Real Affordable Peru (2012)

Lima • Sacred Valley • Machu Picchu • Cuzco
  • 10 days
  • from only:
  • $1995
  • $200 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 11 days
  • from only:
  • $2595
  • $236 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
Is this Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
Unique Accommodations
Extend Your Adventure
The Amazon Rain Forest of Peru
Peru: Lake Titicaca's Sacred Landscape
Optional Tours
Trip Leaders
Grand Circle Foundation
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Miami

6hrs

Atlanta, New York (JFK)

8hrs

Boston, Philadelphia

12hrs

Chicago, Dallas

11hrs

Denver, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Seattle

16hrs

Detroit, Los Angeles

15hrs

Newark

13hrs

Portland, OR, Washington, DC (Dulles)

18hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Lima, Peru. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Post-Trip: Peru: Lake Titicaca's Sacred Landscape

4 nights from only $695

Surrounded by majestic mountaintops and welcoming villages, the turquoise waters of Lake Titicaca have been central to the cultural and spiritual lives of the Andean people since time immemorial. We’ll explore the pre-Inca ruins that line its shores, then discover its floating reed “islands” where the Uros Indians live today.

Single Supplement: FREE.

Please note: This extension only available on select departures. Ask your Adventure Specialist for details.

It's Included

  • Roundtrip airfare from Lima to Puno
  • Accommodations for 4 nights in Puno, Peru; day room in Lima
  • 12 meals—4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 4 dinners
  • 7 small group activities
  • Services of our own resident OAT Trip Leader, who speaks English and the native language
  • All transfers
Day 1
Ride to Puno/Visit Raqchi Archaeological Site

We depart Cuzco for a scenic drive to Puno, stopping at various sites along the way. Our first stop is in Raqchi to explore the impressive ruins of the largest Inca temple in Peru, which was dedicated to their god Virachocha. We then continue our drive, enjoying a box lunch on board, and arrive at our hotel in Chuchuito—a charming Aymara town just South of Puno—in the afternoon. Dinner is at our hotel tonight.
Day 2
Visit Copamaya village/Walk along Lake Titicaca/Explore Chucuito

After a late breakfast, we visit the village of Copamaya to see a weaving demonstration, then enjoy an opportunity to speak with some local residents of this agricultural community before enjoying a lunch of regional specialties.

In the afternoon, we enjoy our first glimpse of the azure waters of Lake Titicaca as we stroll along its northern shore. According to Andean legend, a pair of gods rose from its waters to found the Incan empire. Its size and elevation make the waters of the lake very cold with sizable waves.

Then we return to Chucuito to explore its plaza, colonial churches, and Inca fertility temple, made of massive stones pointing up at the sun god. Later we dine at our hotel.
Day 3
Discover Sillustani/Puno city tour

This morning we ride to Sillustani, set on a peninsula in Lake Ayumara. Here we visit the mysterious pre-Inca ruins called chullpas, or funeral towers, where the Colla tribe buried their elite class in massive carved tombs. This "city of the dead" consists of a group of cone-shaped towers overlooking the Laguno Umayo. The chullpas are made of enormous stones—bigger at the top than at the bottom—and most date to the 15th century, at the time of Inca occupation. We may have a chance to meet some of the modern-day descendants of the Colla during our visit to this site.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we travel to Puno for a tour of the city, including visits to its Baroque cathedraland crafts market. Tonight we enjoy dinner at our hotel.
Day 4
Cruise Lake Titicaca/Visit Uros & Taquile islands

Today we’ll explore Lake Titicaca by boat, stopping first to visit the Uros Islands, where the Uros Indians live on floating "islands" made of the reeds that grow in the lake's shallow waters. The Uros Indians are well-known for their totora reed boats, called balsas, which are primarily used for fishing and are sometimes affixed with sails, also made from reeds.

Then we'll discover Taquile Island. Once part of the Inca Empire, this island was one of the last locations to fall to the Spanish during their conquest of Peru. At that time, the Spanish forbade traditional dress, and the islanders adopted the Spanish peasant dress that they are known for wearing today. They also maintained Inca weaving traditions, and their hand-woven traditional textiles are considered to be among the finest in Peru. While there, we'll enjoy lunch with the locals, as well as a traditional dance performance and a presentation on life on Taquile.

We finish our boating excursion this afternoon and return to Chucuito, where we enjoy dinner at our hotel this evening.
Day 5
Fly to Lima/Panoramic tour/Return to U.S.

After an early breakfast this morning, we transfer to the airport for our flight to Lima, where we check into our hotel. After lunch at a local restaurant, we embark upon a panoramic tour of Lima’s Barranco district. Home to many of Lima’s artists, musicians, and designers, Barranco is considered to be both the most romantic and the most bohemian district in Lima. We’ll take in its charming colonial architecture and flower-lined streets, and enjoy striking views of its district’s unique topography, built around ravines and cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We’ll return to our hotel this afternoon to rest. Later, we transfer to the airport for our overnight flight to the U.S. Please note: Today’s lunch and sightseeing activities in Lima are credited from Day 11 of the main trip.