Visit Peru with the Pope — Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu and Vinicunca | 7 days

On arrival in Lima, transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, City Tour of colonial and modern Lima, beginning with a view over the Pacific Ocean. The route crosses the modern districts of Miraflores and San Isidro and takes in the Huaca Pucllana, a pyramid-shaped pre-Inca ceremonial temple that has survived Lima's urban expansion. You then visit the historic centre, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, once the heart of the 16th-century Spanish colony. Visit to the Convent of San Francisco and its enigmatic catacombs, and to the Museum of Lima Cathedral, home to religious art, historical objects and Peruvian colonial treasures.

In the morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Cusco. On arrival, transfer to your hotel and time to rest. The experience begins between 12:00 and 13:00 at the Convent of Santo Domingo – Qorikancha, where the contrast between Inca culture and Catholicism is on full display, along with the building methods of each period. Qorikancha was a religious centre housing many deities, the Sun God (Inti) foremost among them, and it still holds colonial paintings from the period.

The group then takes the tourist bus out of the city. Sacsayhuamán, a majestic Inca site whose stone monoliths can weigh up to 200 tonnes, with an explanation from your guide and free time to explore the fortress on your own. Five minutes on by bus lies Q'enqo, another Inca site with striking altars, possibly a ceremonial centre for camelid sacrifice — though other accounts hold that the dead were embalmed at its inner altar; its semicircular amphitheatre and underground galleries are of particular interest. Next, Puca Pucará, a small Inca structure known as the red fortress, thought to have served as a watchtower, built of thick walls, terraces and stairways as part of the defensive complex of Cusco and the Inca Empire. The final stop is Tambomachay, a temple of water worship also known as the Inca's royal baths, with a series of aqueducts, channels and cascades running over the rock. Return to Cusco, where the tour ends near the city centre.

A full day dedicated to the apostolic visit of Pope Leo XIV to the city of Cusco. Breakfast at the hotel, with our staff accompanying you to the gathering point set out by the event organisers and providing assistance throughout the day. The remainder of the day is free to take part in the papal events.

Times, locations and access arrangements depend on the official schedule of the Holy See and on the measures set by the Peruvian authorities. The detailed programme for this day will be confirmed to travellers as soon as the official schedule is released, and may change for security reasons beyond the operator's control.

08:00 pick-up from your hotel in Cusco to begin the Sacred Valley of the Incas tour. Leaving the city, the route crosses the archaeological park of Sacsayhuamán and reaches the Taray viewpoint, a wide natural balcony overlooking the Inca terraces and the farmland surrounding the Incas' sacred river, the Willcamayu. Visit to the archaeological park of Písac and its craft market, the best place on the circuit for handicrafts and souvenirs. After free time, the journey continues to the town of Urubamba, where a varied buffet lunch is served. In the afternoon, a guided visit to Ollantaytambo, the last living Inca town, followed by boarding the tourist train to Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Town. Our transfer meets you at the railway station and takes you to your selected hotel.

After breakfast, board the Consettur tourist bus up to the Inca city of Machu Picchu, a journey of roughly 30 minutes. On arrival, your guided tour of the citadel's main palaces and highlights begins. Afterwards, free time to explore the sanctuary at your own pace before returning to Machu Picchu Town. At the appointed hour, transfer to the railway station to board the train back to Ollantaytambo and then a tourist bus to Cusco.

Pick-up from your accommodation in Cusco between 04:00 and 04:30 to head south by tourist vehicle. The route crosses the district of Cusipata and, after passing valleys and small lagoons, reaches the village of Paucarpata, where you stop for breakfast. The journey continues to Qomer Qocha, the parking point and starting place of the hike up to the sacred mountain of Vinicunca. The hike takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour at a moderate pace; along the way you watch the surrounding mountains shift colour until you reach the viewpoint, where the great Vilcanota range opens out in a range of colours resembling a rainbow — hence its other name, Rainbow Mountain. After the visit, descend to Qomer Qocha to board the return transport, stopping first at Paucarpata for lunch. The excursion ends in Cusco at around 17:00 to 17:30.

Free morning. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for your journey home.