Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours
Legacy of the Incas
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru
Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(11 days/10 nights)
Sacred Sites of the Incas
Luxury
Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(12 days/11 nights)
Empire of the Sun
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru
Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(14 days/13 nights)
Ancient Civilizations of Peru
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru
Tours
Peru:
Colca Canyon - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological & Ecological
Treasures
Luxury Peru Travel
& Luxury Peru Tours
Peru & Ecuador:
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca (or Amazon)
(18 days/17
nights)
Grand Tour of the Inca Empire
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru
Tours
Peru:
Colca Canyon - Amazon
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(22 days/21 nights)
Ancient & Colonial Capitals
Luxury Peru Travel
& Luxury Peru Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu
(10
days/9 nights)
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru
Tours
Peru:
Machu Picchu
(13 days/12 nights)
Machu Picchu & Galapagos
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru
Tours
Peru & Ecuador:
Machu Picchu - Galapagos
(15 days/14 nights)
Galapagos & Machu Picchu
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru
Tours
Ecuador & Peru:
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
(18 days/17 nights)
Amazon
Bio-Trip
Luxury
Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours
Peru:
Manu National Park
(8 days/7 nights)
Enchanted
Isles of the Galapagos
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours
Ecuador:
Galapagos
(11
days/10 nights)
Galapagos & the Kingdom of Quito
Luxury Peru Travel
& Luxury Peru Tours
Ecuador:
Galapagos - Andes
(16 days/15 nights)
Galapagos
& the Amazon
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours
Ecuador:
Galapagos - Amazon
(16
days/15 nights)
Historic Haciendas of the Andes
Luxury Peru Travel
& Luxury Peru Tours
Ecuador:
Cotopaxi - Antisana - Otavalo
(7 days/6 nights)
© 2008
Inka's Empire Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours
Archaeological & Ecological Destinations
Campesina at Saqsaywaman, Cuzco, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
This unique company offers a compilation
of masterfully designed, privately guided tours that jubilantly sing the praises
of South America's history, culture and natural beauty.
-- Kimberly Fay, LuxuryLink.com, January 2005
From its roots in southern Peru to its glory in the imperial city, the Inca Empire will unfold through panoramas of ancient civilizations. Discover the archaeological and ecological treasures of the Incas as expert guides and chauffeurs escort you in utmost luxury through present-day Peru, Ecuador and Chile. If the journey of your dreams isn't in our Tour Portfolio, choose the destinations you prefer, and Inka's Empire Tours will create an itinerary just for you.
Wooden balcony of the Torre Tagle Palace, Lima, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
Eroded temples speak...
At ancient Peru's most exalted pilgrimage site, eroded temples speak of the pre-Columbian cultures that flourished in the Lima Valley, worshipping the earth god Pachacamac ("he who gives life to the universe"). When the Incas arrived, they respected the temples and religion of those people, allowing them to worship that god alongside the Incas' own god, the Sun. For their deity, the Incas erected a great stone temple on a cliff above the sea. When the Spaniards arrived, they destroyed the holiest place in their lust for gold but found that the only treasure it contained was spiritual. Nearby Lima, founded by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535, came to be the capital of the New World for a period of three hundred years, reaching its grandest splendor in the 17th and 18th centuries. The city has two principal attractions: the colonial quarter, where a visit to La Casa de Aliaga is to go back in time to the earliest years of the Spanish conquest, and the archaeological museums, which display gold, ceramic and textile masterpieces of Peru's pre-Inca and Inca civilizations.
The Stone of Twelve Angles, Cuzco, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
Cuzco, Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley
... the most renowned of the Peruvian temples,
the pride of the capital, and the wonder of the empire, was at Cuzco,
where, under the munificence of successive sovereigns,
it had become so enriched, that it received the name of Coricancha,
or "the Place of Gold."
-- William H. Prescott, The History of the Conquest of Peru, 1847
Thus wrote William H. Prescott about the Temple of the Sun as it was in Inca times: "The interior of the temple was the most worthy of admiration. It was literally a mine of gold. On the western wall was emblazoned a representation of the deity, consisting of a human countenance, looking forth from amidst innumerable rays of light, which emanated from it in every direction, in the same manner as the sun is often personified with us. The figure was engraved on a massive plate of gold of enormous dimensions, thickly powdered with emeralds and precious stones. It was so situated in front of the great eastern portal, that the rays of the morning sun fell directly upon it at its rising, lighting up the whole apartment with an effulgence that seemed more than natural, and which was reflected back from the golden ornaments with which the walls and ceiling were everywhere incrusted." The Temple of the Sun is just one of the splendid Inca temples, fortresses and palaces to be explored in your leisurely, private tour of the Imperial City, fabled Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Before Phuyupatamarca, Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
Follow in the footsteps of the Incas...
Travel back in time on the Inca Trail as you spend four days hiking stone roads, crossing hanging bridges and walking in the footsteps of the Incas to their sacred citadel. A professional guide and a personal porter will accompany you on every step of the journey, allowing you to fully appreciate the landscape, flora, fauna and archaeology along the way. Upon your arrival at the Sun Gate, the ancient entrance to Machu Picchu, witness the sun rising over this magnificent "Lost City."
Flamingo on the Uros
Islands, Lake Titicaca, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel
& Luxury Peru Tours.
Titicaca: Sacred Lake of the Incas
A scenic rail journey ascends through the awe-inspiring Andes
to the beatific Lake Titicaca...
Near the shores of this ancient inland sea, explore the noble archaeological sites of Sillustani and Pukara, whose monolithic architecture inspired the Incas a thousand years later. In addition to your land-based excursions, enjoy a private yacht voyage on Lake Titicaca, the mystic cradle of the Inca Empire, to islands whose people maintain the customs of the past. The living cultures of the Aymara, the Quechua and the Spanish is an unequaled legacy that has resulted in this region being recognized as the folkloric capital of Peru.
Chachani Volcano as seen from the terraces of Yumina, Arequipa, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
I realized that we were witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime experience...
"Not only did we see the huge condors soaring past on their 9-foot wingspan, but two young birds decided to land about 10 meters from us and proceeded to perch and preen for our cameras." This private, overland expedition sets out from the colonial city of Arequipa, under the inspiring Misti Volcano in southern Peru. As you pass through a remote terrain of volcanoes and vicuñas, you note immense stone terraces of a culture that dates back two millennia and pueblos all but forgotten since Spanish days. At last, you reach the rim of the Colca Canyon. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, it is the second deepest canyon in the world (just to the northwest is the deepest, the Cotahuasi Canyon).
Geoglyph of a monkey, Nazca Lines, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
One of the most baffling enigmas in all archaeology...
On the southern coast of Peru, using as their canvas a plateau 37 miles long and 15 miles wide, Nazca artists etched works of monumental proportion. They created a montage of geometric designs and whimsical portrayals of plants and animals; such as the hummingbird, fish, dog, lizard, puma, spider, condor and monkey. On this privately guided and chauffeured excursion, an overflight of the Nazca Lines is complemented by a visit to the regional museum's collection of vivid polychrome ceramics and world-reknowned Paracas textiles. A boat trip to see the amazing profusion of sea life on nearby islands reveals some of the animals that inspired the artistic motifs.
Frieze of Chan Chan, Trujillo, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
Temples and palaces adorned with geometric friezes in brilliant hues of color,
elaborate ceremonies captured forever on painted ceramics,
and gold masterpieces that later became the treasures of the Incas...
The north coast of Peru boasts a rich archaeological legacy of pre-Inca civilizations that occupied its valleys from the 1st to the 14th century AD. Among the important archaeological sites is the sprawling adobe city of Chan Chan, capital of the Chimu Empire. Others include the Moche's frieze-covered Pyramids of the Sun and Moon; Sipan, the world-famous tomb of a Mochica ruler; and Tucume, also known as the Valley of the Twenty-Six Pyramids. Near Tucume are the ruins of the Sican capital, Batan Grande.
Blue-and-Gold Macaw, Heath River, Amazon Rainforest, Peru.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
One of the world's most dazzling wildlife spectacles...
On your Amazon rainforest expedition, travel by riverboat to a remote jungle lodge built to protect endangered species. Exploring with a native guide, observe macaws, monkeys, Tapirs, Giant Otters and Black Caimans in their natural habitat; investigate the medicinal properties of plants; and learn how the diverse flora and fauna form the most complex ecosystem on earth.
Land iguana and opuntia cacti, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
Photo: Ron Dahlquist. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
The natural history of these islands is eminently curious, and well deserves attention...
While yachting the extraordinary Galapagos archipelago with a naturalist, go ashore amid volcanic landscapes, hike among Marine Iguanas and lava lizards, and have the rare opportunity of snorkeling among penguins and marine tortoises. On these enchanted isles, each with its unique wildlife, you can compare the adaptations of the species to their differing environments that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
Iglesia de San Pablo and the Imbabura Volcano, Otavalo Valley, Ecuador.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
Epic landscapes of the Andes...
Hike in the moorland ecosystem surrounding Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano on earth, ride a horse in the mystical Otavalo Valley and recapture the spirit of old Spanish days in a trio of luxurious haciendas. One is San Agustin de Callo, the 15th century Inca palace from which Atahualpa ruled the Kingdom of Quito, now called Ecuador. Returning to Quito, founded in 1534, walk along the cobblestone streets through centuries-old parks and plazas to churches filled with gold. Contemplate Gothic, Baroque, Moorish and Neo-Classical architecture, all blended with the mestizo sentiment, and imagine you've gone back in time to the astonishing colonial world. Beyond the Andes are the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon Rainforest.
Cuernos Mountains and
Lake Pehoe, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile.
Photo: Radek Tezaur. Luxury Peru Travel
& Luxury Peru Tours.
Untamed landscapes...
The extreme natural beauty of Chile ranges from the snow-covered Andean volcanoes of the Altiplano, or "Highlands", in the north of the country to legendary Easter Island. In between are other superlative attractions. Atacama, the driest desert on earth, is a paradox of unusual manifestations of water, from the small but exquisite salt ponds in the Valley of the Moon to the lagoons of the Atacama Salt Lake, the oasis of San Pedro and the geysers of El Tatio. In the Lake District, volcanoes shimmer beneath the water as you cross Lake Todos los Santos. Further south, in Patagonia, drive through the pampas steppes of the Magellan province, travel back a few millennia at the Milodon Cave and navigate past icebergs on Lago Grey to massive glaciers that reside beneath the spires of the Torres del Paine.
Moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island, Chile.
Photo: Cliff Wassmann. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
The Dream at the End of the World...
-- Edward Albee, The New York Times, April 30, 2006
Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is an open-air, archaeological museum of a fascinating but vanished culture, a stark lesson in what can happen when humans fail to live in harmony with nature. We still do not know for sure how or why the first inhabitants carved, transported and raised their monolithic stone statues, or why the "moai" gaze inland instead of out to sea. But, as you walk with your private guide, you can contemplate the enigma of almost 900 mysterious idols created over a period of five centuries by a civilization that later tried to destroy them.
Samba show, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Photo: Ideia Tours. Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours.
Marvels to be discovered...
The diversity of Brazil is echoed by her inhabitants -- descendants of the world's greatest melting pot. Amerindian, European, African and Oriental peoples together have created an amazing wealth of cultural traditions, folklore and cuisine. Brazil is a country that treasures the enjoyment of life, whether through its beautiful landscapes, the exuberance of Carnival or the famous warmth of its people. In each of the Regions of Brazil, there are marvels to be discovered -- great cities, a turbulent but rich past, vibrant cultural displays and immense natural beauty. We invite you to explore them on one of our classic Brazilian journeys.
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© 2008 Inka's Empire Corporation, Luxury Peru Travel & Luxury Peru Tours. All rights reserved.
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