Highlights of Peru with the River Amazon Add-on

This 13-night escorted tour from Just You starts in Lima, where colonial squares and pre-Inca artefacts mingle quietly in museums and churches. After a day to recover from the flight, the route heads to the Sacred Valley to ease into altitude and prepare for a day at Machu Picchu, reached by narrow-gauge railway and bus, with a Local Guide on hand.

From the Sacred Valley, the group moves to Cuzco, passing a weaving co-operative that supports local women and preserves traditional techniques. Cuzco itself combines Inca stonework with Spanish colonial mansions and churches, rounded off with a cookery and pisco sour class. The journey continues to Puno on Lake Titicaca, where reed islands and Taquile's textile tradition demonstrate ways of life that have changed little for centuries.

The add-on shifts gear to the Amazon, near Iquitos, with nights at a simple jungle lodge on stilts. Days include rainforest walks, bird watching at dawn, piranha fishing and an evening boat ride where the river’s tributaries fall into darkness lit only by fireflies. It’s a chance to see Peru beyond the usual tourist track, at a pace that allows noticing details others might miss.