LDS Group Travel Presents
Mystical Peru
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Included items: - 8 nights Hotel accommodations -17 meals (8 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners) - Site seeing & entrance fees per Itinerary -Transfers between destinations by air conditioned motor coach, train or intra country flights. - Services of English speaking local guides - Luggage handling (1 bag per person) |
LDS Tour Highlights
Join LDS Travel as we experience mystical Peru. The land of gold and of the sun-worshipping Incas, Peru was sixteenth-century Europe’s major source of treasure and once the home of the largest empire in the Americas. Since then, the riches of the Incas have fuelled the world’s imagination, although much of the country’s appeal lies in the sheer beauty of its landscapes, the abundance of wildlife and the strong, colourful character of the people.
Ancient ruins only hint at the first chapter of the story. Although the bloody Spanish Conquest shattered the traditional Inca world in the 1500s, the legacy of ancient cultures is still very much alive. Roughly half of Peru’s 30 million people are of pure Indian origin, often living in remote mountain villages. They still speak the Quechua or Aymara tongue of their ancestors and many of their beliefs and customs are a mixture of traditional Andean ways and the culture brought by the Spanish conquistadors. Peru remains one of the world’s great travel destinations- come experience the mystic!
Join LDS Travel as we experience mystical Peru. The land of gold and of the sun-worshipping Incas, Peru was sixteenth-century Europe’s major source of treasure and once the home of the largest empire in the Americas. Since then, the riches of the Incas have fuelled the world’s imagination, although much of the country’s appeal lies in the sheer beauty of its landscapes, the abundance of wildlife and the strong, colourful character of the people.
Ancient ruins only hint at the first chapter of the story. Although the bloody Spanish Conquest shattered the traditional Inca world in the 1500s, the legacy of ancient cultures is still very much alive. Roughly half of Peru’s 30 million people are of pure Indian origin, often living in remote mountain villages. They still speak the Quechua or Aymara tongue of their ancestors and many of their beliefs and customs are a mixture of traditional Andean ways and the culture brought by the Spanish conquistadors. Peru remains one of the world’s great travel destinations- come experience the mystic!
LDS Tour Detailed Itinerary
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Day 1 - Depart USA, arrive LimaDepart the USA for Peru. Arriving in Lima, Peru in the late evening, local time. Our hotel is the lovely Ramada Costa del Sol Hotel in the parking lot of the airport which is very convenient.
Overnight: Lima |
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Day 2 - Lima - Cuzco
This mornin we will catch our flight to Cuzco, once the capitol of most of South America. We’ll go to our hotel and allow our bodies to adjust to the altitude. During our rest, we’ll have an interesting lecture about the Inca and the Spaniards which will provide important background as we prepare to see these great sites. In the late afternoon, we’ll visit the impressive Temple of the Sun (Koriconcha), the most sacred of the Inca Temples. It was found under a present-day monastery after an earthquake! It was the source of mind-boggling amounts of gold and silver. A delicious buffet dinner with folkloric entertainment is included tonight. Overnight: Cuzco - (B, D) |
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Day 3 - Sacsayhuaman - Kenko - Pisac
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is so named because of the reverence they felt for this area. With towering mountains on both sides, and scores of ruins, it is an interesting place to visit. Travel distances are short and there is much to see. We'll visit the well-known Incan fortress of Sacsayhuaman whose gigantic 3-tiered walls were built from 18-foot boulders that weigh over 300 tons each. The views of Cusco below are breathtaking. From there it’s a short drive to Pisac for lunch. On the way we will stop at the Kenko amphitheater. Then We’ll see the Pisac Ruins that guarded this sacred valley. We’ll return to Cusco in the early evening. Free time tonight to enjoy dinner on your own. There are dozens of tourist restaurants with English menus. Overnight: Cuzco - (B,L) |
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Day 4 - Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes
It’s a two hour drive to beautiful Urubamba where we’ll enjoy lunch in a lovely setting on the other end of the Sacred Valley. One our way we will make a stop in the very interesting town of Chinchero. After lunch We’ll continue another 30 minutes to Ollantaytambo at the "end of the road" and learn the interesting history of this important ancient city. We will then board our Vista Dome train for an unforgettable 90 minute train ride toward Machu Picchu. The scenery changes from dry mountain valleys to lush, tropical mountains as you DESCEND to 7,000 feet above sea level, several thousand feet lower than Cuzco. By 5:30, we'll arrive at Aguas Calientes, the small town near Machu Picchu. We'll check into our hotel and enjoy a free evening in this charming town. It is impossible to describe the majestic mountain scene. You just have to see it to believe it. We’ll stay at a comfortable three star hotel. Overnight: Aguas Calientes - (B, L) |
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Day 5 - Full day Machu Picchu
The big day has arrived. We’ll take a 20 minutes bus ride from our hotel and ascend to this Wonder of the World. Machu Picchu is perched majestically atop a green, lush mountain with higher, foliage-covered mountains surrounding it. The site will NEVER leave your memory. It is simply one of the most awe-inspiring single landscapes anywhere in the world. Our local guide will spend a couple of hours with us taking us through the ruins followed by time to enjoy it on your own. The brave ones can take the hour hike to the top of Wayna Picchu, overlooking the ruins (spectacular!). You’ll have plenty of time to see Machu Picchu in depth. In the late afternoon, we’ll board our train which departs around 4:00. We’ll be back in Cusco by 8:00 where we’ll have a light dinner together. Overnight: Cuzco – (B, D) |
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Day 6 - Maras and Moray tour
Today, we make a visit to Maras and the terraced salt-pans of Las Salinas and get a lesson on salt extraction from the locals. Later, continue on to discover the unusual Inca ruins of Moray, a large complex of terraced circular depressions in the earth which historians believe were used to study the climatic conditions on crops. When we return to Cusco, our guide will take us on a short walking tour of the downtown area, the Inca streets and the famous 12-angled rock. This was the "City of Gold". The Spaniards wrote about finding "fountains flowing with gold" and "streets paved with gold" as they entered the city in 1500's. We’ll have a delicious buffet dinner tonight in Cusco. Overnight: Cuzco - (B, D) |
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Day 7 - Puerto Maldanado - Amazon Jungle
This morning we will leave Cuzco behind and enter the lush jungle of the Peruvian Amazon. We land in Puerto Maldanado and board our boat for a 40 minute ride on the Madre de Dios River into the Amazon. Your comfortable Jungle bungalow will allow you to enjoy the sights and sounds of the jungle. Shortly after arrival, we’ll take an educational stroll into the primary growth jungle to see the incredible flora in the area. Dinner will be waiting for us when we return. For those who are interested, a night time boat tour (with spotlights) to look for the white Cayman or Capybara. Overnight: Amazon Jungle lodge - (B, L,D) |
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Day 8 - Monkey Island - Lake Sandoval
This morning just after sunrise we'll take a 20 minute walk into the jungle where we can watch dozens of wild parrots descend from the skies onto a wall of clay. They eat the clay to coat their stomachs so they can then go out and eat unripe fruit. We’ll come back and enjoy breakfast and some free time before boarding our boat for a short trip up to Monkey Island where we generally see the playful monkeys. We will then enjoy a two mile walk into Lake Sandoval followed by a boat ride on this pristine jungle lake with lunch. The lake is surrounded by jungle palms and the image is quite stunning. Overnight: Amazon Jungle Lodge - (B, L, D) |
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Day 9 - Puerto Maldanado - Lima - Lima City Tour
This morning we return by boat to Puerto Maldanado were we will fly to Lima. After lunch we enjoy the sights of Peru's capital city with 2000 years of indigenous and colonial heritage before stopping at the San Francisco Monastery, famous for its 17th century architecture and world-renowned library. After our city tour we will go to the Lima temple were we will have time to explore the grounds or do a session. After we finish at the temple we will get dinner, before we head back to the airport to catch our flights home. (B) |
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Day 10 - Depart for home
Today sadly you must say goodbye to this amazing country and return home. Departures are very early morning and fly all night back to the USA. |
LDS Tour Pricing Details
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* This amount includes all the land tour items shown in the itinerary along with a travel insurance policy.
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