Staying at Peru’s most stylish properties, and including Belmond’s magnificent Andean Explorer train journey, this lavish Grand Tour of Peru takes you from the gastronomic hub of Lima to colonial Arequipa, and on through epic Andean landscapes to the great Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
Peru’s dry season runs from April to October, with April and May being a particularly lovely time to visit as the landscapes are still green and lush. If travelling over the midwinter solstice festival of Inti Raymi, be sure to book well in advance.
Price depends on the experiences and accommodation included, and your time of travel. It is based on two adults travelling for 14 nights and does not include international flights.
2 nights in Lima, 2 nights in Arequipa, 2 nights at the Colca Canyon, 2 nights on the Belmond Andean Explorer, 3 nights in the Sacred Valley, 1 night at Machu Picchu and 2 nights in Cusco
What makes this private Peru itinerary special?
- Take a deep dive into the culinary and artistic vitality of Peru’s capital, Lima.
- Cross one of the world’s highest rail routes aboard the legendary Belmond Andean Explorer, South America’s first luxury sleeper train.
- Enjoy exquisite top-of-the-range accommodation and dining throughout your journey.
- Step back in time and relive the Golden Age of Peruvian exploration at Puqio Tented Camp by the Colca Canyon.
- Cruise Lake Titicaca to the floating reed island of the Uros Indians.
- Let our incredible private guides bring the stunning ruins of Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu and Sacsayhuaman to life.
Highlights of your luxury Peru holiday
City of Kings
Lima
Begin your adventure in Lima, Peru’s energetic coastal capital, where colonial mansions, baroque facades and eighteenth-century townhouses meet a deeper, older narrative told through pre-Columbian artefacts at museums like the Larco Herrera. In Miraflores, mopeds zip through the traffic, surfboards in tow, while bohemian Barranco pulses with music, art and fashion boutiques, and the clink of pisco sours in its lively peñas. Lima’s culinary scene is a tour-de-force and rightly regarded as Latin America’s gastronomic epicentre. With cevicherias on every street corner and trailblazing chefs like Virgilio Martínez and Pedro Schiaffino exploring native ingredients from local rockfish to Amazonian tree bark, the city continues to push culinary boundaries.
Arequipa’s colonial splendours
Arequipa
Arequipa, perched in the imposing shadow of volcano El Misti, is one of Peru’s most attractive cities and a wonderful atmospheric place to acclimatise before the high altitude of the altiplano. With one of the country’s most refined luxury hotels as your base, discover with your dedicated private guide Arequipa’s ancient convents, monasteries, colonial-era plazas and cobbled streets, some of which date back to the sixteenth century, and are a joy to explore.
A camp by the canyon
Colca Canyon
The mighty Colca Canyon, nearly twice the depth of the Grand Canyon, has long attracted explorers drawn by its stirring vistas, hot springs and soaring Andean condors. The area has much else to offer, though. Nowhere offers a more immersive way of exploring this fascinating part of Peru than Puqio, a luxury tented camp whose brilliant guides will lead you on treks and 4WD safaris to uncover the secrets of the wider Colca Valley. Delve into ancient plant wisdom with natural herbalists, meet some of the best artisan textile weavers in the Andes and join fiestas in lost-in-time villages, before returning to flawless service and Michelin-quality seasonally focused Andean cuisine.
Across the roof of South America
Peruvian Altiplano
The three-day journey from Arequipa to Cusco through the stunning landscapes of the Peruvian altiplano is one of South America’s (and the world’s) great train journeys. Doing so aboard Belmond’s Andean Explorer is simply the last word in romance, evoking the Golden Age of Travel with its white glove service and elegant onboard facilities. Stepping aboard, relax as the train rolls northeast towards Lake Titicaca.
Over the course of the next three days, you’ll visit the Sumbay caves, home to fascinating 8,000-year-old paintings depicting pumas, camelids and other animals; cross Lake Titicaca by boat to meet Uros Indian communities who live on extraordinary floating man-made islands created from woven totora reeds; and visit the incredible Inca site of Raqch’i, an impressive Inca site set over 11,000 feet above sea level. All too soon, you’ll draw into Cusco station, gateway to the Sacred Valley and the rest of your journey.
Heartland of the Inca Empire
Sacred Valley
Stretching either side of the winding Urubamba River between Cusco and Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley is a landscape of deep power. Revered by the Incas for its cosmic alignments and valued for its fertile soil, it is still—especially once you veer away from the beaten path—a place of great resonance and beauty. By all means tick off wondrous heritage sites from the mysterious circular terraces of Moray to the fortress of Ollantatytambo, but it’s in its remote side valleys, among the fields and Quechua-speaking villages, where traditional ways of life are still maintained, you’ll feel an older and deeper connection.
Peru’s shining citadel
Machu Picchu
No matter how many travellers make the journey, the allure of the Incas’ fifteenth-century mountain citadel remains undimmed—especially when mist from the cloud forests below drapes the terraced ruins and surrounding peaks in an ethereal veil. Getting to Machu Picchu is a thrill in itself: you can hike all or part of the 27-mile Inca Trail, culminating in a demanding 90-minute ascent up a 2,000-foot mountain, or opt for the comfort of Belmond’s Hiram Bingham train instead. Whichever route you choose, the payoff is immense—standing in awe at Incan ingenuity and watching the sunrise align perfectly at the Sun Gate during the summer solstice.
The great Inca capital
Cusco
Once the sacred capital of the Inca civilization, Cusco’s ancient stone walls still line the streets, holding up baroque churches left by Spanish conquerors. In the San Blas district, artists and cafés fill steep cobbled alleys, while vibrant textiles, bustling markets and Andean rituals keep centuries of heritage vividly alive. Staying at the city’s smartest address, Belmond’s Palacio Nazarenas, you’ll enjoy the very best that Cusco has to offer from the awe-inspiring monumental stonework of the Inca temple Sacsayhuaman to extraordinary dining.
Where you'll stay on your luxury Peru vacaction
Great journeys need great places to lay your head. These are our tried and tested suggestions.
Hotel B
Housed in a restored Belle Époque mansion in Lima’s bohemian Barranco district, Hotel B is a striking blend of historic elegance and contemporary design. This 20-room boutique hotel, with its high ceilings, vintage furnishings and curated collection of Peruvian and Latin American art, feels like a private collector’s retreat. The hotel’s restaurant, led by chef Oscar Velarde, serves refined Peruvian-Mediterranean cuisine, best enjoyed in the chic dining room or on the rooftop terrace with ocean views. Steps away, Barranco’s vibrant galleries, cafés, and boutiques pulse with creative energy.
Cirqa
Hidden away in the UNESCO-listed historic centre of Arequipa, Cirqa is a former 16th-century monastery re-imagined as a refined boutique retreat. Built from volcanic stone, its 11 serene rooms and suites feature vaulted ceilings, minimalist design and a sense of hushed luxury. The on-site restaurant draws from traditional picanterias, serving locally sourced dishes in atmospheric courtyards. After a day exploring the White City, unwind in the heated plunge pool or sip a pisco cocktail on the rooftop terrace, where views of Arequipa’s towering volcanoes steal the show.
Puqio
Designed to connect you deeply with southern Peru’s spectacular landscapes and remote Andean communities, Puqio is a sustainable luxury tented camp in the Colca Valley. Offering a safari-type experience unmatched in South America, its tented rooms and suites evoke the spirit of early 20th-century exploration. Enjoy exquisite open-flame meals featuring traditional Andean flavours and recipes, before heading out on a personalised journey crafted around your interests. Trips by 4×4, on horseback and on foot allow you explore canyons, salt pans and stone forests. Learn ancient plant wisdom from herbalists, soak in natural hot springs and visit some of the Andes’ best textile weavers.
Belmond Andean Explorer
Winding through the Peruvian Andes in considerable style, the Belmond Andean Explorer is South America’s first luxury sleeper train travelling along one of the world’s most breathtaking rail journeys between Cusco and Arequipa (via Lake Titicaca). Offering old-world glamour and contemporary comfort, its 24 cabins—decked in soft alpaca wool, handwoven fabrics, and Andean accents—offer a serene retreat, while the observation car provides uninterrupted views of snow-capped peaks and vast altiplano landscapes. Days are filled with guided excursions to ancient Inca sites, floating Uros Islands and remote villages. By night, sip a pisco sour under starlit skies.
Belmond Rio Sagrado
Set among lush gardens by the meandering Urubamba River, Belmond Rio Sagrado offers a chance to relax among the beauty of Peru’s Sacred Valley in characteristic Belmond style. Its elegant and spacious rooms, suites and villas offer breathtaking valley views, and there’s a superb spa and gourmet restaurant on-site to nourish and pamper you. Ideally positioned for exploring the nearby Inca ruins, sacred sites and colourful market villages, and even boasting its own train stop for travellers going on to or returning from Machu Picchu, it provides an unforgettable gateway to the rich cultural heritage and natural wonders of the Sacred Valley.
Inkaterra Machu Picchu
Tucked into a private cloud forest refuge at the base of Machu Picchu, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo is now the finest place to stay by this iconic Inca citadel. Its 83 adobe-style cottages and villas are spacious sanctuaries complete with hand-woven alpaca throws and local handicrafts, many coming with a crackling log fire. Enjoy traditional Peruvian cuisine at the on-site restaurant, unwind with a massage or Andean hot stone treatment in the spa, or hop on the twenty-minute shuttle with your guide to explore the ancient ruins. The hotel’s naturalist can take you into the cloud forest, home to one of the world’s largest collections of native orchids as well as colourful birds and butterflies.
Belmond Palacio Nazarenas
An impeccably restored former 16th-century Carmelite convent on a cobbled street in the heart of colonial Cusco, Belmond’s Palacio Nazarenas is without doubt the city’s smartest address. Oozing historic character, but with mod cons to appease the most demanding contemporary traveller, its suites and courtyards have a cloistered hush in keeping with a hotel that does not need to shout its credentials. Each suite is enriched with oxygen and has a private bar with drinks accented with fresh ingredients grown at or around the hotel. On site you’ll find a restaurant helmed by luminary chef Pia Leon, a fabulous spa and the city’s only heated outdoor swimming pool.
Customise your luxury journey through Peru
All of our journeys are fully bespoke, and can be customised to meet your needs, interests and preferences. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.
Make time for a visit to the Peruvian Amazon aboard a luxury riverboat.
Take a hike: the Peruvian Andes are spectacular walking country, and with treks from a few hours to many days, there are options for most people.
Relax on the beaches of northern Peru, which now has accommodation worthy of the destination.
Theme your trip around your interests – food, photography, crafts of all descriptions and the wildlife are all spectacular in Peru.
Combine your Peruvian adventure with some time following Charles Darwin’s footsteps in the Galápagos Islands.
Looking for more inspiration?
We have a huge range of inspiring private experiences and accommodation options available. Get in touch with our Peru specialists.
ENQUIRELearn more about our luxury holidays, or call our expert Latin America team on +44 1367 850566 / 1-855-216-5040 (toll free) to discuss how we can turn your dreams into something truly magical.
“Few romances can ever surpass that of the granite citadel on top of the beetling precipices of Machu Picchu, the crown of Inca Land”