Empire of the Incas: Peru and Bolivia

•   Spectacular rail journeys through the Andes from Cusco to Lake Titicaca aboard a vintage rail car on the "Andean Explorer," and to Machu Picchu aboard "Vistadome"

Day 1: Arrive Lima
A transfer is included from Jorge Chávez International Airport to the Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima, your elegant oceanfront home for the next three nights.
Overnight: Miraflores Park Hotel, Lima, Peru
Meals Included:

Day 2: The Three Lives of Lima, Peru's Capital
Go back nearly 500 years as you explore colonial Lima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving the Spanish colonial capital set up by Francisco Pizarro in 1535 after his conquest of the Incan Empire. With Tauck’s local guide, step inside the Cathedral of Lima – its first stone was laid by Pizarro himself – and see Plaza Major, the Archbishop’s Residence, Government Palace and the Convent of San Pedro. Following lunch at a colonial mansion owned by the same family since 1535, view one of the world’s largest collections of pre-Columbian treasures at the privately owned Museo Larco. Cap an extraordinary day with a welcome reception and dinner at Casa Luna, a private hacienda where your hosts Javier and Eva Luna share their eclectic collection of art, including more than 1,500 nativities.
Overnight: Miraflores Park Hotel, Lima, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3: Culture & Cuisine in Lima or the Nazca Lines
Lima’s rich cultural and artistic heritage represents 3,000 years and a mix of pre-Hispanic, colonial and contemporary Peruvian cultures. Discover it first on a walking tour of Barranco, the city’s “Bohemian” district, then on a guided visit to one of Lima’s fine museums. Authentic Peruvian cuisine is a tantalizing fusion of Andean and Spanish flavors; sample it during lunch at Cala, a seaside spot to “see and be seen” in Barranco. Or join us on an optional full-day excursion (for an additional $349; ask at booking) across one of Earth’s driest deserts via part of the Pan American Highway to Pisco for a flightseeing trip over the fabled Nazca Lines – and a bird’s-eye view of these gigantic figures, visible only from the air, etched into the desert floor by the Nazcas centuries ago... a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Overnight: Miraflores Park Hotel, Lima, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 4: Alpaca Farm and Peruvian Paso Horses
Some of Peru’s favorite four-legged friends take center stage today. After a flight to Cusco, meet alpacas, llamas, vicuñas and guanacos at the Awanacancha farm, and see how these local relatives of the camel are raised. Lunch at Wayra Ranch includes a demonstration of Peru’s Paso horses, famed for their natural lateral gait known as paso llano, and considered among the smoothest-riding horses in the world. Arrive at your Sacred Valley hotel to relax and adjust to the change in altitude.
Overnight: Casa Andina Private Collection Sacred Valley, Sacred Valley, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5: Sacred Valley of the Incas and Kusiwasi
A walk through the steep terraces and well-preserved remains of an Inca fortress and town at the archaeological site of Ollantaytambo takes you back to ancient days in the Sacred Valley. It’s hard not to be impressed by the town’s sophisticated urban design; visit an Incan home where families live much as they have for centuries. Learn secrets of Peruvian cuisine at a cooking demonstration followed by a delicious lunch featuring dishes prepared by the chef... along with a lesson in making the Pisco Sour! A local shaman consecrates your journey and shares spiritual insights on the Sacred Valley and iconic Machu Picchu; enjoy a nature walk with your local guide. Tonight, the folk-arts group Kusiwasi performs The Apus of the Andes, based on Incan and Quechua lore.
Overnight: Casa Andina Private Collection Sacred Valley, Sacred Valley, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6: To Mystical Machu Picchu by Rail
Travel to Aguas Calientes, gateway to the Incan site of Machu Picchu, aboard the Vistadome train. Then drive higher into the Andes to explore the mist-shrouded Inca ruins that have captured the world’s imagination as the “Lost City of the Incas” ever since American historian Hiram Bingham brought them to international attention a century ago. Despite its popular nickname, most archaeologists believe that the complex, built in the classical Inca style, was more likely an imperial estate. But whatever you call it, this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site was recently named one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World.”
Overnight: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, Aguas Calientes, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7: Aguas Calientes and on to Old Cusco
Spend a free morning as you wish – perhaps returning to Machu Picchu for a guided sunrise tour, taking a nature walk through the hotel’s rainforest gardens, perusing local shops in Aguas Calientes, or indulging in a spa treatment (at an additional cost). Reboard the Vistadome train after lunch for the scenic journey to Ollanta, and drive to Cusco for a two-night stay at historic Hotel Monasterio, voted one of South America’s best hotels.
Overnight: Hotel Monasterio, Cusco, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 8: Centuries of Culture in Cusco
Back at about the same time that the Italians were kicking off the Renaissance, the Incas were busy turning Cusco into the planned central city of an empire almost as vast as that of ancient Rome. Built in the shape of a puma, Cusco boasted paved roads, grand palaces, running water and great prosperity... until Spain’s conquistadors built a colonial city on top of it. Much of that city, along with traces of the fabulous Inca capital beneath it, survives. Walk through its bustling market, and visit the ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Q’uenco, the Convent of Santo Domingo... built upon Incan walls... and the 16th-century Cathedral.
Overnight: Hotel Monasterio, Cusco, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 9: Through the Andes by Rail
Evoke the golden age of train travel in the style of Europe’s Orient Express as you meander through awe-inspiring Andes Mountain vistas aboard the elegant Andean Explorer; your vintage rail car is exquisitely decorated in the manner of the great Pullman trains of the 1920s. En route, have lunch and afternoon tea. After a stop at remote La Raya – 14,150 feet above sea level! – continue into the Andean plains to Puno on Lake Titicaca.
Overnight: Libertador Lake Titicaca Puno Hotel, Puno, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 10: Lake Titicaca & Islas de los Uros
According to Inca lore, the sun god sent his children springing forth from the waters of Lake Titicaca to found the Incan Empire. Floating, fascinating, man-made reed islands called the Islas de los Uros dot the lake, the largest in South America. Ride a powerboat to meet their residents, the Uros, and learn about their unique lifestyle. On Taquile Island, an Aymara family prepares a simple lunch and performs traditional dances.
Overnight: Libertador Lake Titicaca Puno Hotel, Puno, Peru
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 11: Lake Titicaca & Bolivian Culture
Inca legend has it that Sun Island, Bolivia, in Lake Titicaca is the ancestral birthplace of the Inca nation. Cross the border into Bolivia before a private hydrofoil whisks you to the island for a visit. Savor Bolivian specialties at lunch, with incredible views of the lake and the Andes beyond. Continue to Huatajata, where you’ll stop at the museum of the Limachi Brothers, builders of explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s reed boats. Travel overland to La Paz, perched 11,930 feet above sea level.
Overnight: Camino Real Hotel, La Paz, Bolivia
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 12: La Paz, World’s Highest Capital City
Just outside La Paz lie otherworldly badlands dubbed the Valley of the Moon; explore them before touring the “city that touches the clouds.” Check out unique wares in the Mercado de Brujas (Witches’ Market); visit Plaza Murillo to view the Cathedral and Government Palace. End your journey with an exclusive farewell reception and dinner at Bolivia’s National Art Museum.
Overnight: Camino Real Hotel, La Paz, Bolivia
Meals Included: Breakfast, dinner

Day 13: Journey Home
Tour ends: La Paz, Bolivia. Fly home anytime; a transfer is included from Camino Real Hotel to La Paz El Alto International Airport. Allow 3 hours for flight check-in at the airport.
Overnight:
Meals Included: Breakfast

Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
5/25/2012 - 6/7/2012	$4,990
6/8/2012 - 6/21/2012	$4,990
6/22/2012 - 7/5/2012	$4,990
7/6/2012 - 7/19/2012	$5,890
7/20/2012 - 8/2/2012	$4,990
8/3/2012 - 8/16/2012	$4,990
9/14/2012 - 9/27/2012	$5,890
9/21/2012 - 10/4/2012	$5,890
9/28/2012 - 10/11/2012	$4,990
10/5/2012 - 10/18/2012	$4,990
10/12/2012 - 10/25/2012	$5,890
10/26/2012 - 11/8/2012	$4,990
Note: Departures appearing above in green are guaranteed to operate by the tour operator.
Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date.

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