South America Gap Year Tours

Classic Peru Tour - 21 days

Peru has an amazing amount to offer – and this trip gives you everything; spot sea lions and boobies at the Ballestas Islands; be confounded by the mysterious Nazca Lines; discover brightly painted and flower-filled colonial patios, swooping condors and layer upon layer of terracing carved into canyon walls – that’s just in the first week!

Then head up into the high mountains to see the azure Lake Titicaca and the chance to spend the night with a local family, followed by a trip to Cusco and the Sacred Valley before striking out on the world-famous Inca Trail. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better you arrive at Machu Picchu – the breathtaking ‘lost city’ of the Incas.

Age Range
This tour is designed for adults over 18 years old. While most passengers are aged from 25 to 55, every year we get people both above and below this age range. All travellers over the age of 55 will be requested to complete a self-declaration of fitness.

Peru
Peru is a fine mix of desert coastline, lush rainforest and rugged mountains, all exuding their own natural beauty and all hiding some of Peru’s most spectacular mysteries.

Machu Picchu is the most famous of these enigmas; a city lost amongst mist-shrouded peaks, but the Andean nation also hides a wealth of wonderful wildlife, colourful indigenous cultures and lovely beaches amongst its rather rugged exterior, all waiting to be discovered…

Climate
Peru has distinct climate zones. In summer (Nov-Apr) the coast is dry and sunny - average daytime temperature 25°C; the rest of the year, it’s a few degrees cooler but a constant mist can make it feel clammy, though it rarely rains. In the mountains, days are warm (low 20’s) year round, but in the dry season (Apr-Oct) nights are cold and sometimes below freezing especially from Jul-Sep when some accommodation (particularly Colca and Amantani) can seem cold and frost is not unknown at some campsites on the Inca trail.

In the wet season (Nov-Mar), the nights are warmer, and although the mornings are often clear, afternoon rain is common. The Amazon basin is generally hot (high 20’s) and humid, but in the dry season (Apr-Oct) cold fronts can cause the temperature to fall to as low as 10-12°C.

Tour Information
Your tour begins in Lima and you will soon be enjoying a trip along Peru’s Pacific coast. When you reach Paracas a local guide will show you some of the amazing sights of this bustling old city. The following morning you will take a sea trip to the spectacular Ballestas Islands, where seabirds, pelicans and sea lions dominate the view.

Next, try dune boarding or take a flight over the baffling mysterious Nazca Lines etched into the desert many centuries ago. You will spend much of your fifth day travelling through some spectacular scenery, climbing away from the coast towards the volcanic mountains of Arequipa to panoramas over the ocean and arrive to the colonial city of Arequipa, Peru’s second-biggest city.

Here you will visit the Convento de Santa Catalina and peruse the museum of Andean Sanctuaries in this handsome city. Then, a spectacular four-hour drive over a 5,000 metre pass and through the vicuña reserve of Pampa Canahuas brings you to the staggering Colca Canyon, including a three-hour walk to the rim of the upper canyon. The following day you will drive to the viewpoint at Cruz del Condor, to experience the stunning sight of a 1,200m drop to the canyon floor.

After visits to the villages of Maca, Yanque and Coporaque, and a visit to the Huari ruins of Ullo Ullo, we head to Puno and Lake Titicaca. At this altitude the daytime is filled with hot sunshine while at night the temperatures can drop below freezing in the winter months. Here we sail to Amantani Island, where you will stay the night in a rustic village home, via the floating reed-islands of the Uros Indians.

The journey continues on to Cusco across the dusty altiplano. The ancient Inca capital enjoys a thriving nightlife, indigenous population, aesthetic ruins and fascinating architecture; one of the most memorable and stunning cities in the Andes and is just the start of your Sacred Valley and Inca Trail experience.

After two nights sampling the spectacular sights of the Sacred Valley our four-day trek begins – the classic Inca Trail. You will pass the temple, fortress and granary at Ollantaytambo before meeting your guide and crew to begin the trek. The reward for your marathon efforts awaits you on Day 18 – you will never forget your first encounter with Machu Picchu. You will have plenty of time to explore the Lost City and savour the experience.

To complete the tour you return to Cusco to explore the city and shop at the markets before finally returning to Lima on Day 21.

Stops
Day 1: Arrive in Lima (HP)
Day 2: Paracas (HP)
Day 3: Huacachina (HP)
Day 4: Nazca (HP)
Day 5: Arequipa (HP)
Day 6: Arequipa (HP)
Day 7: Colca Canyon (HP)
Day 8: Colca Canyon (HP)
Day 9: Puno (HP)
Day 10: Amantani Island (HP)
Day 11: Taquile Island & Puno (HP)
Day 12: Cusco (HP)
Day 13: The Sacred Valley (HP)
Day 14: The Sacred Valley (HP)
Day 15: Inca Trail
Day 16: Inca Trail
Day 17: Inca Trail
Day 18: Machu Picchu (HP)
Day 19: Machu Picchu & Cusco (HP)
Day 20: Cusco (HP)
Day 21: Lima

Accommodation & Meals
All nights marked (HP) below indicate hotel night included in the price. All other nights camping included in the price. 18 breakfasts, four lunches and three evening meals are included. Vegetarians can be catered for on the Inca Trail trek. You must pay for all other meals yourself (you can eat quite well for £15 per day).

Optional Activities
Here are some examples of additional excursions that may be available to you during the tour:

Horse riding (Sacred Valley)
Mountain biking (Sacred Valley)
Cusco, Urubamba river rafting
Dune Buggy (Huacachina)
Nazca lines, light aircraft overflight

Included in price

Transportation by private vehicle
16 hotel nights’ accommodation with most breakfasts
Services of English/Spanish-speaking tour leader
Three nights’ trekking and camping on Inca Trail including all meals
One night village home stay at Amantani Island, Lake Titicaca
Train from Machu Picchu back to Cusco
Internal Cusco – Lima flight

Not included

International Flights
Travel Insurance
Spending Money
All other meals not described above
Local payment of $400 to be made at the start of the tour

Dates and Prices

2008
11 October
13 December

2009
4 April
9 May
23 May
5 June
27 June
11 July
25 July
8 August
22 August
5 September
19 September
26 September

£1129
£1169

£1129
£1129
£1129
£1099
£1169
£1169
£1169
£1169
£1129
£1129
£1149
£1149