Excursions

Colonial Lima

£20

This half-day guided tour takes you to the colonial heart of Lima. You will visit the cathedral, where the conquistador Francisco Pizarro is buried, and beautiful monasteries and palaces. We enter the macabre catacombs of San Francisco, and then return to the modern districts of Miraflores and San Isidro, site of several pre-Inca temples.

Inca Cusco

£40

A guided half-day tour of Inca sites in and around Cusco. Visit the Inca temple of Qoricancha, the most sacred building of the Inca Empire. You then explore the incredible Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, where a fierce battle between the Incas and the Conquistadors took place, and the Inca sites of Qenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay.

Sacred Valley

£50

This full-day excursion visits the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the snow-capped Andes towering over the bubbling Urubamba River, a tributary of the Amazon. We visit the bustling market town of Pisac, which sells some of the finest crafts in Peru, and the superb Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo. Lunch at a country restaurant is included.

Machu Picchu

£210

The high point of any trip to Peru is a visit to Machu Picchu. We take a bus and then a morning train, with wonderful views of the snowy peaks of the Andes as the train descends the beautiful Urubamba Valley. The vegetation becomes increasingly tropical as we approach the high jungle below the ruins of Machu Picchu.

Take a bus from the valley up the mountain, and enter the site. You are immediately confronted by a combination of stunning mountain scenery and well-preserved Inca ruins, making this one of the wonders of the world. These were only rediscovered in 1911, after lying abandoned for centuries. The Spanish never found and looted Machu Picchu, which explains its excellent state of conservation.

Take a fascinating guided tour of the site, visiting the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Intihuatana, which the Incas used to ‘tie’ the sun to the earth at the winter solstice.

After a buffet lunch next to the ruins, we board the train for our return to Cusco.

Excursion Package

£260

Take our 4 optional excursions (Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Inca Cusco and Colonial Lima) for a special price.

A Night at Machu Picchu

Prices from £50

A night at Machu Picchu allows you to explore the ruins in the late afternoon when there are fewer visitors present. You can also revisit the ruins in the early morning light or discover the beautiful surrounding area. After our tour of the Inca site, check in to your hotel in the valley below the ruins. You have a free day in the area before returning to Cusco the following afternoon. You keep your room in Cusco for this night, so you only need to take an overnight bag. You can stay in the beautiful, rustic-style Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, the Hatuchay Tower or the simpler Machu Picchu Inn.

Please ask if you are interested in a 2 night stay at Machu Picchu.

About Machu Picchu Inn

About Hatuchay Tower

About Machu Picchu Pueblo

Short Inca Trail

Prices from £270

If you like the idea of arriving at Machu Picchu on foot, after trekking through the Andes, but do not want to walk for four days to get there, our Short Inca Trail is the perfect option.

You catch the early morning train to km 104, the start point of the trail at Chachabamba. The path climbs steeply, arriving at the spectacular Inca site of Wiñay Wayna in about 3 hours. After a packed lunch, you walk for another couple of hours, reaching the Sun Gate in the late afternoon for your first, magnificent, view of Machu Picchu. Saving the ruins for the next day, you descend to the valley for dinner and a good night’s sleep in your hotel.

The following morning you return to Machu Picchu for a guided tour of the Inca city. You are then free to explore the site further or try the hot springs before your return train to Cusco.

Our excursion includes a professional guide, train, bus and entrance tickets and hotel accommodation. Lunch and dinner on the first day and breakfast at your hotel are included. You keep your room in Cusco; an overnight bag will be taken to your hotel in Machu Picchu town while you are on the trail. You can stay in the beautiful, rustic-style Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, the Hatuchay Tower or the simpler Machu Picchu Inn. If staying in the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, lunch on day 2 is included.

The 9-mile long trail climbs rapidly for the first part of the walk, so a good level of fitness is required.

About Machu Picchu Inn

About Hatuchay Tower

About Machu Picchu Pueblo

Excursion Package (excluding Machu Picchu)

£80

For customers walking the Inca Trail or the Short Inca Trail, take our 3 optional excursions (Colonial Lima, Inca Cusco, Sacred Valley) for a special price. This package excludes Machu Picchu, as the Machu Picchu entrance fee and return train are already included.

Campesino Excursion

£40

Llama Travel is pround to support the work in Peru of Practical Action, a UK-based development charity. On this excursion, you get to see the work of Practical Action on the ground and have an outstanding opportunity to meet rural Peruvians far from the tourist trail and to understand their way of life.

You leave Cusco early, driving along the beautiful Vilcanota Valley for about two hours to Sicuani. Here, in the regional office, a local member of Practical Action will introduce you to the projects being carried out in the area. You then visit the house of a farm extension worker who will show you what they have learnt and how they are applying this in their community. Each farm extension worker specializes in a different area, so each visit will be slightly different, as Llama Travel rotates the communities which are visited. After lunch (included), you visit a second Practical Action project (possibly an irrigation project, depending on the time of the year), before returning to Cusco in the late afternoon.

Please note that facilities (e.g. toilets) are basic and that few people speak English. Many campesinos only speak Quechua. Therefore, a guide will translate for you. Nevertheless, the campesinos are very keen to meet visitors, and will be happy to answer questions.

The cost of this excursion is £40 per person. Llama Travel is operating this excursion on a not-for-profit basis, with the cost covering transportation, the guide, lunch and a donation of US$10 per person to the local community. Any money left over will be donated to the local community. This excursion is only available on specific departures, so unfortunately it is not available on every holiday. To book this project visit, please call us on 020 7263 3000.

Read about Llama Travel's support for Practical Action