Carved by the Urubamba River, the Sacred Valley unfolds between terraced mountains and Inca ruins. Villages like Pisac and Chinchero brim with colourful markets and weaving traditions, while hot springs near Calca and Lares offer natural soaks with Andean views. The valley’s slower pace, fertile fields, and sacred history create a sense of balance. Here, wellness is inseparable from culture and landscape — a place of both restoration and connection.

High in the Andes, Lares is a valley where steaming hot springs meet mountain trails. Its thermal baths, set against peaks and rivers, are beloved by locals and trekkers alike, offering warmth after days of hiking through remote Quechua villages. The Lares Trek itself is an alternative route to Machu Picchu, rich with cultural encounters and pastoral scenery. Lares feels intimate and authentic — a blend of natural healing and living tradition.

Ollantaytambo is a living Inca town, its cobbled streets and stone terraces still echoing with history. Towering above are massive fortress ruins, where temples, stairways, and irrigation systems reveal the ingenuity of Inca design. The town is also a gateway — trains to Machu Picchu depart from its valley station. Surrounded by peaks and fertile fields, Ollantaytambo balances heritage with vitality, a place where past and present run side by side.

Perched high in the cloud forest, Machu Picchu is Peru’s most iconic site, a citadel of stone terraces and temples set among soaring peaks. Mists drift across the ruins at dawn, revealing the Sun Gate, the Intihuatana stone, and views that stretch deep into the Andes. Visiting is both physical and spiritual: reached by train, bus, or multi-day trek, the journey is part of the experience. Machu Picchu feels timeless and otherworldly, a wonder that still holds mystery.

Once the capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco is a city where history layers seamlessly: Inca stone foundations, Spanish colonial churches, and lively Andean markets. Its cobbled streets wind between plazas filled with cafés and artisans, while nearby ruins like Sacsayhuamán overlook the valley. At 3,400 metres, Cusco is also a place to pause and acclimatise, finding rhythm in coca tea, local cuisine, and slower explorations. Wellness here is tied to altitude, heritage, and the surrounding sacred landscape.

Known as the “White City,” Arequipa is framed by volcanic peaks and built from pale volcanic stone. Its historic centre glows with baroque façades and cloistered convents, while nearby Colca Valley reveals traditional villages and terraced hillsides. Thermal springs in the surrounding countryside add restorative pauses, contrasting with the city’s lively markets and plazas. Arequipa balances grandeur with intimacy, a highland city where culture and landscape are inseparable.

Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, Colca Canyon is a landscape of dramatic cliffs, terraced fields, and soaring condors. Villages along its rim preserve traditional ways of life, from colourful textiles to small thermal baths where travellers can soak with canyon views. Hiking trails descend into the depths, revealing riverside lodges and hot springs at the bottom. Colca is raw and awe-inspiring, a place where nature’s scale humbles, and water, both thermal and river, shapes the rhythm of life.

Rising to over 6,300 metres, Ausangate is one of the most sacred mountains in the Andes and a magnet for trekkers seeking remote beauty. The multi-day circuit passes through high-altitude lakes, glacier-carved valleys, and colourful Rainbow Mountain. Along the way, natural hot springs appear like gifts from the earth, offering warmth and relief in the midst of the highlands. Traditional herding communities still live in Ausangate’s shadow, their alpacas grazing beneath snow peaks. This is Peru at its most elementa, wild, spiritual, and restorative all at once.

At the foot of Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes is a small town named for its hot springs. The thermal baths, tucked above the river, provide a soothing soak after the rigours of trekking or sightseeing. Though the town thrives on tourism, it carries a lively rhythm of markets, restaurants, and Andean craft stalls, all surrounded by steep jungle-clad peaks. For many, it’s a practical stop before Machu Picchu, but its hot springs make it more than a gateway — a pause for renewal beneath the shadow of Peru’s most famous citadel.