Luxury Yoga & Andean Wellness Escape in Peru

The programme starts in Lima, where you're met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Lima sits on the Pacific coast and the city tour covers the colonial centre and the Miraflores district. From there you fly to Cusco, the old Inca capital at around 3,400m, and the itinerary deliberately eases you in slowly on the first day to help with the altitude.

Most of the week is spent in and around the Sacred Valley of the Incas — Urubamba, Pisac, Ollantaytambo — which sits lower than Cusco and is warmer and easier to acclimatise to. Yoga and meditation sessions run in the mornings, usually on a terrace or in the hotel grounds, and there's time for spa treatments in the afternoons. The treatments use local products: Andean chocolate made from cacao, native herbs and plants, and massages that are a staple of the operator's spa tours.

The Machu Picchu day is the centrepiece. You take the train from Ollantaytambo or Poroy up to Aguas Calientes, then go up to the citadel early with a guide. Sunrise over the ruins is the bit most people remember, and the itinerary is built so you're not rushed through it.

What makes this different from a standard yoga retreat is that the yoga is only part of it. The rest of the trip is a full Peru tour — markets at Pisac, the terraces at Ollantaytambo, the salt pans at Maras if the schedule allows, and the colonial streets of Cusco. If you wanted a week of nothing but asana and silence, this isn't that. If you wanted a week of yoga plus one of the world's great archaeological sites, it is.

The operator, Amazing Peru, has been running tours here for years and handles private jets, cruises and VIP travel as well as these wellness itineraries. That shows in the logistics: cars meet you at each point, the trains are booked, and the hotels are the top end of what's available in each place. Their guides are local and speak English. Several of their past clients are well-known names, which they mention prominently on their site — take that for what it's worth.

Altitude is the one thing to take seriously. Cusco and the Sacred Valley are high, and the first day or two should be taken gently. The itinerary accounts for this, but if you're coming from sea level you'll feel it.

What's included

- 6 nights accommodation in deluxe hotels (7-day option) - Daily breakfast at your hotel - Most meals as per the itinerary - Daily yoga and meditation sessions - Spa treatments using local Andean plants and cacao-based products - Private guided tours of Lima, the Sacred Valley and Cusco - Machu Picchu entry and guided visit - Round-trip train to Aguas Calientes - Internal flight between Lima and Cusco - All airport transfers - Private guide and driver throughout - Insurance for cancellation and health (as stated in the operator's terms)

What's not included

- International flights to and from Peru - Personal travel insurance - Meals not specified in the itinerary - Alcoholic and other drinks - Optional spa treatments beyond those listed - Tips and gratuities - Personal expenses and shopping - Passport, visa and entry fees - Anything not listed under 'included'