Peru’s Southern Circuit: Nazca, Colca Canyon & Machu Picchu

Arrive in Lima with a private transfer from the airport to the Miraflores waterfront, driving the coastal road. Explore the UNESCO-listed historic center on foot from the Plaza Mayor to the 16th-century Cathedral, then visit Casa Aliaga, the colonial mansion granted in 1535. Continue to the Larco Museum in Pueblo Libre for pre-Columbian art in a restored viceregal mansion. End the day at Love Park in Miraflores, watching the sun set over the Pacific.

Travel from Lima to Paracas, then transfer to Pisco Airport for a 90-minute Nazca Lines overflight in a 12-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan. Look down on figures including a hummingbird, dog, tree, whale and lizard, plus geometric lines. After the flight, continue to Huacachina, the desert oasis ringed by rolling sand dunes, and try sandboarding on the larger dunes. The afternoon offers a playful counterpoint to the morning’s archaeology before transferring back to a hotel in Paracas.

Travel from Paracas back to Lima, where the day is free to explore on foot in the city’s breezy Pacific air. Suggestions include the historic center and the 16th-century Cathedral, Casa Aliaga, and the Larco Museum with its pre-Colonial gold and silver and erotic art. In Miraflores, Love Park is recommended at sunset, alongside downtown mingling and award-winning restaurants. The day ends with a selected hotel stay in Lima.

A transfer from the hotel to Lima Airport leads to a flight from Lima to Arequipa, followed by an arrival transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, the Arequipa City Tour visits the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, the Baroque Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús with the Cupula of Saint Ignacio, the Main Square and Neo-renaissance Cathedral, and the Yanahuara district, whose plaza overlooks the volcanoes Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu. The evening is free at the hotel.

An early start from Arequipa leads through the Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca, past Andean villages and snowcapped volcanoes, toward Colca Canyon. The scenic drive crosses Patapampa Pass and stops at the Mirador de los Andes for views of Hualca Hualca, Sabancaya and Ampato, then descends past pre-Inca agricultural terraces into Chivay for lunch on the main square. A short ride reaches the Calera Hot Springs for an unhurried soak, before continuing to Cabanaconde for the night.

Begin at Mirador Cruz del Cóndor, the Colca Canyon viewpoint where condors ride thermal currents above a canyon stretching nearly 4,000 ft below. The drive passes picturesque villages, pre-Inca ruins, and views of Ampato and Hualca glaciers. Descend to Chivay for lunch on the main square, then browse Chivay’s local market for canyon produce and crafts. The long transfer from Chivay to Puno follows the Andes for five to six hours toward Lake Titicaca, arriving at a higher altitude where an easy arrival is advised.

Cruise across Lake Titicaca to the man-made Uros floating islands, built from totora reeds and home to communities who share their everyday life and traditions. Continue by boat to Taquile Island, where a local restaurant serves quinoa soup, fresh lake fish and vegetables. Learn about Taquile’s communal way of life and its famous weavings, with men spinning thread and women designing and weaving, plus wide lake views from the shores. The boat journey then returns across Lake Titicaca to Puno.

Travel from Puno to Juliaca Airport for a flight to Cusco, then transfer from the airport to your hotel in the old Inca capital. Settle in and acclimatize with a suggested afternoon exploring Cusco on foot: the Plaza de Armas and its Cathedral, the Inca complex of Puca Pucara, and the artisan quarter of San Blas. The day closes with suggested Peruvian dishes such as crackling pork, pickled vegetables, earthen-oven bread, roasted vegetables and sweet donuts, before an overnight hotel stay in Cusco.

Explore Cusco on a city tour that starts at San Pedro Market, where locals shop among produce stalls and vendors, with fresh fruit smoothies a highlight. Continue to Qoricancha, the Inca Sun Temple, whose intact architecture reveals smaller temples to the moon, rainbow, stars, lightning and thunder. The route then walks to Sacsayhuamán, a significant religious site of immense stones the Spanish took for a military fortress, before returning to the hotel to rest in the old Inca capital.

Travel from Cusco into the Sacred Valley toward Pisac, with photo stops at terraces, irrigation canals and mountain viewpoints along the way. In Pisac, visit the traditional market and the immense Inca fortress and terraces above the village. Continue deeper into the valley to Ollantaytambo, where winding alleys, vast plazas and some of the best-preserved Inca architecture await, including the llama-shaped ruin above the rooftops. The day ends in Ollantaytambo.

Travel from Ollantaytambo through Andean peaks, wheat fields and small villages to Moray, where the Inca agricultural terraces form deep amphitheater-like bowls. Nearby, the Salinas de Maras salt pools spill down the mountainside. Continue to Chinchero, linked with the rainbow and known for Inca terraces, colonial-era churches and a living textile tradition, including a weaver’s studio and handmade gifts. The route then returns to Ollantaytambo.

Ride the train from Ollantaytambo to Km 104, where the Short Inca Trail begins with a climb past Chachabamba. The route continues uphill to Wiñay Wayna, an ancient rest area at 2,732 m, where a boxed lunch is taken amid green mountains and native orchids. The trail then winds through semi-tropical cloud forest to Intipunku, the Sun Gate, offering the first panoramic views of Machu Picchu. A short descent reaches the citadel for a brief stop and photos before the bus to Aguas Calientes and a hotel stay.

Ride the shuttle bus from Aguas Calientes up the switchback road to the Machu Picchu entrance, then explore the 15th-century Inca citadel with a guide, moving through its buildings and reconstructed corners at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Return by bus to Aguas Calientes for a relaxed lunch in town before the afternoon train to Ollantaytambo. From there, a road transfer climbs back through the Sacred Valley to Cusco, where you settle into a hotel in the old Inca capital for the night.

Conclude your time in Cusco with a departure transfer from your hotel to Cusco Airport. This final journey provides a straightforward route out of the city, connecting your accommodation with the airport for your onward flight. It is a simple, practical experience focused on leaving Cusco smoothly after exploring the region.