Peru and Bolivia - Spirit of the Andes

This tour is so full of wondrous sights and culture it’s difficult to know where to begin! We start with a city tour of Lima, the capital of Peru. We will travel past mountains rising to over twenty thousand feet, see lakes and pass from spring to winter in a matter of hours when we go to high altitudes up to around sixteen thousand feet, both by train and by coach. Seeing the sunrise in magical, Machu Picchu is amazing, possibly the world’s most celebrated sight. If that isn’t enough, we will sail on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. Without a doubt this tour is a real cultural Andean feast. As for the railway side, we cover a good proportion of the railways in Peru including, until recently, the highest railway in the world, as well as passing through the Andes on one of Peru’s most luxurious trains. It is true to say all the varied rail journeys we make are spectacular and very special.

Thursday 2nd October
Fly to Lima
Our flight departs London Heathrow early morning to Amsterdam to connect with our KLM flight to Lima. We transfer to the Sol de Oro Hotel located in Miraflores for two nights.

Friday 3rd October
Lima City Tour and Rail Depot
We begin with a tour of the locomotive depot at Callao that provides the diesel locomotives for our journey tomorrow. After this visit we enjoy a full day tour of Lima the cultural and business centre of Peru, with its impressive buildings, colourful craft markets and Spanish architecture. The tour takes in both modern and colonial Lima during the morning. Following a buffet lunch, we visit the Museo del Oro, the Gold Museum, to see some of the legendary golden treasures of the Incas. We also visit a one kilometre railway in a park that operates a 500 mm gauge 0-4-0T locomotive, built in 1926, and also see some disused main line steam locomotives.
We return to the Sol de Oro Hotel for dinner and overnight accommodation. (B L D)

Saturday 4th October
By Rail from Lima to La Oroya
This remarkable line, the Ferrovía Central Andina of Peru, is the most important in Peru from an economic point of view. It begins in Callao, the port of Lima, and is standard gauge. It was well known as the highest railway in the world (until China opened its line to Llasa recently) reaching 15,686 feet near Galera station before it drops to La Oroya at 12,000 feet. It then continues to Huancayo, situated at 10,700 feet. We begin our spectacular climb at Lima station, only a little above sea level, on a chartered train, as normal passenger trains have long since ceased.
The majority of our trip will be diesel-hauled apart from San Bartholome to San Isidro, where we expect to be steam hauled by Beyer Peacock 2-8-0 number 206 for the climb into the Andes. The steepest gradients are 4.5% and it traverses 66 tunnels, 59 bridges and 22 zigzag bends. Warm clothing is necessary when we leave the train for photographs as we will experience a dramatic drop in temperature. Lunch will be provided on board and we will leave the train today at La Oroya to travel through a pleasant agricultural area to our hotel, the Trujillo La Oroya, for dinner and overnight accommodation. (B L D)

Sunday 5th October
Spectacular Railway to Huancayo
The coach takes us back to our train at La Oroya for the dramatic journey down to Huancayo.
The standard gauge line finishes at Huancayo where we will see a disused steam locomotive.
As the rail connection to the narrow gauge station is no longer in use we transfer by coach to the Chilca station in Huancayo. We can walk to the shed to see another disused steam engine, this time narrow gauge, and other motive power for the line. A coach transfers us back to the Hotel Turismo in Huancayo to check in. There should be time to see the cathedral before we go for dinner tonight at a typical restaurant of the region.
(B L D)

Monday 6th October
Narrow Gauge to Huancavelica
We have an early start on El Macho, which will take us along eighty miles of narrow gauge track, through steep valleys and vast canyons.
The station will be alive with local people in colourful clothes, smiling, buying their tickets and boarding the train. We have a reserved coach attached to the morning service train but it is possible to go into the other coaches and make friends with the locals. It is rare to see tourists in this area. We take lunch on board the train before arrival at Huancavelica, which nestles between highlands and snow-capped mountain peaks. Isolated and forgotten it is surrounded by deserted, but lovely lagoons. Despite it having forty thousand inhabitants the first paved road is under construction. Our hotel tonight is the Hotel Presidente, where we will once again sample the local delicacies as we dine in a local restaurant. (B L D)

Tuesday 7th October
By Road to Ayacucho
After having breakfast we board our private coach for the splendid journey to Ayacucho. This journey will take us past old silver mines and an abandoned railway line before the climb into the Andes, reaching even higher than our train two days before. In fact we will be on the highest through paved road in the world, with the possible exception of the Himalayas. We stop for lunch in a village. After a long journey we arrive in Ayacucho and check into, the Hotel Ayacucho. The city was founded by the Spaniards in 1539 and many of the buildings reflect the Spanish influence over hundreds of years. There should be time to explore the colonial centre before dinner. (B L D)

Wednesday 8th October
Tour of Cusco
We transfer to the airport for a flight to Cusco changing planes in Lima and on both flights we will be able to look down on the massive Andes. We arrive in Cusco and take lunch at the Casa Andina. Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 14th century, until the Spanish conquest in 1533. In the afternoon we take a city tour to see the many historical Inca and Spanish colonial monuments including Q’oricancha (the Inca Temple of the Sun), some of the beautiful churches, and go into the mountains overlooking the town for photographs. We pay a visit to the locomotive depot of PeruRail and meet their staff. In the evening we experience a folklore show and have dinner at a traditional local restaurant. Overnight accommodation is at the Hotel Novotel in Cusco. (B L D)

Thursday 9th October
Train to Machu Picchu
The early morning train from Cusco for Machu Picchu will be waiting for us with our own stewardess in a reserved panoramic coach. The train climbs on zig-zags out of Cusco up a steep mountainside with superb views over the town. We follow the meandering setting of the Urubamba River surrounded by tropical forests. This river is one of several we see on this holiday that flows to the Amazon and on into the Atlantic some four thousand miles away. When the train arrives at Puente Ruinas station we transfer to our hotel, the Hatuchay Tower and have time to explore, and perhaps do a nature walk. It is also a chance to watch the trains going down the main street. Dinner tonight is in our hotel. (B L D)

Friday 10th October
Explore Machu Picchu and return to Cusco
Today is the highlight of the tour, the visit to Machu Picchu, which was never discovered by the Spanish and is probably the best preserved Inca complex in existence. Situated eight thousand feet above sea level, it is believed that it was started by the Incas in 1460. Following an early morning buffet breakfast at the hotel, we travel up the hill by coach to watch the sunrise and have a guided visit. Nothing can prepare visitors for the experience. After lunch we return to Cusco by train. Overnight is again at the Hotel Novotel.
(B L D)

Saturday 11th October
Train to Lake Titicaca
Today we use the other Cusco station to catch the standard gauge train for 240 miles to Puno and Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at over twelve thousand feet. The train is extremely comfortable, the service splendid, and the views are unmatched. The train pauses at La Raya, which is also the highest point on the route at around fourteen thousand feet, to visit a local handicraft market. We have lunch on board and are due to arrive in Puno at approximately 18:30 where we transfer to the Libertador Hotel, overlooking the lake. (B L D)

Sunday 12th October
Sail on Lake Titicaca
Our first destination is Copacabana, just across the Bolivian Border which is marked by an arch. There will be time to explore Copacabana before boarding a catamaran to travel on the mystical waters of Lake Titicaca. Lunch will be served before we arrive at Sun Island, the legendary birthplace of the Inca Empire. Here there are a whole host of things to see including the Inca Garden; the Ekako Underground Museum; the Titicaca Reed Shipbuilders and the Pachamama Agricultural Inca Terraces. We will also see llamas, alpaca and vicuña. The visit includes a unique sailing trip aboard a traditional reed vessel for sight of the Pilkokaina Inca Palace. Afterwards we sail to Chua Harbour for a coach transfer to La Paz, the highest capital in the world at an altitude above 10,000 feet. We stay overnight in the Hotel Radisson. (B L D)

Monday 13th October
Tour of La Paz City
We have a full day touring La Paz, originally named The City of Our Lady of Peace. It is in a bowl surrounded by very high, snow capped mountains providing a magnificent backdrop.
Our tour visits a typical Bolivian Indian Market, the San Francisco Church, the Government Palace, the National Congress buildings and the Plaza Murillo, where the cathedral was built around 1835. Many streets are lined with Spanish colonial architecture including the famous street, Calle Jaen, with its cobblestones, balconies and stone doorways. Later we visit the Moon Valley, where erosion has caused stony forms that give the sensation of being in a lunar landscape. We will also visit the majestic disused railway station and see stored electric locomotives and trams. Lunch is included during the tour. We stay overnight again in the Hotel Radisson. (B L D)

Tuesday 14th October
Travel La Paz to Puno
Our coach returns us to Puno. On the way we visit the ruins of Tiwanaku. This ancient city is considered the cradle of American civilisation and dates back to 1580 BC. We hope to see a number of steam locomotives stored at Guaqui including a Baldwin express engine and a Peckett tank.
The old steam cranes and the jetty for the train ferries were still intact recently. We will pass through Laja, founded in 1548, and finally we round Lake Titicaca before arriving in Puno and the Hotel Libertador. (B L D)

Wednesday 15th October
By Rail from Puno to Arequipa
We are due to catch our train to Arequipa at 08:00, arriving at 19:00. On previous trips the train has picked us up outside our hotel. There are no regular passenger trains on this line so we have a special train all to ourselves. Lunch and dinner will be served on the train. The distance we travel is 221 miles through a land of volcanoes, deep canyons, plateaus and desert.
At Crucero Alto we are at the highest point of today’s trip at nearly fifteen thousand feet. We will also see the massive snow capped Chachani Volcano, nearly twenty thousand feet high, before arriving in the second most important city in Peru, Arequipa, also known as the White City. Overnight is at the Hotel Cabildo. (B L D)

Thursday 16th October
Charter Train to Mollendo
Our charter train leaves Arequipa for the town of Mollendo at 08:00. This commercial route is used almost exclusively for the shipment of minerals and a passenger train is rare. Our train first descends from the mountains to a high desert plateau, and then descends again to the coastal plain. We have lunch before arriving at Mollendo and dinner after we leave. We have time at Mollendo to look round the old station, wander around the town and gaze at the Pacific Ocean from its beach. We are due to arrive back at Arequipa at about 21:00 where we transfer back to the Hotel Cabildo. (B L D)

Friday 17th October
Return to Lima
In the morning we enjoy a city tour of Colonial Arequipa and the world famous Convent of Santa Catalina. We enjoy lunch before transferring to the airport for our flight to Lima. Upon arrival we transfer to a restaurant for our farewell dinner before returning to our hotel, Sol de Oro, for our overnight stay. (B L D)

Saturday 18th October
Lima and fly to UK
We have a free morning before we transfer to the airport to catch our flight home. (B)

Sunday 19th October
Arriving London
Our flight arrives in Amsterdam where we transfer to our return flight to London Heathrow.

Flights from local airports may be available at a supplement.

Meals included each day are shown as:
B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D= Dinner

Book this tour online available soon

Please phone 01553 661500 for more details