THE HIGH LIFE IN PERU AND BOLIVIA, PAST & PRESENT


Home to breathtaking mountains, coastal deserts and lush jungle forests, along with cloud-covered cities that reflect the height of ancient civilizations long gone, Peru inspires awe at every turn.


Enjoy a presentation starring Paso horses at a ranch in the Sacred Valley


THE WORLD’S HIGHEST NAVIGABLE LAKE


Straddling Peru and Bolivia at 3,856 feet above sea level, Lake Titicaca was the most sacred body of water in the Inca Empire, having given birth to the Inca civilization. Before the Incas, the lake was a holy place for the Aymara Amerindians, whose descendants today live on floating islands of reed known as the Islas de los Uros. Many of their traditional customs have remained unchanged for centuries as they fish, hunt birds and live off lake plants that provide them with both food and shelter.


bird species are found here. You’ll have time to spend as you wish, visiting the local market or indulging in a spa treatment (at an additional cost). Reboard the Vistadome train after lunch for the return to Ollantaytambo, and drive to Cusco’s historic center for a two-night stay at the stylish Belmond Hotel Monasterio, originally a monastery built in 1592. Meals BLD


7. CUSCO: OF INCANS & CONQUISTADORES Cusco, the longest continually inhabited city of the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a storied city of stone streets, cathedrals and squares that speak volumes about the people who have lived here through the ages and continue to make their homes here today. Walk through its bustling marketplace, alive with contemporary mestizo culture, before heading outside town to see more testaments to Incan ingenuity. Visit the 16th-century Convent of Santo Domingo; its arcades and artwork sit atop the walls of Koricancha, once a temple dedicated to the sun. The rest of the day is free. Meals B


AN INCAN CITY AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD


Machu Picchu, a citadel built at the peak of the Incan civilization atop a jungle-rich Andes Mountain peak, takes your breath away in every sense. It sits amidst the clouds at an altitude of 7,872 feet above the sea. Its architectural ingenuities on virtually vertical terrain, from its paved stone trails and long stretches of terraces to its ritual baths and intricate stonework on its temples and houses, defy convention in both beauty and construction. And its ability to stun with the aura of mystery and magic that astounded Hiram Bingham back in 1911, some six hundred years after it was built, remains undiminished.


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8. THROUGH THE ANDES TO LAKE TITICACA Spend the day traveling in relaxed style aboard Orient Express’ Andean Explorer from Cusco through snowcapped mountain peaks, across the Andean plains and past remote mountain villages. Stop to take in the views at the outpost of La Raya (14,150 ft. high). Continue to your hotel in Puno, nestled along the shores of Esteves Island on Lake Titicaca. Meals BLD


9. LIFE ON THE HEIGHTS OF LAKE TITICACA Explore life on South America’s largest lake by powerboating to one of its floating islands; they are home to the Uros people, who have long made their lives on artificial islands made of the Totora reeds which grow naturally on the lake. Next, on


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