First Class Peru

18 days from £4,860

From £4,860 per person

Peru is a top class holiday destination and deserves to be visited from first class hotels. This holiday includes some of the best hotels in the country. It’s a very comprehensive itinerary jammed with excursions - you’ll visit the desert national park at Paracas, Arequipa and the Colca Canyon as well as Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.

Suggested holiday itinerary (flexible)

Day 1  Fly to Lima arriving the same evening. Transfer to Orient Express’s first class Miraflores Park hotel, a glitzy, contemporary establishment overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Days 2,3  Drive south (3hrs) to the Paracas Peninsula south of Lima. Spend 2 nights at the brand new Hotel Libertador Paracas Luxury Collection – the name’s a mouthful but the property is divine. From here, visit the Paracas nature reserve and Ballestas Islands, brimming with bird and marine life.

Day 4  Fly to Arequipa, Peru’s colonial second city and a peaceful, low key place compared to the ultra-busy capital. Overnight at the Hotel Libertador Arequipa. Guided tour of the graceful city, including the Santa Catalina Convent.

Day 5  Drive up through stark,  elemental desert scenery to the remarkable Colca Canyon, where timeless villages maintain their traditions and the valley sides are scored with ancient terraces. 2 nights at the ultra-luxurious Orient Express Casitas del Colca. Here you have a choice of excursions, if you can drag yourself away from the views from the sunny terrace, or the state-of-the-art spa.

Day 7  Return to Arequipa for 1 night.

Day 8  Fly to Juliaca on the shores of Lake Titicaca and transfer to the Libertador del Inca, overlooking the lake.

Day 9  Excursion by boat to the reed islands of the Uros Indians.

Day 10  From Puno, travel by coach across the upland grasslands past snow-dusted mountains and through Peru’s Central Valley, with stops to visit places of interest such as the Inca temple of Viracocha at Racqchi and the ornate church at Andahuayillas.  3 nights in Cusco at Hotel Libertador Palacio del Inka.

Day 11 City tour of Cusco, the Inca capital and treasure trove of colonial artefacts and architecture, as well as a vibrant city filled with top quality restaurants and bars.

Day 12 At leisure to explore further.

Day 13  Tour of the Sacred valley of the Incas, visiting the Inca temples and fortifications at Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Overnight at Hotel Libertador Tambo del Inka (open April 2010).

Day 14 By train from Ollantaytambo through the Urubamba canyon to Machu Picchu. Guided tour of the ruins. Overnight at Orient Express’s Sanctuary Lodge at the gate to the ruins.
Day 15 Return to Cusco by train and road.
Day 16 Fly to Lima.  Guided tour of the colonial part of the city.
Day 17 Transfer out to return flight to the UK, arriving day 18