Peru by Belmond: Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu & Cusco

Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu & Cusco

Lima • Sacred Valley • Machu Picchu • Cusco
Duration: 9 Days

Overview

A first trip to Peru that starts at sea level and climbs slowly, which is the easiest way to handle the altitude. Two nights in Lima for the food, three in the Sacred Valley at around 2,900 meters, a night at the gate of Machu Picchu so you can see it early and again in the afternoon, then two nights in Cusco at the end. Every stay is a Belmond hotel, and the ride back from Machu Picchu is on the Belmond Hiram Bingham train, with dinner on board.

Trip Highlights

Eating your way through Lima, from cevicherías to tasting menus

Pisac, Moray, the Maras salt pans and the Ollantaytambo fortress in the Sacred Valley

A night at Sanctuary Lodge, steps from the Machu Picchu entrance, with two visits to the site

The Hiram Bingham train from Machu Picchu back toward Cusco, with dinner and live music

Cusco on foot: the cathedral, Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán and the San Blas lanes

Ideal For

First-time visitors to Peru • Couples and honeymooners • Families with older kids • Travelers who want Machu Picchu without a pre-dawn bus queue

Preferred Properties

Lima: Belmond Miraflores Park

Sacred Valley: Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel

Machu Picchu: Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu

Cusco (choose one; they share the same square): Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel; Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel

Day-By-Day Itinerary

Days 1–2: Lima

Arrive in Lima, where most international flights land late in the day, and transfer to Miraflores on the clifftop above the Pacific. Day 2 is for the city: a market and food walk, lunch at a cevichería, the colonial center or the Larco Museum, and an evening in Barranco. Book a tasting-menu dinner well ahead if that is on your list.
Overnights: Belmond Miraflores Park

Days 3–5: Sacred Valley

Fly Lima to Cusco (about 90 minutes), then drive straight down to the valley, about 90 minutes, so your first nights in the Andes are lower than Cusco. Spend two full days with a private guide: the Pisac terraces and market, the circular terraces at Moray, the Maras salt pans, weaving villages around Chinchero and the Inca town of Ollantaytambo. Keep the first afternoon easy while you adjust.
Overnights: Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel

Day 6: Train to Machu Picchu

Drive about 30 minutes to Ollantaytambo station and take a PeruRail Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, roughly 90 minutes along the Urubamba River. From January to April, you can instead board the Hiram Bingham at Rio Sagrado's own station. From Aguas Calientes, the shuttle bus climbs to the site in about 25 minutes. Drop your bags at the lodge and make your first timed-entry visit with your guide in the afternoon, when the day-trippers start to head down.
Overnights: Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu

Days 7–8: Machu Picchu & Cusco

Walk to the gate for an early entry on a different circuit, or climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain if you booked those tickets. In the late afternoon, ride down to Aguas Calientes and board the Hiram Bingham for the evening ride back, with dinner on board. From May to December it runs to Poroy station, about three and a half hours, and your driver takes you the last 20 minutes or so into Cusco. From January to April the train ends at Rio Sagrado and a bus continues to Cusco, so you arrive later in the evening. Day 8 is a full day in the city with a guide: the cathedral, Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán above town and the San Blas neighborhood.
Overnights: Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, or Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel

Day 9: Depart

Transfer to Cusco airport, about 20 minutes, and fly to Lima to connect to your international flight home. If your connection is long or late, we can add a day room or an extra night at Miraflores Park.