Land of the Incas

This morning you rise at a leisurely time to catch your flight south (1 hour flight leaving around midday) where a group of volcanic mountains heralds your arrival at Arequipa. This colonial city stands in a warm and sunny climate overlooked by the perfect cone of El Misti Volcano (5882m). Its fine buildings, constructed in distinctive local stone, are single-storied to resist the ever-present threat of earthquakes; the relatively little damage done during the massive quake of June 2001 bears testimony to this.

This afternoon you visit the Museum of High Altitude Sanctuaries. The main attraction is the mummified body of a young girl believed to have been ritually sacrificed and buried at an altitude of around 6000m on the summit of nearby Ampato Volcano. The discovery of ‘Juanita’ in 1995 was of worldwide importance. The well-preserved body tissues and richly patterned textiles of her clothes have been the focus of many studies to determine things about her life in Inca times such as what she ate, how she died and even who her living relatives might be. Hotel Casa De Melgar (AAA) - 2 nights - (B)

Travel by road through spectacular mountain scenery (aprox. 6 hour drive) to the mysterious burial tombs at Sillustani, where you spend about an hour exploring and enjoying the scenery. These curious stone burial towers of the Colla tribe overlook the primeval landscape in a brooding, sinister fashion. Later, you continue to the town of Puno (40 minute drive), lying at 3830m above sea level, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. At this altitude the sun is very hot in the daytime but temperatures at night can drop below freezing in the winter months of June, July and August. If you’re feeling the cold, it’s possible to buy thick alpaca sweaters from the town’s market. Hotel Conde de Lemos (AAA) - 2 nights - (B)

You leave Puno ealry today for a long drive across the dusty altiplano, hopefully giving the kids the chance to see llama and alpaca in their natural environment. Once over La Raya pass (4321m) the scenery changes from the dry grassy plains of the altiplano to the green rural river valleys of Cusco, the seat of Inca rule for some 500 years. Tupac Yupanqui Palace (AA) - 2 nights - (B)

Today you head out through the highlands of Cusco, before descending into the fertile Sacred Valley. After about half an hour you’ll reach the village of Pisac where a market fills the main square with bustle and brightly-coloured costume. Here you can wander amongst the market stalls, haggling for locally made textiles and ceramics. Further along the valley (50 minute drive), passing the snow-capped peaks of the Andes you’ll come to Ollantaytambo, a traditional Inca village laid out on a grid plan (one of only four surviving examples). At the far end of the village, clinging to the hillside are some impressive Inca ruins. Hotel Casona de Yucay (AAA) - 2 nights - (B)

You leave your hotel this morning at 0700 hrs and take a spectacular train ride (1½ hours) to arrive at the stunning ‘lost city’ of Machu Picchu which you’ll discover with a guide. It is the most dramatic and enchanting of Inca citadels, constructed from white granite in an extravagantly-terraced saddle between two towering peaks. No description of this mythical place can do it justice. It was rediscovered in 1911 by the American explorer, Hiram Bingham, who believed it to be the lost city of Vilcabamba. It was probably one of a series of agricultural centres that served Cusco. Machu Picchu feels like it was built in the heavens, on dizzying slopes overlooking a u-bend in the Urubamba River. More than one hundred flights of steep, stone steps connect its palaces, temples, storehouses and terraces, and command outstanding views not only of the valley below but also the snow-capped peaks around Salkantay (6271m). Wherever you stand, spectacular terraces appear to be suspended from steep cliffs, transforming the mountain into garden. La Pequena Casita (AA) - 1 night - (B)