Chile and Peru

Chilean Central Valley and Peru Highlights

Wine Country, Culture, and Incan Sites

Days: 12 | From: $7,890/per person

  • Includes accommodations at first class hotels that reflect the best of local culture
  • Includes excursions and tours with superb private guides

Tour, taste, and get to know Chile's central wine region and the coastal city of Valparaíso. Enjoy world class cuisine and museums in Lima, then renew your sense of wonder exploring lost Incan cities and contemporary Peruvian culture.

Talk to a Vaya Travel Specialist

We tailor itineraries to your dates and interests, adjusting hotels, excursions and length as desired.

5-Star Reviews

We consistently receive 5 star reviews from our discerning clients.

At a Glance

  • Santiago
    2 nights: discover Chile's capital city
  • Valparaíso
    2 nights: visit the Pacific Coast and award-winning wineries
  • Lima
    2 nights: renowned cuisine and world class museums
  • Sacred Valley
    2 nights: Andean life and ancient ruins in this magnificent river valley
  • Machu Picchu
    1 night: time to explore this stunning icon in depth
  • Cusco
    2 nights: take in the captivating former Incan capital

All itineraries are fully customizable. We will send you a personalized variation that reflects your interests and travel dates at no extra cost. Call to discuss your travel plans with one of our Specialists who know this region firsthand.

5-Star Reviews

Find out why our discerning travelers consistently rate us with 5-stars.

Sample Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Santiago

Arrive to Santiago, Chile’s metropolitan capital, where your private guide will take you to your boutique hotel in the charming Lastarria neighborhood. Lastarria is a nice area for walking around, with quiet streets, flowering trees, attractive colonial architecture, and a variety of restaurants and boutiques.

Accommodations: Hotel Magnolia

Hotel Magnolia is set in a renovated 1929 mansion in downtown Santiago, close to Santa Lucia Hill, museums, the historic center, and Barrio Lastarria. Designed by award-winning architect Cazú Zegers, who also designed traveler-favorite hotel Tierra Patagonia, the Hotel Magnolia seamlessly blends preserved historic marble and vintage furnishings with modern amenities. The 42-room hotel offers a restaurant, bar, library, and rooftop lounge with panoramic views.

Alternative lodging options:
Casa Bueras Lastarria Boutique , Singular Santiago

Day 2: HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS, THE CENTRAL MARKET, AND SAN CRISTOBAL HILL

View of Santiago de Chile with Los Andes mountain range in the back

Take a private tour of Santiago and visit the colonial and modern highlights, including the Plaza de Armas and the La Moneda Presidential Palace. You’ll also spend time in the Central Market, an enormous, active marketplace, and head to the top of San Cristobal Hill for views of the entire city. After your tour, spend the rest of the day exploring on your own and trying out the city’s restaurants – we’ll provide a list of our top recommendations!

Accommodations: Hotel Magnolia

*Includes: Breakfast

Day 3: Wine Country and the Coast

Viu Manent Vineyard

Travel into the wine region to the Casablanca Valley, an area characterized by cool coastal breezes that create an ideal climate for growing Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Pinot Noir. Start with a tour and tasting at Matetic Vineyards.

Afterward set out by bike and pedal about 13 miles to Kingston Vineyards, a winery pioneering the production of cool-climate, artisan-style reds. Wines from the 300 acre family ranch are handcrafted and bottled on site. Enjoy a tour and private tasting of Kingston’s distinctive wines, followed by a picnic lunch. After lunch, head to your boutique hotel on the coast.

For those who like a more relaxed ride, we offer e-bikes, which have a small motion-powered motor that lets you expend as much or as little effort as you like on your bike. If you prefer not to bike, we can also arrange this day with vehicle transport.

Accommodations: Casa Higueras

Located in Valparaiso on Chile’s Central Coast, Casa Higueras is a boutique hotel built in a restored 1930s mansion with expansive views of this historic port city and the sea. Its 20 guest rooms have beamed ceilings and built-in cabinets, and evoke Valparaíso’s marine history. The hotel offers a highly-rated restaurant, an infinity pool, and a deck overlooking the water.

*Includes: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: VALPARAISO, A COLORFUL PORT CITY

Chile - Valparaiso - Port view

Journey up the coast to the town of Isla Negra. Visit the extraordinary former home of Nobel Prize-winner Pablo Neruda, now a fascinating museum that looks out to the sea and provides a snapshot into the life and mind of Chile’s most beloved poet.

Return to Valparaíso, one of the first Chilean cities founded by the Spanish and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and spend the afternoon wandering among colorfully painted buildings and winding, art-filled streets, with spectacular views of the harbor below. Your private guide will lead you through two of the most famous and eclectic neighborhoods, Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre.

Accommodations: Casa Higueras

*Includes: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5: Fly to Peru

Peru - Little girl

Travel to Lima, former capital of the Spanish empire in the Americas, and transfer to your first class hotel in Miraflores, Lima’s main cultural and commercial district. This is a great area for strolling around and is home to many of Lima’s best restaurants.

In the evening, take a private culinary tour of a few of Lima’s top restaurants, and experience a variety of Peru’s world-renowned dishes.

Accommodations: Atemporal

Housed in a renovated 1940s townhouse in the chic Miraflores district, this six-room hotel provides a relaxed atmosphere with excellent service. Atemporal offers its guests an alternative lodging experience in three room categories: Grand, Charming, and Cozy. Atemporal is entirely private, meaning only guests and those they invite can use its exclusive spaces, with their offbeat but functional collector’s aesthetic, including a veranda, salon and private garden.

*Includes: Breakfast, Dinner

Upgrades and alternatives:
Hotel B , Miraflores Park Hotel

Day 6: Private Tour of Lima

Miraflores Beach, Lima

Explore Lima with your private guide, visiting historic and colonial highlights. Enjoy time at the Larco, one of South America’s most highly-regarded museums. Lima is a great place to explore, with interesting sights, fantastic restaurants, and lovely views of the Pacific Ocean.

Accommodations: Atemporal

*Includes: Breakfast

Day 7: Fly to the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Fly over the Andes to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incan Empire. Your local guide will meet you at the airport and take you to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a long, fertile river valley surrounded by snowcapped peaks that lies between Cusco and Machu Picchu.

Visit Chinchero, a traditional small town situated on a plateau overlooking the Sacred Valley. Explore a colonial church with remarkable paintings and frescoes, which was constructed over the ruins of an Incan temple and is surrounded by impressive Incan terracing. Chinchero is also home to several highly-regarded weaving cooperatives known for the quality of their textiles. Peru is known for its intricate traditional weavings, many of which use symbols to tell stories or depictions of daily life.

Afterward enjoy lunch at a great small restaurant founded by a renowned local chef. Your private guide will be there to help you make the most of the entire experience.

Accommodations: Hotel Sol y Luna

The Sol y Luna Lodge is located in Peru's Sacred Valley of the Incas, not far from the town of Urubamba. Peruvian art adorns each of the first class, comfortable adobe cottages, whose terraces offer spectacular views of the mountains. A place that does things the right way, this hotel has long been among our traveler favorites due to the superb accommodations, location, and service. The property offers two outstanding restaurants. There is also a stable with beautiful horses that can be taken out into the surrounding mountains on horseback riding excursions. This is a Relais & Chateaux property.

*Includes: Breakfast, Lunch

Upgrades and alternatives:
Albergue Ollantaytambo : for those who want to stay right in Ollantaytambo

Day 8: Incan Sites and Ancient Villages: Moray, Maras, and Ollantaytambo

Ruins at Ollantaytambo

Spend the day exploring more of the Sacred Valley, seeing less-visited sites that will deepen your understanding of the local culture.

Discover the unique Incan site of Moray and the nearby town and ancient salt pans of Maras. After a scenic picnic lunch, visit Ollantaytambo, one of the few towns to survive in its current layout from Incan times.

Accommodations: Hotel Sol y Luna

*Includes: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 9: Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu from afar

Travel by train to Machu Picchu, one of South America’s most iconic sites.

Explore these remarkable ruins with a private guide and enjoy lunch at the famous Sanctuary Lodge before returning to your hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Accommodations: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

This hotel sits on its own 12 secluded acres in Aguas Calientes, the town located at the base of Machu Picchu. The hotel is ideally located in natural surroundings, a short walk to the train station and the shuttles that take visitors to the ruins, but just outside the town, which is quite touristy. Guests follow stone pathways to their rooms, located in comfortable one- or two-story whitewashed casitas. Unlike the other hotels in Aguas Calientes, the Pueblo is set in a natural cloud forest, allowing you to experience the beauty of this unique ecosystem during your stay.

*Includes: Breakfast, Lunch

Upgrades and alternatives:
Belmond Sanctuary Lodge (LOCATED RIGHT AT THE GATE TO THE RUINS; A GOOD OPTION FOR THOSE WANTING TO AVOID WAITING IN LINE FOR THE SHUTTLE BUS) , Sumaq (A HIGH END OPTION IN TOWN ALONG THE RIVER)

Day 10: MACHU PICCHU AND CUSCO

Sun behind the ruins at Machu Picchu

Return to Machu Picchu in the early morning to observe the ruins on your own. This is a great way to experience the site at your own pace when there are far fewer people around. You’ll also have the chance to hike to the top of Huayna Picchu, the mountain that towers above Machu Picchu. There is a lot to see in and around Machu Picchu.

After visiting the ruins, catch the afternoon train back to Cusco, where you’ll be dropped off at your hotel.

Accommodations: Inkaterra La Casona Cusco

A Relais & Chateaux property, La Casona is set in a restored 16th-century colonial manor house, which was built over an Inca complex and later occupied by the conquistadors of Peru. Its 11 suites surround an elegant courtyard, and the hotel offers a dining room, dining terrace, lounge and sitting area. La Casona graciously preserves the site's historic details while offering modern comfort and amenities. An exclusive boutique hotel experience, and one of the top options in Cusco.

*Includes: Breakfast, Lunch

Upgrades and alternatives:
Palacio Nazarenas , Palacio del Inka

Day 11: Private Tour of Cusco: History, Culture, Architecture, and more

Cusco stone walls and buildings

Get to know Cusco with your knowledgeable private guide, visiting the historical highlights of this fascinating city. Visit Sacsahuaman, the massive Incan fortress on the hills above the city, where you can enjoy views out over Cusco and the entire surrounding area. Afterward enjoy the afternoon to explore more of the city on your own.

Accommodations: Inkaterra La Casona Cusco

*Includes: Breakfast

Day 12: Depart for Home or Your Next Destination

Today you will say goodbye to your local guide and head to the airport for your flight home or to your next destination.

*Includes: Breakfast

Popular Ways to Customize This Itinerary

  • Visit Chile’s Atacama Desert, a land of otherworldly lagoons, smoking geysers, expansive salt flats, and rare wildlife.

  • Fly out to Easter Island, one of the world’s most physically isolated islands and home to the mysterious Moai statues.

  • Add time in the sweeping scenery of Chilean Patagonia, at a lodge in stunning Torres del Paine National Park.

  • Take part in a Pachamanca, a traditional Andean cooking ceremony on the shores of Lake Piuray.

  • Add a few nights in the Peruvian Amazon or Lake Titicaca, both easily accessible from Cusco.

  • Add extra days in Santiago, Lima or Cusco: All are worth exploring on your own, and we can arrange a variety of activities, including city tours, culinary excursions, visits to ruins and historical sites, and active options such as hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.

  • Hike to Machu Picchu: Get off the train at Kilometer 104 to walk the last four to six hours along the famous Inca trail. Or see our Inca Trail to Machu Picchu itinerary for information about hiking the whole trail over several days.

  • Include some downtime for rest and relaxation! Some free time to unwind or have a massage will allow you to feel refreshed and ready for the remainder of your trip. Many of our properties include excellent spas or wellness centers. We can help arrange these services or include properties that offer health & wellness amenities.

  • Contact us to learn about more options for designing and customizing your trip.

Contact us to learn about more options for designing and customizing your trip.
Contact Us +1 (800) 342-1796

We encountered dedicated professionals every step of our journey. From planning to execution.

Jose Alberto Guillama

We are world travelers. This was one of our best travel experiences.

Linda Zambelli

Every day was a new and different adventure.

Jack Bierwirth

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