Depart the States on your overnight flight to Peru.

Day 2 (Friday) Lima

Upon your arrival, you check into the Swissôtel Lima, the city’s premier hotel in the sophisticated San Isidro area. Housed in a striking 18-story building, it offers state-of-the-art amenities, fine dining, and commendable levels of service.

At this evening’s dinner, you choose from an array of flavorful local dishes. Peru’s criolla cuisine has evolved through the blending of native and European cultures. Other delicious entrees include sea bass, scallops, and mussels, as well as marinated meats accompanied by assorted roasted vegetables.

Lima itself is divided into districts, each with its own distinctive character. The downtown area displays grandiose plazas and mansions, as well as busy streets crowded with street vendors. The San Isidro and Miraflores districts reflect an international influence, with landscaped gardens and shops.

Francisco Pizarro founded the city of Lima in 1535 on the eve of the Epiphany of the Magi, from which it derived its original name of La Ciudad de los Reyes – or The City of Kings. A grid of streets, forming 117 city blocks, was designed on the site of an existing settlement on the edge of the Rimac River. Lima became the political, commercial and religious capital of Spanish South America.

Today you see the colonial heart of Lima – the Plaza de Armas with its 17^th-century bronze fountain and adjoining Government Palace, which is built on the site of Pizarro’s house. The Archbishop’s Palace and the Town Hall are on this plaza as well. You visit the San Francisco Monastery; behind its attractive colonial yellow façade is a beautiful Andalusian Moorish interior in addition to thousands of books and parchments dating from the 15^th to 18^th centuries and a marvelous collection of religious art.

At the highly regarded Gold Museum, you see a unique collection of pre-Columbian gold and silver and an impressive display at the adjoining Arms Museum, which includes some highly decorative uniforms.

For dinner, we sample local specialties as well as international dishes. (B,L,D)

This morning you depart Lima on your flight to Cuzco, once the capital of the Inca Empire, where 15,000 nobles, priests and servants lived. When the Spanish arrived, it was the center of a highly organized society – storehouses of food throughout the empire had eliminated hunger, irrigated deserts and terraced mountainsides produced many crops, and their military strength was legendary. The city was filled with huge palaces constructed for the Inca rulers; there were sophisticated water systems, paved streets and no poverty.

You check into the Hotel Monasterio del Cusco, occupying a corner of an idyllic square, two blocks above the Plaza de Armas. This beautifully restored 16^th-century monastery has gilded antiques, glowing sienna walls, and splendid religious art. Relax in the hotel’s lounge decorated with ancient Inca masks, rustic beam ceilings, a terra-cotta tile floor, and comfortable leather sofas.

The afternoon is at leisure for you to adjust to the high altitude in the Andes Mountains. This evening, you dine at the hotel’s charming restaurant and select from highland specialties of roasted meats, succulent pink trout, and corn and potatoes flavored by a wide variety of peppers. After dinner, you may want to stroll about and listen to some of the live Folkorica music that can be heard from numerous establishments along the plaza. (B,L,D)

Today, you embark on a trip to legendary Machu Picchu by way of a train ride along the Urubamba Valley. The jungle-covered ruins were discovered by an American archaeologist, Hiram Bingham, in 1911. Although there is some evidence of pre-Inca occupation (going back 2,000 years), it is generally accepted that the Inca were responsible for establishing a permanent settlement here of about 1,000 inhabitants roughly 500 years ago.

The town was built on uneven ground, so the buildings are at various heights. The buildings are intact except for the straw roofs that once shielded the inhabitants. Some were built into solid rock; others on terraces made of stone blocks. Water came from mountain springs by way of an aqueduct and was channeled to the houses, fountains, and gardens. Public events were likely held in the Great Plaza at the center of the site. The Inca believed the sun god was the most important of all the gods; and the Sun Stone, the holiest place in the settlement, recorded the movement of the sun across the sky. This evening, you dine in the restaurant at your hotel – the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.(B,L,D)

This morning, you have another opportunity to walk through the "lost city" of Machu Picchu before your train ride takes you back along the razorback peaks of the Andes overlooking the exotic jungle valley and the roaring Urubamba River.

Upon your return to Cuzco, you check into the Hotel Monasterio; you may chose to relax on the peaceful lawn or on the patio in the stone courtyard next to the scalloped urn fountain before a delicious à la carte dinner. (B,L,D)

You fly to Lima today and have the afternoon to enjoy at your leisure. You may wish to shop for handicrafts at the group of Indian markets in the 10^th block of Avenida La Marina – you will find wool knitted items, leather goods, ceramics and jewelry. You will also find many handicraft boutiques in the upscale Miraflores district.

Your hotel tonight is the Swissôtel Lima; this evening, you and your travel companions gather for a farewell cocktail party and à la carte gourmet dinner. (B,L,D)

Your journey comes to an end today, and you are escorted to the airport for your flight home. (B)

Those of you who have chosen to continue your journey, by including a visit to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, are escorted to the airport for your flight to Santiago. (B)