- Tour code
PERADV01
- Start
Lima
- End
Cusco
- Min. age
16 years old
- Group size
Max 6-16 travellers
- Trip style
Classic
- Trip pace
Active
- Language
English
Peru packs three worlds into nine days: the Pacific capital of Lima, the Amazon rainforest and the high Andes of the Inca heartland. This trip moves through all three, with short flights doing the heavy lifting so more of your time goes to the places themselves.
Begin in Lima, one of the world's great food cities. A culinary tour on the first night introduces you to the group and the city's cooking, and the next day brings a rooftop cooking class in Barranco, with a pisco sour lesson and a three-course lunch, an art walk past galleries and murals, and a coffee tasting.
Next, fly to Puerto Maldonado and travel by riverboat to a rainforest eco-lodge for two nights. Guided trail walks, a boat ride at dusk to spot caimans, a morning on Sandoval Oxbow Lake and a walk among the treetops fill your time in the Amazon.
Then it's up to the Sacred Valley and a 17th-century hacienda for two nights, with a free afternoon and a mountain bike ride to Moray and the Maras salt pans. A Vistadome train carries you to Machu Picchu, and you finish in Cusco with a guided walk and a farewell dinner. Your Soca Islands Host is with you throughout, and groups are kept small, from 6 to 16 travelers.
Why This Journey
Many Peru trips are all about Machu Picchu. This one gives the citadel its full day, but builds a story around it: Lima's kitchens, where Peru's mix of Indigenous, Spanish, African, Chinese and Japanese influences comes together on the plate; the rainforest that feeds so much of it; and the valley terraces where the Incas experimented with crops.
The pace is varied on purpose, with active days on a bike or a canopy walkway balanced by free afternoons at the hacienda and in Cusco. It suits food lovers and nature lovers alike, and anyone who wants a first trip to Peru that goes beyond the classic route.
Where You'll Stay
Lima (2 nights): Hotel B, an art hotel in Barranco. Amazon (2 nights): Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica, a riverside eco-lodge near Puerto Maldonado. Sacred Valley (2 nights): Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel & Wellness, a restored 17th-century hacienda near Urubamba. Cusco (2 nights): Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel, in the historic center opposite the Koricancha. Proposed accommodation (or similar), subject to confirmation. Rooms are based on two people sharing a double room with two beds.
Getting There
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Fly into Lima (LIM) and out of Cusco (CUZ). Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
What you will see and do
Cycle the Sacred Valley to Moray's terraces and the Maras salt pans
Spend two nights at an Amazon eco-lodge with wildlife all around
Learn a classic Peruvian dish and shake a pisco sour at a rooftop cooking class
What's included
All activities mentioned on the itinerary
Accommodations in double rooms
Experienced Soca Islands Host with you throughout the trip
Max 16 travellers per group
Arrival and departure airport transfers
Group transportation
One farewell group activity when possible
What's excluded
- International flights (travelers arrange their own)
- Travel insurance (required)
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Spa treatments and optional activities in the Sacred Valley
- Personal expenses
- Single room supplement (single rooms on request, subject to availability)
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Group itinerary
Land in Lima, Peru's capital on the Pacific and a serious food city, where a private transfer takes you to your hotel.
This evening, meet your Soca Islands Host and the group, then set off on a culinary tour of some of Lima's best places to eat. It's an easy way to get to know the city and each other.
Spend the day in Barranco, Lima's bohemian neighborhood of colorful mansions and clifftop views. Start on a rooftop with a cooking class: make a traditional Peruvian dish, learn to mix a pisco sour, then sit down to a three-course lunch.
Walk it off on an art tour, stopping in local galleries and tracking down murals by well-known street artists. Finish at an atmospheric café where you'll sample premium Peruvian coffee and hear the stories behind it.
Your two nights in the rainforest start with a short flight to Puerto Maldonado and a riverboat ride to your eco-lodge, deep in the forest.
A local guide walks you along the lodge's trails and explains how the Amazon's plants and animals depend on each other. At dusk, head back onto the river by boat to look for caimans, frogs and the other creatures that come out after dark.
Glide across Sandoval Oxbow Lake by boat in the morning, watching for turtles, giant river otters and howler monkeys along the shore.
Later, climb up to a canopy walkway, a string of suspended bridges high in the treetops, where toucans, trogons, monkeys and three-toed sloths are all possible sightings.
Say goodbye to the jungle with a boat ride along the Madre de Dios River.
A short flight brings you to the Sacred Valley, where you'll check in to a 17th-century hacienda framed by Andean scenery. The afternoon is free for spa treatments, optional activities or simply the view. Take it easy at first: the valley sits at around 2,900 meters, and a slow afternoon helps you adjust.
Today you explore the Sacred Valley by mountain bike. Ride out to Moray, where the Incas built circular terraces believed to have been used for crop experiments.
Carry on to the Maras salt mines, a hillside of thousands of shimmering salt pans that local families have worked since before the Incas, then return to the hacienda for dinner.
Board the Vistadome train, with its panoramic windows and glass roof panels, for the ride down the valley as the river narrows into a gorge.
Then comes Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel on its mountain ridge, ringed by green peaks and sheer drops. After lunch in Aguas Calientes, take the train on to Cusco, once the capital of the Inca Empire.
Explore Cusco on foot with a local guide, taking in the Sacsayhuamán fortress, the city's cathedral, the Koricancha Temple and the artsy San Blas quarter.
The afternoon is free. In the evening, the group gathers one last time for a Peruvian fusion dinner and a farewell toast.
The trip ends in Cusco, with flights out of Cusco Airport (CUZ). If you'd like a taxi to the airport, your Soca Islands Host can help book one.
You fly home having seen the Amazon up close, pedaled past Inca ruins and stood at Machu Picchu, with plenty of great meals along the way.
Accommodations
Here's a glimpse of the hotels we selected for this adventure.
Hotel B
A boutique art hotel in a restored early-20th-century mansion in Barranco, Lima's bohemian district, a short walk from the Puente de los Suspiros, the clifftop promenade and the neighborhood's galleries and murals.
Contemporary Peruvian art fills the rooms and public spaces, and the hotel has a restaurant, a bar and a rooftop terrace. Its location puts the Day 2 cooking class and art walk on the doorstep.
Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica
An eco-lodge on the banks of the Madre de Dios River, reached by boat from Puerto Maldonado, with thatched cabañas set in its own private rainforest reserve. Lake Sandoval and the Tambopata National Reserve are close by.
The lodge has its own trails and a canopy walkway of suspended bridges through the treetops, and guided excursions run from the lodge each day.
Hotel websiteAranwa Sacred Valley Hotel & Wellness
A hotel built around a restored 17th-century hacienda on the outskirts of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley, with a colonial chapel, gardens, lagoons and mountain views. Moray, Maras and Ollantaytambo station are within easy driving distance.
Its wellness spa, restaurants and spacious grounds make it a restful base for two nights between the Amazon and Machu Picchu.
Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel
A hotel in a colonial mansion built on Inca foundations, facing the Koricancha temple in Cusco's historic center. The Plaza de Armas, the cathedral and the San Blas quarter are all an easy walk away.
Its courtyards, restaurant and spa with oxygen-enriched rooms help with the altitude after the Sacred Valley.
Rooms
You'll stay at Trip Hotel.
- Included
Shared double
Shared with the person you book with, or a fellow traveller of the same sex.
- +$1,373 per person
Single room
A room to yourself, subject to availability.
Room prices are per person for the Sep 11, 2027 departure and can differ on other dates. You choose your room when you book.
Tour FAQS
Fly into Jorge Chávez International Airport, Lima (LIM), and out of Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport, Cusco (CUZ).
Proposed accommodation is Hotel B in Lima (2 nights), Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica in the Amazon (2 nights), Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel & Wellness in the Sacred Valley (2 nights) and Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Cusco (2 nights), or similar, subject to confirmation.
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
A private arrival transfer from Lima Airport (LIM) to your hotel is included. The trip ends in Cusco; for your departure from Cusco Airport (CUZ), your Soca Islands Host can help arrange your airport transfer. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
The trip includes 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners, as described in the itinerary. Other meals are at your own cost.
Extra nights can be requested, subject to hotel availability; contact our Customer Experience team for a quote.
There are no scheduled activities on the final day, so feel free to book your departure at your own convenience.
We recommend arriving before 3 pm on Day 1 to make it in time for the welcome event. But don’t worry no matter when you land, we’ll have an airport transfer ready for you.
Please Refer to your government’s travel advice or consult your local consulate. Remember, passport and visa requirements can change, so make sure to stay updated.
Excluding alcohol, we suggest budgeting around USD $40.00 per day for extras.
While we’re not medical professionals, we want to help you prepare for a safe and healthy adventure. Here are some tips:
- Consult with a healthcare professional: Schedule an appointment with your travel nurse or doctor at least eight weeks before your adventure to get any necessary vaccines or medications.
- Up-to-date medical advice:
- US residents: Check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- UK residents: Visit the NHS Fit For Travel website.
- Australian residents: Refer to the Smart Traveler Health website.
3. Government travel advice:
- US residents: Consult the US Department of State Travel Advice.
- UK residents: Check the FCDO Travel Advice.
- Australian residents: Visit the Smart Traveler website.
4. Medication tips: If you take prescription medication, bring enough to last the entire trip, plus a few extra days in case of delays. Carry a copy of your prescription in case you need to visit a clinic abroad.
We hope this helps you prepare for a safe and enjoyable adventure.
Please keep in mind that our itinerary, activities, and hotels might change. These adjustments could happen with little notice due to factors like availability, weather conditions, seasonal shifts, or other circumstances beyond our control. Rest assured, we always aim to minimise any impact on your experience. Occasionally, we may tweak the itinerary to try out fresh ideas and keep the adventure exciting.
We believe solo travelers shouldn’t have to pay extra to explore the world. That’s why our group trips are designed around shared accommodation and do not include a single supplement. Solo travelers joining our group trips are paired in twin or multi-share rooms with another traveler of the same sex for the duration of the trip.
Some of our Independent trips are structured differently. For these itineraries, solo travelers will need to book at the single occupancy rate.
Tips are not included in the cost of this tour. Remember, tipping is entirely at your discretion and based on what you feel comfortable with.
Would you like to learn more or customise our Spectacular Peru trip?
Have questions about accommodations, accessibility, group preferences, or dietary needs? Complete the form below and our team will get back to you shortly.
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Spectacular Peru 9 days, 8 nights
- Travel dates:
Sep 11 – 19, 20279 days · Trip Hotel16 spots remaining$4,160$3,744 USDper person, sharing a room · single room +$1,373Early bird: 10% off the first 3 placesTaken off at checkout while places last.$300 today, then 8 monthly payments of about $431Or save 5% when you pay in full (the trip price only, not add-ons)
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