The Last Days of the Incas’ Peru Tour #1

A Self-Guided Companion Tour to the Book

Covering: Lima, Cuzco, the Sacred Valley (Pisac & Ollantaytambo), Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail, and Vilcabamba

Since the publication of The Last Days of the Incas a number of readers have written me asking about how they might visit some of the major Inca cities and locations described in the book. They’ve asked me for recommendations on where and when to go, how long to take, etc.

For those who would like to visit Peru on their own and are interested in planning a trip to Peru and to see for themselves where portions of this epic story actually unfolded, I’ve put together something I call “The Last Days of the Incas’ Peru Tour.” If you have one week, two weeks, three weeks (or more) at your disposal and want to follow your own independent itinerary, then the following information will help guide you to some of the major locations where Francisco Pizarro and his men clashed with the Incas, where Manco Inca launched his guerrilla war, where Pizarro and some of his conquistadors are buried, and where the more recent discoveries of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham and Vilcabamba by Gene Savoy took place…

Depending on how much time you have, I’ve put together two basic itineraries: a trip to Peru for roughly two weeks and another for three or four weeks. Under each section I’ve included information, maps, and photos of the locations. Even if you only have a single week, you can still go to Cuzco and Machu Picchu and see many of these locations. Peru is a major destination in South America, after all, and deservedly so. My advice to anyone thinking of going there is: go! You won’t regret it! Everyone, at least once during their life, deserves to see Cuzco and Machu Picchu, which taken together constitute one of the great wonders of the world. The landscape is stupendous and the Inca ruins are equally so. And of course, the more you’re pre-armed with the history of what happened there, (by reading The Last Days of the Incas!) the more interesting your trip will inevitably be….

Itinerary #1 (roughly 7-14 days needed): Lima, Cuzco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu.
Itinerary #2 (roughly 21-30 days needed): Lima, Cuzco, the Sacred Valley, the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Vilcabamba.

(To Be Continued)