Welcome to Cusco, capital of the Inca Empire, one of the most beautiful cities on Earth, and a natural starting point for any Peru itinerary. We’ll meet you at 1pm for a traditional Peruvian meal at a local favourite restaurant. In the afternoon, your guide will lead a relaxed walking tour around Cusco’s stunning historic centre – it’s important to take it easy if you’ve arrived from sea level today, as you need to adjust to Cusco’s 3,400m (11,200ft) altitude.

In the evening we’ll head for Magisterio, Cusco’s cosmopolitan residential area. Here we’ll dine where the well-heeled local gourmets go, then drop in for a craft beer at our pick of the crop of microbreweries that have sprung up in Cusco in recent years.

Meals: Lunch and dinner included

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Cusco

This morning we’ll visit Manuel Choqque ‘the potato king’ and he’ll show us around his farm/market garden/ passion project where he’s preserving and cultivating native potatoes, and sharing his passion for the colorful, flavorful tubers with the world.

Next we’ll explore Salineras – a surreal and beautiful patchwork of pools and paths that still produces salt using Inca technology and is our favourite site in the Cusco region.

Later this afternoon we’ll take the short train ride (1.5 hour) to Aguas Calientes, the rainforest-gorge town that’s our jumping-off point for Machu Picchu tomorrow.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Aguas Calientes

A spectacular stone city surrounded by incredibly steep, incredibly green mountains, Machu Picchu needs no introduction and is deservedly one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

We’ll be up at sunrise so there’s time for your guide to show you around Machu Picchu’s main citadel, as well as our favourite hidden nooks and crannies, before the crowds arrive. There’s plenty more time for your own exploration of the massive, still-mysterious site, before we take the train back to the Sacred Valley for the night.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in the Sacred Valley

This morning we’ll drive through the stunningly scenic Sacred Valley to Pisac, home to the largest handicraft market in the region explore – the perfect place to do all your souvenir and gift shopping!

Then we’ll make our way to Patabamba – an isolated farming village with million-dollar views – for a very special lunch. No food tour of Peru would be complete without pachamanca (literally “earth oven” in the Inca language, Quechua) – the celebratory feast of the Incas which has made a big comeback in recent years and is now touted by fancy restaurants both in Peru and outside it.

Our friends, Mamerto and Dominga, prepare the most delicious version we’ve tried, and today they’re making it for you! Chicken, lamb, banana, yuca, corn, soft cheese, and – of course! – various different potatoes, are lovingly coated with secret condiments then buried in hot rocks and cooked, then served with uchucuta – a creamy, slightly spicy, incredibly delicious and moreish sauce that’s indigenous to this area.

This afternoon we’ll head to Cusco where you’ll have time to wander the winding cobbled streets and charming plazas of the capital of the Inca empire.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Cusco

We’ll spend the morning exploring Cusco’s vibrant, beautiful colonial center, and the afternoon under the supervision of a Peruvian cooking teacher, preparing ourselves a feast of Peru’s flagship dishes - ceviche (spicy lime-and-chili-marinated raw fish) and lomo saltado (flambéd beef stirfry), with a jug of pisco sour to wash it down!

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Cusco

The Valle Sur, little visited by foreign tourists, is a major food destination for locals. Each village has its own specialty, like chuta bread in Oropesa, guinea pig in Tipón, and chicharrónes in Saylla. We’ll sample each of these, visit a couple of charming, scenic pre-Inca ruins, and check out the church of Andahuaylillas, which is so ornate it’s known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas!

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Cusco

This morning we’ll fly to Lima – the gastronomic capital of the Americas, and one of the best places in the world to eat – and get straight into the heart of the action!

One of the reasons Peruvian food is so justly famous is the diversity of Peruvian produce. Ingredients from the ocean, mountains and jungle all come together, in almost overwhelming abundance, at the suburban produce market that‘s our first stop in Lima.

Lunch will be a tour of the best Peruvian coastal cuisine, and we’ll work it off with a walk around Lima's grandiose colonial centre, then head for one last snack – picarones – a sweet, doughnut-like snack made from sweet potato!

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Lima

You can book your flight home for any time today. If you’re staying on in Peru, we’d be delighted to help out with suggestions and assistance for the rest of your time here.

Meals: Breakfast included