The Ancient Kingdoms, 7 Days
Lima, the Ballestas Islands, Huacachina, the Nazca Lines and Machu Picchu
- 7 days
- 3,700 m max
- Easy
- Lima to Cusco
Three Perus in a week — the Pacific coast at Paracas and the Ballestas Islands, the desert at Huacachina and the Nazca Lines from the air, then the flight up to Cusco for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. The Lima to Cusco flight is in the price.
Peru is not only the Andes, and this is the itinerary that says so. Three days on the coast and in the desert before you go anywhere near Cusco.
You start in Lima, go south to Paracas for the boat out to the Ballestas Islands, spend a night at the oasis of Huacachina with the dunes on every side, and fly over the Nazca Lines the next morning. Only then do you fly up to Cusco for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
That order is the clever part. Most Peru trips start with a long-haul flight and a second flight straight to 3,400 m, and spend the first two days recovering from it. Here you arrive in the Andes on day four, already in the country and already rested.
What you'll see
The Nazca Lines from the air
A scenic flight over the geoglyphs — the hummingbird, the monkey, the spider, the astronaut and the whale — which is the only way anybody sees them properly.
The Ballestas Islands
A motorboat out from Paracas to islands thick with sea lions, Humboldt penguins and guano birds. People call them the poor man's Galápagos, which undersells them.
Huacachina
A desert oasis ringed by dunes, a dune buggy over the top of them and a sandboard back down. It is the least Andean afternoon in Peru.
Sea level first, then the Andes
Three days on the coast before you fly to Cusco, which means you arrive at 3,400 m having already been in the country for most of a week.
The internal flight is included
The one-way Lima to Cusco flight is in the price rather than left for you to book.
Cusco and Machu Picchu
A city tour, the full Sacred Valley with Moray and the Maras salt pans, a night in Aguas Calientes and a guided visit to the citadel.
The Ancient Kingdoms, 7 Days: day by day
Times are what we actually aim for, not a best case. Traffic into Cusco and the train timetable move them by a little.
Day 1
Arrive in Lima
Met at the airport and taken to a hotel in Miraflores, then an afternoon in the colonial centre — the Plaza San Martín, the Plaza Mayor, the San Francisco monastery and its catacombs. A morning arrival makes this day work.
- Meals
- None included
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Lima
Day 2
Paracas, the Ballestas Islands and Huacachina
South along the coast to Paracas for the boat out to the Ballestas Islands, then on to the oasis at Huacachina for a dune buggy and sandboarding as the sun goes down.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Huacachina or Ica
Day 3
The Nazca Lines, then back to Lima
The scenic flight over the Nazca Lines in a Grand Caravan or similar, looking for the famous figures, then the road back up the coast to Lima.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Lima
Day 4
Fly to Cusco, and the city tour
The included flight up into the Andes, then an afternoon on Qoricancha, Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay and the viewpoints above the city.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Cusco
Day 5
The Sacred Valley, then the train
An alpaca centre, Pisac, the Moray terraces, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo, with a buffet lunch, then the train down to Aguas Calientes.
- Meals
- Breakfast and buffet lunch
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
Day 6
Machu Picchu, then back to Cusco
The bus up and a guided visit of the citadel, then the panoramic train back through the Sacred Valley and a private transfer to your hotel in Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Cusco
Day 7
Home from Cusco
Breakfast at the hotel, then a transfer to Cusco airport, where the trip ends.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you fly out of Cusco
What the price covers
Transfers and flights
- Airport pickup on arrival in Lima and a transfer to Lima airport on day four
- Airport pickup in Cusco and a transfer to Cusco airport on day seven
- A one-way economy flight from Lima to Cusco
- Tourist transport for every tour and transfer listed
Hotels and meals
- Two nights in a 3-star hotel in Lima
- One night in a 3-star hotel in Huacachina or nearby Ica
- Two nights in a 3-star hotel in Cusco
- One night in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
- Hotel breakfast every day except the day you arrive
- Buffet lunch on the Sacred Valley day
The coast and the desert
- Lima city tour with transport, a guide and the entrance fees listed
- Transport between Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, the Nazca flight and back to Lima
- The Ballestas Islands motorboat tour and its entrance fees
- The Huacachina dune buggy and sandboarding
- A scenic flight over the Nazca Lines in a Grand Caravan or similar aircraft
Cusco and Machu Picchu
- Cusco city tour with transport, a guide and the entrance fees listed
- Sacred Valley tour with transport, a guide and the entrance fees listed
- Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and the panoramic train back
- Private road transfer from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco
- Machu Picchu entrance, with the best official circuit available when you book
- Return shuttle bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel
- Guided visit of Machu Picchu
Not included
- International flights
- The flight out of Cusco at the end of the trip
- Meals not named in the itinerary
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Personal spending and optional activities
- Travel insurance
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
The Ancient Kingdoms, 7 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
About two hours there and back on day six. Book well ahead.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
About three hours there and back, on a broader path.
- +£45
Vistadome train, one leg
Panoramic glass roof on one train leg instead of the standard carriage.
What to bring
Papers and money
- Your original passport — checked at the citadel gate and on the train
- Cash in soles for markets, drinks and tips
- Your medication and any personal first aid
For the coast and the desert
- Light clothes and a swimming costume
- Something windproof for the boat at Paracas
- Sun cream, a sun hat and sunglasses
- Trainers you do not mind filling with sand
For the Andes
- Comfortable walking shoes, already worn in
- Clothes you can layer — Cusco is cold at night and warm at noon
- A fleece and a rain poncho
- A small daypack, 25 litres at most for inside the sanctuary
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream and lip balm
- Insect repellent for Aguas Calientes
- Motion sickness tablets, if the light aircraft over Nazca worries you
Questions we get asked
Is the Nazca flight bumpy?
It can be. The aircraft banks steeply over each figure, first one way and then the other so that both sides of the cabin see it, and that combined with thermals off the desert affects some people. Eat lightly beforehand and take something for travel sickness if you are prone to it. Almost everybody agrees it is worth it.
Why does the trip go to the coast first?
Because it is the sensible order. Three days between sea level and the desert before you fly to 3,400 m means you reach Cusco already rested and in the country, rather than arriving at altitude straight off a long-haul flight. It is the single best thing about this itinerary.
Which flights are included?
The one-way Lima to Cusco flight on day four. Your international flights are not, and neither is the flight out of Cusco at the end — the trip finishes at Cusco airport, so you will usually connect through Lima to get home.
How hard is it?
Graded easy. City tours, a boat, a light aircraft, archaeological sites and the citadel. The only real exertion is the steps at Machu Picchu and however energetically you take the sandboarding.
What are the Ballestas Islands?
A group of rocky islands off Paracas, reached by motorboat in about two hours there and back, covered in sea lions, Humboldt penguins, pelicans and guano birds. You do not land — the islands are protected — but you go close.
Which circuit will I get at Machu Picchu?
We request Circuit 2, the most complete route, and take the best remaining alternative if it has sold out. We confirm which before you fly.
Is seven days too fast?
It is brisk and it is honest about being brisk. Two travel-heavy days on the coast, then four in the Andes. What it avoids is the usual mistake of flying into Cusco on day one and spending day two feeling terrible.
Can I upgrade the hotels or the train?
Both. The 3-star hotels can be moved to 4 or 5-star, and the train to the Vistadome or the Observatory service. Tell us when you enquire and we will quote it.
Ask us about The Ancient Kingdoms, 7 Days
Tell us your dates and we'll come back with availability, the circuit we'd recommend, and a firm price. No deposit to ask, and we answer within one working day.