Luxury Peru Honeymoon 11 Days and 10 Nights

Upon arrival at the Jorge Chavez International Airport you’ll be met by your Travelution Peru host and taken to the hotel for the evening and a well-deserved rest.

Having exploded onto the global food scene, Peru is now widely regarded as one of the world’s principal food travel destinations. In the morning, you will head off to the local market with your private chef in order to buy the local ingredients and learning about the amazing Peruvian food.

Later, take a walking tour of Lima’s key historical sites. One of the main fascinations of Lima is the concentration of ancient history in the area; the origins of the city pre-date the Spanish foundation of the city by several millennia. Begin to unravel this multifaceted history and discover the complex past of this fascinating city with a visit to the colonial area of Lima featuring the Cathedral (closed on Sundays), the Convent of Santo Domingo, and the Main Square with its beautiful baroque-style buildings. You will also visit Larco Herrera Museum, considered one of the best museums in the world. After your visit you will be privately transferred to the hotel.

Lima reaches the hillside like an oasis as it shimmers in the sunlight while you venture into the arid desert of Ica. The sweet aroma of grapes along the desert earth has replaced the fragrance of the city, rising from the wine-growing region of Paracas. You watch the expanse of the plain sweep to the horizon where the sapphire blue of the Pacific gives respite to the desert panorama. The sweet smell of grapes and dry earth stretches across the open desert lands. Once in Ica you will board a sightseeing plane and soar through the open sky where you can look down onto the earth and witness the sensational Nazca lines. Spread across the valley are giant geoglyphs that display diverse representations of natural and geometrical objects from a spider to a monkey, a bird to a hand, each one carved into the earth and preserved for centuries leaving mystery and beauty behind.

At the Huacachina Lagoon you will witness the brilliance of a true oasis. The sand dunes of the desert wrap around the pristine waters of the lagoon like a fortress, hiding the source from the elements and those beyond the ridge. It feels like you have been transported to the Sahara where dunes rise and fall along the desert plain for miles.  The sweet scent of the palms surrounds the sand as the trees sway in the welcome breeze. The water is cool against your toes and fingertips. The sun sinks behind the dunes and burns the sky giving a golden glow to the horizon that looks like your own personal fireplace. Snuggle up and watch as the passionate fire in the sky begins to fizzle out and give way to a sea of stars.  As night spreads over the desert you will settle in the luxuries of the town of Paracas.

The romance leads you away from the desert oases and back to the Pacific shores where the grandeur of the Ballestas Islands await you. The ocean mist billows in the refreshing breeze. The cool air brushes against your cheeks. As the boat drifts out farther from the shore you can look back and see the Candelabra of Paracas etched into the hillside. Like the Nazca Lines, the Candelabra has graced the land for centuries, filling the hillside with beauty and mystery. As you continue out to sea it looks like the candelabra is flickering and flittering just for you, your own private guiding light in the rolling waters. Once you arrive at the Ballestas Islands you can see the series of rock formations that have given refuge to the brilliance of wildlife. Sea lions bark and lounge along the craggy shores in the short distance. They crawl over and nestle into one another’s fur. Waves crash over the rocks; the mist flies into the air. You can see the sunlight bursting through the holes in the rocks like a spotlight showcasing the natural beauty of the sea, the land, and Peru.

Arrive back on shore with the Candelabra now hidden on the hillside. Venture to fabulous Lagunillas, which is located in the Paracas National Reserve. The sea is touched by the corners of the hills that continue to spread into the horizon, their peaks rounded and rolling across the sky. The earth is craggy against your hands as you make your way up the terrain for the spectacular view across the sea. The rush of waves and gentle breeze gives you the seclusion that only nature can provide, where the world continues to spin and cities continue to bustle, but it’s you, your loved one, the view, and the breeze whispering the romance in your ear. In the evening you will find yourself back in Lima where you can relax like the royalty that you are, set within the luxurious embrace of the City of Kings.

Upon your arrival, one of our representatives will be waiting for you right outside of the baggage claim area holding a sign with your name on it. You will then be transferred to your hotel in the sacred valley; We leave Cusco and head to the Chinchero Plateau to explore Chinchero, an important town in Inca times. The most striking remnant of this period is the massive stone wall in the main plaza, which has 10 trapezoidal niches, and the colonial church. Next, we’ll proceed to the enigmatic Inca ruins at Moray. Visually, these stepped-terrace ruins resemble an ancient amphitheater, though some experts believe they served as agricultural laboratories where the Incas could experiment with new farming techniques. Enjoy a delightful picnic lunch, where we will savor dishes made with locally grown produce. Visit the salt mines of Maras. This village is a salt-producing center that dates back all the way to pre-Inca times. There are more than 4,000 salt pools carved into the mountain.

Your private guide will meet you at your hotel early this morning. You will be driven to the train station to board the Vistadome train for a dramatic train ride to Machu Picchu (6,180 ft.), the great mountain-top city abandoned by the Inca Empire, reclaimed by the jungle and lost to humanity until its rediscovery in 1911.

It sits on a mountain site of extraordinary beauty, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height, with its giant walls, terraces and ramps, which appear as though they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments.

Upon arrival at the ruins, you will take a guided tour of the lost citadel. Lunch will be provided at Sanctuary Lodge next to the ruins.

Upon conclusion of your tour, return for an evening in Aguas Calientes. Enjoy an excellent dinner on-site at your hotel and fall into bed, lulled to sleep by the sound of the cloud forest around you.

We have an early breakfast and head up to the ruins to experience the peace and solitude of this magical place. Our knowledgeable guide leads us through, explaining the significance of the various structures and the theories behind Machu Picchu’s purpose and construction methods. We have the rest of the morning and early afternoon to attempt the optional hike up Huayna Picchu and/or explore the ruins on our own. We catch the afternoon tourist train to Ollantaytambo and from there take the bus to Cusco, arriving at approximately 7 p.m. The day concludes with our guide joining us for a final celebration dinner at a traditional local restaurant. Overnight in Cusco. 

Overnight: Cusco City, 11260 ft / 3435 mt

Huayna Picchu – 07:00 am Shift

Hiking Details: 1.25 miles; approximately 2-3 hours hiking, 

Altitude min/max: from 7,970 ft to 8,835 ft

Today we have a guided tour of Cusco and its nearby ruins; you’ll tour prominent Inca sites in and around Cusco, including temples, the megalithic Sacsayhuaman fortress, the carved stone surfaces and subterranean altars of Kenko, the small Puka Pukara fortress that protected the capital and the Tambomachay water temple. After a local lunch, we explore the city by foot to appreciate its superbly constructed Inca walls and architecturally extravagant colonial churches and palaces. This also includes a visit to Koricancha, the Golden Temple of the Sun in ancient times, and the cathedral. Then you may have time to explore some of the central parts of the city and a chance to look at some of the great varieties of local craft work on sale in open-air artisan markets and shops.

Your TRAVELUTION host will take you to the airport for a flight to Puerto Maldonado in south-eastern Peru near the border with Bolivia. On arrival you will be met at the airport and taken to the office of the lodge to leave our main bags to be stored for our return. We continue to the river wharf where we board a 30-40 foot open launch for a short river journey to one of our lodges. During this journey which can take between 45 minutes and 2 hours (depending upon the lodge and availability) we can relax and watch the river bank and jungle canopy for the particularly abundant bird life in this region. Among the birds we may expect to see (dependent on weather and river height) are horned screamers, raptors, plovers, terns, macaws, parrots, kingfishers and toucans. Depending on the lodge you are staying at, you may walk for approximately 1 hour to Lake Sandoval and take a canoe for a 25 minute journey on the lake before you arrive at your lodge in the middle of the jungle. The lodges we use are beautifully positioned and apart from being our jungle home, they also serve as a base for naturalists to work from. The rainforest (both pristine primary and secondary growth forest) surrounding the lodges are a naturalist’s paradise. During the remainder of the day we go for walks with our naturalist guide along forest trails. After dinner we get a chance to relax and discuss with resident naturalists the research projects taking place in the area. Serenaded by a chorus of jungle noises we go to sleep in our comfortable bedroom.

The day is spent enjoying jungle walks to find monkeys and capybaras and also taking canoes out on to some of the jungle lagoons in the area. There is a particularly abundant bird life – including anhinga, hoatzin, horned screamers, raptors, plovers, terns, macaws, parrots, kingfishers and toucans. We can almost guarantee we will see lots of monkey including troops of capuchin, dusky titi, spider & howler, plus possibility of seeing large caymans and giant river otter. Before the evening meal we head out for a short river trip using torches to look for caymans – this always proves to be exciting. PLEASE NOTE: The program may vary according to flight schedules, weather, river height, group sizes, etc and participants should be aware there is no guarantee of seeing specific animals or birds and in general you may not see much wildlife since the rainforest provides such good camouflage for its inhabitants – but you will have a good chance to experience true Amazon rainforest first hand.

Early morning departure after breakfast for the downriver trip to Puerto Maldonado. From here take your fly out.