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Classic Peru

12 Days
From CAD $2,738 Was CAD $3,299

Best Rate
Guarantee

Trip Type
Small Group

Activity Level
Demanding

Rating

(20 reviews)

This trip has alternate itineraries available.
Please select your preferred option to see itinerary and pricing.

Experience Overview

This compact tour of the archaeological highlights and cultural treasures of the Andean highlands has it all. Cruise Lake Titicaca and immerse yourself in rural life with a homestay in a small village. Wander the cobblestoned streets of Cusco before breaking a sweat hiking mountain passes along the Lares Trek on your way to Machu Picchu. Because we run our own treks, we can ensure the fair treatment of our porters and the quality of food and equipment, which means you’re free to enjoy the beauty of the region.

Highlights

Feel like a local at a Lake Titicaca homestay
Hike the Lares Trek en route to Machu Picchu
Sample the seafood in Lima
Explore ancient ruins and villages

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Trip Details

Product Code: 2707

Tour Type: Small Group

Accommodation: Budget

Transport: Public bus, private van, plane, train, boat, hiking.

Guide Language: English

Travel Styles: Classic

Supplier Code: PPC.B

Starts: Lima, Peru

Finishes: Cusco, Peru

Duration: 12 days

Departures: Guaranteed

Physical rating: Demanding

Includes

Activities

Your G for Good Moment: Lake Titicaca Homestay, Lake Titicaca Your G for Good Moment: Ccaccaccollo Community and Women's Weaving Co-op visit, Ccaccaccollo Your G for Good Moment: Parwa Community Restaurant the Sacred Valley, Lamay Your G for Good Moment: Cuncani Community Campsite, Cuncani Your G for Good Moment: Handmade Biodegradable Soap Products Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group Your Discover Moment: Cusco
Floating islands of Uros visit
Lake Titicaca guided tour and homestay
Sacred Valley guided tour
Pottery making demonstration
Lares Trek guided hike with cooks and porters (3 days)
Machu Picchu guided tour
Internal flight
All transport between destinations and to/from included activities

Accommodation

Hotels/guesthouses (8 nts), camping (2 nts), homestay (1 nt).

11 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners

Transport

Public bus, private van, plane, train, boat, hiking.

Group Leader

CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout, specialist Lares Trek CEO on the hike, local guides.

Price

Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $2738 (CAD $228 /day)

Itinerary

Day 1: Lima

Arrive at any time.

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.Accommodation - Hotel Santa Cruz

Day 2: Lima/Puno

Fly to Juliaca and transfer to Puno. Take it easy in the afternoon, wandering the markets and exploring the city.
Fly to Juliaca then take a short bus ride to Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Titicaca is also the largest lake in the world above 2000m, and the views from its Islands are stunning.

Meals included: Breakfast

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Transfer to the airport in Lima by van (about 45 minutes away) for the short flight to Juliaca.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Free_time - Spend some time getting acclimatized and exploring the city, be sure to check out the view of the lake. Accommodation - Pukara House

Day 3: Puno/Lake Titicaca

Enjoy a guided tour of Lake Titicaca and a homestay in a small village.
Head out by boat across Lake Titicaca. Visit the community on the Taquile Islands and opt to have lunch in a local restaurant with spectacular views.

Afterwards, cruise to the another village (this can vary based on community availability) for an overnight homestay on the shores of the lake. This experience provides an opportunity to learn more about rural life in the Peruvian highlands and to participate in local traditions. Eat with the family, learn some Quechua and Spanish language skills, try on traditional costumes, and help out with daily chores around the village.

Meals included: Breakfast,Dinner

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Board a boat on Lake Titicaca and head to Taquile Island for an optional delicious Peruvian lunch at a restaurant followed by some shopping at the local weaving cooperatives. Taquileños are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing, men are taught how to knit around age five and they create the majority of the textiles. After, enjoy an overnight stay with a host family and a chance to learn about life on the islands.Activity - In the aymara community of Luquina Chico on Lake Titicaca, 40 families welcome you to experience their way of life. Thanks to the support of G Adventures and Planeterra, the local families here have strengthened their communities, preserving traditions and creating opportunities for future generations. Split into smaller groups and get a taste of local life firsthand as we move into family homes for the night. Play soccer with the children, enjoy some dancing, watch dinner being made, learn about regional cuisine, and dress up in local clothes for an unforgettable evening with the whole village, enjoying traditional music and dancing. Lend a hand the next morning, and help out with chores like feeding animals, harvesting local produce, or bringing back buckets of water from the well.

Day 4: Lake Titicaca/Puno

Visit the floating islands of Uros before returning to Puno. Opt to visit to Sillustani burial site.

Leave the homestay families late morning and visit the Uros Islands on the way back to Puno. A popular optional activity in Puno is a visit to the spectacular chullpas (funerary towers) of Sillustani, a pre-Inca archaeological site only a short drive away.

Opt to pre-book the Lake Titicaca Kayaking on the checkout page to include this optional activity on your tour or ask your GCO or travel agent for assistance.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Spend the morning with the homestay families, then depart after lunch. Visit the floating islands of Uros on the way back, and learn about the unique lifestyle of the locals. Meet residents and learn how they built the islands with totora reeds, which are also used to make their homes, boats, crafts (and are also edible!). Activity - Take a tour of these unique islands. Learn about the buoyant totora reeds that grow in the shallows of Lake Titicaca used to make everything from the islands themselves to the boats the islanders use for transportation (if constructed well, they last up to six months ). Find out from locals how the islands are constructed; as the layers closest to the water start to rot, they are replaced with fresh reeds on top.Free_time - Make the most of one last afternoon in Puno.Accommodation - Pukara House

Day 5: Puno/Cusco

Hop on the bus for a full day's drive to Cusco.
The trip from Puno to Cusco takes the better part of the day, with stark, beautiful scenery en route as you travel through the high Altiplano region. Check out a bit of Cusco, find a spot for dinner or get prepared to head into the Sacred Valley.

Meals included: Breakfast

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.Accommodation - Cusco Plaza Saphi

Day 6: Cusco/Ollantaytambo

Enjoy a full-day guided tour of the Sacred Valley. Stop at the G Adventures-supported women's weaving co-op before visiting a local pottery making community. Break for lunch at the G Adventures-supported Parwa Community Restaurant in Huchuy Qosco. After lunch, opt to head out on a hike to the Ollantaytambo storehouses and look out over the ruins. Or, wander around the cobblestone streets and visit a local Chicheria (corn beer bar).
Travel through the stunning Sacred Valley of the Incas, visiting a G Adventures-supported women's weaving co-op. Meet the women and learn about traditional weaving and dyeing. Opt to pick up some handmade souvenirs and textiles directly from the women who made them.

Have lunch at the G Adventures-supported Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn about the G Adventures for Good project and eat a delicious buffet-style lunch. Proceeds of this meal go directly back to the remote community.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Make stops along the way as you pass through this gorgeous valley, descending in elevation the whole way.Activity - Visit the Ccaccaccollo community centre which G Adventures travellers' donations helped create in 2005, thereby enabling local women to sell traditional textiles to travellers. See local weaving and dyeing techniques used to create garments and souvenirs, and learn how the Planeterra weaving co-operative has impacted the community and those who visit it. This includes the purchase of alpacas to provide a steady supply of wool, looms, and sewing machines as well as several training courses on production, sales and small business management. Activity - In the rural village of Cuyo Chico in the Sacred Valley, a group of families joined together to create a small business based on their traditional adobe ceramic crafts. Using clay from their surroundings, they mold bowls, plates, and all manner of decorations. Learn about the ceramics process as well as the traditional adobe brick-making that forms the basis of houses throughout the valley, all while taking in a spectacular view of the Pisac Ruins. After the demonstration, peruse the items for sale directly from the artisans in their shop.Activity - Contribute to sustainable tourism in Huchuy Qosqo, a small village of 65 families in the Sacred Valley, by eating at the Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn how the resident-run restaurant was kickstarted by G Adventures and the Multilateral Investment Fund, to become a successful farm-to-table program that boosts the local economy and several spin-off microenterprises.Accommodation - Lilium Valle Hotel

Day 7: Lares Trek

Depart Ollantaytambo by van to Lares town where the hike begins. Spend the first night at a G Adventures-supported campsite in Cuncani.
The Lares Trek is a scenic, less touristic route to hike through the Andes. It is one day shorter than the Inca Trail but higher in elevation. Enjoy G Adventures-supported handmade biodegradable soap products for use on the Lares Trek.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Start early and drive (3 hrs) to Lares town where the hike will start with a leisurely pace through the valley of Cuncani. Hike 4km (2.5 mi) to Chancachaca then stop for lunch. Be sure to rest and rehydrate because the altitude here is around 3480m (11,417 ft). Continue trekking along rocky mountain paths 4.7km (3 mi) to the isolated village of Cuncani. Camp here for the night at 3872m (12,703 ft) at the G Adventures-supported community run campsite. Activity - Spend the night at the Lares Community campsite, owned and managed by the 71 families that belong to the Cuncani community. The earnings from the campsite are allocated for investment in social projects such as health, education, nutrition, and infrastructure improvements to water and electricity.Activity - Enjoy G Adventures-supported handmade biodegradable soap products, for use on our treks. This G Adventures for Good project empowered local Cusqueña women to start their own business in order to reduce the environmental impact of treks in the region. Planeterra provided $10,000 of seed funding for two young entrepreneurs to register their biodegradable products in order to sell them to the tourism industry. "Esencia Andina" is now a successful business that produces biodegradable soaps, detergents, and natural products for travellers, guides, porters, and cooks on our treks.Accommodation - Cuncani Camp Site

Day 8: Lares Trek

Start early to hike from the foothills of Sicllaccasa Mountain to its high pass (4,800m/15,748 ft), providing scenic views of lagoons and the snow-capped Chicon Mountain. Celebrate after reaching the highest point by making an offering of coca leaves to the Andean gods. After the morning hike, stop to rest and take in the amazing view. Continue hiking downhill to our second campsite near the stream for the night.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Hike from the foothills of Sicllaccasa Mountain 12.2km (7.6 mi) to its high pass at 4,800m (15,748ft), providing scenic views of lagoons and the snow-capped Chicon Mountain. Celebrate after reaching the highest point by making an offering of coca leaves to the Andean gods. Hike downhill another 2.2km (1.3 mi) to QuencaPata, for lunch and to take in the amazing view. Continue hiking downhill another 2.6km (1.6 mi) to our second campsite near a stream. Sleep tonight at about 4,114m (13,497 ft) elevation.Accommodation - Suttoq Pacchaq Camp Site

Day 9: Lares Trek/Aguas Calientes

Enjoy the last few hours of hiking before travelling by van to Ollantaytambo and train to Aguas Calientes to enjoy a good night's rest at your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Follow the trail to see typical Andean flora and fauna, llamas and alpacas. Descend through the valley of Pumahuanca and meet friendly local Quechua people and explore some Inca storehouses along the way. Trek 3-4 hrs to reach the town of Pumahuanca. Enjoy lunch then hop a van to Ollantaytambo. Continue by train to Aguas Calientes.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Transport - Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.Accommodation - Hotel Wiracocha Inn

Day 10: Machu Picchu/Cusco

Rise early and enjoy a guided visit to Machu Picchu. Later, travel back towards Cusco by train.
Rise early to catch the first bus up to Machu Picchu with your guide. Enjoy a guided visit to the ruins, then head back down by bus to Aguas Calientes to meet up with the rest of the group. Take the scenic train back to Ollantaytambo to meet the van for the ride back to Cusco.

Meals included: Breakfast

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.Activity - Set off with the local guide to explore Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Learn about the history and gain insights into this massive mountaintop citadel while wandering through ancient dwellings, stone temples and along sculpted terraces. Feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.Transport - Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.Transport - Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Cusco Plaza Saphi

Day 11: Cusco

Enjoy a free day to explore Cusco or relax. Choose to pre-book the Rainbow Mountain hike or the Cusco Cooking Class, or opt for other active options like mountain biking.
Pre-book the Rainbow Mountain hike or the Cusco Cooking Class on the checkout page to include these optional activities on your tour. or ask your GCO or travel agent for assistance.

Meals included: Breakfast

Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - Make the most of your time in Cusco. Spend the afternoon shopping, visiting museums or just exploring the city. Accommodation - Cusco Plaza Saphi

Day 12: Cusco

Depart at any time.

Meals included: Breakfast

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Tour Operator

G Adventures

G Adventures, founded in 1990 by Bruce Poon Tip, is a global adventure travel company specializing in small-group tours that emphasize authentic, sustainable, and culturally immersive experiences. Originally launched as GAP Adventures (“Great Adventure People”), the company pioneered the concept of community-driven travel by offering affordable trips that connect travelers with local communities while minimizing environmental impact. Today, G Adventures operates in more than 100 countries, offering a wide range of itineraries across themes such as active adventures, wildlife, wellness, family, and National Geographic–partnered tours, while maintaining a strong commitment to responsible tourism and social enterprise through its Planeterra Foundation.

In Business Since 1990

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Reviews

David S. - Traveled, November 2023

Great guides, trip and experience

Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/06/2023

Adrian J. - Traveled, November 2023

Everything was very proffesional from top to bottom it also helped been in with a great groupof tourist as well

Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/03/2023

Ryan R. - Traveled, November 2023

This was my first time traveling with a group in this style and it was an experience of a lifetime. Everything was taken care of for us as described which made for a stress free, easy to enjoy vacation. The tour guides, porters, etc. were all all friendly and our CEO, Katerina Escobar, was especially friendly and helpful. 10/10 experience - I've already recommended G Adventures to friends/family