PERU: LIMA + MACHU PICCHU + CUSCO in Peru

Facilities available

Wheelchair access

Adapted transfer

Description

12 nights

From £4995 per person sharing. (Flights quoted separately)

This fascinating wheelchair accessible Peru holiday allows you to explore Lima, the old Inca capital of Cusco, the Sacred Valley & the amazing citadel at Machu Picchu. You need some upper body strength for this vacation, as you will transfer into an adapted off-road wheelchair (with helper provided) on rough terrain. English speaking guides & all sightseeing included.

Highlights:

• Wheelchair accessible Peru
• Moray terraces & Maras salt pans
• Temple of the sun
• Lima Peru holiday
• Machu picchu
• Sacsayhuaman fortress
• Larco museum
• Pisac ruins
• Sacred valley of Incas
• Cusco vacation

Day 1

You will be met at Lima Airport and transferred to your hotel.

Check in and relax in this capital city - the largest in Peru and its gastronomical centre.

Day 2

Today enjoy a half day tour of Lima, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its well preserved architecture. Founded in 1535, it was re-named the "City of Kings" when it was conquered by the Spanish and became the most important centre in the region.

Our tour starts in the Miraflores residential district, where we stop at Parque del Amor (Park of Love) with its magnificent views over the Pacific Ocean, before driving through the modern San Isidro business district, where we see the impressive Huaca Pucllana, an adobe pyramid that was a sacred pre-Inca site.

We continue to the historic centre, where we visit the 17th century Santo Domingo Convent. The remains of the patron saint of Peru, Saint Rose of Lima, are interred here as well as the remains of Saint Martin of Porres, the patron saint of people of mixed race.

On the Plaza Mayor (the main square, also called the Plaza de Armas) you can see many imposing colonial buildings with their intricate balconies - including the Government Palace, where the changing of the guard takes place, the City Hall and beautiful Cathedral. Time permitting we can also visit the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco.

Your afternoon is free to explore more of Lima with your guide (pay any other entrance fees locally) or relax at your hotel. In the evening do try a Pisco Sour, the nation's favourite drink.

Note: Not all sites are wheelchair accessible, but your guide will do his best to give you good views of the important sights. Note: Lima Cathedral is closed on Sunday morning and all day Monday.

Day 3

This morning we visit the Larco Museum, a remarkable private collection of treasures from ancient Peru with more than 45,000 exhibits including ceramics, textiles and many exquisite gold and silver artefacts. It is well known for its gallery of erotic pottery.

Your afternoon is free to explore more of Lima with your guide (pay any other entrance fees locally) or relax at your hotel.

Day 4

You will be escorted to Lima Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Cusco Airport and transferred 2-hours to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Check into your hotel in this region that is renowned for its many ancient Inca ruins, including the amazing citadel of Machu Picchu. Balance of the day is at leisure to rest and acclimatise to the altitude.

Note: Visits to Machu Picchu & Cusco are only possible if you have upper body strength & use a manual wheelchair, as you will need to transfer into a specially adapted off-road wheelchair when covering rough terrain. The chair has long handles at the front (similar to a rickshaw) as well as regular handles at the back. You will be assigned an assistant to pull your chair from the front, while your carer pushes from the back. As there is no lifting equipment at the airport, you will be carried off the aircraft.

Day 5

Today enjoy a full day tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Our first stop is at the fortress at Ollantaytambo, built to protect the northern entrance to the Sacred Valley from invasion and later the centre of Incan resistance against the Spanish. The fortress and walled terraces of this town provide some of the finest examples of Incan architecture, with the six rose-coloured monoliths of the Temple of the Sun being particularly outstanding. The village itself is the best surviving example of Inca urban planning, with stone-paved streets that have been used since the 12th century.

We then visit the archaeological site at Moray. The Incas constructed enormous circular agricultural terraces on these steep hills by hauling topsoil up by hand from the lower land, thereby generating much higher crop yields than would have been possible at such high altitude. This site is believed to be a former agricultural laboratory, an astronomical observatory or a place of worship - or maybe all three.

After an included lunch in a local restaurant, we continue to the Maras Salt Pans, a complex network of nearly 3,000 pre-Inca salt pans hand-harvested by local families, that produce the finest salt in the world. The naturally pink salt gets its beautiful hue from trace elements in the spring water.

Note: The steep terraces at Ollantaytambo and similar Inca sites are not accessible, but your guide will do his best to give you good views and an appreciation of these magnificent ruins.

Day 6

This morning we visit the town of Pisac, famous for its ruins that lie at the top of a hill at the entrance to the valley.

These ruins are separated into four groups - P'isaqa, Inti Watana, Q'allaqasa, and Kinchiraqay. Enjoy panoramic views over the site, which includes the Temple of the Sun, baths, altars, water fountains, a ceremonial platform, and an inti watana - a volcanic ritual stone used as an astronomic clock or Inca calendar to define the change of seasons. The narrow rows of terraces beneath the citadel are thought to represent the wing of a partridge (pisaca), from which the village and ruins get their name.

We then visit the bustling Pisac Market (mostly accessible), where all the artisans of the region get together to buy and sell their products. This is an excellent opportunity to barter for goods and crafts typical of the area, including silver jewellery.

After an included lunch at a local restaurant, we visit a local Indigenous Community, who speak the Quechua language. Here you will see them hand weave and dye colourful textiles according to long held traditions.

Day 7

Today transfer to Ollantaytambo Station for the air-conditioned Vistadome or Inca Rail 360 train to the famous Inca citadel of Machu Picchu - an amazing 1.5-hour journey to this magnificent mountain top city situated in a beautiful cloud forest, that was abandoned and reclaimed by the jungle until it was rediscovered in 1911.

This legendary Lost City of the Incas is without a doubt one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites. Built on the summit of Machu Picchu (meaning "Old Peak"), on a natural saddle between steep forested mountains, it overlooks the deep canyon of the Urubamba River some 7,972 ft (2,430 m) above sea level. With its giant walls, terraces and ramps that appear to have been cut naturally out of the rock escarpments, Machu Picchu's history remains shrouded in mystery as the Incas did not leave any written records.

At the gateway town of Aguas Calientes, leave the train and board the bus for the 40-minute ride up to this 14th century citadel for a guided tour. Here we visit the Main Plaza, Circular Tower, the Sacred Sun Dial, Royal Quarters, Temple of the Three Windows and various burial grounds. We suggest you take a packed lunch (to avoid queues at the restaurant).

Afterwards return by bus to Aguas Calientes and take the train back to Ollantaytambo Station, where you will be met and transferred back to your hotel in the Sacred Valley.

Note: You must take your passport with you today, as this will be needed to gain entrance, which is restricted to 4-hours (based on either a morning or afternoon schedule). It is mandatory to enter with a guide and you cannot take selfie sticks, tripods, umbrellas, food or alcohol onto the site. You may not wear high heels or hard soled shoes and smoking is prohibited. If you leave the sanctuary for any reason (eg for lunch), re-entry will not be permitted. Only one bag not exceeding 11 lb (5 kg) is allowed as hand luggage on the train, so your main bags need to be left in luggage store at either your Cusco or Sacred Valley hotel, for later collection by yourself or our ground handler. From January to June parts of the rail track may be impassable at times due to mud slides, when a bus transfer will be substituted.

Logistics: You will need to be lifted into the train, which does not have an accessible toilet & your wheelchair will be stored in the baggage car. In Aguas Calientes you will need to be lifted into the bus, which is the hardest access of the day. Once you reach Machu Picchu you will transfer into an off-road wheelchair and today two assistants will help you get around the site.

Day 8

At leisure to relax independently at your hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Day 9

Today transfer 2-hours from the Sacred Valley to the city of Cusco.

Along the way we stop at the labyrinthine ruins at Qenko (meaning 'zigzag') where the sun, moon and stars were worshipped. We also visit Puca Pucara (the Red Fortress), which may have been a "tambo" or rest and lodgings for the Inca. Finally we visit the impressive walled fortress of Sacsayhuaman (meaning 'speckled falcon'), believed to have been both a military and ceremonial centre. This enormous Inca structure has massive walls of hewn stone and is strategically located on a hill overlooking the city.

After an included picnic lunch, we continue to Cusco and check into our hotel. Relax in this ancient Inca capital city - set high in the Andes Mountains and today a World Heritage Site.

Note: You will need to carry your passport today to gain access to Sacsayhuaman. Not all sites are accessible, but your guide will do his best to give you good views.

Day 10

After a morning at leisure, this afternoon enjoy a half day tour of the magnificent colonial city of Cusco, built on Inca foundations and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Comprising a fascinating mix of colonial churches, monasteries and extensive pre-Columbian ruins, almost every central street in this city has remnants of Inca walls.

We start with a visit to the impressive Temple of the Sun (Koricancha) whose walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold. On the site of this ancient Inca palace and centre of worship of the Sun God, the Dominicans ordered a church to be built, which survives to this day.

We continue to the Plaza de Armas, the central plaza around which you will see many magnificent colonial buildings - including the Cathedral and the Church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). In well-preserved Loreto Street you can see the remains of Incan palaces, as well as old colonial buildings.

In the evening savour the local cuisine. If you are feeling adventurous you can try guinea pig - a local speciality.

Note: Cusco is situated at high altitude (11,150 ft / 3,400 m), so walk slowly. The Temple of the Sun is not open on Sunday mornings & religious holidays. Many of the streets in Cusco are cobbled and not all sites are accessible, but your guide will do his best to give you good views.

Day 11

At leisure to explore more of the sights of Cusco, with your guide (pay any entrance fees locally).

Day 12

Transfer to Cusco Airport for your onward flight.

Note: As there is no lifting equipment at the airport, you will be carried onto the aircraft.

You will be met at Lima Airport and escorted to your hotel situated in the airport complex.

Day 13

You will be escorted to Lima Airport for your flight home.

Information last updated: 04/12/2023 13:55:34