Guided Peru Tours

Our tour began in Lima, Peru, where we visited the historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We then continued to Cusco and the Sacred Valley before visiting Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas.” Along the way, we experienced breathtaking Andean views, remarkable engineering, and fascinating history. We concluded with a visit to Lake Titicaca, described as the world’s highest navigable lake, and its man-made Uros floating reed islands. Machu Picchu was a major highlight and an experience not to be missed. I recommend hiking poles for its uneven, deep, rocky steps and terrain. The weather was perfect throughout the trip, so we did not need our rain ponchos, and we encountered very few mosquitoes on the main tour. Our route began with a flight from Lima to Cusco, the heart of the Inca civilization, followed by a bus journey to the Sacred Valley. Along the way, we visited a llama and alpaca farm and the quaint town of Pisac before reaching Casa Andina, a beautiful resort with excellent guest rooms, a welcoming lobby and bar, and an excellent restaurant. Feeding the baby alpacas at 8 a.m. was a highlight before our excursion to the ruins of Ollantaytambo. We also visited a farming community high in the Andes for a home-hosted meal, learned about its spiritual traditions, and received handmade bracelets that our hosts tied on our wrists. After lunch, we toured the studio of world-renowned sculptor Pablo Seminario and heard him speak. Following Machu Picchu, we returned by train to Ollantaytambo and continued by bus to Cusco—a long travel day. Many travel days were lengthy and involved multiple forms of transportation, including planes and buses. After a brief visit in Cusco, we flew to the Puno area and stayed at our hotel on Lake Titicaca for two nights. We visited the Uros floating islands and enjoyed a home-hosted lunch with a farmer in town before heading to the airport for another long travel day.

The itinerary is a good overview of Peru and its culture, especially if one adds the Amazon extension. Accommodations and included meals were very good to excellent. The Tour Manager was knowledgeable, efficient, personable, caring and resourceful. He kept everything on track, handled the unexpected with aplomb, and seemed to enjoy the activities as much as the guests. Local guides were also excellent. I wish the Naturalists in the Amazon had divided us into two groups for the jungle walks so we had a better chance of seeing the fauna and hearing the commentary. If Whispers function in the jungle, they would have been helpful. Only the first six or eight people could see and hear. I would have preferred a more centrally located accommodation in Cusco to make it easier to explore when there was free time. Providing flashlights for jungle walks could save possible injury for those trying to follow without light. Generally, it was a great trip!

My first Collette trip and very much enjoyed everything. Flight from Albany, NY to Lima Peru had a very long layover. Seems that could have been reduced. Thank you for a great trip overall!

Especially enjoyed being hosted by native families on the floating islands.

The tour manager really made the overall experience awesome! He made sure we were informed about where we were, providing local insights and explanations around the history of the locations and Peru in general. He also made sure our travels went smoothly, coordinating ahead of time to ensure that when we arrived somewhere, everything just flowed well. All the locations we went were great, but Machu Picchu probably stood out just a bit more than the others, I think due to the scale. It lived up to it's name City in the Clouds. Want to go back and see it in full sun.

It was wonderful! Collette does an amazing job! Highly recommend! Collette arranges all travel, moves baggage and sets up some of the most amazing meals. The lead guide added some caring touches with local recommendations on where and when to eat. Where to find trinkets or atms even pharmacy. This was truly a worry free trip.

This was truly a fantastic experience. Collette's small group size (23 people) allowed us to form friendships with the others in our party, and our tour guide David was outstanding in every way. Certainly the popular sites like MachuPicchu and Lake Titicaca were wonderful, but even moreso I enjoyed the interactions with local indigenous groups that David arranged, including the Uros on the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. The cost of the trip was quite reasonable for all we got to see and do, and the accommodations were superb. Great trip in all aspects!

Everything was excellent!

I had an amazing time in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest! So many wonderful memories... skiff rides to find a snake and a cayman, walking in the Amazon to see a sloth, a monkey, bullet ants, and tons of birds, bullfrogs, and poisonous dart frogs. Fishing for piranha. Planting a tree and seeing how it incubates turtles and releases them. The food and presentation were amazing. The staff and guides were so helpful and knowledgeable.

Everything went so smoothly Elizabeth kept everyone together and she is amazing at what she did I think our trip to lake titicaca was a very special experience

The Peru tour was truly a once in a lifetime, incredible experience. There were so many excursions and opportunities to immerse ourselves into the Peruvian culture. It felt like no time was wasted on this tour and that there was a commitment for us to see as much of Peru as possible. The most memorable part of the tour for me was meeting and spending time with the locals who still speak the native language and follow ancient traditions. I highly recommend this tour!

Our tour was memorable and so very well-managed by Edward. The two times we were at Machu Picchu were the highlight and especially the sunrise experience.

All of the hotel accommodations were very nice. The best part was our Tour Guide Elizabeth Llanos, she made the trip what it was. Incredible experiences from beginning to end from Lima to Puno. The food was amazing as well. I definitely recommend the sunrise hike at Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu was great. Also loved the Galapagos Islands especially the snorkeling. Our tour guide Enrique Portilla was great. Assisted us throughout.

I really enjoyed listening to the local guide who explained the history of Lima, Peru, and what they are doing to prepare for its 500th anniversary. Our local guide in the Cusco area was very interesting and enjoyable also. Seeing how the colors were made for weaving at the llama and alpaca farm was very interesting also. I enjoyed touring the Incan ruins... they were a lot more interesting than I had ever expected. The many varieties of Peruvian and Ecuadorian cuisine were very tasty. The hotel staff and the staff on our ship were all very accommodating.

0.00.00 Equador. That was mind blowing & entirely unexpected.

Awesome tour, getting to have dinner with locals on their farm and home. Excellent very organized and experienced guide and small group experience. We saw a seal nursing her young, penguins, iguanas, turtles , sea lions and birds in the Galapagos on enjoyable zodiac rides. Visited many islands.

My bucket list was Machu Picchu and it was fabulous. The entire trip was once in a lifetime for us and using Collette to take care of every detail was the perfect match. Our tour guide, Eliuth Perez, was the best we have ever had with any tour or cruise we have taken. He was always available and gave us every single detail we would need. Just a fantastic person and the best tour guide we could have imagined. He also knew every local guide we had for city tours and you can tell that he is the best at what he does and gets the best local tour guides as well. For a trip to Lima, the Amazon pre-tour, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cuzco and then the Galapagos, Collette plans it very well. Hotels were great and so were the restaurants and excursions. Thank you Collette for making this a once in a lifetime trip for us.

Amazing. But would prefer more time in museums less on the shopping

The entire tour was fabulous. The accommodations were comfortable and beautiful. I honestly wouldn’t have minded a little more time at the accommodations to enjoy their facilities and gardens, but all the outings were wonderful as well. The train ride to Machu Picchu was stunning and all the cultural activities were so delicious, enlightening and fun. Collette handled all the details amazingly and our tour manager, Nilton, was absolutely incredible. He was so passionate about his country and his job and it showed for the entire trip. He shared so much history and first hand knowledge of Peru and it’s amazing people, culture and landscape. There was never a question or need that went unanswered. Thank you for a wonderful journey!!