Peru Positive Impact (12 days)
Why you'll love this trip
Travel to the heart of the Andes with us and hike on an ancient trail following the footsteps of the Incas to Machu Picchu on the mini-Inca Trail. On this trip, you will have the chance to interact with the local people, learn about the past and present of this fascinating culture and visit several inspiring community and NGO projects in the area of Cusco and Lake Titicaca.

Example trip itinerary
Day 1. Arrival in Lima
Welcome to Peru!!! You will arrive at Jorge Chavez International Airport, where a member of our staff is waiting to welcome you and to take you to your hotel (flights usually arrive in the early evening). You spend the night at Los Girasoles hotel.
Day 2. Flight to Cusco
In the morning, we take you back to the airport for a short flight (1h10min) high into the Andes mountains to the capital of the ancient Incan Empire, Cusco. We then take you to the hotel for your check in. Cusco is located at 3400 m.a.s.l. so we start slowly this afternoon to acclimatize. Later in the afternoon we take a nice walk through the beautiful historical center of the city along the small Inca streets and take a look inside the cathedral and the Coricancha Temple (the temple of the Sun, that was covered in gold at Inca times). For dinner, you can try some of the Novo-Andean cuisine in one of the many great restaurant options in this town. We spend the night at Los Niños Fierro, a hotel which profits support projects to help local street children. (B)
Day 3. Walking tour in Cusco + Peruvian cooking class by local NGO
In the morning we walk to Cusco’s San Pedro market where local people buy and sell their products. We are escorted by a Peruvian chef who helps us choose the best ingredients for our Peruvian cooking lesson this morning. Together we prepare a typical lunch menu. The organization of the cooking class also helps an NGO that assists in training local people to find better job opportunities. Lunch is included (you prepare it). In the afternoon, we walk to the higher part of Cusco and the little visited area of the Temple of the Moon with an Andean medicine man. We get some insight on the local cosmovision and traditions while participating in an offering to thank Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) for everything she gives us. (B, L) You stay overnight at Los Niños Fierro hotel.
Day 4. Day tour in the Sacred Valley + visit the guardians of the native potatoes of Peru
After breakfast, we travel to the fertile Sacred Valley of the Incas. We first visit the impressive ruins with enormous Inca stones at Sacsayhuaman. Our next stop is the local community cooperative of Awanacancha where you have a chance to see different types of llamas and alpacas. From here, we travel by the ruins of Pisac and higher to the community of Paru Paru. This community is known as the ‘guardians of the native Peruvian potatoes’. The community members welcome us and show us some of their agricultural traditions and how they dye textiles by cooking them with local herbs. They offer us a nice lunch with fresh trout from their high-altitude lakes in a beautiful location. In the afternoon, we return to the low part of the Valley, where and you can take a look at the market of Pisac (nice souvenirs here) and we end the day at the school of Niños del Arcoiris, where we have dinner and spend the night in beautiful bungalows. (B, L, D) Hotel Niños del Arcoiris
Day 5. Sacred Valley of the Incas: Visit inspiring NGO projects and Ollantaytambo
After breakfast, we visit this inspiring school project and then we go to the Llama Pack Project NGO, which is also a very cool initiative that does great work for the conservation of llamas, the environment and the local culture. We take a walk surrounded by nature with them while they explain us about the work they do. We have a picnic lunch and after this we go to the authentic Inca town of Ollantaytambo. Some of the inhabitants here still live in the stone houses the Incas once built and the old Inca water system that runs through the small streets is still intact. We check out the fortress in Ollantaytambo and we will try a traditional Pachamanca meal -food cooked under the earth -for dinner. (B, L, D) We stay at Niños del Arcoiris hotel.
Day 6. Start of the mini-Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
We pick you up at the hotel and take you to the Ollantaytambo train station for a scenic train ride along the Urubamba River until we arrive at km. 104, where our trek starts, also known as Chachabamba. Around 7:20am, you start hiking Machu Picchu. Your guide explains you everything about the history of this special path, the fauna and flora, and the hidden Inca ruins that you pass on the way, such as wiñayhuayna, ‘the Forever Young’ archeological site and the famous Sun Gate, from where you can have a first view of Machu Picchu. Around 3pm, you arrive at the “Lost City of the Incas” and you can enjoy the view from the high terraces. In the afternoon, there are fewer people. Around 5pm, you take one of the last buses down to the small town of Aguas Calientes where you have dinner and spend the night at La Cabaña, a small 3-star hotel. (B, L, D)
- Starting altitude – 2100m
- Highest altitude – 2730m
- Walking distance – 10km
- Overall difficulty – Easy to moderately difficult (depends on your level of fitness)
Day 7. Visit Machu Picchu + return train and transfer to Cusco
In the morning, we take the bus up to the citadel (25-minute drive) and then you enjoy a 2.5-hour tour with your guide to explore more of this magical Inca city, where you visit its plazas, temples and sacred fountains. Around noon, we take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes for lunch. In the afternoon, we take the train back to Ollantaytambo and return to Cusco. We spend the night at Los Niños hotel. (B, L)
Day 8. Scenic train through the mountains from Cusco to Puno
Today you take the beautiful, scenic train ride with the Belmond Titicaca Train through the Andes mountains and over the altiplano region towards the city of Puno, located at the shores of Lake Titicaca (3800 m.a.s.l). The ride is very comfortable and beautiful, you have lunch on board and there is a nice bar wagon and observatory wagon to enjoy the landscape and take pictures. Then you are taken to your hotel in Puno, the Qelqatani Hotel. (B, L)
Day 9. Slow boat to the islands on the Lake Titicaca + overnight at a host family
You are picked up from your hotel in the morning with a typical “cyclo-taxi” and driven to the small lake harbor. From here you travel with a slow boat on the lake to visit the islands and to learn about the different cultures. We go to the island of Taquile (Quechua speaking), a Unesco’s cultural protected site. Here we make a beautiful hike while you learn about the interesting traditions that have been kept alive here. After lunch, we pass by one of the floating reed islands of the indigenous Uros people where our guide explains about the very different life style here. We end the day in the community of Luquina Chica (Aymara speaking) where we are welcomed by local families for tonight. Dinner is included with your host family (they eat mainly vegetarian). (B, L, D)
Day 10. Lake Titicaca - Puno
During the morning you spend time in and around the community. You may take part in some of their daily activities (depending on what their needs are: agriculture, fishing, cooking,) or you can take a walk with your guide in the surroundings of the Lake to the neighboring village. After having lunch with your families, you return to Puno. In the afternoon, you have a bit of time to buy your last souvenirs in Puno. You stay at Qelqatani hotel. (B, L)
Day 11. Flight back to Lima. Visit Lima
Today we fly back to the capital -Lima- in the morning from Juliaca (town that is 1-hour drive from Puno). After typical ceviche lunch we show you some of the most interesting places in our town. You spend the night at Los Girasoles hotel. (B)
Day 12. Departure
Depending on the time of your international flights we take you back to the airport. ¡Hasta luego, queridos amigos! (B)
- Highlights and activities:
- Walking tour in Cusco (private service)
- Two full-day tours in the Sacred Valley of the Incas (with visits to NGO’s, cooperatives, communities and archeological sites of most interest)
- 1-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- Guided tour in Machu Picchu
- Scenic train rides through the Sacred Valley and through the Andes from Cusco to Puno
- 2d/1n tour of Lake Titicaca and its islands, with community in Luquina Chica (at side of the lake)
- City tour in Lima (private service)
- All entrances, guides and tickets for the included activities
- Transportation:
- Private transport for all transfers and tours with the exception of:
- Shuttle buses: Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes (together with other travelers)
- Train from Ollantaytambo to km. 104 (start of the Inca Trail)
- Train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo
- Train from Cusco to Puno (Lake Titicaca)
- Cyiclos in Puno to go to the harbor
- Slow boat for the 2d/1n excursion on Lake Titicaca
- Flight from Juliaca to Lima
- Accommodation:
Double room with private bathroom in centrally-located, locally owned 3-star hotels with local charm, such as:
Lima: Los Girasoles
Cusco: Los Niños
Urubamba: Las Casitas de Arcoiris
Puno: Qelqatani
Aguas Calientes: La Cabaña
- Food:
- All breakfasts (at the hotels)
- Other meals mentioned in the itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
- Guiding:
- Professional local English-speaking guides
- Support from Vamos Expeditions staff
- Other food not mentioned above (our guides will give you good advice on where to eat well)
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses, extra activities and tips
- International flights
(based on double accommodation):
Prices can vary a lot depending on the amount of people and the type of hotels you are looking for. Please contact us with your information and we will get back to you promptly with an accurate price quote for you.
We will craft and tailor the perfect dream journey for you.
Every trip helps support local conservation and social projects.
We will take care of all the details and logistics for you
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