Machu Picchu & the Andes 2012 

We depart London Heathrow and fly via Amsterdam to Lima. Arriving in the late afternoon, we transfer to our home for two nights, the 4-star Casa Andina Select Miraflores, located in Lima's modern centre. On Day 2 we take a morning tour of Peru's capital which takes us into the historic centre of colonial Lima, and includes the church of Saint Francis and the impressive cathedral. We then visit the Larco Herrera Museum, which was founded in 1926 and showcases 3,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Following an included lunch at the Café de Museo, we enjoy a tour of the museum, located in an 18th century mansion.

We depart Lima for the next leg of our Peruvian adventure, taking an internal flight to Arequipa, a striking white-walled city flanked by three beautiful volcanoes. Here we stay in the 4-star Casa Andina Private Collection Arequipa, and enjoy a morning sightseeing tour that includes the enormous complex of monastic buildings of the Santa Catalina Convent. Following our tour we enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and an afternoon at leisure.

We leave Arequipa this morning, travelling into the National Reserve of Pampa Cañahuas, where we hope to see some delightful Vicuñas. Our journey takes us up to Volcanoes Pass, from where there are amazing views across the Andes Mountains. Our destination is the Colca Valley, a fertile valley isolated in the middle of the mountains. We stay for two nights at the 4-star El Refugio del Colca, and our afternoon arrival allows time for you to enjoy a local mountain walk, or simply to relax and enjoy the hotel's thermal baths.

We travel to Colca Canyon, home to the legendary condor, the bird with the largest wingspan in the world. We stop at the 'Mirador Cruz del Condor', the perfect viewpoint from which to look 1,200m into the canyon and spot these magnificent creatures soaring on the thermal air currents.

This morning we continue across the Altiplano landscape to Puno, maintaining an average altitude of 4,500m on a spectacular journey that takes us past the bright-blue Lagunillas Lake and the city of Juliaca. We visit the Sillustani Necropolis, a fascinating archaeological site on the shore of the Umayo Lake, where we enjoy a guided tour before continuing to Puno, located on the shores of the immense Lake Titicaca at 3,800m above sea level. We stay at the 4-star Casa Andina Private Collection Puno.

Today we enjoy a full-day excursion on Lake Titicaca, cruising by boat to the Uros floating islands, inhabited by an Aymara tribe whose origins are lost in time. We continue to Taquile, one of the biggest islands in the lake, home to Aymara and Spanish speaking people who live in an almost economically-autonomous community. We cruise home to Puno by boat across the lake during the colourful sunset.

We spend today on one of South America's most iconic trains, the Andean Explorer, travelling north-west on the route of the Pan-American Highway past the varied scenery of towering mountains and rolling plains. During the 10-hour journey we pause at La Raya, the highest point on the route at over 4,200 metres, to visit a local handicraft market.

Our sightseeing tour of Cusco takes us into the historic city centre and the elegant Plaza de Armas, surrounded by colonial buildings and dominated by the majestic Cathedral. We also visit the amazing fortress of Sacsayhuaman, a walled complex overlooking the city, and the Temple of Koricancha (Temple of the Sun) - a site of worship for the Incas, and once the home of 4,000 priests.

We drive into the valley of the Urubamba River, the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We visit the village of Pisac and its traditional market, before travelling to the Inca Fortress at Ollantaytambo. Although this fortress was never completed, it is regarded as one of the finest examples of Inca architecture. We stay at the 4-star Casa Andina Private Collection Yanahuara.

Our journey today takes us to the highlight of the tour as we travel on the scenic Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes to visit the 'Lost City of the Incas': Machu Picchu. A winding 8km bus ride takes us all the way up to the lost city itself, where we are greeted by one of the most incredible sights in the world. Our local guide explains the fascinating history of this awe-inspiring site that was forgotten for 400 years and remained undiscovered until 1911. Machu Picchu is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and we stay here for two nights at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. The hotel has an idyllic position overlooking the Sacred River of the Incas - a truly stunning location within the Machu Picchu Sanctuary.

A free morning today gives you the opportunity to explore Machu Picchu further - there are walks available to visit the nearby ruins of Inty Punku or to climb up to the Moon Temple on Wayna Picchu Mountain for views of the entire Machu Picchu ruins. We return to Aguas Calientes this afternoon and descend to Cusco by train, staying for two more nights at the Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco.

You are free to explore this fascinating city at leisure, where the legacies of the Incas and Conquistadors are inextricably entwined. There is much to see and do, whether you are exploring Inca ruins, visiting Colonial churches, bartering in the markets or simply enjoying a coffee on a terrace overlooking the Plaza de Armas.

We leave Peru today, flying first to Lima and then on to London via Amsterdam. We arrive at Heathrow in the afternoon of Day 15.