Day 2: Arrive Arequipa (Overnight in Arequipa hotel). Fly from Lima to Arequipa where you will meet with your tour leader who will be with you for the trip.  Transfer to hotel.  Arequipa is Peru’s second largest city yet it maintains a laid back atmosphere and a traditional colonial style as it lies in the shadow of El Misti volcano.  We take a visit to the Convent of Santa Catalina, offering a brief respite from the outside world and a unique view into a by-gone way of life.  Later in the afternoon we visit the Museum of Andean Sanctuaries where we have the opportunity to view the Inca mummy known as “Juanita”.            

Day 3:Colca Canyon (Overnight): Travel for approximately 3 ½ hours along a rough, rutted road through high plains flanked by extensive Inca and pre-Inca terracing en route to Colca Canyon.  On our drive there are ample photo stops allowing us to enjoy some spectacular views of volcanoes, agricultural terraces and wild alpaca and vicuña herds.  We spend the night in the Colca Valley allowing us time to acclimatize and take a dip in the relaxing thermal baths of La Calera.

Day 5: Island Visit - Amantani (Overnight Amantanti home stay):Today we leave the port of Puno by way of a tourist boat and cruise Lake Titcaca (the highest navigable lake in the world at 3800m).  Our destination – the Island of Amananti.   We lunch on the island and then we split into smaller groups and billet into family homes where we stay with the locals and experience their style of living first hand for a once in a lifetime cultural exchange.  In the late afternoon we can enjoy the breathtaking sunset over Lake Titicaca from the top of the island. On a clear day we will even be able to see the distant peaks of the Cordillera Real in Bolivia.

Day 6: Island Visits -  Taquile & Uros  (Overnight Puno): Say our farewells to our host families and return to Puno today via our first stop on Lake Titicaca is Taquile Island.  The people of Taquile Island’s unique culture, style of dress and lifestyle make for a memorable visit. The island is characterised by the quality of their textiles.  Here, the men of the community do all the knitting, as this is strictly a male domain, while the women do the spinning. High quality, locally knitted goods are available for purchase at various cooperatives on the island.  We lunch on Taquile before resuming our boat trip to the floating islands of the Uros people. The Uros began their unusual floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from the Colla and Inca tribes.  Arrive in Puno and spend the night in the hotel.   

Day 7: Cusco (overnight Cusco): An 8 hour panoramic bus ride brings us over the highlands to the former capital of the Incas: Cusco. During the trip we enjoy our lunch and visit different tourist attractions like the colonial church of Andahuaylillas and the Inca temple Raqchi (dedicated to Wiracocha the most important god in Andean ideology). Arrive in Cusco and transfer to our hotel for the night (3400 m).

Day 8: Sacred Valley (Overnight Ollantaytambo): Travel through the Sacred Valley and visit the towns and Inca ruins of Pisaq and Ollantaytambo.  Get a chance to learn a little about the local people, their way of life and their traditional weaving techniques.

Day 9: Start the Inca Trail: Depart from Km 82 and cross the Urubamba River Bridge and begin our walk in the footsteps of the Incas.  We travel along the winding path that skirts the river, offering views of the Vilcanota mountain range.  Our route journeys through the narrow Cusishaca valley and later we’ll reach the indigenous community of Huayllabamba.  Our local crew of porters cook and guide look after us well for the duration of the hike. Porters carry the majority of the gear for the hike, so those passengers doing the hike only need carry a small daypack for the daily essentials.  We camp at Wayllabamba.  Approx. walking time 5 hours

Day 11: Today the trail goes through some beautiful cloud forest on a climb which is steeper than Dead Woman’s Pass but shorter (1 ½ hours), you will walk through a causeway and a tunnel, both original Inca constructions. The highest point of the third pass is at 3700m (12136 ft). On clear days you are rewarded for all this work with beautiful views of the Urubamba Valley below.  Soon you reach the serene ruins of Phuyupatamarca, or the 'Town above the Clouds', at about 3650 m (11972 ft) above sea level. We camp for the final night close to Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young) ruins, a grandiose terraced hillside site, with panoramic views of the valley below and just a short hike from Machu Picchu.  It is the longest day.Approx. walking time 8 - 9 hours.

Day 12:Arrive at Machu Picchu (Overnight Cusco): Today we visit the remarkable Machu Picchu. There is no way to describe the feeling of the first views of Machu Picchu, as the mist rises off the mountains early in the morning and the famous ruin appears in front of you.  It may be called the Sun Gate but bear in mind we are in the cloud forest and sometimes “Cloud Gate“would be a more suitable name.  The morning is dedicated to exploring the extraordinary site of Machu Picchu, where your guide will be on hand to explain and give you an insight into the life of the Incas at Machu Picchu.  For the keen, there’s also the opportunity to climb the sacred peak of Huaya Picchu. In the afternoon, we take the train from Aguas Calientes back to Cuzco.  Approx. walking time 2 hours.

Day 15: Depart Peru: Transfer to airport to catch your international flight.