Lima and Cusco with the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, 5 Nights

You are met at Lima airport and driven to your hotel, most likely in Miraflores, the clifftop district above the Pacific. After a long flight, the best thing to do is stretch your legs along the Malecón, the coastal promenade of parks and viewpoints, and watch the paragliders drift along the cliffs. Lima has one of the most admired food scenes in South America, so plan the first dinner with care.

A guided half day in the historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage area. Around the Plaza Mayor stand the Government Palace, the archbishop's palace with its carved wooden balconies, the town hall and the cathedral. Close by stands the monastery of San Francisco, with cloisters of glazed tiles, a library of old books and, below the church, the catacombs where bones are laid out in patterns. The afternoon is free for the Larco Museum or a ceviche lunch.

An early transfer to the airport for the flight to Cusco, at about 3,400 metres, so take the rest of the morning easy and drink plenty of water. In the afternoon a guided tour starts at Sacsayhuamán, the Inca ceremonial fortress above the city, then comes down to the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, with its colonial paintings, and on to the convent of Santa Catalina. It ends in the San Pedro market among juice stalls, cheeses and herbal remedies.

The road drops from Cusco into the valley of the Urubamba. First Chinchero, a highland town known for its weavers, where you see wool spun and dyed with plants the old way, then its Inca terraces and small colonial church. Next Moray, where rings of stepped terraces sink into a natural bowl, thought to have been used to test crops. The tour stops for lunch at a restaurant in the valley (confirmed with your quote). The day ends at Ollantaytambo, climbing the terraces of the Inca complex above the living town.

An early start by road to Ollantaytambo station, then the train through the narrowing Urubamba gorge to Aguas Calientes. A shuttle bus (confirmed with your quote) zigzags up to the citadel, and a guide takes you through the terraces, temples and plazas of the fifteenth-century Inca site, set on a ridge between green peaks. Entry is by a named ticket for a set time slot and circuit, booked well ahead. Afterwards the bus, the train and a road transfer bring you back to Cusco in the evening.

Breakfast at the hotel, then a transfer to Cusco airport for your flight onward, usually connecting through Lima for the international journey home. If the flight is later in the day, the hotel will keep your bags while you walk up to the San Blas quarter, with its artisan workshops and a good view back over the tiled roofs of the city.