Peru by River & Rail

Arrive in Lima, where you are met and transferred to your hotel.

Start with a panoramic visit to Huaca Pucllana, a historical site in the midst of urban Lima. Proceed to a food market in the company of a local chef before, enjoying lunch at a local restaurant. Afterward, stop for a coffee tasting before strolling the city’s colorful Barranco, an artists’ haven, and visit the Osma Museum. Continue your gastronomic discovery of Peru on a Chef ’s Table experience, savoring the delicious dishes you have cooked for dinner.

Today, fly to Iquitos. Upon arrival, journey overland into the Peruvian countryside en route to remote Nauta, a village set on the banks of the Marañón River, one of the Amazon’s three main tributaries, where you are met by a river guide. Begin your three-night river adventure, embarking elegant Pure Amazon, A&K’s all-new boutique riverboat offering an intimate and exclusive experience. Designed for sustainable exploration and authentic cultural immersion, it features panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows for superb wildlife viewing and a staff-to-guest ratio of over 1:1, ensuring exceptional, personalized attention. Settle into your spacious suite before meeting the expert naturalist guides who accompany your expedition. This evening, gather for a dinner featuring innovative Amazonian cuisine.

In this paradise for birders, where vibrantly colored macaws may be seen gliding over the river, start your day at dawn’s first light on an expert-led birding excursion, catching glimpses of some of the many exotic avian species living here. View any of the hundreds of amphibians, reptiles and mammals that call the Amazon home as well, including frogs, bats, iguanas and a diverse array of insects. Be sure to scan the forest canopy for long-limbed spider monkeys or an endearingly slow-moving sloth. Return to your ship for lunch and an exclusive midday lecture from one of the local experts travelling by your side. This evening, as the equatorial sun dips behind the treetops, you may opt to set out by skiff for a night safari, watching as your guide shines a light over the ink-black water to reveal the glowing yellow eyes of dozens of caimans and other nocturnal river dwellers.

A new day along the ever-changing river brings with it new possibilities. This may be the day you spot the Amazon’s fabled pink dolphins or go ashore to visit the residents of a local village to learn about daily life deep in the Amazon. Afterward, relax or perhaps enjoy a swim. Back on your vessel, enjoy lunch before heading out on another river foray or fish for piranha from a skiff, catching (and carefully releasing) this tenacious species. Later, gather for a chat with the guides of your vessel who recount stories of life in the Amazon, followed by a farewell dinner on board.

Return to Nauta, bid farewell to your crew and disembark Pure Amazon before making your way to Iquitos to visit a lively market, where the freshly harvested bounty from the surrounding forest is on display, as well as the Museum of Indigenous Amazonian Cultures. Then, fly to Lima and check in to your hotel.

This morning, fly to Cusco, located more than 11,000 feet above sea level. Upon arrival, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant overlooking the city’s main square. Afterward, continue to your awe-inspiring resort, designed to complement the Sacred Valley’s landscapes. En route, visit an animal sanctuary to interact with the South American camelids living there — such as llamas and alpacas — and learn about the valuable fibers created from their coats.

Begin your day with a refreshing light trek — escorted by llamas — on a trail that overlooks a lake, and then proceed to a village in the Sacred Valley to meet with members of the local community. Stop for a delicious picnic lunch before enjoying an afternoon at leisure capped off by a Scenic Sundowner. Tonight, dine at your hotel.

Explore Ollantaytambo, a fortress of massive stone. Then, journey aboard the Inca Rail First-Class Train deep into the Andes toward Machu Picchu and gaze out at the spectacular Peruvian countryside while you have lunch. Upon arrival, explore the ruins with your expert guide and, wandering amid the age-old stone walls, picturing life as it might have been in this majestic high-altitude citadel. Overlooking the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at the height of the Inca Empire. Although this “Lost City” was revealed to the rest of the world by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, its location was long known to locals. Enjoy tea time at Sanctuary Lodge before returning to the station and boarding the Hiram Bingham train. Travel in luxury while you enjoy a gourmet dinner en route to Cusco. Upon arrival, transfer to your elegant hotel, a former monastery.

Discover Cusco on a city tour that includes the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and the Santo Domingo Temple. Listen as a local expert explains how the historic clashes between the Incas and the Spanish played a role in forming today’s Peruvian culture. Later, visit the well-preserved ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a testament to Incan architectural skill. This afternoon, enjoy time at leisure. Tonight, sit down to a dinner at an elegant Cusco restaurant, where the chef gathers local ingredients for use in innovative recipes that remain true to Peru’s culinary traditions.

This morning in Cusco, step aboard Andean Explorer, the first luxury sleeping train in South America, to begin a relaxing trek across the Andean plains backdropped by Peru’s lofty landscapes. Get comfortable in your deluxe cabin as the train rolls southeast to Puno and savor your first lunch on board in one of the elegant dining cars, choosing from refined Andean specialties served with contemporary flair. Upon arrival at Tinta Station, disembark to discover Raqch’i, a one-of-a-kind Incan archaeological site set more than 11,000 feet above sea level. View the remnants of high walls that were once part of the largest Inca temple ever built. Then, proceed through the stunning La Raya mountain range, before preparing for an elegant dinner on board. Afterward, you may opt to head to the bar car and chat with your fellow passengers as the train continues to Lake Titicaca.

Wake up early for breakfast on board before setting out to enjoy the eclectic beauty and rich biodiversity of Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America. Embark by traditional boat for a ride to the islands of the Uros, extraordinary floating manmade isles created from carefully woven reeds. Then, head to Taquille Island, where many local residents are Quechuan, for lunch before a visit to the sparkling sands of Collata Beach. Enjoy an afternoon tea on your return to the train at Puno station, before departing.

Visit the Sumbay caves, home to fascinating cave paintings estimated to be over 8,000 years old that depict camelids, pumas and other animals. Return to the train for lunch and continue to Arequipa. Upon arrival, transfer to the airport to fly to Lima.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your departing flight.