Mudejar (Andalusian Moorish) influence and is distinguished by two finely worked balconies (or miradors) in dark wood.  Pass through the historic district of Rimac to see the Paseo de Aguas or ‘Avenue of Waters’, a garden built in the 18th century by the Viceroy Amat in honour of his mistress Perricholi, as well as the Alameda de los Descalzos, Lima’s famous promenade built in 1611 by the Marquis of Montesclaros.  Also visit the San Francisco Monastery the jewel of colonial Lima, established soon after the foundation on the city with its fascinating interior decorated in Mudejar style and decorative stone facade.  Its library is world-renowned as are its catacombs which contain a large ossuary and are said to connect to the catacombs of the cathedral and other churches.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Wednesday, 3rd October

Lima

Visit the Larco Herrera Museum, a privately owned museum of pre-Columbian art, housed in an 18th century vice-royal mansion.  Private tour with the curator of some of its 45,000 pieces which include one of the finest gold and silver collections from Ancient Peru and pre-Columbian ceramics including the famous erotic collection.

Lunch at the Café del Museo.  Continue to the Bridge of Sighs (Puente de los Suspiros) a lovely wooden structure spanning the Bajada de Baños, a stone walkway that runs down to the Pacific through Lima's bohemian district, Barranco.  Here visit the Pedro de Osma Museum of Colonial Art with its valuable collection of paintings and sculpture.  Return to the hotel and dinner under own arrangements.

Day 4: Thursday, 4th October

Lima / Arequipa

Transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Arequipa.  Check in at the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection, Arequipa, where two nights are spent.   Located just behind the Santa Catalina Monastery, three blocks from the main square, the hotel has a convenient central position within this charming colonial city.  Formerly the mint, a historical monument and one of the most beautiful colonial houses in Arequipa, it has been transformed into one of the foremost hotels in the city with its rooms centred around two large colonial-style courtyards.

Lunch at Sol de Mayo restaurant.  Walking tour of Arequipa starting the Plaza de Armas, flanked by arcades and full of palm trees, which contains the large neo-Renaissance Cathedral.  Continue to the Jesuit La Compañia de Jesus with its elaborate stone doorway, and beautiful carved cloisters, which is perceived to be the finest church in Arequipa, followed by Santo Domingo Church, one of the oldest in the city with its richly ornamented façade, which was founded by the Dominican Order, among the first religious orders to arrive in Arequipa.  Also see the city’s preserved old mansions such as the Casa Ricketts, built in 1738, with a particularly fine facade, and the Casa del Moral, with a stone gateway, superbly carved with local motifs. The latter has been restored with period furniture.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 5: Friday, 5th October

Arequipa

Visit the Santa Catalina Monastery, a convent which once housed up to 500 nuns, and was only opened to the public in 1970.  Behind the high walls, a series of courtyards and painted cloisters, in the Mudejar style lead to intimate cells and passageways, as well as a decorative chapel and gallery of Cusco School paintings.  Continue to the nearby 16th century Church of San Francisco which has a silver altar, and a small chapel with mestizo style carvings.

Lunch at Chicha restaurant.  Leave for visits to some colonial villages outside Arequipa, visiting the San Lazaro district en route, the oldest part of Arequipa characterised by small alleys of sillar.  Visit the town of Sabandia with its flour mill dating from 1621 powered by a neighbouring waterfall.  Continue to the ‘Mansion del Fundador’, an ancient hacienda belonging to Arequipa’s founder, Garcia Manuel de Carbajal. At the end of the 16th century it was sold to the Jesuits, who used it as a retreat, and in the 18th century it passed to the Goyeneche family, who kept it until 1947.  The manor possesses a beautiful chapel that has been fully restored.  Dinner at the hotel. 

Day 6: Saturday, 6th October

Arequipa / Puno

Tranfer to the airport for a morning flight to Juliaca Airport.  Drive to Puno via the Chullpas of Sillustani, where the ancient Aymaras used to bury their high priests in cylindrical tombs.  Arrive in Puno and check into the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection, Puno, spectacularly located on the shores of Lake Titicaca and with lake views from the restaurant, terrace and most of the guest rooms, where two nights are spent.

Lunch at the hotel.  Afternoon at leisure.  Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 7: Sunday, 7th October

Puno

Full day boat tour of the islands of Lake Titicaca including the fascinating Uros Islands.  The latter are completely man-made, and their inhabitants continue to maintain them as they have since pre-Columbian times, using totora reeds from the lake.  Also visit the Aymara communities of Llachon and Taquile Island which are inhabited by Quechua speaking locals who, over several generations, have developed both an efficient and original social system and a fine hand-weaving technique.

Lunch included.  Return to the hotel.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 8: Monday, 8th October

Puno / Cusco

Full day train journey on board the Vistadome train to Cusco through the dramatic landscape of the Altiplano or highland plateau, dotted with little Andean villages and herds of llamas and alpacas.

Lunch on board the train.  On arrival transfer to the Hotel Libertador Cusco where three nights are spent.  The hotel is located within the historical centre of the city, occupying the fabulous ‘Casa de los Cuatro Bustos’, former residence of Francisco Pizarro and built over the foundations of an Inca palace.  An impressive example of Spanish Colonial architecture, with stucco arches and terracotta tiles, and pleasant fountains in the attractive courtyard, this is a perfect location from which to explore the nearby Plaza De Armas.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 9: Tuesday, 9th October

Cusco

Morning walking tour of Cusco starting at the Cathedral, on one side of the Plaza de Armas, which is magnificent in every respect.  Ten small chapels leading from the nave contain fine altars and Cusco School canvases.  Also visit the neighbouring Church of La Compañia is dominated by two striking Baroque towers on the façade.  Continue to the Koricancha complex which is the ultimate example of a colonial edifice built onto Inca walls.  Under the Incas it was the Temple of the Sun, originally entirely covered in gold and the main seat of power.  It still exhibits some of the best masonry in Cusco, whereas the overlying Santo Domingo church has been destroyed by two earthquakes.

Lunch at Incanto restaurant.  Afternoon at leisure.  Dinner at Limo restaurant.

Day 10: Wednesday, 10th October

Cusco

Further walking tour of Cusco starting at the Chapel of San Blas which has a magnificent 17th century altar carved from one block of cedar wood by a local craftsman.  Visit the Santa Catalina Convent which contains a wonderful collection of paintings, a Renaissance altar, and 17th century tapestries.  The church and cloisters of La Merced are Renaissance and Baroque, and contain a bejewelled monstrance from 1720.  Continue to the Church of San Francisco which in contrast has a simple architectural style with one tower and two gates.  It was constructed by the Franciscan order, one of the first that arrived in Cusco, between 1645 and 1651.  Inside the adjoining convent are the catacombs where the Franciscan monks and some members of the aristocracy from the colonial period are buried.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Drive out of Cusco to visit the remarkable Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman, the fortress above Cusco where a hundred thousand Incas rallied troops to try and defeat the Spanish in the 18th century.  It is an intricately designed walled defensive complex built of massive interlocking stones and, like much of the Incas’ stonework, there is still much mystery surrounding how it was constructed.  Continue to Andahuaylillas, a beautiful Baroque church built at the beginning of the 17th century and known for its beautiful murals as well as a fine altar.  Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 11: Thursday, 11th October

Cusco / Yucay

Drive through the Urubamba Sacred Valley of the Incas to visit the picturesque Andean village of Chinchero with its main square bordered by an Inca-constructed wall and its church decorated with unique frescoes.  Wander around its colourful market selling a variety of handicrafts and see a weaving demonstration.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Visit the well-preserved fortress of Ollantaytambo, built just as the Spaniards arrived and one stronghold where the Incas were never defeated.  Stroll through the quaint streets of the nearby town.  Check into the Sol y Luna Hotel where two nights are spent.  The hotel is enclosed in a red-walled courtyard surrounded by tall eucalyptus trees and green mountains with accommodation consisting of bungalows set in beautiful gardens and facilities including a tennis court, swimming pool, spa and riding stables.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 12: Friday, 12th October

Yucay & Machu Picchu

Transfer to Ollantaytambo railway station to board the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes with stunning views of the mountain scenery.  On arrival visit Machu Picchu, the ‘Lost City of the Incas’, discovered by the American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911.  Construction began around 1430 AD but it was abandoned as the official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later at the time of the Spanish Conquest, although it was never discovered by the invaders.  Since it was not plundered by the Spanish, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place.  Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls and its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.  It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Lunch at the Café Incaterra.  Afternoon return to Ollantaytambo by rail.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 13: Saturday, 13th October

Cusco / Lima

Leave (with luggage) for Cusco airport and a flight to Lima.  Transfer to the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection where a further night is spent.

Lunch at the hotel.  Special visit to the private collection of Enrico Poli Bianchi which is full of pre-Columbian and Colonial art, housed in his colonial style home, including many pieces recovered from the Lord of Sipan tombs.  Continue to the famous Gold Museum, owned by the Mujica family, which has the best collection of gold and silver jewellery in South America, as well as weapons and crafts, all pre-Columbian.  Drinks and a tour of Casa Diez-Canseco which was the ancestral home of the Diez-Canseco family who first arrived in Peru in the late seventeenth century.  Careful restoration has preserved the typical features of a traditional Peruvian hacienda style house with courtyard fountains and gardens.  It is full of magnificent pre-Columbian, colonial and republican works of art, paintings, sculptures and decorative pieces.  Dinner under own arrangements. 

Day 14: Sunday, 14th October

Lima / London

Visits around Colonial Lima to include the early 19th century Casa de Osambela one of the biggest houses built in Lima during the colonial period.  This mansion was built in the early 1800s and has five balconies and a mirador from which the first owner, Don Martín de Osambela from Navarre in Spain, could watch by telescope the arrival of galleons at the port of Callao.  Also visit the sumptuous Casa de Aliaga, which has been occupied by the same family since 1535 when Don Jerónimo de Aliaga, a nobleman from Segovia in Spain and treasurer of Francisco Pizarro, built the house on the site of a former Inca palace.

Lunch at Casa de Aliaga.  Transfer to Lima airport for an Iberia Airlines evening flight to London via Madrid.

Day 15: Monday, 15th October

London

Arrive London Heathrow early evening.