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John Osaki's Blog
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 This trip (or a modification thereof)
may be booked as a private departure for your group of friends, family
or colleagues. See our
Private Trips page for more information. |
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 Best time to travel: April - September Best gateway city: Lima, Peru Discover some of the grand and legendary landscapes of South America. On this Andean journey, experience the splendor of Machu Picchu, explore the Inca sites around Cusco, ancient seat of the Inca Empire, cross Lake Titicaca, and visit Tiwanaku, a ceremonial site built by a civilization that arose a thousand years before the Inca. Begin your journey with an exploration of Lima, Peru's seaside capital and cap off your adventure in Bolivia's capital of La Paz, the highest capital city in the world.  |
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  Facade
of the Archibishop's Palace, Lima |
Day 1 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight in Lima, Peru Peru's capital, Lima, was founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535. Many of the old colonial buildings can still be seen. Visit Lima's highlights including the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, the San Francisco monastery with its Sevillian tilework, and the Museo de la Nacion with its powerful exhibitions of Peru's archaeology and anthropology. Round out the day with a visit to one of the best private collections of pre-Columbian art in the country followed by dinner at one of Lima's top restaurants. |
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Woman and child in Cuzco. |
Day
2 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight in Cusco, Peru This morning, fly from Lima to Cusco. Situated at 11,480 feet above sea level, Cusco, the "navel of the world," was the capital of the Inca Empire. Its central streets are lined with Inca-built stone walls which form the foundations of colonial and modern buildings. The streets are often steep and narrow, filled with Quechua-speaking descendants of the Incas. In the afternoon, visit Sacsayhuaman, an Inca "fortress" above Cusco featuring a zigzagging double wall built of massive stones. About five miles from Sacsayhuaman is the Inca shrine of Qenko with its circular amphitheater and water channels hewn out of a limestone outcrop. |
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 Tambo
Machay. |
Day 3 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight in Cusco, Peru Take some time this morning to explore central Cusco whose original Quechua name was "Qusqu." Notable sights include the city's central square (Plaza de Armas), the Calle Loreto (a street lined with Inca masonry) and the Santo Domingo Church built over the site of Koricancha ("Temple of the Sun" ), once the most important place of worship in the Inca Empire. Later, travel by vehicle to Puka Pukara, an Inca fortress whose pink-stone ramparts once guarded the road between Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas (El Valle Sagrado de los Incas). The nearby site of Tambo Machay features a series of aqueducts and was once a bathing site for Inca royalty. Return to Cusco and overnight. |
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Day
4 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight in Urubamba Valley Depart Cusco this morning and descend to the floor of the Urubamba Valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas. At the market village of Pisac, a winding road ascends to the scenically-situated Inca ruins of Pisac. Here you'll find flights of spectacular, curving Inca terracing along with marvelous views over the Sacred Valley. Later, travel to the fortress village of Ollantaytambo best known for it massive stonework and unfinished Temple of the Sun. From Ollantaytambo's terraces the Inca successfully defended the town against the Hernando Pizarro's army in 1536. Spend the evening in comfortable accommodations in the Sacred Valley near Ollantaytambo. |
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Day
5 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight at Machu Picchu Journey by rail through the Andes to Machu Picchu, the fabled "Lost City of the Incas," and one of the best known and most spectacular archaeological sites on the continent. Apart from the local population, no one knew of its existence until the American archaeologist, Hiriam Bingham, stumbled on it almost by accident on July 24, 1911. Built along a mountain ridge in the 15th century, Machu Picchu retains its air of grandeur and mystery despite the tourist influx. Upon arrival at the Machu Picchu, enjoy a tour visiting the principal sites within the complex. Overnight at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge adjacent to the ruins. Day
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Day
7 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight at Lake Titicaca Enjoy a leisurely morning in Cusco. Spend some time shopping, or return to visit your favorite sites. In the afternoon, fly from Cusco to Juliaca a town situated near Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian "altiplano." Travel by vehicle from Juliaca's airport to the town of Puno on the shores to Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world at 12,507 feet above sea level. En route to Puno, stop for a visit at the chullpas of Sillustani, stone funeral towers in a picturesque setting overlooking Lake Umayo. Your hotel for the evening is built into the rocky shoreline of Lake Titicaca outside of Puno. Your view extends over totora reed banks to the vast cobalt waters of Titicaca. |
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Day 8 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight on Isla del Sol Travel by vehicle across the altiplano to the Bolivian town of Copacabana set on the shores of Lake Titicaca. En route, stop to visit the "mestizo-Baroque" church in the Peruvian village of Pomata. After lunch and a visit to Copacabana's church, travel by hydrofoil to the Isla del Sol ("Island of the Sun") in the middle of Lake Titicaca. Surrounded by the waters of Lake Titicaca you'll enjoy marvelous views of the snow and ice-clad Andean cordillera rising majestically above the lake's eastern shore. Overnight in a small lodge, or hosteria, on Isla del Sol. |
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Day 9 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight on Lake Titicaca at Huatajata This morning, visit the principal archaeological sites on Isla del Sol including the Escalera del Inca ("Inca Steps") and the Palacio del Inca ("Palace of the Inca"). Travel by hydrofoil from Isla del Sol to the Bolivian port town of Huatajata where you'll overnight in the Inca Utama Hotel and Spa. Huatajata is also home to the "Andean Roots Cultural Complex" which includes the Andean Eco-Village, the Altiplano Museum and a full-size replica of Thor Heyerdhal's reed boat, Ra II. |
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The Gate of the Moon at Tiwanaku. |
Day
10 Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Overnight in La Paz, Bolivia This morning depart Huatajata bound for the pre-Inca archaeological site at Tiwanaku. Little is known about the people who constructed the great ceremonial center on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca over a thousand years ago. The site is known for its massive, carved stone "Gate of the Sun." After visiting Tiwanaku, continue to La Paz. Set in a broad mountain basin twelve thousand feet above sea level, La Paz is the world's highest capital and center of Bolivian commerce, finance and industry. A farewell dinner caps off your Andean adventure! Overnight in a comfortable hotel in the city and enjoy views of the towering snow-capped volcano of Illimani. Depart La Paz the next day. |
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Interested in a
Peru/Bolivia trip? Please let us
know: Fields marked with (*) are required in order to submit this form. |
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Organize a Peru/Bolivia
trip for your own private group. See our
Private Trips page for more
information. |
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All photos on this page by John or Amy Osaki |
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© Walking
Softly Adventures, Inc., PO Box 86250, Portland, OR 97286 |
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