OVERVIEW
Paddington Bear is from Peru, an actual fact, not a marmalade-fuelled invention. Nobody’s expecting a bear in a duffle coat at the airport, but it’s a fair sign this country’s never struggled to be interesting.
Machu Picchu is here, and it earns the hype. But we haven’t built the trip around one ruin. Lima for the food, widely agreed to be South America’s best. The Andes at full height, then Rainbow Mountain, genuinely seven colours, no filter required. In the Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo’s Inca fortress, the Maras salt mines cut straight into a mountainside, and Moray’s terraced rings, once used to test crops at different altitudes.
Let Peru take your breath away. Sometimes literally, altitude doesn’t care how fit you are
ITINERARY AT A GLANCE
- DAY 1: Land in Lima, first drinks with your Head Offbeater and fellow Offbeaters
- DAY 2: Cook a real Peruvian menu, wander bohemian Barranco after dark
- DAY 3: Sandboard down dunes, dune buggy across the desert, sleep under canvas in the middle of it
- DAY 4: Boat out to Peru’s answer to the Galapagos, sea lions and all
- DAY 5: Salt pans carved into a mountainside, ancient terraces cut like a staircase for crops
- DAY 6: Explore an Inca fortress, ride the Vistadome to the mountains
- DAY 7: Machu Picchu, at last
- DAY 8: Cusco’s cobbled streets, once the centre of an empire
- DAY 9: Hike Rainbow Mountain, seven colours, one view
- DAY 10: Depart from Cusco, until next time Offbeaters
FULL ITINERARY
DAY 1: BIENVENIDOS A PERU
Welcome to Peru!
Your Tour Leader will be waiting for you at the airport to whisk you to your boutique hotel in Miraflores. After freshening up, you will meet your fellow Offbeaters for welcome drinks and briefing overlooking the spectacular views of the cliffs and Pacific Ocean on all the excitement to come! You may also want to pinch yourself as this photo comes to life.
Meals Included: Drinks
DAY 2: COOKERY CLASS AND BOHEMIAN BARRANCO
Today will take you on a gastronomic journey through Peru via the bohemian neighbourhood of Barranco.
The food will be instagram worthy but we want to go deeper than that, pit of your stomach deep (yes, we love a good pun). Peru’s cuisine has evolved through the fusion of indigenous Peruvian cultures and historical integration of African, Japanese and Chinese which has led to unique and delicious food cultures and cuisines.
You will visit a local market to select your ingredients and will have a cookery class with a private chef.
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch
DAY 3: DESERT GLAMPING
People don’t normally associate Peru with desert which is why the Huacachina desert oasis has made it to the itinerary. Expect to sandboard, take a dune buggy ride and then watch the spectacular sunset over the sand dunes before retiring to the glamping site in Paracas for dinner by the campfire and to enjoy stargazing in the desert with a drink and your new friends!
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
DAY 4: THE PERUVIAN GALAPAGOS
The morning will be spent in Paracas, sometimes referred to as ‘the poor man’s Galapagos’, the islands are home to sea lions, Peruvian boobies and even penguins. You will visit the expansive UNESCO Marine Reserve that juts out into the bay, forming the Paracas peninsula.
Following a short scenic flight to Cusco, the day will end in the quaint village of Ollantaytambo, also known as Ollay in the Sacred Valley.
Meals Included: Breakfast | Dinner
DAY 5: THE SACRED VALLEY
Today you will be hopping from one iconic Inca site to another; enjoying the extraordinary views of Maras Salt Mines which is strategically dug into the mountainside mined by local families for their special Peruvian pink salt, hearing the tales of espionage at the ancient town of Maras and the agricultural terraces at Moray.
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
DAY 6: OLLAY & THE VISTADOME TRAIN
You will start the day with the Inca site right on your doorstep; the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo – the site of the last battle between the Incas and the Spanish and normally missed by travellers.
What will remain a story for some is going to start becoming your reality. It’s time. You will start your journey to one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, Machu Picchu on the Vistadome train. The panoramic windows and glass ceilings will allow you to immerse into the spectacular scenery before you arrive at Agua Calientes for the night so you can reach Machu Picchu at the optimal time in the morning.
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
DAY 7: THE NATURAL WONDER
This morning, Machu Picchu will have you gushing with emotion as a dream is turned into reality.
Following a stop at Aguas Calientes for lunch and a spot of Hot Springs, you’ll make your way to Cusco by train and private transfer to get some rest ahead of more excitement to come.
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
DAY 8: HISTORIC CUSCO
Discover the magic of Cusco through a local; you will roam the cobblestone streets and bargain your way through artisan markets, drinking plenty of coca tea with a backdrop of the surreal highland scenery – it will be the perfect introduction to the former capital of the Inca Empire.
Free afternoon/Altitude adjustment.
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
DAY 9: 'ALTERNATIVE' RAINBOW MOUNTAIN HIKE
Your destination will be Palcoyo, the less crowded counterpart of Vinicunca which unfortunately now attracts busloads of instagrammers each day with long queues to take a photo.
Palcoyo will offer you an entire mountain range which are beautifully contoured with 7 colours. At 4,900 meters (16,000 feet) above sea level, the altitude is more than half that of Mount Everest and sure to leave you breathless (we did warn you we like a good pun).
We settle for the final supper and dance to celebrate a phenomenal adventure and new friends.
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch
DAY 10: HASTA LUEGO
In just 10 days you have experienced some of South America’s finest culinary cuisine, visited Peru’s Galapagos, glamped amongst the sand dunes and the stars, discovered the hidden gems of the Sacred Valley, caught a Vistadome train to the Natural Wonder, Machu Picchu, hiked Rainbow Mountain and cornered Cusco!
Thank you for allowing us to take you on this adventure, have a safe onwards journey, until next time Offbeater!
Meals Included: Breakfast
ACCOMMODATION
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
International Flights
We will make recommendations on flights based on trip start date. We strongly recommend that before booking any flights in relation to this trip that you first check with us that this trip has been guaranteed; the trip is not guaranteed to run until we reach the minimum number of reservations.
We also recommend that you book flights that are flexible and ideally refundable. For more information please refer to our booking terms and conditions.
Contact us if you wish to have an early discussion on flight options.
Key Information
How it works
- Determine if the trip is right for you in consultation with us. We are also able to set-up a video call to discuss.
- Inform us if you are interested in having a private room throughout the trip and require the cost of the single supplement
- We will make you aware of recommended flights
- Reserve your space by paying deposit of £500 through our booking page. This is not applicable if you are booking within 60 days of the trip departure date, in this case you will be sent a payment link to make full payment.
- The trip is not guaranteed until the minimum numbers have been reached. Do not book international flights until you have been notified by e-mail that the trip status has changed to guaranteed.
- Once the trip has been guaranteed, book your international flights and obtain your mandatory travel insurance (if you don’t already have cover).
- We will request passport information, travel insurance evidence, dietary requirements and other applicable information.
- Full and final payment will be requested by e-mail at least 60 days prior to trip departure date.
- You must make payment by the deadline otherwise you could lose your space on the trip
- At least 30 days ahead of the trip start date, you will be sent an Offbeater’s Guide for Peru Elevated which will include useful information such as a packing list.
- At least 2 weeks ahead of the trip start date, a WhatsApp group will be set-up with the Offbeaters on the tour and a video call will be arranged for a meet & greet, talk through the excitement to come and answer any last minute questions.
- We will await your arrival in Peru!
Is an Offbeat Horizons trip for me?
Offbeat Horizons trips are not for everyone. Please check the day by day full itinerary carefully and then decide if this trip is suitable for you. Contact us if you wish to discuss or have concerns about not being able to participate in certain aspects of the trip.
Trip pace
Anyone with a reasonable fitness level, a sense of discovery, thirst for learning and broadening their horizons would be a great fit on this trip. The trip will move at a relatively fast pace; be prepared to be active and engaged everyday. Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Travelling offbeat
Travelling offbeat can throw up the occasional bumps in the road. We will endeavour to follow the stated itinerary as closely as possible, however, from time to time we may have to make some changes to our stated itinerary or the services we are able to offer. One of the exciting and often rewarding aspects of travelling offbeat is its unpredictability. This can lead to unexpected highlights and experiences that are the essence of travelling offbeat. This is also what makes it so addictive, the thirst for more of the unexpected really can enhance your experience.
We hope the trip will be a good fit but if you have any concerns over the occasional unpredictable nature of offbeat travel then consider if this type of trip is right for you. Contact us to discuss if you have specific concerns.
Solo travellers and hotel single supplement
The majority of offbeaters will be solo travellers so you will have plenty of people to connect and enjoy new experiences with.
All of our prices are based on twin-share accommodation to support fast friendships inspired by hostel experiences in dorm rooms but making it more comfortable and upmarket for the professional. We will never put more than two people in a room. If you are happy with twin-share accommodation we will pair you with a member of the same sex for the duration of the trip.
We appreciate that a minority of travellers will want full privacy and there will be the option of paying a single supplement for a single room throughout the trip, subject to availability. On this trip the single supplement covers all nights of accommodation as per the itinerary. Please be aware that the single supplement entitles you to a single occupancy room. In many cases this will be the same size as a double room/twin room but on occasion the room may be smaller.
Travel insurance
Travel insurance that covers you for emergency repatriation in mandatory on all of our trips. We strongly recommended that you purchase a travel insurance policy that covers you for all of the activities stated in the itinerary of this trip. For more details on our mandatory requirements for travel insurance please visit the Safety and Security Hub.
General Information
Trip price
All of our trips are priced on a tour only basis, not including international flights. This gives you the flexibility to decide how you get to and depart from this trip and attain best possible flight rates.
Deposit
A special introductory deposit of £200 is required to book your space on this trip. This is non-refundable due to costs we incur from when a trip is booked. You will be provided with a full refund of the deposit if we cancel the trip.
What’s not included
We want to be completely up front about our pricing. There are no hidden charges, no hidden fees and we have described inclusions and exclusions in detail throughout the trip page. If in doubt, contact us to discuss. See below for what we don’t include in the trip price:
International flights: Please ask us for advice on the flights from your location.
Visas and mandatory travel insurance: Visas is country/nationality dependent but travel insurance is always mandatory. We will ask you for evidence of travel insurance ahead of the trip departure date.
Airport transfers: We will provide complimentary transfers for arrival and departure on the suggested flights. This does not cover arrival and departure at different times or dates.
Drinks, snacks and items of a personal nature: This is not provided unless explicitly stated as included in the full itinerary.
Why Offbeat Horizons?
To understand what makes us unique as a tour provider. Visit our Why Offbeat Horizons page to get to know us a little bit better.
Entry Requirements
For some destinations we travel to visas may be required.
UK Passport holders are strongly recommended to check Government Travel Advice for up to date entry requirements.
For non-UK passport holders and non-UK residents we strongly recommend you check with your relevant embassies for visa requirements.
Government Travel Advice
Many governments issue advice which highlights potential hazards their citizens might experience when travelling abroad. We strongly suggest you refer to your country’s travel advisory site before booking and contact us if you have any queries or concerns. Click to follow links to the advice of the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or the US State Department.
Non-UK citizens should consult the travel advice of their respective governments.
Trip Extensions
If you wish to arrive early or extend your trip, we can provide advice on other popular locations and activities.