Peru · Private & tailor-made
The Grand South of Peru
Fourteen days across the Andes and the altiplano — Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, the condors of the Colca Canyon and the white streets of Arequipa.
From £2,050 per person, land only — approximate, subject to confirmation. Excludes international and internal flights.
The journey
This is the fuller Peru — the classic highlights of Cusco and Machu Picchu, then south to Lake Titicaca, the deep Colca Canyon and the volcano-ringed city of Arequipa.
You start in Lima on the coast, then fly up to the Andes for the Sacred Valley and a walk through Inca engineering at Pisac and Ollantaytambo. The train takes you in to Machu Picchu, and after Cusco the road climbs south across the altiplano to Puno and Lake Titicaca — the reed islands of the Uros and the weaving community of Taquile.
From there it keeps going where most Peru trips stop: over the high pass at Patapampa to the Colca Canyon, where Andean condors ride the morning thermals, and down into Arequipa, built from pale volcanic sillar stone. It's private throughout, with your own guide and vehicle, and we build in time to acclimatise so the altitude is manageable for the whole family.
Where you'll go
Trip highlights
What stays with you
The train in to Machu Picchu and a guided morning at the citadel.
Pisac and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, and a weaving community at Chinchero.
The reed islands of the Uros and the weavers of Taquile on Lake Titicaca.
The Cruz del Cóndor at first light, watching condors rise out of the Colca Canyon.
The high pass at Patapampa (4,820m), the roof of the journey.
Arequipa's white sillar streets and the walled Santa Catalina convent.
Day by day
Your itinerary
Arrive in Lima
You're met at the airport and driven into Miraflores, the clifftop district above the Pacific. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the flight.
Colonial Lima
A morning tour of the capital: Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Inca adobe pyramid rising unexpectedly out of Miraflores, then the UNESCO-listed old centre — the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the tiled cloisters of the Santo Domingo convent.
Into the Andes by way of Chinchero
Fly up to Cusco and, rather than stopping in the thin air of the city, drive straight down into the Sacred Valley, which sits lower and easier on arrival. On the way, stop at Chinchero to meet a weaving community and see how alpaca wool is spun, dyed with plants and minerals, and woven by hand.
Pisac and Ollantaytambo
A full day in the valley: the hilltop ruins and terraces at Pisac and its market of local textiles and crafts, then lunch and the great fortress-town of Ollantaytambo — still lived in, with Inca water channels running through the streets.
The train in to Machu Picchu
The Vistadome train follows the Urubamba river down through the gorge to Aguas Calientes, the small town below the citadel. There's time to settle in and, if you like, soak in the hot springs the town is named for, before an early start tomorrow.
Machu Picchu, then Cusco
Up early for the bus up the switchbacks and a guided walk through Machu Picchu — the terraces, temples and the Intihuatana stone — with time afterwards to wander. Later, the train and a transfer bring you to Cusco, the old Inca capital.
The Inca capital
A tour of Cusco: the Qorikancha, once the empire's gold-lined sun temple and now half-enclosed by a colonial church; the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas; and above the city the vast stonework of Sacsayhuamán. In the evening, an Andean music and dance performance with dinner.
Cusco at your own pace
A free day to explore the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas — the San Blas artisan quarter, the San Pedro market, a café on the plaza — or simply to rest and settle into the altitude.
Across the altiplano on the Sun Route
The ‘Ruta del Sol’ bus crosses the high plateau to Puno on Lake Titicaca, stopping along the way at the painted church of Andahuaylillas, the temple of Raqchi, the pass at La Raya (4,335m) and the museum at Pukará.
The islands of Lake Titicaca
A full day out on the lake by boat. First the floating islands of the Uros, built and rebuilt from totora reed, then Taquile, where the men knit and the women weave and the terraced island keeps its own quiet rhythm. Lunch is with a lakeside community.
Up over the pass to Colca
A long, spectacular drive from the lake towards the Colca Canyon, climbing across the altiplano past grazing alpaca and vicuña and lakes full of birdlife, over the high pass at Patapampa (4,820m) — the highest point of the trip — before dropping to the canyon villages around Chivay.
The condors of the Colca Canyon
An early start for the Cruz del Cóndor, a lookout over one of the world's deepest canyons where Andean condors rise on the morning thermals, often close overhead. Then a viewpoint over the ancient terraces before the long drive down to Arequipa.
White Arequipa
A morning in Arequipa, a city built from pale sillar stone beneath three volcanoes: the Yanahuara viewpoint, the sprawling Santa Catalina convent — a walled town of its own — and, if you like, the Museo Santuarios Andinos, home to ‘Juanita’, an Inca girl preserved for five centuries in the ice of Ampato.
Homeward
After breakfast, a transfer to Arequipa airport for your flight to Lima and onward home. We can easily add a night in Lima at the end, or an Amazon or Nazca extension — just ask.
Where you'll stay
Your hotels
Comfortable 4-star hotels throughout, with a second option shown where the source lists one. We'll confirm the exact properties when we tailor the trip, and can step the whole route up to 5-star — the Belmond trains and the Tambo del Inka in the Sacred Valley — on request.
What's included
- All accommodation as listed (13 nights, 4-star)
- Private, English-speaking guiding and a private vehicle throughout
- All ground transfers and transport within Peru, including the Ruta del Sol bus and the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu
- Sightseeing and entrance fees for the sites named — the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, the Lake Titicaca islands, the Colca Canyon and Santa Catalina
- Meals as shown day by day (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
- 24-hour in-country support and ATOL financial protection
Not included
- International flights to and from Peru
- Internal flights (Lima–Cusco and Arequipa–Lima, roughly £140–£200 per person each way) — we'll book these for you
- Travel insurance (required — with medical, repatriation and cover for the altitudes reached)
- Meals and drinks not shown in the itinerary
- Tips for guides and drivers (we'll give guidance), and anything of a personal nature
Good to know
Before you go
When to travel
April to November is the dry season and the best window for the Andes and Machu Picchu; the wettest months are January to March. We'll advise on the best dates for you.
Altitude
The trip climbs high — Cusco is about 3,400m, and the Colca pass reaches 4,820m. We build in acclimatisation and keep the first Andean days gentle, but do talk to your GP if anyone has a heart or lung condition.
Who it suits
Families and couples. Given the altitude we'd suggest it from around age six; we can adjust the pace and swap the more strenuous mornings where needed.
Pace and fitness
Mostly comfortable, with some long drives across the altiplano and early starts for Machu Picchu and the condors. No trekking is required on this route.
Money
The currency is the Peruvian sol. Cards work in the cities, but carry cash for markets, island communities and smaller places, some of which are cash-only.
Making it yours
Private throughout, so the pace and comfort level are yours to set — we can step the hotels up to 5-star, add the Amazon or Nazca, or shorten the route. Just ask.
Make it yours
Ready to start planning?
This is a starting point, not a fixed package. Tell us who's travelling, your dates and roughly what you have in mind, and we'll tailor it — the pace, the comfort level and any extensions — and send you a detailed quote.
Travelling well
The STC way
We work with trusted local partners in Peru, and it shows in the detail: guides who know the ground and the altitude, weaving and island communities that receive travellers directly, and the small logistics that make a long high-altitude trip run smoothly for a family. It's the same groundwork behind our sister company, STC Expeditions.
Prefer the classic route? See our Peru — Highlights & Luxury →