WELCOME
to Andean Origins Tour Operator

Andean Origins is a Peruvian travel agency owned by Mario Canessa, Carmen Lizarzaburu, Manuel del Carpio and Rudi Winsberg, specialists for decades in cultural, historical and natural tourism.

With this vast experience we have decided to share with you our experiences in South America and other international destinations, forming Andean Origins Tour Operator, with our head office in Cuzco and branch offices in Lima.

We have the pleasure to make our new website available to you, created so we can share with you historic, cultural, natural and geographical information about Peru and its attractions in a professional and detailed manner.

We hope that while you are browsing our pages you find exactly what you are looking for, as well as something new to you. We hope to opening up more doors and provide more options for your vacation in our beautiful country. Our wish is that you stumble across a lesser-known destination and we are able to help you build your vacation around whatever or wherever you choose.

You won't find trip prices listed with any of the Andean Origins tours, except on packages with fixed departure dates. The idea is that you pick what interests you and where you would like to visit and from there we put together a personalized and priced itinerary perfectly suited to you!

Our website is not a static one, we are eager to enrich it continuously with new exciting travel possibilities and information. We are here for any questions, comments or suggestions you may have, and look forward to hearing from you!

These are some of the destinations, services, ideas and information you will find in our website about Peru, "Land of the Incas", offering a stimulating and rewarding travel experience in the most diverse and exhilarating of the South American destinations:

Peru is a large country, encompassing a desert coastline, tropical rainforest and soaring mountains, each with distinct environments. These offer an exceptional opportunity for travellers to experience a variety of landscapes, an abundance of wildlife, a rich history and archaeological heritage, home of the Caral, Chavin, Mochica, Chimu, Sipan, Sican, Sechín, Nazca, Paracas, Chachapoyas, Wari and Inca civilisations. And last but not least, the vivacious character of durable native cultures, all within one nation.

The lush Amazon Basin takes up half of Peru and is an ecologically rich area of tropical rainforest that encompasses some of the world's most remote and least explored areas, like Tambopata and Manu, close to Cusco, and Pacaya-Samiria near Iquitos, sparsely populated and for the most part, inaccessible. Separating the coastal desert from the jungle is the splendid Andes mountain range, an endless chain of soaring peaks over 22,000ft (7,000m), and home to millions of indigenous highland people, speaking the ancient Inca language of Quechua, and living in traditional villages with steeply terraced agricultural fields, with their wandering herds of llamas and alpacas.

An interesting history of ancient civilizations, tales of lost cities, undiscovered treasures, and unsolved mysteries make Peru one of the most exciting countries to visit. Travellers can marvel at the sophistication of pre-Colombian cultures and explore the many legacies left by the Inca Empire, particularly the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco. Hiking along the legendary ancient royal Inca Trail brings visitors to the awesome, majestic "‘Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu. Boats transport tourists to the unique Uros floating islands and the traditional world of the Taquile and Amantani island people on Lake Titicaca. Travellers can wander around splendid colonial cities that have preserved their Spanish architecture, plenty of splendid monuments, palaces, museums and churches like in Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo, Cuzco and Ayacucho. You can look into the depths of the world's deepest Colca and Cotahuasi canyons, and contemplate the intriguing mystery of the Nazca Lines and the astonishing sea fauna around the Ballestas Islands and Punta San Fernando.

A paradise for adventure travel, you can do trekking tours along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, to Choquequirao, Salkantay to Santa Teresa, trek along the Lares valley, or in the more challenging areas of Ausangate, ideal for llama treks, and the many trails of the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash. For white-water lovers there is river rafting along the Urubamba, Apurimac, Cañete and other mighty rivers, and horse back riding excursions in many places in the country.

For sophisticated study or special interest tours there is a wide range of possibilities, like searching for traditional textiles, ceramics and handicrafts, farm tours, agricultural and living tourism, llama and alpaca breading, Inca and Colonial architecture, archaeology, rupestral art paintings and carvings, bird or butterfly watching, specialised cactus and orchid programs, spectacular festivals like Qoyllur Rit’i, Corpus Christi and Inti Raymi in Cusco, Virgen de la Candelaria in Puno or Easter in Ayacucho. The list is endless.

Off the beaten path trips are to be enjoyed in areas like Nor Yauyos and Viñac, south of Lima, or Maukallaqta and Puma Orqo and the Four Lakes and the Qeshwachaka Inca bridge in Cusco, the Cotahuasi Canyon or to the Volcanoes Valley in Arequipa, the Anapia and Suasi islands and the Moho rose gardens in and around the Titicaca lake, the Kuelap fortress and the Gocta cascade in Chachapoyas under many others.

For independent individual travelers there are many areas in north, central and south Peru to travel with a rented car using our fly and drive organised programs.

Golf lovers will also find places to play their favorite sport, with courses in Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo, Iquitos and now in La Oroya - one of the highest courses in the world!