Mystical Peru

Arrive Lima, city of conquistadors & kings

Lima, Peru

Your family's Peru vacation begins: JW Marriott Hotel Lima. A transfer is included from Lima Airport to the JW Marriott Hotel Lima, ideally located in one of the city’s best neighborhoods. Most international flights arrive late evening, so settle into your room for a snack and a good night’s rest.

JW MARRIOTT HOTEL LIMA

Sea lions and catacombs in colonial Lima

Lima, Peru

Kick off your family's Peru vacation this morning with a seaside boating adventure to meet the "locals" who live in the coastal waters off San Lorenzo Island; put on your wet suits for a swim with playful sea lions!

After lunch, head back to the hotel for a change of clothes. Once the wealthiest city in South America, Lima was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro to be the “City of Kings” in 1535, and reigned for two years as the capital of the New World. Discover its historic colonial heart, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as you see Pizarro’s tomb in la Catedral de Lima, visit the Convento de San Francisco (Monastery of St. Francis), then go underground to explore spooky catacombs stacked with centuries-old colonial bones!

Join your fellow Tauck Bridges families tonight for a welcome reception and dinner at a popular local restaurant. Buen provecho!

Breakfast, Lunch

JW MARRIOTT HOTEL LIMA

Pupils and prayers in the Sacred Valley

Cusco, Peru

Fly this morning to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, where you'll board our private coach for a drive to the Sacred Valley. This mountainous region of Peru offers mystical awe-inspiring sights to discover... along with farms and villages that welcome you with a taste of daily life.

Urubamba, Peru

After lunch at a local restaurant in the peaceful town of Urubamba, visit a local school where you'll play games with students and perhaps learn how to weave the colorful bracelets you’ll see during your Peruvian family adventure. Then settle into your hotel, nestled in the heart of the Sacred Valley, where you'll meet a local shaman (renowned for their healing abilities) this evening who blesses our journey and shares time-honored, spiritual insights about the ancient sights and beliefs surrounding Machu Picchu. Enjoy dinner at your leisure at the hotel tonight.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

ARANWA SACRED VALLEY HOTEL

Paso horses, rafting or a spa & more

Urubamba, Peru

Your Tauck Bridges Peru vacation offers a choice of adventures* in the Sacred Valley today: hit the trail for a horseback ride through a small village and on into the countryside or don a wet suit for a rafting trip on a nearby river... or, you can choose a massage in the hotel spa! Later, meet up for a barbecue lunch at a private ranch, followed by a show starring the country’s beautiful smooth-gaited Peruvian Paso horses, protected as part of the Patrimonio Cultural (Cultural Heritage) of Peru.

This afternoon, discover the meanings behind the sacred markings of ancient Peruvian cultures at a renowned pottery studio, then let your creative spirit take over when you paint your own ceramic masterpiece. Have dinner tonight in the hotel's 17th-century colonial hacienda.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

ARANWA SACRED VALLEY HOTEL

Train to Aguas Calientes & on to Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes, Peru

Experts are still not exactly sure what Machu Picchu was used for, but for centuries, this remarkable Inca citadel lay hidden from the world by mountainous jungle and mist until Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham accidentally stumbled on it in 1911 while looking for other major Incan ruins. His discovery revealed myths and mysteries that still confound visitors today, making your rail journey on the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, the "gateway to Machu Picchu," and your drive up the mountain to what Bingham called the “Lost City of the Incas” that much more exciting.

Machu Picchu, Peru

You'll spend the afternoon exploring Machu Picchu – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was recently named one of the “new seven wonders of the world” – with our expert guides. This evening, head back down into Aguas Calientes for an overnight in whitewashed casitas (bungalows) at your pueblo-style hotel surrounded by a cloud forest.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

INKATERRA MACHU PICCHU PUEBLO HOTEL

Natural discoveries & ancient Cusco by rail

Aguas Calientes, Peru

The morning is free for you to do as you please; there are lots of great optional activities for your family to choose from! You can take a guided nature walk on the flower-filled grounds of your hotel, seeing the collection of orchids and herbs that thrive here; or head into the colorful local market in Aguas Calientes, for an eye-opening parade of locally made arts and crafts, including woven tapestries, ponchos, jewelry and more. At a private presentation, you can learn about the plight of the region’s nearly extinct spectacled bears and how you can help them, then meet some of these endangered animals.

Cusco, Peru

After lunch, make your way by train and coach to Cusco for a two-night stay in the historic city center at the JW Marriott Hotel Cusco, featuring an indoor pool to cool off in, as well as ancient walls and treasures uncovered during the hotel’s recent construction.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

JW MARRIOTT HOTEL CUSCO

Antiquities, llamas & chocolate in Cusco

Cusco, Peru

Wake up this morning in the heart of Cusco – South America’s oldest continuously inhabited city, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the shape of a puma, Cusco astounds with both Incan relics and some of the oldest Spanish colonial architecture in the "New World." At the archaelogical site of Sacsayhuamán, the “House of the Sun,” view awe-inspiring stone fortresses built by the Incas more than five centuries ago. Get a sweet taste of local traditions during a hands-on, mouth-watering chocolate-making class at the Choco Museo. Then learn how to tell the difference between an alpaca and a llama at the Awanacancha farm, where you'll meet these unique animals whose wool is woven into beautiful colorful textiles by local artisans.

Spend the afternoon at leisure. Music's in the air at our farewell dinner in Cusco, as you learn how to play the Peruvian pan flute – which you'll get to take home with you as an unforgettable musical memento of your Tauck Bridges family Peru vacation!

Breakfast, Dinner

JW MARRIOTT HOTEL CUSCO

Lima, Peru

Your family's Peru vacation ends in Lima. Fly from Cusco to Lima for lunch; rooms have been reserved for you at the JW Marriott Hotel Lima whether you choose to fly out tonight or stay overnight and fly out in the morning. A transfer is included to Lima Airport from the JW Marriott Hotel Lima. Allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in.

Breakfast, Lunch

• ALL guests must carefully verify the existing identification requirements for their particular travel situation DIRECTLY WITH THEIR LOCAL CONSULATES OR EMBASSIES or with a visa service, as these requirements may change. Guests without proper documentation may be denied entry and will not be entitled to a refund

• 60 days or more before departure: $350.00 per person
• 59-8 days before departure: $600.00 per person
• 7-1 days before departure: $900.00 per person
• On departure day and later: 100% of total price
• Any changes or cancellations to airline reservations made through Tauck either before or after departure are subject to the cancellation / change policies of the individual airlines. In n some instances these cancellation / change fees may be up to 100% of the ticket price.
• Cancellation fees may also apply to any additional services, including extra night accommodations, independently supplied services, and optional excursions reserved prior to, during, and after the tour. If flight changes, including, but not limited to, flight cancellations or name changes, are requested after full land and air deposits are received, revision fees, change fees, or airline cancellation fees will apply.
• All cancellations must be received in writing prior to tour departure. The cancellation policy will apply according to the date that the cancellation notification is received. The MINIMUM cancellation penalty is the deposit amount.
• The purchase to trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended.

• Land only “from price” is per person based on two people sharing a room together and does not include airfare unless expressly stated.
• All prices are in US Dollars.
• A $350 non-refundable, non-transferable, per-person, per-vacation deposit is required to reserve space for you. Payment of the deposit indicates you have read and accepted all Terms & Conditions. Your booking is not confirmed until the deposit payment is processed and you receive a confirmation invoice.
• Final payment is due 75 days prior to departure. Within the final payment date, payment in full is required at time of booking to reserve space. Reservations (land, cruise, and air) are canceled if final payment is not received by the due date.
• Additional deposits or payments are required for international air added to the start and/or end of your vacation.