12-Day Peru Off the Beaten Track

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This morning, you'll be up very early to walk to the airport for your short flight to Cajamarca. Upon arrival, you'll be met by your driver who will transfer you to Leymebamba and your beautiful lodge surrounded by lush gardens on a hillside. The journey will take around six to seven hours, you'll have breakfast in a local restaurant en route. Upon arrival, you'll check-in and have the afternoon to visit the nearby Museo Leymebamba to learn about the area and see the preserved mummies.

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Today, you'll have the day free to visit various places around the lodge. It is highly recommended that you visit the Mausoleums of Revash, a funerary centre carved into the mountains. These ancient tombs are made up of three levels of small houses and are said to have been built to bury powerful people of ancient cultures. In some of the buildings, you'll be able to observe ochre rock paintings of animals and people, as well as remains of ropes, ceramics, bones, nets and even necklaces.

Today, you'll say goodbye to Leymebamba and travel three hours to Cocachimba, a small town home to the Gocta Natura Reserve where you'll find a family-run lodge. The concept was born to actively contribute to the recovery of the cloud forest and its biodiversity, as well as helping local families to improve their quality of life. You'll be able to spend the rest of the day relaxing in tranquillity, birdwatching from your terrace and enjoying the serenity of your surroundings.

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Today, you'll have the day free to spend as you wish. One recommendation is to visit one of the many wonders and mysteries in Peru, the Sarcofagos de Karajia. Karajia is home to several bullet-shaped structures made of mud, wood and straw topped with an oversized head. They are vibrantly painted and placed on ledges of cliffs looking out over the valley below. The structures are the final resting places of Chachapoya nobility.

Today, you'll enjoy breakfast at the lodge and have the rest of the morning free to spend as you wish. After lunch, you'll be transferred to the airport in Jaen. You'll then catch a late afternoon flight back to Lima, where you'll be staying at the hotel which is a one-minute walk from the airport. You'll have the evening to relax at your hotel.

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Early this morning, you'll board a flight to Chiclayo. Upon arrival, you'll be picked up for a full-day tour of Sipan, the royal tombs and Tucume. Built by the Mochica culture, this is where the tomb of the Lord of Sipan was discovered. The gold-laden tomb is considered to be the richest and one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the last 30 years in the Americas. Afterwards, you will visit the last archaeological site of the day, Tucume, home to 26 pyramids.

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This morning, you'll take a private transfer from your hotel in Chiclayo to your hotel in Trujillo with a local guide. On the way, you'll stop for lunch at a local restaurant and to visit El Brujo archaeological complex. El Brujo was one of the most important religious sites of the Moche culture and the complex contains the famous Cao Viejo and Huaca Cortada pyramids which provide a fascinating insight into ancient artwork.

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Today, you'll head out on a full-day tour to three important archaeological sites. Included on the list of Peru’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1986, the ancient site of Chan Chan covers an immense area on the outskirts of Trujillo. Considered to be the largest city in pre-Columbian America, Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu Culture. The Sun and Moon Huacas are temples that were built during the Moche empire that rise from the desert just south of Trujillo.

After breakfast, you'll be transferred to the airport for your flight from Trujillo to Lima. Once in Lima, you'll be picked up by your driver who will transfer you three hours to your hotel on the outskirts of the Paracas National Reserve. On the way, you'll stop for lunch at a local restaurant. Upon arrival, you'll check into your beautiful five-star hotel ready for your last few days of luxury in Peru.

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You'll begin the day with a morning tour of the Ballestas Islands. In the afternoon, you'll leave from the large airstrip at Pisco to take a scenic flight over the famous lines of Nazca. The flight in the light aircraft follows the coast south following the Valley of Ocucaje before flying on to Valley of Santa Cruz Palpa and finally onto the famous Geoglyphs of Nazca. Included in the list of Peru’s UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1994, the lines are one of the world’s greatest enigmas.