Southern Peru Route 10 Days / 9 Nights: Cusco, Arequipa, Ica and Nasca
from US$ 1,194 per person
Ten days crossing southern Peru from the highlands to the coast. You leave Puno on the Route of the Sun, stopping at Pucará, La Raya, Raqchi and Andahuaylillas, and reach Cusco in the afternoon.
In Cusco you have a city tour with four Inca sites, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and Rainbow Mountain. Then you take the bus to Arequipa to tour its countryside and sleep in Chivay, with hot springs and dinner with a folk show, before watching condors fly over the Colca Canyon.
The trip ends on the coast: dune buggies and sandboarding in Huacachina, the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve, and a flight over the Nasca Lines before the bus from Ica to Lima.
Highlights
- Route of the Sun from Puno to Cusco with stops at Pucará, La Raya, Raqchi and Andahuaylillas
- Machu Picchu with train, round-trip bus and entrance included, plus the Sacred Valley and Rainbow Mountain
- Arequipa countryside by panoramic bus and a night in Chivay with hot springs and a folk show
- Cruz del Cóndor in the Colca Canyon and the villages of Pinchollo, Maca and Yanque
- Dune buggies and sandboarding in Huacachina, Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve
- Nasca Lines flight with the María Reiche museum and the Cantalloc aqueducts
Gallery
- Duration
- 10 days / 9 nights
- Schedule
- Departure from Puno at 6:40 on day 1
- Languages
- Spanish
Itinerary
Day-by-day itinerary. Times are approximate.
- Day 1
Puno – Juliaca – Route of the Sun
You leave the Puno bus terminal at 6:40. At 8:50 you visit the Pucará museum, the "temple of fertility"; at 11:00 you stop at the La Raya pass, at 4,338 m, and at 11:35 you have a buffet lunch in Marangani. At 13:00 you visit the Temple of Wiracocha at Raqchi and at 15:30 the church of San Pedro Apóstol in Andahuaylillas, the "Sistine Chapel of the Americas". You reach Cusco around 17:00, are transferred to your hotel and spend the night in Cusco.
- Day 2
City tour + 4 Inca sites
Airport reception and transfer to the hotel, check-in and a welcome coca tea. Between 12:45 and 13:20 you are picked up at the hotel for the city tour: Qoricancha, the Temple of the Sun, the Cathedral and the four sites near the city, Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay. You are back in Cusco around 18:00 and spend the night in Cusco.
- Day 3
Machu Picchu
Between 3:00 and 5:00 you are transferred from your hotel to Ollantaytambo or Poroy station to board the chosen train (Expedition, Vistadome or Inca Rail) to Aguas Calientes. The guide meets you at the station, you ride the bus up to the citadel and join the group for the guided visit; afterwards you ride the bus back down to Aguas Calientes and have free time for lunch; we recommend the town's hot springs, where towels and swimwear are sold or rented. Between 18:00 and 20:00 you take the train to Ollantaytambo or Poroy, where we meet you for the transfer to Cusco. You spend the night in Cusco.
- Day 4
Sacred Valley
After breakfast, between 7:50 and 8:30, you are picked up at your hotel for the Sacred Valley of the Incas tour: Pisac and its craft market, Qoya, Lamay, Calca and Yucay. In Urubamba you have lunch at a tourist restaurant, then continue to Ollantaytambo and Chinchero, the last stop of the tour. You are back in Cusco around 18:00 and spend the night in Cusco.
- Day 5
Rainbow Mountain and Cusco – Arequipa bus
Between 4:40 and 5:10 you are picked up at your hotel; after about 2 hours 45 minutes on the road you have breakfast in the community of Japura and continue 15 minutes to Pitumarca (Quesiuno), at about 4,400 m. From there you hike about 3 hours on an easy trail to Rainbow Mountain, at about 5,000 m (you can rent a horse), and return the same way. Lunch is 15 minutes from the trailhead, and you are back in Cusco between 18:00 and 19:00, at Plaza Regocijo. Then you take the Cusco–Arequipa bus.
- Day 6
Check-in and countryside tour by panoramic bus
Check-in at your hotel in Arequipa. At 14:00 you set out by panoramic bus to Yanahuara, with views of the Plaza de Armas, the Carmen Alto and Yanahuara viewpoints and the district of Cayma. You continue to the Incalpaca outlet and its zoo, with the four kinds of South American camelids, the artificial lakes of Tingo and Sachaca, the Founder's Mansion, the Sabandía Mill and the pre-Inca terraces of Paucarpata; on the way back you can optionally finish at a restaurant serving Arequipa food. You spend the night in Arequipa.
- Day 7
Arequipa – Chivay
Breakfast at the hotel and pickup between 7:30 and 8:00 for the Colca, along the Yura road and around the Chachani volcano to Pampa Cañahuas, in the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve, home to vicuñas. You pass the Tocra wetlands, with migratory birds such as flamingos, the crater of the extinct Chucura volcano and the Volcano Viewpoint, at 4,800 m. You reach Chivay between 13:30 and 14:00, check in at the hotel and have a buffet lunch; at 17:00 you enjoy the La Calera hot springs, with water between 35 and 38 °C, and at 20:00 you have dinner with a folk show. You spend the night in Chivay.
- Day 8
Chivay – Cruz del Cóndor – Chivay – Arequipa
Breakfast at 6:00 and departure at 6:30 to the Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint, to see the canyon and the condors in flight. On the way back you stop in the villages of Pinchollo, Maca and Yanque, with their colonial churches, and at the Choquetico and Antahuilque viewpoints, with the valley terraces, tombs and pre-Inca models. After a buffet lunch you head back to Arequipa at 13:00, arriving between 17:00 and 18:00. Then you take the Arequipa–Ica bus.
- Day 9
Check-in and dune buggies in Huacachina
Check-in at your hotel in Ica. Between 15:30 and 16:00 you are picked up for the circuit in the dunes of the Huacachina lagoon: a dune buggy ride and sandboarding, about one hour in all. Then you have free time to stroll around the oasis, take a boat, take photos and shop for crafts. You return to the hotel and spend the night at a hotel with a pool in Ica.
- Day 9
Full day in Paracas: Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve
Between 6:30 and 7:00 you are picked up at your hotel and taken to the Paracas tourist pier for a speedboat trip of almost two hours to the Ballestas Islands, with migratory birds, sea lions and Humboldt penguins; back at the pier you have free time by the bay. Between 10:30 and 11:00 the Paracas National Reserve tour begins: the visitor center, flamingo sightings and fossil areas, Playa Roja, the Isthmus Viewpoint and a panoramic view of La Catedral and Supay beach. You return to Ica and spend the night in Ica.
- Day 10
Nasca archaeological tour and Nasca Lines flight from Ica
At 7:00 you are picked up at your hotel for Nasca to visit the María Reiche Site Museum and House and the metal viewing tower, where you see the Hands and Tree figures. From the Nasca airport you take a flight of about 35 minutes over the figures and lines of the desert; after a short break you visit the Cantalloc aqueducts. You leave Nasca around 15:00, reach Ica around 18:00 and are transferred to the station for the Ica–Lima bus.
Included
- Spanish-speaking guide on every tour
- Pickup and return to the airport or bus station
- Hotel pickup for every tour
- Route of the Sun Puno–Cusco
- Round-trip transfers to the train station
- City tour + 4 Inca sites
- Full-day Sacred Valley tour with buffet lunch
- Rainbow Mountain tour with breakfast, lunch and taxes
- Round-trip Expedition or Inca Rail train
- Complimentary snacks and drinks from the chosen train
- Round-trip bus up to Machu Picchu
- Machu Picchu citadel entrance
- Buffet lunch in Machu Picchu Pueblo
- 4 nights at the chosen hotel in Cusco
- Cusco–Arequipa bus
- Countryside tour by panoramic bus
- 1 night in Arequipa
- 1 night in Chivay
- Arequipa–Chivay–Arequipa transfer
- Arequipa–Ica bus
- Dune buggies and sandboarding in Huacachina
- 2 nights at a hotel in Ica
- Ballestas Islands tour in Paracas
- Paracas National Reserve tour
- Nasca archaeological tour from Ica
- Nasca Lines flight
- Ica–Lima bus
- Hotel breakfast for every night of accommodation
- Ongoing, personalized assistance
Not included
- Meals not specified
- Hot springs entrance
- Qoricancha entrance (S/ 25 per person)
- Cathedral entrance (S/ 45 per person)
- Maras entrance (S/ 10 per person)
Safety
- The route reaches high altitudes: the La Raya pass (4,338 m), Rainbow Mountain (about 5,000 m) and the Volcano Viewpoint (4,800 m). Take it easy and drink plenty of water.
- At Rainbow Mountain you can rent a horse for the hike if the altitude gets to you; tell your guide if you feel unwell.
Important
- The price is per person and applies to the 10-day / 9-night package with 3-star hotels.
- Check availability before paying.
- Full (100%) payment is required to guarantee your booking.
- No-shows are charged 100%.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the package start and end?
It starts at the Puno bus terminal, where the Route of the Sun leaves at 6:40, and ends on the last day in Ica, with a transfer to the station for the bus to Lima.
Where do I sleep each night?
Four nights in Cusco, one in Arequipa, one in Chivay and two in Ica, at the chosen hotel. The Cusco–Arequipa and Arequipa–Ica legs are by bus.
What language are the tours in?
All tours have a Spanish-speaking guide.
What extra costs should I plan for?
Meals not specified, the hot springs entrance, and the entrances to Qoricancha (S/ 25), the Cathedral (S/ 45) and Maras (S/ 10).